Sports Redux: So Close, Yet So Far Away

It felt great for a second or two, flipping the pages of the local dailies to check in with the Bruins. Win, win, shootout win, come from behind win, win...and then that Monday night game against the Capitals happened. The Bruins came back home to Boston last night a little humbled, but we'd hoped that they were ready to kick it up a notch and not make absolute fools of themselves again deliver a quality game against Florida.

And it was a good game - a thriller that carried over into OT. Unfortunately, the effects of the Debacle in D.C. followed the Bruins home to Boston, and the Panthers skated to a 1-0 win. The Panthers' Nathan Horton is the man Bruins fans are collectively cursing today; a need for a player who will start slamming opponents into the boards and show some gumption continues to plague the Boston team. We didn't want to say it, but a lack of commitment when it comes to checking folks is becoming a serious problem.

Speaking of problems, Jonathan Papelbon's complaining about his problem with the Red Sox brass. The quick version: Pap wants a big raise, but doesn't have much ground to stand on, abritrationally speaking, but he's still talking to the media about it. He wants $900,000 (we think it breaks down to $800,000 for pitching, $100,000 for off-field antics), but the Sox reportedly want to bump his salary up to $425,000. Our recommendation for how to settle this? Dance-off, mano a mano. Larry Lucchino, Jonathan Papelbon, the Fenway infield. Sell tickets for $10 each, with proceeds to benefit the Jonathan Papelbon Needs to Look Out for His Family Fund. Win-win.

Finally, it's not Boston-centric, but we don't have a sister GBist and we love sports too much not to pause for a moment and salute Brett Favre. After 17 years in the NFL, the Green Bay quarterback put Wisconsin into a state of mourning when news broke that he had decided to retire from the game. Favre said he'd grown tired, and we can understand why. He'd truly become a living legend.

As a player, Favre has shown guts, classiness, a sense of humor, and commitment to his team - qualities that have paved the way for many our local sports player's ascent into lore and adoration. So we add to the chorus, Brett: We'll miss you, we thank you, and we look forward to seeing your induction into the Hall of Fame.