Sports Redux: "We Need To Compete In Every Game"

So said Bruins coach Claude Julien, and it's a lesson that his boys took to heart 3,000 miles away. Back home, it's a message that didn't really sink in. Let's start with the good news.

The Bruins came up big last night, with a hard-fought, "gutsy" (sayeth Shawn Thornton) shootout win over the NHL-leading Sharks. Even with their patchwork lineup (nobody got hurt last night, so if you were fretfully scanning, relax), the B's grabbed a second-period lead on the Daniel Paille goal shown here. But then San Jose tied it, as Joe Thornton beat TIm Thomas midway through the period, as chants of "Thank You Boston" rained down from the crowd. You're welcome. Dammit. With everybody winded, Thomas and Evgeni Nabokov traded three saves, until Zdeno Chara's slap shot cleared Nabokov, and Thomas stopped NHL-leading Patrick Marleau to seal the win. "We had come too far and put in too much work not to get rewarded and it was left up to me," said Thomas, summing up the mentality of goalies everywhere.

Not rewarded, and not deserving of rewards, were the Celtics, who played listlessly and sloppily and lost to the Bulls 96-83. After playing four games in five nights, a little fatigue was expected, but the C's took it to new levels, turning the ball over 18 times and missing way way way too many free throws. The only bright spots: Eddie House had his best shooting night (11pts, 5-for-6) in a long time, and Kevin Garnett might possibly be ready to play as early as next week. Maybe.

The Patriots made their first big offseason move, sending defensive coordinator Dean Pees packing. Meanwhile, the Bizarro Patriots continue to assemble in Kansas City, as former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel joins Charlie Weis, Scott Pioli, Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassell in the Midwest. It's actually getting a little creepy.

The Red Sox made big news in Japan today, not quite so much here. They re-upped Hideki Okajima for another season, and have announced that Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell want to have a sit-down with Dice-K, and will presumably try to open an era of communication and togetherness.