Patriots have one tough schedule

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The NFL released the entire schedule for the upcoming 2010 season.

I quickly jumped onto patriots.com and got my first view of the Patriots' master schedule.

Here, take a look.

The first thing that comes to mind is are you kidding me?

Chew on this for a moment. The Pats have to play the Jets and Dolphins twice in tough AFC East battles, but also must play solid clubs like the Bengals, Ravens, Chargers, Vikings, Steelers, Colts and Packers. So, if I'm counting correctly, New England plays 11 games vs. some of the better teams in the NFL.

Just based on the opponents itself, it seems like the Patriots are going to have a hard time making the playoffs.

An 8-8 season could be a good possibility. Just sayin'.

Yes, I said it.

But we all know you don't win anything on paper.

And in the NFL, we all should know by now that one team will be good and make the playoffs one season and the next they are close to the bottom of the barrel.

Parity in the league keeps things interesting, I guess.

So while I sit here and complain about how tough New England's schedule, maybe it won't be after all.

Either way, the schedule is out and now it's time to start preparing for another long journey in hopes of hoisting up the Lombardi Trophy once again.

It all starts when the Pats host the Bengals at 1 p.m. on September 12.

So Far, So Bad for the Red Sox

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I know we are only a dozen games into the season, but so far the Red Sox have looked average at best.

After ignoring offense and focusing on "run prevention" this off season, the Red Sox have not been good at either.

Case in point, take Mike Cameron. Cameron dropped an easy line drive against the Rays on Saturday, an error which quickly led to 4 unearned runs. Need another example? Look at Marco Scutaro. His throwing error against the Yankees in the opening series helped the Bronx Bombers get out of town with the series win.

Weren't guys like Cameron and Scutaro brought in to solidify the defense? They have done just the opposite. Couldn't have Jason Bay and Alex Gonzalez done just as well?

Outside of John Lackey, the pitching has also been pretty inconsistent. Beckett looked good Friday night, so that is a positive sign, but John Lester has once again been brutal in the month of April.

The bullpen has not been much better. Jonathan Paplebon looks like he has picked up where he left off last year, walking guys and putting runners on base. Okajima seems to always struggle with inherited runners, and Ramon Ramirez has looked nothing like the guy he was last year.

If the Sox are going to get going, it will still have to be with their pitching. The offense will not help out much. Outside of Dustin Pedroia, no one is hitting. Youklis is fine, and Victor Martinez will hit at some point, but after that, does anybody in that line up scare you? The offense reached a low point on Saturday. Bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 11th and you can't get a run home? Yikes.

Plus it doesn't look like the offense will get much better. Forget about the Red Sox getting Adrian Gonzalez anytime soon. Gonzalez is under the Padres control until after the 2011 season. Gonzalez may be moved at the deadline, but he has a very affordable contract for the Padres. Gonzalez is the Padres only star, and they struggle to sell tickets as it is. Why trade your best player until you absolutely must do so?

There is some good news on the horizon for The Nation however. Baltimore is on the schedule next week. After the Red Sox beat up on the Orioles, at least fans can talk themselves back into thinking that this team is a contender.

Here's what I have to say

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Here's what I have to say about 10 topics from around the world of sports. Agree or disagree, it's just important that you have an opinion either way.

And we always love hearing from you, too, so don't be shy about posting your comments!

1. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger makes me sick. If the reports, based on the accounts of the victim and her friends, are true, then this guy should be behind bars (but remember he was never charged). I know I would never let my sons wear a Big Ben jersey, ever. He's not a role model. People in Pittsburgh are even sick of his antics -- actually his night life and frequent screwups. I hope he gets suspended for four games.
2. If the Celtics are going to struggle with the Miami Heat, do you really believe they can win a World Championship? Exactly.
3. I'm still more pumped that the Bruins got the No. 2 pick in the NHL Draft than seeing them beat Buffalo in Game 2 of the playoffs to knot the best-of-7 series at one game apiece. The Bruins don't have a chance in hell to win the Stanley Cup. Lay off the peace pipe if you believe they can.
4. Who will the Patriots take in the first round of the draft? Your guess is as good as mine. Bill Belichick doesn't ever give the media a clue what that organization is going to do. He must be a fantastic poker player.
5. Who's the best hitter in baseball? Albert Pujols. Who's the best pitcher? Tim Lincecum. Go ahead and try to argue with me!
6. I had a friend say, "Varitek is to the Red Sox as Bruschi is to the Patriots." My response, "Don't ever compare Varitek to Bruschi, no comparison. Bruschi never sat the bench, ever!!!"
7. So nice to see Tiger Woods choke last week. Ha, ha, ha, ha. Wouldn't you like to know what's going on in his mind? It would be quite the show, wouldn't it?
8. When Paul Pierce went down with an injury near the Heat bench with 40 seconds left in Game 1 of the playoffs, I saw something I loved. Kevin Garnett and Big Baby Davis came to his rescue and tried to protect their teammate. Yes, shoves were exchanged between both teams and technical fouls were handed out (Garnett was even ejected for who knows why), but you've got to love the unity the Celts showed. They were trying to protect their own. That's what T-E-A-M is all about.
9. The Red Sox have problems right now. If you were the GM, what would be your first move? Mine would be to trade for a bat quickly (Yo, Adrian!!!).
10. If a kid gets drafted, I say sign and play pro ball. Forget about college, you can always go and get your degree at some point in your life. Playing a professional sport, it might be your only chance. Take the opportunity and run with it.

B's to ride Rask to series win over the Sabres

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

If you're a fan of this website, you're aware of my feelings towards the NHL Playoffs. If not, then I need to remind you the NHL Playoffs are, by far, the best set of playoffs in any professional sport. I love the intensity, I love the story lines, and I certainly love the beards! This year is no different, and if you're a Bruins fans, then you enter the playoffs with a glimmer of hope you didn't have the majority of the 2009-10 season.

What is the most important aspect of playoff hockey? Well, that would be goal tending, or a hot goalie to be more specific. I am well aware of the Sabres all world goaltender, Ryan Miller. I know he's the best goalie in hockey and is having one of his best years. I also know that Tuuka Rask has been flat out better when they go head to head. Rask is 4-1 this season against the Buffalo Sabres with a 1.42 GAA and .954 save percentage. Even without those head to head stats, Rask may be on the verge of being a better all around goalie than Miller. In case you didn't realize it, Rask finished the season with the leagues best goals against average and save percentage.

Now don't get me wrong, this isn't going to be an open round repeat of the Montreal series last year. Both teams aren't prolific goal scorers, and the Bruins defense could be classified as being in shambles. I predict the Bruins will win this series in 6 games. This is going to be a very close series that will see two games go to overtime. Not to put a damper on things, but if the Bruins do win this series, don't expect much else out of them. Ultimately, they don't have the offensive firepower to win 7 games series against the likes of the Capitals and Penguins.

# 2 pick is perfect for the Bruins

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Okay, picture this. It's Tuesday night, 8 pm, and the twins just went down to sleep. I park my but on the couch and tune into the Versus Network to watch the NHL Draft Lottery be unveiled. As I'm sitting there, I had this lump in my gut that the Bruins were destined to be stuck with the 3rd overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft. To my surprise, and great relief, the Bruins were awarded with the 2nd pick, and I was ecstatic. Yes, the Phil Kessel trade has finally started to pay off.

Contrary to most people, I am happy the Bruins got the 2nd pick and not the first overall. I know it's typically better to have the first pick and be able to make your choice between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. I guess I'm more of a pessimist and realist. Given some of the choices, and signings, Peter Chiarelli has made the past year and a half, I am more than happy to have the choice between these two franchise players removed from the situation. All the Bruins Organization has to do now is wait and see who falls to them.

Personally, I'd love to see the Bruins get Taylor Hall because he's a forward, and not a center like Seguin. Realistically, either player is going to make a huge impact next season and be the next face of the organization. I guess we'll just have to wait until June. Unlike the other teams in the top 5 of the draft, Bruins fans still have playoff hockey to enjoy.

No Marshall or Holmes, Patriots better deliver in NFL Draft

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The AFC East is going to be a beast this season.

And the Patriots might just be the third-place team in the division.

Well, let's hope not.

But it's hard to swallow that the Jets and Dolphins keep improving this offseason, while the Pats have retained some key players from last season (Vince Wilfork was the No. 1 priority), but they haven't made the big free agency splash yet. And they most likely won't.

It appears that Bill Belichick and Co. plan to build this team in the draft with a first-round selection and three second-rounders.

But both the Jets and Dolphins have added youth and experience with two outstanding pickups recently.

And it came at a position where the Pats could use some help -- wide receiver.

The Jets trade for Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes, while Miami turned some heads by trading for Denver star receiver Brandon Marshall.

I know they both come with off-the-field issues, but they are talented and should help out both teams immensely.

Just think about it: Wouldn't either one of those wideouts look good in a Patriots uniform?

While I wish either was suiting up and catching passes for the Pats, I still have faith that New England will get a high grade from NFL Draft gurus Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay after their selections.

If they don't deliver the goods, then they could be in real trouble in the division.

Doesn't it hurt to know that those two rival clubs have improved so much? But hey, at least we resigned Vince Wilfork, right?

Boston College proved it was the most dominant team...from the most dominant conference

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The ice chips have settled and Boston College has come out on top as the top team in college hockey for the second time in three years.

I will be the first to admit that early in the season and as late as the beginning of this tournament that while they were a very good team, the Eagles didn't have the star power to win the whole thing. And the lack of big stars just may be the reason they won it all.

All tournament Barry Melrose kept pointing out the fact that Wisconsin had the most draft picks of any team in the tournament, including three first-round draft picks on defense. The problem for Wisconsin is the Badgers played like a group of high draft picks instead of like a team.

Yes, Boston College was faster than Wisconsin, which is an incredibly fast team itself, but it wasn't speed that made the difference. It was passing. Boston College executed plays in transition to perfection because of impeccable tape-to-tape passing. Players looked to each other as outlets and the team looked to be communicating so well, you might have thought Jerry York had implanted something in their brains that transmitted what one was thinking to all the others.

Wisconsin players, on the other hand, tried far too often to do everything themselves. When they did pass, things happened for them like a very good bid in the slot off a pass from the corner in the first period, but especially once the Badgers were down, the individualism reared its ugly head and right then you had a feeling Wisconsin was done.

With the win, BC established itself as one of the dominant teams in college hockey, having won two trophies in three years and three over the last 10 seasons. The Eagles have appeared in the championship game four of the last five seasons and seven of the past 13 seasons, dating back to 1998.

What is also impressive is the road Boston College took to get there. First of all, the Eagles finished one point out of first place during the regular season and went on to win the tournament of the toughest conference in college hockey, which earned them a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Don't buy that the Hockey East is the toughest conference? It has to be, especially over recent years as each of the last five championship games have featured a Hockey East team. In fact, since 1990, the NCAA championship game has been without a Hockey East team just four times. Twice both teams in the title game have been from Hockey East - 1995 when Boston University topped Maine and 1999 when Maine beat arch-rival New Hampshire. Only once since 1990 has a Hockey East team not reached the Frozen Four and that was in 1992.

Six of the last seven Hobey Hat Trick finalists have been from Hockey East.

Even after taking the top spot in the Northeast regional, the Eagles had the rougher road to the championship game than Wisconsin. After dispatching an Alaska team that was better than everyone thought it was, The Eagles had to first face the team that finished tops in the ECAC during the regular season, which also happened to be the best scoring team in the country in Yale. After the victory over Yale got them to the Frozen Four, they had to play the CCHA's toughest team and the team ranked No. 1 overall in Miami (OH) and finished off the season with a win over the WCHA's second-ranked team at the end of the regular season. The teams they played in the tournament leading up to the title game finished in USCHO's final rankings at No. 17, No. 8, and No. 1, respectively. Comparitively speaking, Wisconsin played No. 15 Vermont, No. 7 St. Cloud State and No. 20 RIT.

Some parting shots

• ESPN can try to spin it all they want, but the ice at Ford Field looked terrible. I'm not an expert on ice, but I've seen enough hockey to know that when the puck is lying flat and still ends up bouncing over the blades of sticks, the ice isn't competition caliber. It was a nice little gimmick and a way to boost ticket sales, but what if ice conditions had had a serious effect on a game? It just wasn't the right venue for a championship game.
• The CHA should be stripped of its automatic bid. Alabama-Hunstville made it and you can't hate the team for it because it got in because of how the rules are, so good for them. But what was good for them was bad for hockey. The team plays in a four-team conference and won a total of 12 games all season with a .409 winning percentage. Two of those games happened to be at the right time, so they got put in with the best teams in college hockey, which they were not.
• RIT, on the other hand, was good for college hockey, much like Bemidji State was the year before. RIT admittedly plays in a lesser conference, but they had 28 wins, was a top-20 team and beat up on two teams perceived to be incredibly more talented than it was. What makes the RIT story even better is the fact that the school does not give athletic scholarships. Every kid at that school is there to be something besides a hockey player and that is commendable.
• UNH fans who have been spoiled by the team's recent successes have started calling for head coach Dick Umile's job because he has been unable to shake the school's "University of No Hardware" moniker. Those fans have short memories. They forget that before Umile showed up in Durham 20 years ago, UNH was an absolute laughing stock. Since the Umile era began, the Wildcats have been a competitive program in the toughest conference in college hockey with a 462-234-73 record. The Wildcats have finished as regular season champions six times and three times in the last four year, including this season, which most prognosticators had them finishing fourth at best. They have been to the NCAA tournament 16 times, including nine straight years, which is the second-longest active streak. UNH is in a town that most people couldn't point to on a map, has a rink that with 200x100 dimensions a lot of players don't want to play at and a budget that restricts the amount they can offer in scholarships. Most of Umile's scouting comes from the local area and that itself can be tough with programs like BU and BC a short trip down I-95. And yet he always finds a way to make his team competitive. I'm not saying that this is the best UNH hockey can be, but for a team that lost its three top defensemen and the team's all-time leading scorer to graduation, plus a guy named van Reimsdyk to the Flyers, this team did pretty well for itself and Umile is the reason why.