Hamilton and Lucic

Or Lucic and Hamilton.  LOL
Let me start by saying I am, as usual, going off a stream of consciousness, having just heard about the Lucic trade as I was going to write a blog about the Hamilton trade.  I know nothing about the other players involved in these trades, though it appears the value the Bruins got in return was the draft picks.
So let me get this straight:  Not long ago the Bruins had worked magic and become something very rare in pro sports -- a team at the top with high draft picks.  They worked their magic and ended up drafting Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton (and we won't bother saying that the Seguin pick comes about by trading away another very high draft pick.) 
So are we seeing a trend here?  Absolutely we are.  We're seeing a team that gets high draft picks and doesn't keep them.  Does this mean they're missing the mark with who they draft with those picks, how those players are then developed, or both or neither (though I don't think neither is really possible.)
You bailed on the very talented enigma that is Phil Kessel, whom you drafted very high with much aplomb, getting the number 2 overall pick in return, the aforementioned Seguin, only to give up on him after two seasons.  And what did you get in return there?  A bag of pucks.
Interrupting myself for a second but who was the previous very high draft pick the  Bruins gave up on before Kessel?  One Joe Thornton.  Definitely, definitely a trend, my friends.
Now you're giving up on Dougie Hamilton because why?  I'm guessing because they didn't think he was worth the money he was asking and the fact that the Bruins are up against it with the cap.  But all you got in return was the 14th pick...in my book that's trading down since Hamilton was a higher pick than that and you know what you've got with it.  I could care less about the other late picks in that deal.  Now they've traded Milan Lucic was a comparable pick and a player I don't know.
Is this a sign of a rebuild (and arguably an identity shift if you're getting rid of the one player who most plays, when he decides to, like the Bruins have always played) or does this have everything to do with money?
But more importantly is:  What faith should I have that you'll, A, draft great players with those picks (since you're trading great players for them) and even if you do, will you develop and keep them?

Honoring The Legend

It'll be Tony Gwynn Week in San Diego, Feb. 19-28, 2016. pic.twitter.com/W1PuluKTKS

— GoAztecs.com (@GoAztecs) June 16, 2015

I just happened to take the day off from work and caught this gem on my Twitter feed. On the one year anniversary of his death, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has declared February 19th through the 28th, 2016 Tony Gwynn Week.

I don't care if it's technically ten days. It begins on the 19th of the month and Tony deserves every one of them.

24 Heurs du Twitter (Mans)

Now that the "drama" from earlier today is a thing of the past, it's time to get ready for the biggest sporting event in my household -- the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For me, this is my Super Bowl. Ever since I saw the movie "Le Mans" with Steve McQueen as a kid, I've always been fascinated with sports car racing. Over the years, we didn't have anything in the way of television coverage here in the States, but once the former Speed channel broadcasted over half of the race live several years ago I was hooked.

Do I have any strange rituals for the race? My participation in it as a fan has always been, "I'll stay up as long as Corvette Racing has a chance to win." In most cases, that meant waking up just before 6am on Saturday morning to catch the start of the race and then doing whatever it took to stay awake the full twenty-four hours! On some occasions, I've been rewarded with the sight of the men dressed in yellow and black celebrating on the top spot on the podium on Sunday morning. Lately, this also includes Dempsey Racing since "McDreamy" now participates in the event.

One of my habits during the race is to be active on Twitter. I not only follow the Corvette Racing account and several of the drivers, but it's the best place to get information during the race before it appears on the newswires. In some cases, it's great when you want confirmation of driver changes or what's happening to cars on the track. On the flip side, I also found out through social media and French translation when Allan Simonsen passed away well before they announced it on television. Regardless of what happens, this means my Android devices pictured above will all take turns "live tweeting" my thoughts on the race just like the drivers.

A common misconception is that I'll be glued to the television for the full twenty-four hours. I learned after the first time I did it that, it takes me a few days afterward to recover. I'll likely take a nap in the early afternoon hours so it will be easier for me to stay awake well into the next morning. The middle part of the race is also a great time for me to catch up on reading. While the PC is streaming the race, I'll likely be on one of my Kindle tablets reading a magazine or comic book.

I always have a "sin" meal during the race, and it's almost certain I'll pick up a large order of carne asada nachos from a nearby Mexican restaurant this weekend. Those are heavenly, and perfect for this event. I'll also need to keep plenty of coffee on hand, or perhaps pick up a bottle of Mountain Dew if I want to save a few bucks.

Finally, this also means I'll need to dust off my DVD copy of "Le Mans" and watch it tomorrow or Friday night to remember the good old days of sports car racing.

Beer League Red Sox

Sharing my little screed from FB on here.  My friends on here who know me know that the following is not the whining of a spoiled sports fan but that of a frustrated old school baseball fan who just wants to see good fundamental play.

You know, I'm really starting to get sick and tired of this men's league softball team masquerading as major leaguers in Red Sox uniforms. I may have a rant in me. It's bad enough that we don't have a single professional hitter on the roster (and those who know me know what that means), and haven't produced one in the farm system for years. Pappi trying to pull every pitch for a HR last night with 2 runners on in a one-run game. Fat guys who can't turn a friggin ball down the line into a double (Sandoval). Even Xander, who obviously slid too early and got thrown out at second --THROWN OUT AT 2ND ON A FRIGGIN BALL OFF THE CENTER FIELD WALL -- but how the hell was that even possibly close with his half decent speed?  I'll always love the Sox but I'm sick and tired of bad fundamental baseball. And you know, the pitching's been pretty darn good lately and it's an affront to all things holy that this lineup can't score any runs. Return to the top...it's like a vicious cycle. Let's just watch fastballs down the middle while we try to run up the pitch count sitting back on the bench. Rant over for now.

This after their anemic offensive output of late and bad fundamentals, including seemingly everyone trying to pull every pitch for a HR.  The straw that broke here was the 2nd inning of tonight's game, watching back to back hitters get thrown out at second base on easy doubles.  Get defensive plays but it shouldn't have been possible to throw them out.

So Much For That Idea

I may skip this year's race. The Fox Sports Go app doesn't recognize my cable provider, and half the TV coverage is overnight. #LM24

— The Hun†ress (@RJOuttaSoCal) June 10, 2015

I was going to write this nice blog post about watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but as you can see in the above tweet that may not happen this year. But in the event you're interested in one of the world's most prestigious sports car races, the following TV schedule is where you can watch all the action. All times are Eastern Standard Time:

8:30am - 11:45am Fox Sports 2
7:00pm - 8:00pm   Fox Sports 1
11:00pm - 12:30am Fox Sports 2
3:30am - 7:30am Fox Sports 1
7:30am - 9:00am Fox Sports 2
9:00am - 9:30am Fox Sports 1

You can also watch the entire race on the Fox Sports Go app, but if you're like me and have Cox Communications as your cable provider, the stupid app won't recognize your provider and you can't "unlock" the event.

UPDATE 10:38am PST: It turns out the Fire TV app is the one that doesn't work, but the Fox Sports Go app for the Kindle Fire tablets detected my cable provider and work fine. It would be nice to stream the race on the big screen, though.