Okay, the Boston Bruins won again on Saturday night and have tied their Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals with the Montreal Canadiens at three games apiece following a heart-stopping 5-4 triumph.
Incredibly, Montreal rookie Carey Price allowed four third-period goals for the second straight game, and five overall in back-to-back outings. Shades of the Bruins' Andrew Raycroft in the 2004 meltdown?
Not that the Bruins' Tim Thomas was stellar himself, allowing four goals, including a seemingly back-breaker with 10 minutes left (which gave the Habs a 3-2 lead) and another with 4:04 left, just 11 seconds after the B's had taken a 4-3 advantage.
But Boston-Montreal, Game Seven? Will the Bruins complete the shocking comeback, or will the Habs put an end to Boston's run?
Either way, Tim Thomas has been brilliant in the series. Had it not been for Thomas, the series might have been over in four straight.
Now on to another Thomas: designated hitter Frank Thomas of the Toronto Blue Jays.
I am curious to see what the other OA mates have to say about this (namely House, Rick, Cliff, and the Trouts).
The big story about the Blue Jays on Saturday wasn't about their 3-2 win at Rogers Centre over the Detroit Tigers.
Nope, it was that Frank Thomas was benched in favor of left-handed hitting Matt Stairs, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Thomas's usual No. 5 spot in the lineup against Detroit.
Thomas reportedly will see even less playing time in the immediate future.
Thomas, who has 516 lifetime home runs, is mired in a 4-for-35 slump and is batting just .167 with three dingers and 11 ribbies in 60 at-bats this season. Stairs is currently batting .333 with a homer and 3 RBIs in 42 at-bats.
Thomas reportedly didn't shake hands with his teammates after Saturday's contest and didn't stick around to speak to reporters, though he did express his anger prior to the game.
The Blue Jays denied that the decision to sit Thomas was due to the $10 million option for next season in his contract, which kicks in if the veteran DH reaches 376 plate appearances in 2008.
Is the benching of Thomas justified? After all, Thomas has been slumping (zero for his last 13), as had the Blue Jays.
However, all Thomas has to do is look over at the visitors' dugout and see that Tigers veteran Gary Sheffield, hitting just .192 this year, is continuing to be in the Detroit lineup.
Jason Giambi is hitting .116 with two homers for the New York Yankees, and of course the first baseman/DH still has a job.
And wasn't David Ortiz in Boston struggling too? The Red Sox DH cracked a grand slam on Friday night in Boston's 11-3 win over the Rangers, but is batting just .134. Ortiz was hitting a paltry .070 after the Red Sox-Yankees series last weekend.
I am indifferent as to whether or not the "Big Hurt" should remain in the everyday lineup, and am in no way suggesting Thomas is in the same caliber at this point of his career as Ortiz is.
And what can the Jays do when they do have an option in Stairs, who is taking advantage of his playing time?
We'll have to see exactly what Toronto manager John Gibbons intends to do with his platoon of Thomas and Stairs as the Blue Jays try to stay in contention in the AL East.
Thoughts? House, Rick, Cliff, and the Trouts - here's your chance to weigh in.
The Hockey Farmer / Showing Their Scales
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