BTownSports is Now Sports Chowda!

BTownSports is now known as Sports Chowda Media Co. We still provide the same great blogging, radio, and social media, only under a different name. Please feel free to come and visit us:


Click Here to See Our New Blog


Click Here to See Our New Radio Site


Click Here to Like Our New Facebook


Click Here to Follow Our New Twitter


Click Here to See the Official SportsChowda.com


If you were wondering why we changed, there were several reasons that went into the decision that we are happy to share:

• Boston is not commonly referred to as "BTown" and it is important for our title to accurately highlight our local roots.
• BTownSports.com and the username "BTownSports" in Blogspot are currently taken, resulting in the lengthy "Btownsportsblog.com" and "Btownsportsblog.blogspot.com" 
• We can now be easily found at SportsChowda.blogspot.com and SportsChowda.com as well as @SportsChowda on Twitter, and the "SportsChowda" page on Facebook.

We hope to continue to see you over at our new sites! Thank you for your support from Rick, Tony, Moose, Dave and Prance!

NFL Free Agency Update 2.0: The Thick of It

by Rick Valente

The chips are starting to fall as NFL free agency continues to roll on. The book has closed on the biggest prize, Mario Williams, as he signs a six-year deal at $50 million guaranteed to go to the Buffalo Bills. Also, Peyton Manning has officially ruled out the Miami Dolphins as a suitor, so it is looking like the Titans have a slight edge over the Broncos in this two-team race... but wait! The 49ers have emerged as a surprise third team in the race! Oh the drama. Also, the Patriots continue to make some minor moves that don't knock your socks off, but address some major needs on this team. As is tradition, let's kick things off with the hometown team:

Ainge Strikes Out, Stands Idle at Trade Deadline

by Rick Valente

Of all the things that Danny Ainge could do at the trade deadline, staying put was the absolute worst option. But for some reason, that's exactly what he did as the clock ticked past 3:00 PM EST, keeping the Big Three intact for the rest of the season. I could understand if Danny were to make a deal to make this team better suited for a playoff run, hoping to add a couple pieces and maybe get lucky enough to make in improbable trip to the finals. I could see if Danny wanted to trade guys like Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett at a discount in order to get something for the future. I can't understand how Danny Ainge can possibly believe that the Celtics, who can barely beat a Golden State Warriors team without Stephen Curry or Monta Ellis, have a shot to win a seven game series against Chicago or Miami. I have a better shot at taking home Jessica Beil... and Jessica Alba... and Jessica Simpson on the same night.

Call in the German Cavalry

by John Prance

One look at the most recent injury report for the Revolution, and you already see a headache for young head coach Jay Heaps. Of the six players listed between Questionable and Out, three are potential defensive starters. Darrius Barnes, the fourth year player out of Duke University, is suffering from a calf strain. A.J. Soares, the versatile second year man, is Questionable with a knee sprain. New signing John Lozano is doubtful with a hip flexor sprain.  Lozano and Soares started the Revs first game against the Earthquakes (CB and LB respectively), and with such injuries already piling up reinforcements were needed immediately.

NFL Free Agency Update: The Opening Bell

by Rick Valente

Let the madness begin! The new league year started yesterday at 4:00 PM EST and there was absolutely no shortage of excitement and entertainment from around the NFL. The Bucs went from a projected cellar-dweller to a legitimate contender in the AFC South in a matter of 16 hours, the Redskins continued to spend in an MC-Hammer-like fashion, and the Bears finally added a legitimate (on-field) wide receiver by way of trade. We'll get to all of it, but first, some quick thoughts pertaining to the home-town team after day one.

Bear Down: It's Bounce-Back or Bust for the Sinking Bruins

by Rick Valente

The Boston Bruins are in trouble, folks. They are in the midst of a 29-game slump in which they have won consecutive contests only once, and have allowed over three goals per game. Tim Thomas has gone from the best goalie in the NHL to a below-average keeper with a .849 save percentage and a GAA just below 4.00 in his past five starts. Zdeno Chara looks like his skates are on the wrong feet and has been handling the puck
about as well as Lebron James handles his public image. Also, Rich Peverley is out with a major knee injury and is not guaranteed to return to his normally fancy self for the playoffs, Rask is out until the postseason at best, and I am getting a serious Savard-like vibe with this Nathan Horton concussion. Add in the minor injuries that seem to happen every single night at this point (Bergeron, Boychuck, Ference, Pouliot, McQuaid) and this team is drifting further and further from the Stanley Cup favorites that they were back in December. It's officially time to worry, Boston.

A Natural Disaster: Revs Shaken by Earthquake in 1-0 Loss

by John Prance

The San Jose Earthquakes swept aside a very mediocre New England Revolution team late Saturday night. This was Jay Heaps first regular season game in charge of the Revolution, and a very different team took the field than in years past. Unfortunately, different players did not cause different results, and many performances on the field were completely inadequate and lackluster. The stats show the story fairly well.

Passing

New England-267 successful passes out of 397 attempted (67%)

San Jose-294 successful passes out of 426 (69%)

All You Need to Know to Win Your March Madness Bracket

by Rick Valente

The NCAA basketball conference tournaments are over, which means it's time to print out those brackets! If you're like everyone else in New England, you've watched about two hours of college basketball all season and would have no clue that Notre Dame has played better than Xavier or that Cincinatti should beat Texas in the first round. But that doesn't mean that you can't win your office pool this year, because the truth is, the past means next to nothing when you mix a bunch of young kids with the pressure of a single-elimination tournament that the entire country is watching. That is why we at BTownSports have organized some strategies to help you find the hidden gems of this tournament, and to avoid placing your chips on the wrong side of a big upset. We start with the most important strategy of all:

Five Spot: The Five Faces of BTownSports

We here at BTownSports love to bring you the best Boston sports discussions on the market, whether it be through the writing here at our blog, on our two radio shows, The Rick & Moose Show and The Prance & Tony Show, Facebook, or Twitter. In this weeks Five-Spot, we put the faces to the names and voices you see and hear every day at BTownSports. It's my pleasure to introduce to you the BTownSports team:

Bubble Bursters: What Fringe Teams Could Bite the B's?

by Eric Ahearn

There are a few teams currently fighting for a #7 or #8 seed of their respective conferences that B’s fans should worry about. Although I have a lot of confidence the Bruins will make another strong push come playoff time, some teams make me nervous. Here are two things to fear and look out for:

The Patriots' Top-Five Needs This Offseason

 

by Rick Valente

With free agency about to heat up in the NFL, it's kind of refreshing to begin a normal offseason, given the stress and disorganization that ensued during last year's lockout. I actually believe that the lockout helped the Patriots reach the Super Bowl this year due to all the craziness and lack of time that left almost every team with major flaws on their roster. The Packers, Patriots, Saints and Giants were the four worst pass defenses in the league. The Bengals, Ravens and 49ers couldn't pass the ball on offense. The Falcons had absolutely terrible coaching. Honestly, the only team without a glaring weakness was the Houston Texans, but injuries cost them a season where they certainly could have won the Super Bowl. It was an absolute

Valentine's Day: Bobby Brings Welcome Changes to the Red Sox

by Tony Sciucco

If half the energy that Bobby Valentine is bringing to spring training rubs off on the 2012 Red Sox, then the Yankee’s twenty-championship gap will surely be in danger of reduction. At age 61, the forever-young manager of the Red Sox is running proverbial and literal laps around the chicken and beer crew. From showing up to AM sessions in full bicycle gear, to making appearances at Elementary Schools, to what appears to be teleporting magically between the six practice fields at Fenway South, Valentine has obviously crossed over to the realm of science-fiction with his ability to show the Sox that energy this year is not to be dropped below acceptable levels. Beam me up Becket!!!

State of the Bruins: Rask Reactions, Turco Signs, and More

by Eric Ahearn

Tuukka Down, Turco In: It is important to note that Marty Turco has not cleared waivers and is not yet on the team. The way it works with overseas players (he is coming from playing in Austria) is that once a team signs him, that player must go through the waiver process first before playing. The waiver system works the same as in the MLB and the NFL: on the date the player becomes available, teams can put a claim in for him. The ‘worst’ team that claims him gains the player’s service. ‘Worst’ means the team with the worst record. So Columbus has first crack at him and the Rangers have the last. That being said, no team has shown an interest in him up to this point in the season, so I’d estimate there is a 95% chance the Bruins win the claim. Further, since he was signed after the trade deadline, he will not be eligible to play in the playoffs per NHL rule.

Is it Time to Trade Rondo?

by Dave Walsh

Should he stay or should he go? ESPN’s Chris Broussard recently reported that the Boston Celtics are “aggressively shopping” Rajon Rondo because, according to sources, some of the members of the C’s front office feel that Rondo is “stubborn and high-maintenance.” However, when Celtics team president Danny Ainge appeared on WEEI’s The Big Show on Thursday, he denied that they were shopping Rondo at all. This isn’t the first time in his tenure with the Celtics or even this season that Rondo’s name has been brought up in trade talks. Boston fans will remember that at the beginning of the season, when it was clear that Chris Paul wouldn’t be staying in New Orleans, there were several trade rumors involving Rondo that would’ve brought CP3 to Boston.

Five Spot: Top Five Brawlers on the Bruins

by Eric Ahearn

This week we are counting down the top five fighters on the Boston Bruins. Most teams don't have five guys on their roster that would be as willing to brawl as these five. With the B's taking on the Rangers this weekend, the team that fights more than anyone in the NHL, it's only appropriate to take a look at who might square off. Enjoy. 

#5 Nathan Horton:

You might say Horton should be left off this list since he’s currently fighting a concussion, but this guy is a bruiser. When he was traded to the Bruins he was asked to play a certain style of hockey and he has turned into a feared man. Some of the fights that jump out are wins against Dion Phanuef from Toronto and Evander Kane from Atlanta/Winnipeg. When healthy, and paired with Lucic, he becomes one of the two bash brothers on the top line that come to each other’s aid in a heartbeat. Horton could have been easily left off this list due to injury, but his loyalty to playing Bruin hockey made me keep him on.

 

New Coach, New Players, New Results? 6 Predictions for the 2012 Revs Season

by John Prance


The New England Revolution, after an offseason of change, have come out of the gates flying. The new possession-based offense that new head coach Jay Heaps has implemented instantly makes the team play a more entertaining brand of soccer. Entertainment value will always take a back seat to results, yet those seem to be falling the Revs way in the pre-season. New England opened up against the reigning MLS Champions Los Angeles Galaxy and didn’t disappoint. Benny Feilhaber had an absolutely gorgeous bicycle kick goal 90 seconds in, and the Revs ended up winning 3-2. Second opponent in the preseason was the New York Red Bulls, which the Revs dispatched 2-0. Revolution rookie (and third overall pick) Kelyn Rowe put in a man of the match performance scoring both goals and looking dangerous throughout. In the third preseason game, both The Revs and Real Salt Lake played bench players, but New England’s depth prevailed. Diego Fagundez, a 17 year old sophomore at Leominster High School, was instrumental in the victory. The prodigy who scored one goal and assisted the other will most likely be the Revolution’s third striker coming off the bench.

Up next for the Revolution is one more game against the always dangerous Los Angeles Galaxy. The Revolution will then have to finalize their roster and will start the season March 10^th against San Jose. With the season imminent, I find it important that I publish a series of predictions that can be used against me at the end of the season.

1. Preseason Results don’t matter:

The Celtics Can Contend Next Year... Here's How

by Rick Valente

In Dave Walsh's most recent article on BTownSports, he came to the conclusion that this team does not have what it takes to win another ring, and that it is time for Danny Ainge to start making moves to set this team up for the post-Big-Three era. Despite having several big-money contracts coming off the board, and a couple of first round picks in next year's draft, it will still be a daunting challenge for Ainge to rebuild a roster from close to scratch. Can Danny do it? Can he turn one championship era over into another without taking the 20-year grace period the Celtics suffered through after 1986? I say yes, and I will tell you exactly how the wily Mr. Ainge can do it. But first, you must consider some key things before we start building the 2012 Boston Celtics: