Today I woke up, it's Saturday morning and the sun is shining, and although it's cold as hell still I'm in a good mood. Lately all my posts have been pretty negative, and I don't want to be portrayed as a pessimistic guy. I've been complaining about the Patriots and Celtics, and rightfully so. When I went on Twitter this morning, I saw Dougie Hamilton was trending. For some reason, that made me just feel so much better about everything, I don't know why. But then it made me realize that we have a lot to be excited about going into the future, as sports fans and in our own lives.
What do we have to be excited about in the sports world? Well, a lot of things really. I'll be the first to admit I was a bit negative about the Boston teams following the recent Pats loss and while the Celtics continue to fall, all hope is not lost for either of these teams title hopes. Boston is one of the best, probably the best sports city in the world in my opinion. And in the words of Bane from Dark Knight, "This great city will prevail" (Great movie by the way, kind of ironic in this context though). What I mean by that is although a couple of our teams appear to be on the decline , there's a ton to be optimistic about going forward. I'll go through team by team as to who I think the young players who will have a big impact going forward are for each team.
Bruins-
Tyler Seguin- Seguin is just simply a stud. He has superstar talent to go with superstar swag off the ice. Every time he's on the ice he has the potential to do something special, which makes him a nightmare for opposing coaches and a dream for Bruins fans.
Dougie Hamilton- I've only seen this dude play for 3 games and you can already tell he's going to be something special for this team. He has a certain confidence and fearlessness that I love to see out of young players. For a defender he has a skill set that is fun to watch, he can make people look stupid and put a solid shot on net. In the Rangers game he could've had a couple goals against Lundquist, one of the best goalies in the league. I can not wait to see what this kid can do for us going forward.
Brad Marchand- I absolutely love Marchand, both his style of play and his personality make him a spark plug for this Bruins team. He's a smaller player that's not afraid to stick his nose in there and get physical. Marchand has proven that he can handle pressure in the big stages and can be relied on offensively to score some goals.Tuukka Rask- Tuukka appears as if he's just getting started for this team. In one of my other posts I mentioned how Rask would be the key for the Bruins going forward. Through 3 games, he's made me a believer. Tuukka is looking like a more than suitable replacement for Thomas, as he's younger, quicker, faster than his 38 year old predecessor. Watch out, NHL, Tuukka is for real.
(Note- I did not watch the Bruins game yesterday, shame on me)
Celtics-
Rajon Rondo- He should just be called Mr Triple Double now, because Rondo is just racking them up this year. Rondo is in the prime of his career, and trying to carry a struggling Celtics team. Simply stated Rondo has been everything for the Celtics this year. Going forward we need to build around him, get a superstar or two (Dwight Howard... Lebron? Who knows?) to play along side him.
Avery Bradley- Avery is a terrific defender, can lock down anyone in the league, and is a much improved offensive player. He will be key for the Celtics this year along with Rondo in the back court if the Celtics want to have any success this year.
Jared Sullinger- I loved this pick by the Celtics when they drafted him. Coming out of college there was questions about his back and his size, but he's proved a lot of people wrong. Sullinger has arguably been the key to the Celtics this year, as he's been one of the only bright spots in an otherwise dreary season. On the boards he is truly a beast which is exactly what this team needs, with KG in his old age not being able to do the same things he used to do. Sullinger will be a huge part of this team for a long time.
(Note: All of these guys' names are on the trade rumor mill... Nothing for sure yet, just something to note)
Patriots-
Aaron Hernandez- Hernandez is only 23 years old and already a key part of the Patriots offense. He has the speed of a receiver, can run the ball, catch the ball, make some nice blocks, although that's not his strength. Running the two tight end offense with him and Gronk is a nightmare for defenses. Look for him to continue to produce if he can stay healthy.
Rob Gronkowski- Gronk is already probably the best tight end in the NFL. At 6' 7", with speed, great hands, big wingspan, and overall great athletic ability, he is a nightmare for defenses. When he's healthy, he's almost unstoppable, especially in the red zone and 3rd and short situations. An underrated aspect of his game is his run blocking ability where he excels in dominating defenders off the ball. The great thing is that we have Gronk and Hernandez locked up for a couple more years, so we can continue to develop them into great players like I know they can be. If Gronk can stay on the field, something that he has struggled with, the Pats will be that much deadlier on offense for years.
Stevan Ridley- Ridley became one of my favorite players this year as he had a breakout second season for the Pats. The running game for the Patriots was in issue in years past, but Ridley along with Shane Vereen, Danny Woodhead and Brandon Bolden--for the first couple games this year-- helped solidify the ground game as a viable and dangerous weapon for this offense. What I like about Ridley is his ability to make people miss more than previous Patriots running backs, while also running with power. I really think he could develop into a superstar in the future.
In the AFC Championship game, he got hit on a helmet to helmet hit by Bernard Pollard where he just went limp and fumbled the ball, which sealed the deal for the Ravens in that game. Watching that hit is just excruciating. It's almost like any serious knee injury that you see where their knee bends and you just can't look because it's so bad (ex. Willis Mcgahee, Marcus Lattimore, to name a couple.) When I first saw it, I thought he was paralyzed, like there's no way he's alive or able to walk after that. He walked off the field, which is good, but that doesn't mean it's not serious. I think there's a chance that this could effect Ridley in some way in the future, I don't know for sure how serious it was but it sure as hell didn't look good. Concussions are serious, I've had a couple of them and I've seen my share of people getting concussions in football, but never ever have I seen someone go completely numb like that. I hope he doesn't have after effects from this, I pray for him, but I would not be surprised if he wasn't the same player after this massive hit.
Redsox-
... Crickets
They'll be alright, I'm just not a huge fan of the Sox right now, especially the owners... My allegiance to the Sox is obvious, but it's being tested the way this franchise is being run.
Not all is bad in the sports world, and not all is bad in the real world either despite what you hear on the news or on Twitter or Facebook where people love to complain about their problems. Through all the ups and downs that teams go through, in the end they will survive. We as individuals go through the same ups and downs in our own lives and no matter what, the sun always comes up tomorrow, and there will be better days ahead. So if your feeling down, stay strong, keep your chin up, and soldier on.
Thanks for reading
-RB
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