Begin knows role, sparks first line

Being asked to move from the fourth to the first line isn't an easy move, but for Bruins grinder Steve Begin, keeping it simple is the only way he knows

And it's working.

Steve Begin scored his first goal as a linemate to Marc Savard and Marco Sturm, Wednesday night, and received quite a bit of praise afterwards.

See what Savard and Bruins coach Claude Julien had to say about Milan Lucic' temporary replacement in my story for CSNNE.com, following Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at the TD Garden.

Canada's calling

Patrice Bergeron was selected, Wednesday, to play for Team Canada at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and the voice mail that was left to inform him marked the first contact he's had with anyone involved in the selection process

Out of the 13 forwards selected, seven are centers, including Patrice Bergeron, who reacted to the media just hours before Wednesday night's game against the Atlanta Thrashers at the TD Garden.

Read what Bergeron had to say in my story from CSNNE.com.

Lucic 'questionable' for Winter Classic

Milan Lucic has yet to participate in contact drills since suffering a high ankle sprain in late November, meaning his return by the time of Friday's Winter Classic at Fenway Park is unlikely

Milan Lucic skated with the team during Wednesday's morning skate at the TD Garden, but won't partake in physical contact before the big game on New Year's Day. See what Lucic and Bruins coach Claude Julien had to say on Wednesday in my story for CSNNE.com.

Morris steps up, Maroney steps out

Sammy Morris ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in Sunday's 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium, but he wouldn't have been able to do it had Laurence Maroney not been benched early in the first quarter

Laurence Maroney was nowhere to be found, both on the field and in the locker room, following his fumble on the Jacksonville goal line during the Patriots' first drive of the game.

Read about Sammy Morris' big day in Maroney's absence - and what veteran running back Fred Taylor had to say about both Maroney and his own game, rushing for 35 yards while returning from an ankle injury that put him out of action for 10 games - in my story for CSNNE.com.

Also, get the reaction from Patriots players after clinching another AFC East title in the process.

Giving hope to the power play

Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara teamed up, Wednesday night, to help break the Bruins' 0-for-13 drought on the man advantage, giving hope to the team's power play down the stretch

The Bruins scored three power play goals in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at the TD Garden, with Michael Ryder banging home the third in the third period.

But the initial efforts of Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara gave everyone in Boston a glimpse at what the Bruins' power play could look like from here on out, given the resurgence of Savard's offensive play. Chara was the first to benefit from it.

Read my story on Savard and Chara's success on the power play, Wednesday night, on CSNNE.com.

Happy Holidays to everyone! I'll be back on Monday!

Saving Savard

Marc Savard no longer has Phil Kessel on his right wing, and lately, that lack of a legitimate goal scorer has put the Bruins' top-line center in a bit of a slump

Having gone five straight games without a point (eight games without an assist), Marc Savard finally got back on the score sheet, Monday night.

Savard was credited with an assist on Marco Sturm's third-period goal that was awfully reminiscent of both the type of pass, and finish, that Savard and Phil Kessel used to display on a nightly basis.

Read my story on CSNNE.com about Savard breaking out of his slump in Monday's 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, and see what coach Claude Julien had to say about Sturm being Savard's ideal right winger for the rest of the season.

Also, Milan Lucic skated (before the team's full practice) for the second consecutive day, Tuesday, and said that a return to play in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day is still a possibility.

(No shows this week. Back on Monday, Dec, 28. Happy Holidays to you all!)

All the Wright moves

Mike Wright filled in nicely, Sunday, for the loss of both Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork on the Patriots' defensive line, resulting in high praise from coach Bill Belichick on Monday

Read about Mike Wright's reaction to Bill Belichick's kind words in my story for CSNNE.com.

Also, read what Belichick had to say during his press conference on Monday afternoon, a day after the Patriots' 17-10 win over the Buffalo Bills.

(No show again on Tuesday, as I'll be covering the Boston Bruins' practice for CSNNE.com, just a day after their 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.)

A Classic moment

Friday marked the "First Skate" at Fenway Park, leading up to the 2010 Winter Classic on New Year's Day, and I had the privilege of hitting the ice and taking it all in

Watch the video above from CSNNE.com, but also, be sure to read my story from Friday, re-living the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Currently available?

With the signing of John Lackey and Mike Cameron, the Red Sox' roster looks nearly complete for 2010, however, it may just be the beginning of another big move, or two

If the Red Sox were to enter the 2010 season without adding another bat, the team would be taking a huge hit, offensively, after replacing Jason Bay with Mike Cameron. But Theo Epstein has to have something else up his sleeve, no?

If he's the creative general manager that we've continued to crown him as over the years, then Cameron's addition should make the organization open to trading Jacoby Ellsbury along with Clay Buchholz for a power-hitting infielder, and then filling the last outfield spot with the re-signing that we all thought was inevitable to begin with, putting Jason Bay back in left field.

I talked about Boston's trade possibilities on Tuesday's show. To listen in its entirety, click here, or play below:



For the best Boston sports analysis on the web, listen to I'm Just Sayin' weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on BlogTalkRadio.com.

In his defense

In the court of public opinion, Randy Moss is in the dog house after his performance on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, but for once in New England, maybe it's time to start blaming the quarterback - not the receivers - for interceptions

I defended Randy Moss on Monday's show, accepting that he had a bad game, but not buying into the argument that he's given up on the team.

Also on Monday, it was reported that John Lackey was in Boston taking a physical for the Red Sox. It would be a move that I called for last month, and it would also mean that the next step is trading Clay Buchholz for a power-hitting infielder.

Listen to Monday's show in its entirety by clicking here.

For the best Boston sports analysis on the web, listen to I'm Just Sayin' weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Not getting the message

Adalius Thomas was one of four Patriots sent home from practice, Wednesday, for showing up late, but he was the only one on Thursday that didn't seem to understand Bill Belichick's message

On Thursday's show, I explained why the Patriots should part ways with Adalius Thomas, after his comments at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, a day after he was sent home.

I also talked about the Red Sox' latest move, which has Mike Lowell going to the Texas Rangers for catcher Max Ramirez. It's a deal that, if approved by commissioner Bud Selig, would see Boston eating close to $9 million of Lowell's $12 million salary for the upcoming season.

Do the Red Sox plan on replacing Lowell with a blockbuster trade?

Listen to Thursday's show in its entirety by clicking here.

For the best Boston sports analysis on the web, listen to I'm Just Sayin' weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Lesson learned

Thanks to last year's extra-long layoff in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Claude Julien and the Boston Bruins now know how to better handle themselves during long stretches in between games

The Bruins have had four days off since their last game on Saturday night, a 7-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel and company are back in town Thursday night, and Claude Julien talked after Wednesday's practice about how he's learned from last year's 8-day break in between the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

Read what he had to say in my story on CSNNE.com.

-- Thursday's show will include plenty of MLB Winter Meetings talk . . . and if Bill Belichick has been trying to tell this year's Patriots that they can't live in the past, how will the current players handle their coach's latest move? Listen to I'm Just Sayin' on BlogTalkRadio.com, weekdays at 1 p.m. ET.

Quit playing games

While the Yankees acquire Curtis Granderson in a three-way trade, the Red Sox continue to act like a small-market club, making reported tensions within the organization more and more believable

San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan wrote a piece over the weekend regarding former San Diego Padres general manager Kevin Towers, and his search for a new job.

According to the column, Towers is hesitant to join the Red Sox' tension-filled organization.

"Boston’s Larry Lucchino has been calling, but Towers is leery of the tension he perceives between his former boss and his former protégé, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein," said Sullivan in Saturday's column.

With no left fielder, and Marco Scutaro's signing described as a "major announcement" last week, it would seem that either Lucchino or Epstein is upset at how the team's spending - or not spending - its money this offseason.

Regardless of the in-house tension, it's time for the Red Sox to stop treating the club like a small-market organization. I called out the Red Sox on Tuesday's show. Listen in its entirety by clicking here.

For the best Boston sports analysis on the web, listen to I'm Just Sayin' weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Maroney: We can't live in the past

On a day in which not many Patriots players were willing to speak to the media, New England running back Laurence Maroney had an important message for the rest of his team, just one day after losing to the Miami Dolphins, 22-21

Read what Laurence Maroney had to say, in my piece for CSNNE.com.

Also, Bill Belichick continued to defend yet another failed fourth-down conversion. Read about his press conference from Gillette Stadium on Monday, via my blog post on CSNNE.com.

Hoping for health

Injuries have prevented Tony Allen from even attempting to live up to the hype that surrounded him after being drafted 25th overall in 2004, and now, the 27-year-old hopes Tuesday night can be a new beginning

Barring any setbacks after today's full practice, Tony Allen returns to the Celtics' lineup on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks at the TD Garden.

With Marquis Daniels expected to miss the game with a nagging thumb injury, Allen will most likely get some playing time for the first time this season.

Read about Allen's return, Daniels' injury, and Ray Allen's take on Brandon Jennings and Europe in my piece from Sunday's Celtics practice on CSNNE.com.

-- No show on Monday, Dec. 7, as I'll be in Foxboro getting reaction from the Patriots a day after their loss to Miami on Sunday. I'm Just Sayin' on BlogTalkRadio will resume on Tuesday, Dec. 8 with an update on the state of the Patriots, and what's going on at the MLB Winter Meetings.

Rask steals the show

Phil Kessel was the talk of the town on Saturday night at the TD Garden, but Bruins rookie goaltender Tuukka Rask stole the show in shutting down the team that originally drafted him

The Bruins sent an early message to the team that gave them three draft picks in exchange for Phil Kessel in September, and Rask's 33 saves represented the exclamation point in Saturday's 7-2 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Check out my story on Rask's performance from CSNNE.com.

Kessel returns

Phil Kessel makes his return to Boston, Saturday, for the first time since being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in September, and it's time to re-visit the deal that sent only draft picks to the Bruins

One could make the argument that Boston has been just fine without Phil Kessel this season. The Bruins are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, and have catapulted to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But nobody can deny what Kessel is doing this season. The 22-year-old winger has eight goals and five assists in 14 games this season. His goals total matches the Bruins' leading goal scorers' totals in 13 less games - Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm each have eight as well, but in 27 games apiece. (UPDATED: Kessel scored two goals in Toronto's 6-3 win over Columbus on Thursday night, giving him 10 goals in 15 games - two more goals than any Bruins player, in 12 less games).

While Boston has re-established itself as one of the top teams in the East by showing its depth, without that prominent goal scorer to play on the top line with Marc Savard, the Bruins aren't on the same level as the two teams ahead of them in the standings - Pittsburgh and Washington.

Reading Kevin Paul Dupont's piece in Thursday's Boston Globe, it reminded me of how the trade went down, and made me re-visit the ways in which the Bruins may have been able to keep the same player that Toronto GM Brian Burke believes "is on the brink of greatness."

Did Kessel really not want to negotiate with the Bruins? Would Kessel have re-signed if Peter Chiarelli made him a priority, instead of signing Tim Thomas and David Krejci to big deals first? And was Claude Julien the one that actually ran Kessel out of town?

It was the main topic on Thursday's show. Listen by clicking here.

For the best Boston sports analysis on the web, listen to I'm Just Sayin' weekdays at 1 p.m. ET on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Dolphins still dangerous

Miami running back Ronnie Brown is out for the season, but Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are still concerned about the Dolphins' other offensive weapons

The Patriots have read the script. Now, whether they buy in, remains to be seen.

After being blown out on Monday night in New Orleans, everyone in Foxboro is saying all the right things. They've moved on. Next up, Miami.

Belichick addressed the media after Wednesday's walk-through at Gillette Stadium. Here's my story from CSNNE.com on how he's preparing for a Dolphins team that is without its biggest offensive threat, Ronnie Brown.

Also, click here to read what Miami linebacker Jason Taylor and coach Tony Sparano had to say during Wednesday's conference calls.

-- After a week off, my sports-talk show returns tomorrow and Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Tune in LIVE to I'm Just Sayin' on BlogTalkRadio.com, every weekday from 1-2 p.m. ET.

Correctable issues

Patriots coach Bill Belichick says he has already switched his focus to the Miami Dolphins, but the issues within New England's defense after Monday night's 38-17 loss to New Orleans are anything but forgetful

In a conference call on Tuesday, Belichick acknowledged that his secondary was as bad as it could be on Monday night. He does, however, believe it's something that can be fixed.

See what Belichick and Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees had to say the day after Monday night's disaster, by reading my story from CSNNE.com.

-- I want to apologize for not having any shows so far this week. In my attempt to keep I'm Just Sayin' on BlogTalkRadio airing as consistently as possible, my new job at Comcast SportsNet New England has prevented me from doing so every day.

However, this is a good thing. CSNNE.com is where I want to be, and I don't ever plan on discontinuing my show. Hosting my own sports-talk show has, and always will be, a passion of mine. So here's what I will do. Until it gets to the point where I have to change the show's time slot, I'll prepare a schedule for the rest of the week, every Sunday.

With that said, I'll be covering the Patriots' practice tomorrow afternoon in Foxboro, so I plan on closing out the week with a show on Thursday and Friday. Check out CSNNE.com's Patriots blog all day tomorrow for updates from Gillette Stadium.