A long time ago — 2010 to be exact — the Bruins held a 3-0 lead in games over the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Most people — me included — started looking forward to the next round. Apparently, so did the Bruins. They cratered and lost four straight games in embarrassing fashion. The last one was particularly excruciating because they led 3-0 in the first period, stopped playing, and ended up losing in overtime.
Key words here: stopped playing. They turtled. Instead of continuing to play aggressively, they went into a defensive shell, somewhat like the “prevent defense” in football or trying to run out the clock in the middle of the fourth quarter in basketball.
(Apropos of nothing, one more reason why baseball is such a great game. You still have to play nine innings without all that stuff.)
Anyway, watching Sunday’s Bruins unravel like a cheap suit against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 1 of this year’s playoffs reminded me of 16 years ago and of a tantrum so terrible (at the office, no less) that people on the other side of the room had to tell me to pipe down.
Some things never change. And apparently the Bruins’ organizational philosophy is to panic when the other team does what other teams do when they’re behind late in the game. The Sabres were not playing badly. They’d just run into some bad luck combined with effective goaltending by Jeremy Swayman to fall behind 2-0.
They scored one lowly goal and the entire landscape changed. I’d have liked to see coach Marco Sturm call a timeout to let things settle. It couldn’t have hurt. But really, there are some veterans on that team who should have known better, too. Charlie McAvoy is not a kid anymore. Neither are David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, and Pavel Zacha.
Come on, men. Buck up and lead your team through it!
– Speaking of playoffs, that Celtics game Sunday against Philadelphia was a mismatch. Maybe Philly wins one down there, but that’s the best I think they can do, especially without Joel Embiid. I’d be inclined to think about Jalen Brunson of the Knicks and how the Celtics are going to guard him. Because if they cannot, the Knicks will win again.
– I remember meeting Red Sox General Manager Craig Breslow when the team won the 2013 World Series — when he was a lefty relief specialist — and thinking, “Gee, what a well-spoken guy.” At the time, I didn’t know he went to Yale. Now, 13 years later, he reeks (to me) of a guy who’s convinced he’s the smartest person in the room. I’m not fond of people like that, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Breslow may be hamstrung by an organizational edict not to throw huge contracts around. Maybe John Henry still has PTSD remembering how many dollars he wasted on Chris Sale before completely giving up on him, only to see him win a Cy Young the minute he got traded. But Breslow has to know the average Red Sox fan isn’t stupid, especially when it comes to baseball. He/she is engaged. It’s not just summer recreation here. We are all in, and we’re at least smart enough to know that you have to have one hitter that pitchers fear and respect — or you don’t have a prayer. Who do you fear and respect on this team? Anybody? There isn’t one player on this team who can’t be pitched-to (I know, it’s awful grammar, but that’s the easiest way to put it) in dicey situations. And not just by the elite pitchers, but by simply decent ones. You want to know why they have such a problem scoring runs? There’s your answer.
– Finally, and sadly, I’d like to personally remember Rick Ford, who died last week. “Fordy” was Lynn’s Renaissance Man if there ever was one. Think about it. He was good enough to play minor-league ball with the Milwaukee Brewers organization (he helped pitch Lynn Tech to a championship); he and his wife, Tina, ran their own breakfast nook (Little River Inn) and it was a pretty popular spot; he was a member of the state racing commission, helping to grant licenses to horse-racing personnel; and he was a Lynn city councilor (Ward 7). More than any of that, though, he was just a regular guy, a great companion, and a good father of kids who have given back just as he did. Communities need Rick Fords, who — despite all they do — aren’t impressed with themselves and just do their best to help people. It’s a cliche, I know, but Rick will be missed. A lot.
