Sports Redux: Living Well Is the Best Revenge

As tempting as it would have been for the Bruins to come out swinging last night, playing back the Flyers for Patrice Bergeron's concussion, that's not how they roll. And they needed the two points even more than they needed the visceral satisfaction of seeing the Flyers laid out like the wounded soldiers in Gone With the Wind.

The 6-3 shellacking wasn't exactly a tea party, though. Defenseman Andrew Alberts left the game after a cheap hit by Philly's Scott Hartnell. Ben Eager hit Zdeno Chara in a way that the B's' Aaron Ward didn't like, so Ward and Eager went at it. But that was the sideshow. The real stories were the second straight solid game by netminder Tuukka Rask, and the unexpected flurry of goals. Glen Murray (twice), Marc Savard, Glen Metropolit, Peter Schaefer and Chuck Kobasew were the scorers.

The Celtics face perhaps their sternest test of this dream season so far tonight, when they visit the Eastern champion Cavaliers. LeBron James is putting up his usual unworldly numbers, but his supporting cast...he's probably jealous of KG for getting to play with Ricky Davis and Mark Blount last year. Interesting column by ESPN's Eric Neel yesterday: a lifelong Laker fan, he confesses that he really enjoys watching this year's Celtics team. Could we be that magnanimous if the shoe were on the other foot? As long as there are no follow-up questions, let's say yes.

BC will be a man short when they face Virginia Tech in the ACC title game this weekend; running back AJ Brooks is being suspended for violating unspecified team rules.

And it's time for the annual story that makes us feel really, really old. The Baseball Hall of Fame voting is open, and guys who we thought were still playing are now officially eligible (if longshots) for immortality. We'll buy that Tim Raines and Jose Rijo have been retired for five years. But David Justice? Brady Anderson? Travis Fryman? Chuck Knoblauch also was supposed to throw his hat in the ring; it missed the ring by twelve feet, but they put him on the ballot anyway.