HOW IS PHIL KESSEL NOT AN ALL-STAR?

Really? There are actually 12 better forwards in the Eastern Conference right now than Phil Kessel? I can understand Boston's 21-year-old forward not starting for the East squad, but missing the team entirely? Come on.

Kessel currently ranks fourth in the conference with 24 goals, only three behind the triumvirate of Ovechkin, Carter, and Vanek, all All-Stars themselves. He had a stretch of 18 consecutive games with at least one point earlier this season, and is currently a plus-17, good for seventh best in the league, despite playing only 16:46 per night, ranking him 68th among Eastern Conference forwards.

Compare Kessel's numbers to those of Carolina centerman Eric Staal (who did make the team), for example:

Kessel: 24 goals, 17 assists, 41 points, 143 shots, 16:46 average time on ice
Staal: 18 goals, 14 assists, 32 points, 176 shots, 21:20 average time on ice

Of course, the B's leading goal scorer was left off because the fans voted Alexei Kovalev into the game as a starter for the East. Nevermind the fact that his 11 goals have him tied for 48th in the conference, or that his 31 points put him in 32nd. The voting for All-Star starters is a lot like the race for class president in middle school. It's all about who is more popular, and unfortunately for Kessel, Kovalev won that battle.

There are plenty of other snubs and ridiculous selections for this year's game, but Kessel, along with Caps defenseman Mike Green, appear to be the biggest mistakes. Oh well, there will be plenty of other Bruins to root for on All-Star weekend. Tim Thomas, Marc Savard, and Zdeno Chara will be representing the East in the game, and Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler will be facing off in the Young Stars Game.

TIME TO TRADE BUCHHOLZ?

This offseason has been insane. Starting with the Phillies/Rays matchup that nobody saw coming, baseball has been on a roller coaster ride for the past three plus months. Twists and turns have swept up all 30 teams, and we have seen some ridiculous changes.

With the Yankees sweeping up all the top free agents, apparently trying to form some sort of fantasy baseball team, the Red Sox have struggled to counter. CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira are all huge additions in the Big Apple, and in the view of many an "expert", have propelled the Yankees ahead of the Sox and Rays as the favorites to win the AL East this season. But in the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friends! The Red Sox keep adding players, and will have a very formidable rotation come the regular season. But there is one more thing Boston should do to keep pace with New York: trade Clay Buchholz.

Having signed John Smoltz and Brady Penny, there is no room for Buchholz in the rotation this year. The club already is having issues finding a spot for young gun Justin Masterson, and Buchholz's shaky mechanics have no use in the bullpen. Should injuries occur, as they always seem to, Michael Bowden is ready to step up and take the hill for the big club.

Furthermore, Buchholz could be a centerpiece in a deal for a catcher or big bat for the lineup. Since the Sox missed out on Mark Teixeira, they are still looking for a big bat to replace the loss of Manny Ramirez, and Buchholz could be a big part of finding that missing piece. If Boston can use their young pitcher to land a catcher, like Texas' Jarrod Saltalamacchia, that would help immensely as well, for a roster that has only Josh Bard behind the plate.

A lineup of Ellsbury (CF), Pedroia (2B), Ortiz (DH), Lowell (3B), Youkilis (1B), Drew (RF), Bay (LF), Saltalamacchia (C), and Lowery (SS) would be quite formidable. With a rotation of Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Penny, and Smoltz, the Sox would be one of the top teams in the AL this season.

All we know now though, is that this roller coaster will have gut-wrenching action right up until the end.

MY 5 FAVORITE BRUINS OF ALL-TIME

The recent book Black and Gold: Four Decades of the Boston Bruins in Photographs is amazing. Photographer Steve Babineau has shot the B's for the past forty years or so, and has snapped some of the most memorable and transcendent pictures in hockey history. The book has reminded me countless times of my own past with the team. My first game, back in January, 1993 was between the Bruins and the fledgling San Jose Sharks. I remember the distinct smell of the old Boston Garden, an odd combination of age, cigarettes, and popcorn; and then B's forward Joey Juneau's collision with a Shark, causing his stick to fly straight up high into the air. As I grew up, I continued to follow the Bruins. I saw the Garden torn down and replaced by the new building, the third jerseys turn an ugly mustard yellow, and hall of fame worthy players come and go on numerous occasions. So, with that said, I think it's time for me to look back at five of my favorite players that I distinctly remember watching don the spoked B. This eliminates Bruins greats like Orr, Esposito, and O'Reilly, but those guys were all a little before my time. Here goes...

5. SERGEI SAMSONOV
The eighth overall pick of the 1997 draft, Samsonov is still lacing 'em up, now for the Carolina Hurricanes. The 5'8 winger was an incredibly gifted stickhandler, often confusing opponents with ridiculous dekes and drags. Just a couple years ago, Sammy scored a jaw dropping goal by taking a feed and wristing the puck between his legs and over the shoulder of the Philadelphia goalie. An immensely talented player.

4. JOE THORNTON
Sticking with Bruins first round picks in 1997, we come to Joe Thornton, the top overall selection that year. Thornton was a much maligned figure in Boston for some reason, as media members and fans jumped on his back for not winning the big one right away, and not deserving the captain's C. What I remember though, is one of the most talented, strong, tough players I've ever seen. He's one of the best passers in NHL history, and someone who was extremely fun to watch. Since his trade to San Jose, Thornton has thrived, helping the Sharks to one of the best starts in NHL history this season.

3. ANDY MOOG
One of my first memories as a Bruins fan was watching Andy Moog make some tremendous glove saves. My friends and I would imitate him playing hockey in my basement, always taking turns to see who could make the best save with the glove, just like Moog. He only played in Boston from 1988-93, but was great in that span, helping lead the B's to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances, both losses to his old team, the Edmonton Oilers.

2. CAM NEELY
Current Bruins President Cam Neely ranks number two on this list, as he was one of the most iconic and skilled Bruins ever. Neely played thirteen NHL seasons, the last 10 with Boston, but was forced to retire young because of knee and hip problems, largely because of cheap shots by Ulf Samuelsson over the years. But while he was on the ice, Neely was pretty much unstoppable. One of my favorite memories of Neely is him deking through the entire Ottawa Senators team, including the goalie, for an easy tally. Neely pretty much revolutionized the "power forward" position in the NHL as well.

1. RAY BOURQUE
Bourque was the reason I wore number 77 in my first year in hockey. His early years were before my time, but as I grew up, he remained one of the best players in league history. His offensive prowess was amazing for a defenseman, as he scored 410 goals in his illustrious career. Who can forget an aging Bourque, playing in the 1996 All-Star Game in front of him hometown fans at the Fleet Center, scoring in the final minute to give the East a 5-4 win and taking MVP honors to boot? Bourque was one of the best players to ever wear the spoked B, and that's why he ranks first on my all-time list.

MY NHL ALL-STAR PICKS

The NHL All-Star starting lineups are out and, once again, the fans got it wrong. Of the six starters (including the goalie) representing the Eastern Conference, four are representing Montreal, and the other two are Pittsburgh Penguins. While fan voting for starters does leave something to be desired, here are my picks for the reserves for both the East and West rosters.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards (9):
Alexander Ovechkin, Capitals
Marc Savard, Bruins
Zach Parise, Devils
Phil Kessel, Bruins
Thomas Vanek, Sabres
Jeff Carter, Flyers
Simon Gagne, Flyers
Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
David Krejci, Bruins

Defenseman (4):
Zdeno Chara, Bruins
Mike Green, Capitals
Mark Streit, Islanders
Dennis Wideman, Bruins

Goalies (2):
Tim Thomas, Bruins
Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards (9):
Jarome Iginla, Flames
Joe Thornton, Sharks
Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings
Rick Nash, Blue Jackets
Loui Eriksson, Stars
Marian Hossa, Red Wings
Brad Boyes, Blues
Patrick Marleau, Sharks
Daniel Sedin, Canucks

Defenseman (4):
Dan Boyle, Sharks
Brian Rafalski, Red Wings
Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings
Duncan Keith, Blackhawks

Goalies (2):
Evgeni Nabokov, Sharks
Nicklas Backstrom, Wild

In case you're wondering about some deserving players not on my list, keep in mind that these are only reserves. The starters, as voted by the fans, are as follows:

LW: Evgeni Malin, Penguins
C: Sidney Crosby, Penguins
RW: Alexei Kovalev, Canadiens
D: Andrei Markov, Canadiens
D: Mike Komisarek, Canadiens
G: Carrie Price, Canadiens

LW: Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
C: Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
RW: Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
D: Brian Campbell, Blackhawks
D: Scott Niedermayer, Ducks
G: JS Giguere, Ducks

CAN STARBURY HELP THE CELTICS?

After winning 19 straight games, something happened to the Boston Celtics. They lost three of four on the west coast, and then were embarrassed at Madison Square Garden by the lowly New York Knicks.

With the team struggling, rumors began to swirl about bringing in Knicks malcontent Stephon Marbury as a backup point guard. Marbury, who is still under contract in New York, would bring veteran depth to Boston's struggling bench, and would allow Eddie House to play his natural position, getting open and shooting the rock. But Starbury should only don the green and white if he can accept a few basic conditions:

• Rajon Rondo is the starter, no questions asked. Marbury will be his backup, but Rondo will continue to start and get the crunch time minutes.
• Steph will make next to nothing for the rest of the season. The Celtics shouldn't compromise any cap space on him, and he will only be signed for the rest of this year. Besides, it's not like he needs the money, New York is paying him $22 million not to play for them this season.
  
• One strike and you're out. The Celtics have really good chemistry, which is one major reason they are currently the defending champs. Chemistry has never really been what Marbury is known for, so any kind of pouting should end this experiment quickly.
  

If Starbury can abide by these three rules, he can be a huge asset to a struggling Boston team. And if not, there's a nice seat for him on the bench at MSG.

MARK'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Wild Card Round:
Indianapolis @ San Diego (Sat 8 PM)
Colts 27, Chargers 6
-The Colts enter the playoffs as the league's hottest team. The Chargers come in on the momentum of defeating the Broncos in week 17 to win the West, and are probably the first 8-8 team to ever have a home playoff game. The key to beating Indianapolis is pounding them with the run, and LaDanian Tomlinson has been a huge disappointment this season. Combine that with the fact that Norv Turner refuses to use Darren Sproles enough, throw in the Colts tough pass D versus Philip Rivers, and the Indianapolis offense against a shaky Charger's D, and you have a recipe for a potential blowout.

Baltimore @ Miami (Sun 1 PM)
Ravens 20, Dolphins 14
-Miami got into the playoffs thanks to great coaching, an offense based on trick plays and unusual formations, not committing turnovers, and most importantly, Brett Favre, who singlehandedly affected the seasons of four different teams (only one of them positively): the Jets, Packers, Patriots, and Dolphins. Despite the great story the Dolphins have been, I don't see their offense of trickery working effectively against Baltimore. I see a consistent Ravens offense combined with a defensive touchdown leading them to victory.

Divisional Round:
Baltimore @ Tennessee
Titans 10, Ravens 3
-The Joe Flacco-Kerry Collins QB matchup combined with two great defenses, points should be at a premium in this one. And despite the fact that the last game the Titans played prior to this was a pathetic 23-0 loss to the Colts in week 17, I still think they're a better team than the Ravens.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh
Colts 20, Steelers 16
-The Colts beat the Steelers in the regular season thanks to some boneheaded plays from Ben Roethelisberger. I'll still take Peyton Manning and crew over the vaunted Steelers D, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if Roethelisberger made some more boneheaded plays.

AFC Championship
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Colts 31, Titans 9
-Just a terrible matchup for the Titans. Collins should get shut down compeltely by a rejuvenated Colts pass D - the only shot Tennessee has in this one is Chris Johnson and Lendale White each running for over 100 yards. Manning and the Colts offense can pick apart an overrated Titans defense.








Wild Card Round:
Atlanta @ Arizona (Sat 4:30 PM)
Falcons 34, Cardinals 28
-A suspect Atlanta secondary could make this game much more winnable for Arizona than most people think. However, an even more suspect entire Cardinals' defense should not be able to stop the Turner/Ryan combo on offense. If the fumbling/interception throwing Kurt Warner shows up instead of the MVP-caliber one, it could get ugly fast for the Cards.

Philadelphia @ Minnesota (Sun 4:30 PM)
Eagles 22, Vikings 18
-I actually had no idea that Brad Childress had been a former assistant to Andy Reid - it is the absolute perfect explanation for his entire retarted coaching style. This should be the ugliest game of the weekend by far, and is going to be one of those classic "who wants it less" games, where each team is constantly just making mistakes and being completely inept until evenutally someone just has to win the game. A Vikings home field advantage could come into play, but I think Childress is still slightly dumber than Reid, and Philly is a bit more talented. Oh, and did I mention it's Tavaris Jackson vs. Donovan McNabb? I don't care what people say, McNabb is still a solid QB.

Divisional Round:
Philadelphia @ New York
Giants 27, Eagles 13
-This should be a cakewalk for the G-men, who given a healthy Brandon Jacobs should have no troubles moving the ball effectively against the hapless Eagles.

Atlanta @ Carolina
Panthers 27, Falcons 20
-I was very tempted to pick the upset in this one, but I think John Fox is too smart to let a rookie quarterback beat him in the playoffs. The gameplan? Stop Michael Turner and make Ryan beat you himself - the most overlooked storyline of the Falcons season has been Michael Turner. Without him they would be lucky to win eight games, and Ryan definitely would not have won offensive rookie of the year.

NFC Championship:
Carolina @ New York
Giants 13, Panthers 3
-A rematch of the fantastic week 16 game that the Giants took in OT, I see another great game between the two teams for the NFC title - this time with much less offense. A consistent Giants run game led by Brandon Jacobs will give New York it's second NFC title in a row. Of course, the entire playoff run changes if he gets hurt again.






SUPER BOWL XLIII:
New York Giants: 17
Indianapolis Colts: 13
-It's a media orgy and my worst nightmare: a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl. This would be even worse than the Colts/Bears game a few years ago, in which I couldn't decide which team I wanted to lose more. Despite the fact that Eli Manning is the most overrated QB in the league, the Giants run game matches up perfectly against the Dungy-created paper mache defensive front of the Colts. Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw should tear the Colts' front seven apart - the only thing that will keep the Giants scoring down will be red zone ineptitudes and turnovers by Eli. The Giants as back to back champs, ugh. Good thing my picks are always wrong!

WEEK 17 PICKS RECAP, AND THE WINNER IS...

Mark! Carrying a lead for the majority of the year, I successfully closed Evan out in week 17 by going 8-8. Evan, of course, picking all the opposites of me in order to try and make up six games in the final week, also went 8-8. Here's how the season standings ended up:

MARK: 111-117-2
EVAN: 105-123-2

Unfortunately, neither Evan nor I could crack .500 for the season - example #324745 why our predictions should never be used outside of anything but a recreational setting.

And since Evan and I both agreed that the loser would treat the winner to dinner, Evan will be buying me a romantic dinner at Anna's Taqueria.