Idle chatter thought up while sweating out last night’s Bruins game ?Last year, I thought Claude Julien wouldn’t survive seeing his team go up three games to none, and then lose the series to the Philadelphia Flyers.I was wrong. He’s still here.Two weeks ago, I was sure we’d seen the last of Claude after the B’s looked positively uninspired in falling behind Les Habitants, 2-0 in the playoffs.I was wrong again. He dodged another bullet.Now, it looks as if Julien may turn into hockey’s version of “The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave.”I say if the Bruins defeat Philly, he stays no matter what they do in the next round.I’m not sure the Celtics would defeat the Miami Heat even if they had Kendrick Perkins, or Nate Robinson. But wouldn’t it have been nice to find out for sure?As it stands now, the Celtics may win a game up here. But it wouldn’t surprise me to see them swept.And yes, that pains me as much as it pains anyone else who thought the whole LeBron James “decision” last summer was a joke.Since this is a sports column, we won’t go into my feelings about Osama bin Laden’s death and the celebrations that resulted from it ? except to say it was really cool the way the Philadelphia fans at last Sunday’s Phillies-Mets game began spontaneously chanting “U-S-A” when word started to circulate.And what probably made it even cooler was that we’re talking about the city whose fans booed Santa Claus.Yep. They did.If there are any doubts that the Red Sox are a good team, and that they will be fine, look no further than this Angels series. In one game, Dustin Pedroia grinds out a 13-pitch at-bat against Jered Weaver before singling home two runs. The next night, they wait out Anaheim’s starter and then tattoo the bullpen.Good teams find ways. It’s not always going to be a cakewalk, even if you’re the reincarnation of the 1927 Yankees.Hey, all I ever ask is that they make my summah interesting. There’s nothing more depressing to a baseball fan than to have the season be virtually over by August 1. I’d hate to live in Kansas City or Pittsburgh from April through September (though Pittsburgh in the fall is obviously a little better, with the Steelers).Somehow, I think they’ll be in the hunt all season long.I don’t want to sound like a Johnny-come-lately with regards to the Patriots draft ? but ? I’m scratching my head wondering why they didn’t draft a defensive lineman or a pass rusher when they had the chance.I can see not drafting Mark Ingram. Bill Belichick obviously feels that running-back-by-committee is the way to go, and when you think about it, he may have a point. Featured running backs generally have shorter careers – comparatively – than other players. And they’re probably injured more and, therefore, not worth first-round money (remember, with no contract yet, there’s no guarantee that there will be a rookie salary cap).But the Patriots, even though they went 14-2 last year in the regular season, had an awful time getting off the field. And one of the reasons was their anemic pass rush. I’d have thought that would be the first problem they’d address. Instead, they didn’t address it at all.Believe it or not, I miss Jack Edwards. There’s nobody to make fun of on Versus. I have to go to ESPN and listen to Barry “The Mullet” Melrose for any real ammo these days.Melrose, by the way, had Philly winning this series. Just thought you’d want to know.Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item.