Sports Redux: B's, C's Take It To The Streets

Both our local winter teams were on the road yesterday. Let's join them, in spirit at least, because anywhere on earth must be more pleasant and hospitable than this poorly-located snow-choked city we call home.

Well, maybe not Toronto, which we're told is just as cold. It's a little colder today, since the Maple Leafs blew a 3-1 third-period lead to allow the Bruins a shootout win and a comfortable transition to the All-Star Break. With an uncharacteristic lead, Toronto started committing "bad penalties", in the words of their coach, and allowed power-play goals by Dennis Wideman and Zdeno Chara.

Then began the shootout, where Tim Thomas and Vesa Toskala, worn out after a frantic overtime, allowed two each and stopped one apiece. Thomas saved Nikolai Kulemin's shot, and Michael Ryder (chosen by Claude Julien's fabled "eenie-meanie-miney-moe" decisionmaking) powered one past Toskala for the W. For all the Bruins have done this magical season, it's the first time they've come from behind in the third period to win.

Meanwhile in Miami, which is experiencing ungodly cold temperatures in the low 60s (sigh), the Celtics were showing the feisty Heat a thing or two. What they mostly showed them was Eddie House, who helped the Heat to their 2006 title, helped the Celtics last year, and had the game of the year, scoring 20 of his 25 in the second quarter and staking the C's to a 98-83 win. Ray Allen also lit it up, hitting 5 of 6 from three-point land to lead the team with 27. Kendrick Perkins played for the first time in forever, scoring only two but collecting seven rebounds in 23 carefully-portioned minutes. The logjam at the top of the Eastern Conference can be partially settled tonight when the Celts visit Orlando.

Tom Brady emerged from wherever he's been to tell a Toronto radio station(!) what we expected him to say. He says the injury rehab is going really well, everyone's taking great care of him, etc, etc. Also, he says that as long as Bill and the Krafts are in charge, it doesn't matter that the rest of the team's brain trust is scattered to the winds. Time will tell if either of those things is for real.