Random Thoughts (October 9, 2010)

I have spent a lifetime wondering why Jeremy Jacobs was so cheap in running the Boston Bruins. It seemed like everytime the Bruins had a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup that the team did not go out an acquire the one or two players they needed to morph from pretender into contender. For over 20 years I hve imagined Jacobs sitting in his mansion in Buffalo, counting his millions while the likes of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque were left shorthanded in their quest to bring the Cup to Boston. Today I am left wondering why the Bruins are so quick to spend their money like a 9-year-old at a candy store with a $20 they found under the couch. It started with a 4-year/$20-million deal for goalie Tim Thomas who at the time was coming off an excellent season but the Bruins also had top prospect Tuukka Rask waiting in the wings. In retrospect, paying a 35-year-old top dollar with a younger (and better) alternative within the organization was not a wise allocation of resources. The Bruins have made two similar deals in the past few days. Patrice Bergeron was given a 3-year contract extension worth $15-million. The team followed that up by extending defenseman Zdeno Chara for 7-years and $45.5-million. Bergeron is a solid player who posted 19 goals and 33 assists last season but he also has a history of injuries, including a severe concussion that nearly cost him his career three years ago. With Marc Savard possibly going to miss all of this season with a concussion, Bergeron will have to step up his game as the team's top center. Chara, the team captain, will now be with the Bruins until he is 41. The 6-9 blueliner is a fitness freak who has aoided serious injury throughout his career but it is a serious risk to pay an aging star $6.5-million. Both players are important pieces of the Bruins current team but with a handful of young stars also on the roster, it may be risky to invest so much money in players who may have played their best hockey already. Sure, Bergeron is only 25 but he has slowly regressed in production since posting a career high with 31 goals in the 2005-06 season when he also set a career high in points (73). Chara is going to be on the wrong side of 40 when his deal ends and there are serious doubts if he will be one of the game's top defenseman at that point of his career when he will definitely being paid like an All-Star. Young stars Rask, David Krejci, Tyler Seguin, and Milan Lucic must be salivating when they see the money that their veteran leaders are pulling in while Jacobs must be shuddering at the thought of having to pay such large salaries... Does Gene DeFilippo, Boston College's athletic director, wake up every morning and regret his decision to promote Frank Spaziani to head football coach when the school fired Jeff Jagodzinski after two highly successful (20-8) years at The Heights? Jagodzinski was not known for his personal skills and he didn't help his cause by interviewing for the vacant New York Jets head coaching job even after DeFilippo denied him permission to pursue the position. BC has always suffered from an identity crisis. They pretend to be serious about competing at the highest level of collegiate sports yet they make decision that show they have no business doing so. Hiring Spaziani - who had success as defensive coordinator under head coaches Tom O'Brien and Jagodzinski - instead of a rising young coach is Exhibit A that BC is nowhere close to even sniffing the BCS National Championship trophy or one of the elite bowl games. If DeFilippo decides to change his mind after the season, Jag's would probably listen seeing that he is cuurently the head coach of the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League... Injuries are going to be a part of the season for te Celtics. That is the reality of having a majority of the rotation being well past their 30th birthday. If anyone expects Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Shaquille O'Neal, or Jermaine O'Neal to make it through the year without getting banged up is delusional. That stated, there is enough depth and talent on this C's team to sustain a few games lost to injury. The youngsters will follow Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis in providing a great rotation of players who will help carry the team when their older stars need a break. By the time the playoffs roll around, a healthy Celtics team will be pushing the Lakers and Heat for the NBA championship... God bless Washington State's football team today as they take on the explosive Oregon Ducks who are on their way towards claiming this year's national championship... Enjoy the Joshua Tree tomorrow...