Macho Man Randy Savage

May 20, 2011 saw more than just the death of a professional wrestler.  For me, personally, it was as if part of my childhood died.

For so many in my generation that grew up with the World Wrestling Federation Hulk Hogan was the defining icon of their childhood.  Not for me.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage was always my guy.  My first wrestling memory was when Savage turned on Hogan on Saturday Night's Main Event when I was 4 years old.  The turn made Savage a mega heel (bad guy) and put Savage and Hogan on the road to the main event at WrestleMania V.  I stuck by Savage and was always drawn by his charisma and over the top personality.  

From "Pomp and Circumstance" to the robes, the bright colored tights, the sunglasses, and the distinctive voice ("ohhhh yeahhhhh") he always managed to stand out.

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He always stood out yet it never seemed like he could get top billing all to himself. 

Two names were always connected to him throughout his career:

Hulk Hogan and Miss Elizabeth.

WrestleMania IV saw Savage win his first World Wrestling Federation Championhsip.  His title win was aided by interference from Hogan though.  For the next year the two competed together as the Mega Powers and then feuded for the title leading into WrestleMania V.  Hogan won the title that night and Savage wouldn't see the title again until 1992.

WrestleMania VIII featured a "double main event."  Savage was challenging Ric Flair for the title while Hogan was competing in his "final" match against Sid Justice.  Savage won the title that afternoon but the show closed with Hogan's match and that is where most of the event's focus was placed.

Alas both of those feuds had a common denominator: Miss Elizabeth.  The storyline between Savage and Hogan saw Savage turn on Hogan because he was convinced that Hogan wanted Elizabeth.  The feud with Flair 3 years later saw Savage wanting to avenge Elizabeth after Flair spread lies about a previous relationship with her.  Some of this screamed of lazy booking, but at that point they were so intertwined it only made sense to keep including her in his feuds.

The bottom line is that Randy Savage was a main event player and a true superstar when the World Wrestling Federation hit its first age of mega popularity.  He could work with anyone and make himself and his opponent look like gold.  He carried ,and got great matches out of, Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, neither of whom were considered to be good workers.  He always generated a reaction from the fans.  Whether a "good guy" or a "bad guy" the fans were always passionate about the Macho Man.

His greatest feat though was understanding the business of it all.  He knew Hulk Hogan was the meal ticket and allowed himself to become the Scottie Pippen to Hogan's Michael Jordan.  He could have carried the company if need be, and he could have done it without Hogan and Elizabeth as crutches.  Instead he accepted the situation and made the best of things.


I would later move on to adopt Bret Hart and later Shawn Michaels as my favorite wrestlers.  Today I still watch but I would be hard pressed to name one wrestler that invokes the same excitement in me that those three did.  I'll always be a fan and different wrestlers will catch my interest, but as they say, you never forget your first.

R.I.P. Macho Man

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Bruins' Stars Shine Bright

It felt like the series was slipping away. Less than 90 seconds into last night's Game 5 at the Garden the Bruins found themselves trailing 1-0 to the Lightning. The goal marked the sixth straight scored by Tampa in the series. Game 4 had seen the Bruins turn a 3-0 lead into a 5-3 defeat. By the end of the first period last night the scored remained 1-0 but the Bruins seemed lifeless. They were outshot 14-4 and it seemed as if there was going to be a carryover from their collapse in Tampa.

Instead the Bruins responded in the second period as they have throughout the playoffs.

They were outshot again 9-8 in the period but outscored the Lightning 2-0. Nathan Horton scored the Bruins' first goal of the series against Mike Smith on a beautiful one timer from Milan Lucic. Late in the period Brad Marchand converted off of another exceptional pass from Patrice Bergeron. They finally regained the momentum they had left behind in the first intermission Saturday.

The most important aspect of last night's win was where the contributions came from. The Bruins' top players stepped up in a pressure situation and found a way to win the game. The Bruins saw their 6 best skaters deliver on the scoresheet in taking the lead. Horton and Marchand scored the goals, while Bergeron, Lucic, David Krejci, and Zdeno Chara were credited with the assists.

As always they also contributed in other areas. Bergeron and Krejci combined to win 29 faceoffs. Chara and Dennis Seidenberg again saw significantly more ice time than anyone else on both teams. Horton and Lucic combined for 7 hits. For a team devoid of a true superstar the Bruins rely on these players to contribute in all areas and last night was the embodiment of that.

Of course those contributions would be moot if not for the efforts of the Bruins most indispensable player. Tim Thomas again played like the best goalie in the NHL last night and ensured the Bruins would have two chances at punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The 14-4 shot advantage Tampa Bay had in the first period could have led to a much more lopsided advantage on the scoreboard, but Thomas turned away 13 of them and allowed the Bruins the chance to come back in the second.

As the Bruins turned things around and eventually took the lead Thomas did not allow the momentum to slip away and shut out the Lightning for the final 58:51 of the game. His evening included a spectacular lunging stick save on what appeared to be an empty net chance for Tampa that would have tied the game in the third period.

Teams rely on their best players to deliver the goods in the post season and the Bruins' stars shined brightest last night. Boston now has two chances to punch their ticket for the Finals. A lot of people still cannot fathom that concept.

Another star performance from their best players may just turn that into a reality.

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Celtics-Heat Game 5 Live Blog

Do or die Game 5 for the Celtics on the road tonight calls for a live blog! Join me starting at 6:45 tonight.



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NBA Round 2 Rambling Preview: East Edition

To view my Western Conference rambling preview from earlier today click here.

The Eastern Conference Semi-Finals are the wild card of this second round.  One matchup on paper looks like it should be a potential seven game war while another looks like a dud.  The series I expect to be the war is Celtics-Heat while Hawks-Bulls seems like it is shaping up to be like last year’s terrible Magic-Hawks series.  For those wondering what was so bad about that series, the Hawks were swept by Orlando by a combined 101 points. 

Mike Woodson wipe those eyes and enjoy my thoughts on the East:

- I HATE the Hawks.  Let me be clear about that up front.  I hate that they drop confetti/streamers after every playoff win like they just defeated the alien team in Space Jam to save the world.  I hate that KG is labeled a punk and is called out while Zaza Pachulia runs around like the southern version of P.K. Subban and is labeled one of the NBA’s “tough guys”.  Josh Smith always seems like he could be so much better but is content to coast and shoot 3’s and only occasionally shows flashes of the player he could be.  Joe Johnson was the best player on the team to suffer the worst sweep in NBA history and somehow cashed in on that with a ridiculous contract.  I think they are soft.  I think they got lucky that Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson had abysmal performances and left Dwight Howard hanging.  I don’t see them winning more than one game against Chicago.

- Their only hope is for Derrick Rose to aggravate his ankle that he injured in the Indiana series.  Considering Rose went for 25 points the game after spraining the ankle and now has had some time to rest, it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen.  Atlanta also lost their best option to defend Rose for possibly the entire series when Kirk Hinrich injured his hamstring at the end of their series clinching win against Orlando.  The Hawks will probably now have to start Jamal Crawford who is a good offensive player but will have problems staying with Rose on the other end.  If they choose to keep Crawford in his sixth man role off of the bench then they will have to go to Jeff Teague, a second year player who only played 9 minutes in the first round.  Either way Rose should be able to have his way with Atlanta. 

- It will be interesting to see how Chicago responds following their elimination of Indiana.  The Pacers led in the fourth quarter of the first four games in the series, but were only able to win one of them.  If Rose can be slowed down it remains to be seen who they trust to take a big shot other than Kyle Korver or maybe Luol Deng.  Carlos Boozer is banged up but expects to play in the series but he could struggle with Al Horford.  As has been the case all season this team will go as far as Rose can carry them.  He has played at an unbelievable level all year but he got banged around in the Indiana series and the Bulls have to hope he can just keep taking the hits because no one player is more vital to his team’s success than Rose.

- Earlier in the season I wrote that the Heat were relying too much on their Big Three offensively.  At that point they were averaging over 65% of their team’s field goal attempts.  Most teams see an increase in shot attempts for their best players in the playoffs and I wondered if we might see LeBron, Wade, and Bosh average over 70% of Miami’s shots in the playoffs.  We did not see that in the first round, but their numbers did have an interesting trend.  At the start of the series their percentage of shots taken was actually below 60%.  As the series progressed the percentage increased though.  The last three games against Philadelphia saw the percentage go up to over 67% each game.  It’s only natural that a team’s best players are going to dominate the ball more as the games increase in importance but their numbers are already so skewed that an increase at this point will see them hit that magical 70% mark.

- I think Doc Rivers and the Celtics are content to let LeBron, Wade, and Bosh take such a high percentage of shots.  The quality of the shots they are getting will be the key to Boston’s defense.  If they can force them to become jump shooters than the Celtics should be able to win this series because they all think they are better jump shooters than they truly are. 

- The LeBron/Wade dynamic should be interesting to watch in this series.  LeBron has been bounced out twice by the Celtics in the last three years.  He sees the Celtics as the hurdle he needs to clear much like Michael Jordan knew the Pistons were his obstacle to a championship in the late 80s and early 90s.  Wade also struggled a great deal during the regular season against Boston.  They both could be pressing some in this series and watching how they share the ball when they both feel they have a lot to prove against this team should be intriguing.

- If, and it is a big if, Shaq plays in this series I think he needs to come off of the bench.  He has only played 5 minutes since February and the bench struggled offensively against the Knicks.  I think he could open up a lot of things for Big Baby, Jeff Green, and Delonte West.  I also think the starters have gotten into a rhythm with Jermaine O’Neal and that they shouldn’t risk shuffling things around in their biggest series of the season.  I think JO meshes well with their team defense.  His numbers weren’t great but he altered a lot of shots in the Knicks series and he was a huge factor in their Game 1 win.  Shaq can still log minutes with the starters but I think offensively and defensively it makes sense for him to come off the bench.

- The Heat have no answer for Rondo if he plays like he did against the Knicks.  They do not have anyone that can check him at the point guard spot and if they shuffle Wade or LeBron onto him then Pierce or Allen will have a mismatch.  He is going to see defenses sag off him even as his jumper improves but at this point I don’t know that he cares.  If he has a running start and they pick him up below the foul line he knows he can either get to the rim or dish it off without a lot of stress.  As long as he continues his stellar play the Celtics should be in good shape.

- Ray Allen is my pick for Celtic most likely to go off in this series, followed closely by Kevin Garnett.  Pierce has struggled to find his offense for long stretches in his previous two series against James.  Wade seems to hate covering Allen though.  He gets lazy running through screens at times and also will double off of Allen leaving him wide open looks.  The Celtics’ screen setting improved a lot in the first round and if that continues Ray should be able to find a lot of space against Miami.  Garnett historically has played well against Bosh at both ends of the floor and is playing at a high level right now.

- I predict the Celtics to win this series in six games.  If they are able to contain LeBron, Wade, and Bosh to some degree the Heat do not have enough around them to pick up the slack, especially if Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem don’t play.  The other key is team rebounding.  James and Wade were very active on the glass against the 76er’s and Rondo, Allen, and Pierce need to make sure they are putting bodies on them when shots go up.  This may be the Celtics last run but I can’t see them allowing the Heat to send them home.  They have wanted this series since the words “South Beach” left LeBron’s mouth last July and I don’t see them backing down now.

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NBA Round 2 Rambling Preview: West Edition

Talk about a quick turnaround: the first round was just completed less than an hour ago but we now have less than 36 hours until the start of round 2.  The Grizzlies just defeated the Spurs to end the first round and now have the reward of opening up the second round Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma City. 

But enough about them!  What about us fans??  The Grizzlies only had to endure 6 games!  NBA fans experienced 43 mostly thrilling games over the last 2 weeks. 

The level of talent and competition in the NBA right now is at an all-time high and it resulted in one of the better overall first rounds that I can remember.  Fortunately for the fans it is much easier for us to recover than the teams that actually played and the first round should only leave us hungry and excited for more action!  The first round set the bar high and the second round has the potential of three epic series to keep that momentum going. 

Without further ado here are my rambling, late night thoughts on the Western Conference:

- Gotta start things off with a tip of the cap to the San Antonio Spurs.  Last night’s defeat officially marks the end of their dynasty period.  Most people thought last season’s sweep at the hands of Phoenix would end their run, but to San Antonio’s credit they re-invented themselves and pulled off a 61 win season and the top seed in the Western Conference.  They weren’t always fun to watch (an understatement) but we got to watch one of the greatest power forwards of all time for the last 13 years as well as fun rivalries with both Phoenix and Dallas.  They are definitely worth a full entry after the season.

- The Dallas Mavericks terrify me.  They seem to have the most versatile rotation of any of the remaining playoff teams.  Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd have all proven to be assassins down the stretch late in games.  Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, and Brendan Haywood provide them with size to match up with the Lakers front court of Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom.  They have at least 4 legitimate three point threats in their rotation (Dirk, Kidd, Terry, and Peja Stojakovic).  Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson are solid defenders that can make Kobe work for his points.  Caron Butler could also be added into this mix after missing the Portland series.

- Dirk remains one of the most unique players in the league with his size and ability to shoot from distance.  He should give the Lakers fits this round because he can beat Gasol and Bynum off of the dribble and can shoot over Artest.  Odom is probably their best option but the Lakers have typically avoided playing Odom with both Gasol and Bynum which would further neutralize their size advantage.

- Despite the last 2 paragraphs and my gut feeling I still think the Lakers get by Dallas in 7.  I want to pick the Mavs badly but they always seem to disappoint and the Lakers have been their kryptonite over the years.  This could be Dirk’s last best chance to win a title, as this is the best surrounding cast he has ever had, but I still see the defending champs moving on.

- It may seem obvious, but Kevin Durant is a BEAST and a scoring machine.  Watching him take over down the stretch against Denver in Game 5 made it all the more laughable that there has been any alpha dog struggle between him and Russell Westbrook.  Everyone seems to recognize that Durant needs to be leading that team in FGA every night except for Westbrook.  Amazingly this could continue to be an underlying issue with the Thunder.  Westbrook took 30 shots in their Game 4 loss and heard a lot of criticism from both the media and his own coach, Scotty Brooks.  He seemed to be sulking a bit in Game 5, shooting 3-15 and only producing 4 assists.  It’s a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly because…

- The Memphis Grizzlies have turned into a legitimate playoff contender.  After a slow start they played at a very high level over their final 51 games (32-19 record).  They have a front court that is playing at a near-elite level right now with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.  They can roll out two of the premier swing defenders in the game in Shane Battier and Tony Allen.  They have an above average point guard who can score in Mike Conley.  They have scoring off the bench in O.J. Mayo, Darrell Arthur, and Greivis Vasquez.  They are riding high with confidence right now having disposed of the number one team in the conference.  Their ability to pressure the ball and make San Antonio uncomfortable offensively was the biggest factor in them winning that series.

- Randolph is no longer an under the radar star.  He just burst onto the scene with a remarkable series against the Spurs.  He has proven himself to be a versatile scorer with an ability to post up, offensive rebound, and take slower defenders off the dribble.  He is an excellent rebounder along with Gasol and they gave the Spurs front court fits.  Randolph versus Serge Ibaka could be the most entertaining one-on-one battle of this round.

- The OKC-Memphis series is intriguing because it’s a matchup of two teams in uncharted territory.  The Thunder should win the series, but I see it going 7 games as well.  Ultimately the combination of home court advantage, longer rest, and having the best player on the court should win out, but I see Memphis as being one piece short.  If Rudy Gay was healthy and able to play he could have possibly tipped the scales in the Grizzlies’ favor, but regardless Memphis will be a very tough out.

Later today I will post my thoughts on the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

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Lessons Learned for Bruins?

April 21, 2008 Montreal Canadiens 5 Boston Bruins 0

May 14, 2009 Carolina Hurricanes 3 Boston Bruins 2 (OT)

May 14, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers 4 Boston Bruins 3

The previous three Boston Bruins seasons have all ended similarly: with the Bruins dropping a Game 7 in the playoffs.  They were all painful in their own way, but last season stung the worst.  Up 3-0 in the series at one point and 3-0 in Game 7, the Bruins fell to the Flyers in both the series and the game 4-3.  For almost a year the refrain from the Bruins has been that they have learned from that series last season. 

All that talk will be put to the test tonight.

This year's series with Montreal has been a roller coaster ride for both the teams and fans alike.  The Bruins were written off after dropping Games 1 and 2 at home, yet last night entered Game 6 up 3-2 in the series with most believing they held all of the momentum.  Momentum can be fickle though, and the Bruins now must dig deep in a Game 7 in their building on the second night of back to back games in what becomes the biggest game of the Claude Julien era.

The Bruins carry a lot of baggage into this game, while the Canadiens have to be feeling much more confident knowing they won two Game 7's on the road a year ago in an improbable run to the Eastern Conference Finals.  The Bruins have yet to win a Game 7 in the Julien era.  Zdeno Chara has never won a Game 7 in his career.  Bruins fans have come to expect the worst in recent years regarding this franchise.  An early Montreal lead would only reinforce all of this and cast a definite pall over the proceedings.

On the other hand the Bruins need to remember that they are the better team.  They earned home ice in this series by finishing as the higher seed and it is vital that they come out and set the tone early.  CBC analyst Glenn Healy also told me the other night that he sees back to back games working in the Bruins favor, as Montreal is banged up right now and the Bruins are the deeper team. 

This game ultimately comes down to whether or not the Bruins have learned from history.  They claim that the Philadelphia series served as both a lesson and source of motivation throughout the year, but tonight is their first real opportunity to prove if that truly is the case.  Battling back in a Game 4 on the road in a must-win situation was impressive, but it will be telling if they are able to rise to the occasion on the ultimate "win or go home" stage.

Claude Julien has played a big part in resurrecting this franchise, but tonight he needs to prove that he can get this team to perform in a do or die situation and that they have truly turned a corner from last season.  The Bruins have talked the talk for nearly a year, but tonight they need to walk the walk.  A loss guarantees that this franchise will look much different come October.  

Tonight everyone just wants to see if this team finally looks different in the spring.

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On the Brink, Bruins Finally Push Back

In retrospect, Game 3 did not answer any questions other than that the Bruins could score on Carey Price.  They still had not shown that they could rally back from a deficit against the Canadiens in this series.

After last night, the Bruins answered that question in a big way.

Down 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3, the Bruins rose to the occasion three times last night and were ultimately rewarded with a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory to even the series with Montreal 2-2.  As unlikely as it seemed six nights ago, the Bruins now have regained home ice advantage in what is now a best of 3 series.

Even more unlikely was the line that won them the game.  Michael Ryder, Chris Kelly, and Rich Peverley combined for 3 goals, including the OT winner by Ryder, and 5 assists.  Kelly and Ryder have been the whipping boys for the Tyler Seguin supporters, but for at least one night they justified Claude Julien's faith in them.

There are still questions to be answered.  To say Tim Thomas has been up and down in this series would be an understatement.  Milan Lucic (0-0, 5 SOG in 4 games) has been completely non-existent, following up on his late season swoon after he scored his 30th goal.  The Bruins have also had no answer for Michael Cammalleri who has 7 points in 4 games so far.

Despite the questions the Bruins have finally showed the fight and resiliency they lacked in the first two games of the series.  They have seized both home ice and momentum away from Montreal.  A home team has yet to win in this series but the Bruins return home tomorrow night with confidence, momentum, and should be backed by a raucous crowd in the Garden.  A first round exit is still inexcusable for this team but they are finally showing the fight and determination to make sure that doesn't happen.

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