Kind of. It was technically on the Emerson campus, but whatever. BU had exclusive seating. At any rate, it was awesome.

BU ended up winning the contest to get a free screening of Cera’s new flick Youth In Revolt. The movie itself was hilarious and enjoyable. Not a great movie, but certainly a re-watchable comedy. The cast was pretty awesome and had some pretty big names including Ray Liotta and Steve Buschemi, as well as Fred Willard, Zach SimonandGarfunklenofaalas, and Justin Long. However, for me, the beautiful Portia Doubleday stole the show… and my heart. Seriously. I’m in love with this girl:

What a sweetheart.

Both she and Cera attended the screening and did a half hour Q&A after the movie. I don’t want to sound like a bitchy little snob or anything, but I was embarrassed to be a member of this audience. Not one person who was called on could muster an engaging question. They ranged from, “if you could be an animal, what animal would you be” (to which Cera noted “Sorry we forgot to mention  no stupid questions”), “what was it like making out with Portia?,” “what was it like making out with Michael?,” “Michael was this regressive therapy for you?” That last one came from a particularly awkward middle-aged woman who was pretty embarrassed after the “reserved” sign that was on her seat got stuck to her butt, prompting an eruption of laughter from the audience. The fact that the same audience amused by this butt sign was amused by the movie doesn’t speak a whole lot to its hilarity, but it really was funny.

Hangin'.

Cera and Portia were just as lovably awkward in real life as they were in the film. My suspicions that Michael Cera is very gifted at playing himself were proven true – not that that’s a bad thing. The characters he plays are easy to relate to, especially as an awkward teenage boy, and funny, and the fact that he is just like them doesn’t detract from his talent as an actor. Portia’s performance was lovely, but I was even more taken by her real-life presence. She is a very humble, classy lady, and blushed and chuckled at some of the more inappropriate questions that were thrown her way. Both were charmingly snarky and weren’t afraid to dismiss obviously stupid questions with I-don’t-knows. Cera’s charm comes from the fact that, much like John Krasinski earlier this month, he gets the audience roaring in laughter simply by being himself. It’s pretty awesome. And Patricia, you’re lovely.

Headin' out.

Following the Q&A audience members were offered the opportunity to give testimonials about the film to be used in later ads. I spent the whole time in line laughing about the fact that I had no idea what to say and making witty cracks about possible things to say with my friends. Turns out my friend Lauren and I actually did pretty good, and we got some positive feedback. So basically what I’m saying is I’ll probably be a star prettttty soon. When they asked me what I thought of the rest of the cast I said, “Oh I thought they were great. Ray Liotta’s best comedy performance since Goodfellas.” I fucking love that movie.

My friends Bobby and Chris giving their testimonials.

One last highlight: the event was sponsored by HP and raffled off a netbook. Whuddayaknow, my friend Chris Kopcow wunnit. Good for him – he’s the guy that made the Facebook group and won us this contest to begin with. Congrats!

The big winner and his prize! The box, not the broad.

It was Boston Garden, a windy Boston Garden, near the Arlington Street entrance.

The statue of George Washington on his horse was the subject of the tourist photographs and there I was amidst the banks of flowering bushes that border the paths through the garden.

I was so far inside the shrub with my camera, I resembled that lawn ornament of the lady’s wide backside as she bends over doing her gardening.

Rule #26:  Bend Over.  You may not look good to the passing stranger, but, really, tell the truth.   How many photos of George Washington look this good?

©Pat Coakley 2009

PHOTOGRAPHS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

Tonight’s musical post features a band that originally hails from California but is most associated with the City of Boston because of their biggest hit song.. This time it is The Standells and their song, Dirty Water which was released in 1966. A little bit of trivia about the band is that they appeared on the television sit-com The Munsters in the episode, “Far Out Munster” in which they covered The Beatles’ song, I Want To Hold Your Hand.

The song, Dirty Water is featured on this blog because it is about the City of Boston. The “dirty water” refers to the Charles River which at one time was one of the most polluted rivers in the nation (thankfully, it is now quite clean).The lyrics also make many references to the city’s one time puritanical social scene. Boston, at  the time, was known for its Blue Laws which prevented most every commercial entity from conducting business on Sunday and also for the saying, “banned in Boston.” The song has now become a staple at the Boston Garden when the Bruins are victorious and at Fenway Park when the Red Sox win.

The first video clip is of The Standells performing the song and the second is a clip from a Red Sox game. It is fun to watch and listen to the fans as they raucously sing along.

Enjoy.

Partido disputado entre los Boston Celtics y los Ángeles Lakers en Boston. Oportunidad única de ver a Bird contra Magic en su temporada de rookies en su primer encuentro disputado en el Boston Garden.

Ver Vídeo

Fuente: Descargas de Basket

Over the years, the Boston Garden has been torn down and rebuilt. The newest structure has taken on many names and the most recent was celebrated today as TD Banknorth rebrands as TD Bank. As a result, the former FleetCenter, Bank of America Center and TD Banknorth Garden will henceforth be known as the TD Garden. (for a full slideshow of the story, visit the gallery on Boston.com)

To celebrate the rebranding of the bank and Garden, TD Bank and Pierce Promotions hosted the TD Garden Golden Ticket Giveaway today in the Boston area. The giveaway, modeled after one by Willy Wonka (made famous by Roald Dahl, Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp), gave away 5 Golden Tickets hidden in 19,600 candy bars, one for every seat in the Garden.

Now, I was working the event as a “brand ambassador,” but I am completely unbiased when I say that as far as the branding strategy goes, this event was a huge success.

My location in the Financial District was packed and people lined up for multiple blocks for their chance to find a golden ticket. However, that was nothing compared to the line of nearly 10,000 people at the Garden itself, that supposedly crossed the bridge into Charlestown.

All of this was for the minor name change of a brand, but TD Bank turned a quiet sports day in Boston (Sox fans at a loss during All-Star break) into what I consider one of the most successful local promotions in recent memory. If anyone in Boston was unaware of the name change, today’s Golden Ticket Giveaway made them aware of TD Bank’s new brand identity.

Among many possible prizes, the Golden Ticket Prize Packages included:

Behind the scenes tour of the TD Garden for winner and guest

Gift bag for winner and guest

Transportation to and from the arena for the tour

A pair of Season Tickets to the TD Garden for the 2009-10 Season

One Grand Prize winner receives a pair of Season Tickets to ALL the TD Garden events for the 2009-10 Season.

Editor’s Note: Whoever came up with this idea deserves a ride in a real “Great Glass Elevator.” Reclusive, “Candy Man” escort should be optional, though strongly endiscouraged.

Bonus Photo:

Can you spot the Loge 19 crew?

Here we are, Game 7 tonight of the Eastern Conference semi-finals at The Boston Garden. This is why the Bruins fought all year to keep their top spot in the East. To be rewarded with home ice for a decisive game 7 that will decide who moves on to face the Penguins and who has to admit the old cliche “we just didn’t get it done”.

The easy favorite tonight is the Boston Bruins. They have won two games in a row; a strong 4-0 home win against Carolina in game 5 and a resilient 4-2 road win over Carolina and their tailgate-happy fans. The Bruins have home ice and 17,000+ screaming fans behind them while Carolina will be settling for a few red shirts and some pathetic Whalers fans that still think that their rivalry with the Bruins lingers.

I know I made the comparison to the 2004 Yankees-Red Sox, when Kevin Millar made the famous “don’t let us win this game’ speech in my game 6 preview . However this is NOT the same situation,  series, game 7 or team that the Red Sox were waltzing into game 7 at Yankee Stadium against (h/t to Cameron Frye for the intial reference).

First, the Hurricanes are not crippled by three losses in a row. Yes, they have lost two in a row but that is nothing for a team that twice climbed back from behind in their first round series against the NJ Devils,  the #2 team in the East, and ultimately pulled off an amazing regulation win in game 7 when trailing 2-3 with less than 2 minutes left. Second, the last 6 games are already out of the Hurricanes heads. These guys have shorter memories than a gold fish. They know this is do-or-die and nothing in the past is relevant anymore. Sure there is momentum, but momentum can last about as long as it takes Staal to come down the right side and snipe low-toe on Thomas. Third, this team is full of playoff vets. They have been here before. As I notes in the series preview, they have 10 players that have won a Stanley Cup! That is huge in games like these. When they last won the Cup in 2006 they played two game sevens on their road to the Cup; against the Sabres in the Eastern Conference finals and against the Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. That is some great experience to draw on. Fourth, they have Cam Ward. The Saskatoon native is a great playoff goalie and a former Conn Smythe trophy winner. All it takes is one strong game from your goalie in a game like this.

With all that said, I will stick with my game 6 preview and say that this series is over. The Bruins will win this game 4-1 as long as Claude gets on his internet box, types in www.loge19.com and reads these 4 keys to winning game 7:

1) Keep Eric Staal off the score sheet - This is my number one point because the evidence is so clear! When Eric Staal scores in the playoffs this year, the Hurricanes have not lost a game. In this series, Eric Staal has had only one assist in the 3 Bruins victories. Plain and simple right there, keep him the fuck away from the puck and the net!

2) Play-off the Garden crowd - The Garden is going to be crazy tonight. Maybe I will run up and down the aisle with my Bruins jersey over my head like game 6 last year against the Canadiens , maybe I won’t. Either way though, this is the biggest hockey game in Boston since the Bruins went to the Finals in 1990 and the biggest NHL game that this building has ever seen. Although it will never be as loud as the real Garden, tonight will come as close as it has ever gotten. The Bruins need to play off this intensity and take full advantage of the crowd.

3) Keep the lines rolling - The last two games have been won through depth. The Bruins were the second best team in the NHL this year becasue of their depth.  Guys like Kessel, Savard and Ryder are expected to score, but when Recchi, Kobasew and Montador are scoring the Bruins show how much they can spread the wealth. Although supporting goals are important, the play of guys like Yelle, Thornton, Axelsson and Bitz has been the driving force behind these wins. They have eaten up ice time which gives the first few lines time to rest and also wears down Carolina’s lines. Keep all 4 lines rolling through the game and Carolina will not be able to even attempt a comeback late in the 3rd period.

4) Score first – This is not as important as it was in Carolina in game 6 on the road but we all saw what happened with Pittsburgh at Washington last night. Ovechkin had a chance to put 2 pucks in the net early, Fleury made some great saves and the rest is history. Although coming from behind in a game is never easy, it is especially tough and dangerous in a playoff game 7. Teams get desperate, defenses break down and the other team ends up just putting another one on the score board (i.e. last night’s game). As always, scoring first is key to winning hockey games but tonight it will not only further demoralize the Hurricanes but will also  will amplify point number 2.

Let me know what your keys to game 7 are in the comments.

Prediction: Bruins 4-1

-Commish

George at the entrance of the park

Spring has emerged as my favorite season in New England.  It’s brief, but after enduring a long and often harsh winter comprised mostly of grey sky and dirty snow, this colorful season is a welcomed reprieve!

Bare trees transform into beautiful bouquets that I wish would last longer then a few brief weeks. In the Back Bay we have the privilege of enjoying  two blossoms.  First the Magnolias, Apple Blossoms, Dogwoods etc. bloom  on the north side of the street then they bloom on the south side about a week later.   Tulips- red, pink, yellow, white  and orange are  everywhere!  This is particularly true in the Boston Garden.

On this particular Friday afternoon, I’m sitting in the Boston Garden with nowhere to be.  I’m grateful that I have the time to sit and enjoy the peaceful yet entertaining surroundings while perched on the wall of the bridge.  The pond is dark green almost brown and filled with ducks, swans and Canadian geese.  The swan boats are out. Kids are everywhere laughing and chasing birds and each other. There are a few artists painting pictures. Tourists stop on the bridge to take photos; some stop to watch a woman who is spontaneously composing a ballet dance to the music a man is playing on his accordion.

As I listen to the french song he is playing, I can picture myself in Paris  along the Seine on the Ile Saint Louis and just across from Notre Dome Cathedral.  When I was there in March, eating Berthillon ice cream, a man was playing the accordion in the rain. Oh, the charm of Paris and Boston!

On this day, the park is filled with a mix of foreign students on a  scavenger hunt, leisurely strollers, power walkers, dog walkers, and commuters on their way home from work or to happy hour. It seems as if everyone who stops on the bridge has a camera.

It’s a warm sunny day with a clear blue sky only divided only by a sky scraper flying in the center of it.

I occasionally sit in the park, but I mostly walk through it or around it.  On this day, I am thoroughly amused by all that I observe.  I saw a professionally dressed man, late fifties/early sixties  pretending to tap dance as a man breathed into his saxaphone (U2 fans know this phrase).  At first I thought he was drunk, but then I realized that he was just enjoying the music. You had to see him.

I’ve lived in Boston long enough to recognize the park musicians, but this was the first time in many years that I lingered long enough to appreciate them.

I’m glad I did.

… two can be as bad as one, it’s the loneliest number since the number 1”    - Harry Nilsson

Am I the only one that finds that bathroom business is irritating?

It’s like doing your taxes. You have to do them, and you’re happy when they’re done, even though you’ve lost more than you’ve gained. But you just wish it didn’t have to happen at all. However, unlike tax time, bathroom business happens every DAY!

(Sidebar: That’s one audit I wouldn’t want to attend.)

Even more annoying is dealing with some of the chuckleheads that you run into using public restrooms. Already, using “public” with something that should be private is NOT good in my mind. I don’t like retail, much less this debacle.

Firstly… would it KILL you to wash your hands? I am amazed how many people don’t clean their hands after flailing them all over a disgusting landscape of germs. It’s like a germ kegger! And when you have OCD like myself, you start to think about all of the people that shook your hand and know that odds are some of them didn’t wash theirs before they shook yours. In effect, you’re shaking more than their hand now. If I wanted to handle another guy’s schlong I at least would ask for a date first. Who knows? Maybe I like him.

By the by, that’s a good thing about having an OCD friend, which can sometimes be annoying. We all wash ourselves really well. So don’t worry, you won’t be handling my undercarriage if we meet.

I guess you could say that there are two major categories to deal with in the scary subject of public restrooms.

Number 1:

I’ll admit that urinating is pretty easy as a guy. However, I don’t like BECAUSE it’s so easy, some commercial venues decide to keep it too simple. Like, caveman simple.

The old Boston Garden was one of the worst. There was a big round trough and guys all stood in a circle and pissed in the middle. You’re trying to pee between periods of a Bruins game and all of a sudden you’re nearly in a circle-jerk. It was awful.

And that reminds me of the urinals at Nantasket Beach. The urinals sat back to back, with NO walls above them. So essentially, you’d be peeing and a guy would go to the one across from you… and you’d be looking at eachother in awkward manner.

The only thing separating the two of you from having a homoerotic moment is about 8” of porcelain.

Number 2:

When you’re talking about dropping your pants in public, I’m already concerned. (Unless you’re Kate Winslet, then I have to say I am perfectly ok with that). But when you add the idea that you potentially have to sit or hover over a seat that has rested who KNOWS how many asses before yours… It becomes truly scary to me.

I am on the road for work all of the time, so I have to deal with this often. And some of the restrooms out there are really frightening.

I sometimes wish that I had one of those wire harnesses that Tom Cruise had in Mission: Impossible.

I would be able to hover over the aforementioned dropoff spot, then swing around and do a cross-legged cannonball launch:

It’s brilliant, no?

Of course, with my friggin’ luck the wire would snap and the worst case scenario finally makes itself known to me:

Maybe I should stay on my feet.

One way I could lighten up the moment for myself…. When nobody is looking…

I’ll plie’.

(Sidebar 2: I know… I know… I can’t do a plie’ at all. But in my defense, do you realize how hard it is to take a picture of yourself acting foolish in only 3 seconds from a laptop? Maybe the arabesque would have been easier.)

Another thing that I hate is the “showdown”. I’m not grand at letting myself fly in a stall when I’m surrounded, if you catch my drift. So when someone comes into the stall next to me, I usually try to wait the other guy out. But every now & then… I find a true adversary. Another guy who wants to wait ME out. You end up both sitting there quietly until one of you finally gives in. It can go on for a while.

I have lost a few of those bouts by the way, but I know I’ve won more than I lost. I usually celebrate with the raising the roof gesture in the confines of my stall:

“Oh yeah…. Oh yeah!”

After the win, you dispose of the many layers of protective paper you’d stacked, flush the toilet with your foot and kick the door open to depart. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

So, if you ever end up in a stall next to me, would you let me win please? And promise me that if you’re going to touch me in some way that you’ll WASH your hands first? Do we have a deal?!

How about we shake on it?

Hands, that is.

Last night’s win was important. It set a tone for the series. It confirmed that Boston, even when they blow 2-goal leads, is always dangerous, and can come back into a hockey game at any time. I’m real proud of the boys for sticking with the game and not giving up, even when Les Miserables (I’m clever, huh?) came at them hard in the second period.

We just have so many weapons this year. It’s fantastic.

I think a pressing issue, however, is the way that the Montreal players handle themselves on the ice. I complain about this every time we play against them. My dad, who used to go to games in the old Boston Garden, said that Montreal has always played that way. I hadn’t really paid attention until this year. Sure, I was mad when Mike Ribeiro flopped – bigtime – a few years ago, but I didn’t have much to back that up then. (Also, I was about 12. Gimme a break.)

This year, however, half of Les Miserables really earn the nickname. Tom Kostopoulos, Mike Komisarek, Georges Laraque, Mathieu Dandenault, Josh Gorges, Maxim Lapierre, and Guillaume Latendresse (HOW DARE YOU FIGHT DENNY), all of whom dressed last night, act like thugs on the ice, perhaps because they realize that the only way that their team can win is by distracting their opponents’ focus from playing hockey. It’s kind of a brilliant plan – throw their opponents off and score when they’re angry. (Speaking of Habs goals, Alex Kovalev’s goal was pretty. I’ll be a man and admit that, much as I hate Kovalev.)

Yes, you can make arguments that the Bruins have their share of players who are similarly rough – Milan Lucic (see Komisarek link), Shawn Thornton, and Byron Bitz (who did not dress last night) come to mind. The difference in this series, however, is that we know that these players are not the ones instigating the fights, simply because they don’t need to. Boston is a superior team in terms of skill and talent this year. Fighting slows them down, makes them lose that focus, and allows opponents to score goals.

As such, I’m pretty bothered when the referees call matching misconduct penalties – and no instigator penalties, despite what seems like brutally obvious circumstances – when the teams scuffle.

The best example of this last night was when Phil Kessel scored on an empty net with 13 seconds left to go in the game. After putting the puck in the net, Kessel began to celebrate, as the aforementioned Lapierre skated towards him (see link under Lapierre’s name above). Kessel obviously saw something in Lapierre’s expression that warranted him putting his hands out, and the two began to scuffle, thus drawing in the rest of the skaters. Lapierre and Milan Lucic – whose interception of a Mathieu Schneider pass set up the goal in the first place – received matching roughing penalties and 10-minute misconducts.

What bothers me is the fact that, while Lapierre clearly started the brawl by hitting Kessel about five seconds after the goal was scored, Lucic also got a penalty for jumping in to defend his teammate. Sound fair to you? What Lapierre did was classless… and I like to think I’d be just as mad at any player, regardless of team.

It also shows that the instigator penalty, as it currently exists, is useless. Because, often times, no fighting majors are called in brawls, the instigator cannot be called; and even when something determined to be a “fight” occurs, the instigator is only called about 6 percent of the time.

Somebody needs to rewrite the rules here. Rewrite the instigator rule so that, whether a fight is staged or not, the player whose actions are most egregious in starting the fight gets an extra two minutes. If it leads to a brawl, give that player a game misconduct. Enforce the instigator penalty in every fight and ESPECIALLY every brawl.

It’s the best way to clean up the game, and make it so players with at least some skill, like Lucic, Thornton, and Bitz – instead of one-dimensional goons – are the ones with jobs. Think about it. Why would a team waste a roster spot on a guy who’s always going to put them on the penalty kill? Those guys don’t deserve NHL jobs. I don’t think that’s the kind of league that true hockey fans want.

Hitting? Yes. Rough play? Yes. People whose sole reasons for existence are to fight on skates? No.

Yes, I’m more supportive of this idea because it would basically put the Bruins on a perpetual power play in this particular playoff series, but I think the idea has merit. It’d also force Les Miserables to be less like their fans – loud, boorish, and not as skilled in the art of hockey as they used to be.

Game 2 on Saturday. Go Bruins.

As American Idol clearly shows, people will do just about anything to get on television.  So entranced are we by the idea of thousands, if not millions of people having the opportunity to see us on the small screen that we will hold up signs all game for the chance of being shown on TV for a mere few seconds.  And don’t even get me started on the fans who sit behind home plate at baseball games on their cell phones the whole game, waving to their friends watching back home.

On Friday night while waiting for Joe Sarge to arrive from Boston on the Fung Wah bus in order to partake in Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday (utter and complete decimation of numerous livers, by the way), I was enjoying the Celtics outscoring LeBron and the Cavs on ESPN when I witnessed a display of ridiculousness from the fans sitting directly behind the announcers during a timeout.  With the Celtics leading 40-33 with 2:02 remaining in the first half, the cameras zeroed in Hubie Brown looking dead and Mike Tirico looking constipated.  Realizing that they were on TV, what appeared to be a father/daughter combination who appear from the chest up between the two used their six seconds of fame to the fullest extent.  Luckily, by the marvel of DVR and a digital camera, I will recreate the scene below:

Hey everyone! Come and see how good we look!

A classic move- both man and woman pretend that not only are they having an extremely humorous conversation, but also looking at something much more interesting to their right.  They are so cool and nonchalant, it appears that they might not even know the camera is on them.  But they do.  Oh yes, they do.

(**sidenote** In addition to Tirico, there are at two African-American fans visible in the stands.  This image of nominal diversity at the TD Banknorth Garden in 2009 is in stark contrast to the makeup of the crowd at the old Boston Garden back in the 80s.  A co-worker used to have a panoramic view of the Garden from 1986, and we once spent upwards of 15 minutes searching through thousands of fans trying to find all the African-Americans in picture who were not part of the game itself.  The number we were able to find matches the number of the above picture.  In fact, that picture of the Garden looks a lot like a sheet.)

I knew I should have worn contacts today. What was I thinking?!

After a few seconds the man suddenly decides that he wants the ESPN audience to see how sexy he looks without glasses.  Note, there is no explanation for this maneuver except to be seen without glasses.  Which is absurdly awesome.  I rewound and watched this action numerous times, each time enjoying it more.  Also, we have a Celtics superfan who is copying Turtle’s look from Entourage throwing up gang signs over Hubie Brown’s right shoulder.  God, I wish this wasn’t my favorite team’s crowd.

Check me out, I'm awesome.

Hubie Brown looks ghastly.  Do I really even need to say much about the father/daughter combo?  They thought they were only getting a few seconds of fame, but little did they know John Stamos Fever would chronicle their exploits for the world to see.  There was no way to confirm it, but it appears that everyone immediately seated behind the announcers is involved in a mass joke.  The NBA.  It’s FANtastic!

While these two added more enjoyment to the game for me than they will ever know, they didn’t even represent my favorite fan appearance during the game.  No, this award goes to a kid sitting courtside who gets completely shot down by Paul Pierce in an attempt for a high five.  Some notes for the kids:

- Don’t go to a Celtics game and sit courtside in the jersey of that night’s opponent

- While wearing said jersey, do not try to get a high five from Paul Pierce.  You will get dominated.

- Don’t be a dumbass

Where's your Pierce jersey, kid? You just got pwned!

Krejci deflated the Blackhawks' balloon.

By Jim Chandley

The Bruins won for the first time in what felt like ages this afternoon.  They downed the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 at the Garden.  New Bruin Mark Recchi announced his presence with a two-goal game.

The Bruins never trailed in this one, with Recchi scoring in the first to make it 1-0.  When Jonathan Toews scored in the second to tie things up, Krejci answered only 30 seconds later.  Recchi, Kessel and Axelsson would add tallies for the Bruins the rest of the way.

Things had clearly turned in the second, just after the Toews goal.  Any momentum Chicago had from tying the game was instantly killed by the Krejci marker, with Recchi’s only 40 additional seconds away.  From then on, the Blackhawks were rather lifeless.

Tomorrow, the Bruins will play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.  The Rangers are currently 4th in the East.

Is the sky falling on the Bruins?

If Chicken Little told you that the Bruins’ lead in the Eastern Conference has now shrunk to only 6 points, he’d be right on both counts.

The Bruins lost 2-1 to the lowely Coyotes tonight at the Garden.  They came out flat to start the game and didn’t find any energy until the 3rd period.

In the 1st, Chuck Kobasew scored for the Bruins and was answered a few minutes later by Scottie Upshall.  The goal was Upshall’s 2nd in 3 nights as a visitor in Boston.  He was traded at yesterday’s deadline from Philadelphia to Phoenix.

Steve Reinprecht scored mid-way through the 2nd for the Coyotes to make it 2-1.  That finished the scoring.  The Bruins put the pedal to the metal in the 3rd but had no goals to show for it.

New acquisitions Mark Recchi and Steve Montador seemed to mesh well in the Bruins’ system but it didn’t change the outcome as Boston dropped its 3rd straight game at home.

On Saturday, the Chicago Blackhawks will visit the Garden as the B’s attempt to snap their losing streak.

Did anyone else see Eddie House and his kid in the front row Monday night when Raw was live from the Garden? They were sandwiched between Jerry the King and that other guy who isn’t Jim Ross… Not a whole lot to say about it, just an observation.

P.S.  If you search Google Images of “Eddie House Monday Night Raw WWE Boston” that picture comes up… awesome

NBA GAME OF THE WEEK: GREATEST RIVALRY EVER RESUMES

 VERSUS 

Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics – Thursday 5pm TNT

BREAKING IT DOWN

Well, what have we here? Oh, just the best rivalry in the NBA and possibly all of sports right now? BEAUTIFUL. This time around, the Celtics should be coming flying back home to Boston with a 12 game winning streak they’ll hope to make 13 with Thursday’s visit from the Lakers. No doubt about it, the Celtics are the hottest and most dangerous team in the NBA right now.

The Lakers on the other hand were just given a late Christmas gift of another Andrew Bynum knee injury that will sideline him another 8-12 weeks just as his partially dislocated left knee did last year. This time, fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to spin it), it’s a torn medial collateral on his right knee. Left knee, right knee, what’s next? Left ankle then the right ankle the following year? Anyhow, the Lakers are on a 3 game winning streak, trying to make it four in a row against Toronto Wednesday night before flying down to Boston for their second game against the Celtics, this time at the Garden (I’m not calling the TD BankNorth Garden because that name sucks!).

THE HERO

 *Pau Gasol

If you remember that 39 point thrashing in game 6 of the Finals last year, you’ll remember that right after it ended, the media decided to make Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom the scapegoats for all the Laker’s woes. Too soft. Too passive. Too whatever. The truth is, unfortunatey, the media was right. But it wasn’t so much Odom as it was Gasol, a 7-footer playing like he was a shooting guard. This time around, I think the media is actually pulling for him to give Garnett or that ugly, dirty, disgusting Kendrick Perkins and elbow or two in the gut. Either way, he needs to do more of the picture above then the picture below.

THE VILLAIN

 *The Big 3

Boy, do I hate these three guys. You know why? Because they’re so damn good together and seem to take a LOT of pride in beating the Lakers. It’s not their individual skills that set them apart, it’s their chemistry that’s close to impossible to break. Once they open the window, a team must fly in and mess with their concentration. That’s how you beat them. But it’s hard. Damn hard.

THE VET

 *Ray Allen

The pesky, deadly accurate Ray Allen has been around the NBA for a long time. He also LOVES defending Kobe and LOVES making 3 point daggers against the Lakers. See that picture above? When Ray Allen has the ball above his head like that, he’s usually money. I don’t like that because he’s usually VERY MONEY against my Lakers. Damn you, Ray. Can’t you fall and hurt your elbow?

THE X-FACTOR

 *Trevor Ariza

Yep, Trevor Ariza really CAN get that high. And yes, Trevor Ariza is WAY more crucial to this game than one may think. For starters, he never played a game against the Celtics last year while with the Lakers. He may have played a few minutes in the Finals but nothing significant.

However, this year, TREVOR ARIZA IS FLYING! Although he doesn’t put up the points that a guy like Jason Terry of the Mavericks does, Ariza does a lot more than Terry. Terry scores and gets a few threes and a few assists. Ariza scores about 10 a game, grabs 6 rebounds or so, a few assists and a few steals, not to mention a 3 pointer or two and even maybe a block shot. Can you say FANTASY STAR?! Well, Fantasy Star also means regular star and possible Sixth Man of the Year if he keeps it up.

THE SAGE SAYS:

Although the Lakers SHOULDN’T win this game and should probably get smoked by the Celtics without the help of Bynum in the middle, I think the Lakers squeak out a shocker here because they’re so bent on proving to the world that they’re not as soft as people think. Besides, the Celtics absolutely annihilated them the last time out in Boston so I don’t see the Lakers laying down this time around. 

Lakers pull out the upset, 97-93