Update

Bruins:

The Boston Bruins continue their torrid play as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 last night. The win marked the 10th in a row and the 14th straight at home for the B's. All of this winning on the ice begs one question?

Where did this come from??

With the exception of a couple of additions, this team is the nearly the same squad that lost to Montreal in seven games of the first round of last year's playoffs. That series, however, seems to be the turning point for this Bruins team. After pushing the then top-seeded Canadiens to seven games, the Bruins have been on a roll. Not only are they at the top of the Eastern Conference, they now hold the best record in the entire NHL. They are 29-5-4.

As a casual fan for the past several years, I now look forward to watching the games. I'll be the first to admit I've jumped on the bandwagon. However, when the product that the team is putting out on the ice is exciting and successful, the bandwagon will fill right up. With a little more than 4 months left in the season, if the B's continue to play this way and continue winning, the bandwagon is going to get as overcrowded as an inbound Green Line train leaving North Station.

Celtics:

The Celtics are looking to rebound from their horrid west coast road trip that saw them go 1-3. After losses to LA, Golden State, and Portland, the Celtics host the Washington Wizards tonight and look to begin another lengthy win streak.

Reports are coming out today that if Stephon Marbury is able to reach a buyout agreement with the Knicks that one of the landing spots for him could be the Celts. Please, Danny Ainge, say it ain't so. The promise that Marbury once held as one of the most prolific basketball players to come out of NYC has long vanished thanks to his off court and on court antics. The guy is so bad that he is a cancer even in the dysfunctional NY locker room. To that end, the Celtics would have to let someone go to make a roster spot for him. Not to mention the fact that they already have 4 point guards on the roster. Signing Marbury would cut into Gabe Pruitt's development and would make Sam Cassell's presence more useless than it already is.

Patriots:

For the first time in 6 years, the NFL playoffs will begin without the Patriots. The Pats battled all year long, but in the end, became the first 11-5 team to not qualify for the postseason. This offseason will hold a few questions for the Pats. Most notably, what is the status of Tom Brady's knee and how that affects what the team decides to do with Matt Cassel who is a free agent. Cassel earned himself a nice payday by stepping into Brady's role when he went down. As the season progressed, so did Matt Cassel. However, if Brady is rehabbing on schedule (there has been conflicting reports) then Cassel is expendable.

In addition to players, some of the front office and coaching staff of the Patriots are also in demand. VP Scott Pioli has been interviewing for GM jobs around the league. Teams have also asked for permission to speak with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels about vacant coaching positions. Rest assured, even with their departure, the Patriots will be just fine. As a word of caution for McDaniels, however, is that the grass is not always greener for assistants of Bill Belichick that fly the coop. Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, and Eric Magini are all presently unemployed or in constant danger of losing their jobs. Goes to show that the system the Belichick has is what makes this team, its players, and its coaches successful. Looking forward to 2009.

Red Sox:

Relatively quiet on the Red Sox front. The Sox did sign deals with free-agent pitcher Brad Penney and catcher Josh Bard. Penney was hurt last year but was effective in 2007, a year in which he earned the start for the NL All-Stars. Bard was with the Sox a couple of years ago but was traded when he couldn't catch Tim Wakefield's knuckler, the one task he was brought in to do. Apparently, the Sox are still high on him enough to give him another chance.

Speaking of catching, still no movement on the Jason Varitek front. It seems as though his agent (He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named) is realizing that the market for Tek is non-existent. The Sox are probably giving him a smug "I told you so". I say that Tek signs with the Sox for 2 years at $10million per, then retires.

With the first spring exhibition game a mere 7 1/2 weeks away, the Sox news should start picking up soon. Stay tuned.