While the Red Sox are in the midst of an awesome season, Boston’s other sports teams are all in their off-season and looking to improve their respective rosters. As the summer approaches, we draw closer to the NHL and NBA drafts, NFL training camp and the MLB trade deadline. So a good question is, which Boston team has the best chance of acquiring a superstar player this summer? Some teams need to make moves to be competitive and vie for championships again, while others just need to shore up a weak spot or two. Here’s who I believe has the best chance of doing that.

First off, I feel the New England Patriots have the least chance of landing a superstar this summer. Now, the Patriots did make a huge move in acquiring former Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett. He and Rob Gronkowski should be an elite tight end duo for the Patriots offense this season. The NFL draft has come and gone, and most elite free agents have been signed, so it seems the
Patriots have made all of their moves and are set on their roster. If the Patriots were to trade for some sort of a superstar, it’d come as a major surprise to me.

The Boston Bruins have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, both times because of a late-season collapse. The Bruins’ weakest link is their coach Claude Julien, and at the end of last season, they already committed to keeping him around. Of all the Boston teams, the Bruins have the biggest need for a game-changing superstar. Their roster just isn’t very good. The lack of solid defense is what held the Bruins back from generating a successful season. But I don’t think they’re going to get the superstar they need. I don’t have any faith in the organization of the Bruins. They haven’t done anything under General Manager Don Sweeney that makes me feel confident in them making a move for a big time player. The Bruins absolutely need to make moves to strengthen their roster, I just have doubts they will do enough to give us a winning product.

The Boston Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs this past season. As one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA, the C’s season was successful despite losing in six games to the Atlanta Hawks. This off-season is huge for the Celtics as it seems their rebuilding process has come to an end and their young roster has major potential to continue to improve. But it’s almost impossible to contend for championships in the NBA without a superstar. The Celtics had the third best chance in getting the number one overall pick in this year’s draft. A trade from 2013 with Brooklyn sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and D.J. White to Brooklyn for three first-round picks and players. Brooklyn had one of the worst records in basketball this season and the Celtics had full position of their first-round pick. With a 15.6 percent chance of landing the number one overall pick, the Celtics ended up receiving the 3rd overall selection in this year’s draft. The Celtics will have to make major moves in order to get a superstar, but under the control of Danny Ainge, I believe they will do it. This off-season, the Celtics will figure out a way to bring in a real talented player to help them go deep into the playoffs.

The Boston Red Sox are contenders to go to the World Series as of right now. In no way am I saying the Red Sox are going to win the World Series, but they are absolute contenders. The Sox are the only Boston sports team that plays during the summer, but most definitely are the most likely to bring in a superstar. President of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, will be looking to improve the Sox come July when the MLB trade deadline approaches. The Red Sox offense is dominant and their bullpen has been very strong too. The Sox starting pitching is their Achilles heel. With major struggles from $217 million pitcher David Price, Edwardo Rodriguez still on the DL and Clay Buchholz constantly unable to last more than four innings, starting pitching is a major need for the Sox. The reason I believe they have the best chance to land a superstar this summer is because of the position they will be in when the trade deadline arrives. The Sox should continue their winning ways and, with the American League being relatively open, the Sox should be one good starting pitcher away from being the team to beat in the AL. Dombrowski understands how things have been for the Sox as of late. He’ll make the necessary moves. Barring major injuries or collapse, the Sox this summer should acquire a big time superstar player that will help them play long into the post-season.

Although Tom Brady continues to fight it, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the National Football League and reinstated his four-game suspension for Deflategate. In the last 15 months there has been much discussion, debate and legal wrangling over the alleged deflation of footballs in the 2015 AFC Championship game when the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts.  Brady, I believe, is the most well-liked athlete in all of Boston sports. Because of his reputation, I think, fans are blinded to the fact that Brady is guilty. Before and during the 2015 AFC Championship game, Brady most definitely directed team equipment managers John Jastremski and Jim McNally to tamper with the psi of the game balls. I have read the Ted Wells report, which is the investigative report concerning footballs used during the game and that report is what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell used to justify Brady’s suspension. Not many people have read the entire report, resulting in uneducated opinions on Deflategate. Based on my reading of the report, here’s why I believe Tom Brady should be suspended.

Pregame of the AFC championship game: Jim McNally has been employed by the Patriots for 32 years as a seasonal equipment manager. His responsibility is to deliver both teams’ game footballs to the officials’ locker room. Once brought into the locker room, the game referees use an air pump gauge to measure the psi of all 12 footballs that each team will use during the game. All game balls must be inflated between 12.5 psi and 13.5 psi. Once both teams’ balls were within the legal limit, they were ready to be taken to the field. McNally took the balls to the field without the consent of any of the officials, passing a bathroom on his way out of the officials’ locker room. This is something head official Walt Anderson said he had not seen in his 19-year career. Right before entering the field and out of sight of the officials, McNally took the balls into a bathroom which locks from the inside. He was in the bathroom for exactly one minute and 40 seconds. A study was done within the Wells Report to see if 11 footballs could be deflated in the time McNally was in the bathroom. Results showed that all people who participated in the study finished well under one minute and forty seconds, showing that McNally very well could have deflated the 11 balls while in the bathroom.

Half time of the AFC Championship game: During the second quarter, Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson intercepted a pass thrown by Brady. The football that was intercepted was brought to the Colts sideline and Colts officials felt that the ball was under-inflated. They requested at halftime that all footballs be tested for their psi level. Referees Clete Blakeman and Dyrol Prioleau tested the psi of the Patriots footballs and the results are in the chart below. Remember the legal amount of psi is between 12.5 and 13.5.   

Only four of the Colts footballs could be tested during halftime due to time constraints and all four of them measured between 12.5 and 13.5 psi on at least one of the two gauges used by Blakeman and Prioleau. A common argument is that because of the cold and rainy conditions, the balls were naturally deflated. The ideal gas law does not support that argument. Besides, if the weather was a factor, then why were only the Patriots’ balls under the limit? If the conditions were the reason for the loss of air pressure, both teams’ balls would have been deflated. The facts from the halftime tests show it was only the Patriots’ footballs which were deflated.

Communication between McNally and Jastremski: On October 17, 2014, following a game against the New York Jets, Brady expressed to Jastremski and McNally how he disliked the inflation of game balls. The following quotes are from text messages between Mcnally and Jastremski. Jastremski: “Talked to him last night. He actually brought you up and said you must have have a lot of stress trying to get them done…” Talking to McNally, Jastremski refers to Tom Brady as “him,” indicating Brady told Jastremski to tell McNally to take more air out of the balls for next game. On October 23, 2014, Jastremski texted McNally: “Can’t wait to give you your needle this week :)” This obviously refers to McNally’s instructions to tamper with the air pressure of the game balls. The next day, Jastremski wrote, “I have a big needle for u this week.” McNally replied: “Better be surround by cash and newnicks….or its a rugby sunday.” Jastremski then texted:“Maybe u will have some nice size 11s in ur locker.” When interviewed in the Wells Report, both said that giving rewards (like “cash,” “new kicks” and “size 11s”) were a joke and McNally never received any extra benefits. Lastly on January 10, 2015, McNally texted: “You working;” Jastremski replied: “Yup;” McNally answered:“Nice dude….jimmy needs some kicks….lets make a deal…..come on help the deflator.” Jim McNally refers to himself as the deflator. I don’t believe it can be any more clear that Tom Brady was definitely aware and instructed Jastremski to have McNally tamper with the psi of game footballs. Once the story about the footballs broke to the media and became a big headline, Brady and Jastremski contacted each other at least once over a three-day period. Prior to the story breaking, they rarely communicated but once the news broke, they began to talk much more. Some of the exact text messages contain explicit vocabulary but if you wish to read them, they can be found on pages 74-94 in the Wells Report.

Based on all these facts and many other specifics in the Wells Report, I think it’s clear that Tom Brady was aware of the illegal activity going on and instructed it to happen. However, I think Brady’s suspension of four games was much too significant of a penalty. Major offenses like domestic violence and illegal substance abuse are common illegal actions worthy of a four-game suspension. The league was absolutely correct in suspending Brady for his actions, but the length of the suspension is absolutely wrong.

The NHL playoffs began on April 13th with 16 teams fighting for the Stanley Cup. But our hometown team is not one of them. Finishing with a 42-31-9 record and losing seven of their final10 games, the Boston Bruins seemed to be completely disorganized in the tail end of the season. Going into their final game, playoff hopes were high as there were a few scenarios in which they could’ve snuck into the playoffs. They just needed to win their game and that is all they could control, everything else depended on whether other teams won or lost. But in that last game, on home ice, the Bruins embarrassingly lost 6-1 to the Ottawa Senators to end their season and any playoff hopes. As I wrote and many other Boston media sources had reported, it looked to be the end of Claude Julien’s coaching career in Boston. The Bruins held their season-ending press conference on April 14th and some interesting things were said.

“I emphatically believe Claude is the coach that will take us through the bumpy transition period ahead of us,” said general manager Don Sweeney that day. In fact, when asked if Claude would be returning, Sweeney said “Absolutely,” and continued to praise the coach. “Our core principles align very well on the defensive structure of the team and what we’ve seen in individual players.”

I could comment on just about every quote that Sweeney gave but that last one just jumps off the page. The Bruins had arguably one of the worst defenses in all of hockey last season, and for Sweeney to say that he and Claude share the same principles on defense makes me think they both should be fired. If it is acceptable to give up the fifth-most goals in the Eastern Conference and let opponents score an average three goals against them per game, then I question what their principles are. The moves they made at the trade deadline didn’t give them a lift to push them into the playoffs and now they are left in a worse spot than before.

The communication from important figures in the Bruins organization is so weak that it seems no one is on the same page. Team owner Jeremy Jacobs expressed to the media that missing the playoffs for two straight years is unacceptable, something he will not stand for any longer. Then general manager Sweeney talks about how the Bruins are entering a transition period and need to rebuild, inferring that winning might not be in Boston’s immediate future. Then coach Julien continuously comes up short and is on the outside looking in. It seems like the Bruins organization thinks that Claude can do not wrong and he is ‘the coach for life.’  The man writing the checks has different ideas from the man who is building the roster, and the coach should have been fired already but he’s coming back for another year. What a mess. As a fan, I feel like this whole losing thing the Bruins have been doing for the past two years is getting old. Unfortunately, they are doing nothing to fix it. 

Any basketball player will admit doing this at some point in their lives, whether it be in a gym, driveway, park, or any other place with a basketball hoop. Back to the basket, pretending to look at a clock that isn’t there, imagining less than 5 seconds on it. Two or three dribbles, fake inside, turn outside, fading away from the basket, while shooting a high arching shot that you hope drops through the bottom of the net, hoping to emulate the person whose name you yell as the shot is in the air:

“KOBE!”

Kobe Bryant is an icon, plain and simple. His smooth turnaround-and-fadeaway jumper has become as iconic a move as any in basketball history. Entering the NBA straight out of high school, at only 18 years old, he had his struggles. However, he quickly became a star. For the majority of his 20-year career, Kobe dominated the NBA, winning five NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, and one Season MVP Award. He also was an 18-time All Star and a 15-time member of the All-NBA team. However, in the last three years of his career, Kobe was plagued by a combination of ankle, knee, and shoulder injuries, which caused his play to turn for the worst.

Kobe played his last game ever April 13, as his Lakers faced the Utah Jazz. It was a who’s-who of famous people in the crowd, with spectators such as Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Jack Nicholson, Lamar Odom, and several others there to see the legend’s final game. There was an emotional tribute video played before the game, sending all fans through a rollercoaster of emotions. Then, game time arrived. And, in a typical Kobe-esque way, the icon scored 60 points (on a Kobe-esque 50 shot attempts), including two game-winning free throws with 10 seconds left, sending his career off in a perfect fashion.

I’ve always hated Kobe. As a Celtics fan, you have to. The number of game winners, daggers, and clutch buckets he has had against the Celtics provokes tears from many loyal Boston fans. However, I can’t help but be sad at Kobe’s departure. He stood for an era of NBA basketball that can never be replicated. The NBA of the 2000s was filled with passion, intensity, and hard, talented basketball, all personified by Kobe Bryant. His deathly passion and relentless attitude is one that can only be comparable with the great Michael Jordan, who Kobe emulates closer than anyone ever will in the NBA. I can’t think of the NBA without Kobe in it. It just doesn’t make sense. However, as one era ends, another begins. As fans, we will have to see who will be the next face of the NBA. Some say it’s already Lebron James, or Steph Curry. No matter who it is, Kobe Bryant will always stand alone (or maybe just with Jordan) as one of the most influential NBA players ever. So, grab a ball, take a couple dribbles, and shoot a fadeaway for Kobe. I sure will. No matter how much I hated when his  shots went in.

The Boston Bruins have had the exact definition of a roller coaster season. After major highs and lows during the course of the season, they are ending the year on a major low. They have lost six of their last seven games and only hold a one point lead for the final playoff spot in the Atlantic division with 88 points. Detroit and Philadelphia have both won four of their last seven and sit right behind Boston at 87 points. On March 8th, the Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning and moved into first place in the division. At that time, Boston was the hottest team in hockey and seemed to be putting it all together at the perfect time. As a whole, the team has totally fallen apart and I don’t think the Bruins will make the playoffs this season. It may not be a bad thing if they don’t make it, either.

Now, in no way am I rooting for the Bruins not to make the playoffs But their play all season has not been competitive enough to even come close to winning the Stanley Cup. If the Bruins don’t make the playoffs, then their position in the NHL Draft will be better. The Bruins have drafted very poorly and a better pick can only help this team get an impact player in the draft.

The biggest positive if the Bruins don’t make the playoffs would be that head coach Claude Julien would be fired. I wrote about how Julien was not the right coach for this team in November, and that with him as the coach they wouldn’t make the playoffs. He’s still the coach and they are on the verge of falling out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Julien consistently makes mind-boggling decisions with personnel and it is a huge part of the struggles with this team. One example is putting Jimmy Hayes on the powerplay unit when Hayes has 13 goals on the year. Hayes struggles with scoring and defense and just about every other thing it takes to be a hockey player. Another is Julien’s short leash with 20 year old David Pastrnak. Pasternak’s future is very bright and his talent has helped the Bruins offensively and defensively all season. When he’s been out on the ice, he has helped this team. When Julien sends him to the fourth line mid-game because he isn’t playing well,  I don’t have a problem. It’s when he brings him down after one turnover and replaces him with Brett Connolly, who is one of the worst players on the team. It’s not like this has happened once either and I’m complaining about it, but on multiple occasions Pastrnak has been replaced on the second line in close, important games by Connolly. If the Bruins not making the playoffs means a better draft pick for the team and a new coach, it might just be worth it.

The downside is obviously that for the second straight year the Bruins won’t be playing in the postseason. It would be good for the long term sake of the team to miss the playoffs, but this team is too talented to perform at the inconsistent level that they do. Loui Eriksson has been a huge factor in what success the team has had. His 27 goals and 30 assists just go to show how well he’s played all year. His contract is up at the end of the year, one of his best seasons in quite some time, and he is 30 years old. Players tend to perform very well in the final year of their contracts to assure they get paid as a free agent and Loui has done that. With star forward Brad Marchand’s contract being up after next season, he is more of an essential player to make sure stays here then Loui. If the Bruins don’t make the playoffs, then not trading Loui at the trade deadline was wrong. If he leaves in free agency, then the possibility of getting players or picks for him is gone and the Bruins lost a primary goal scorer and got nothing in return.

The final five games determines the future for a lot of people in the Bruins organization, some for better and others for worse.  

The NBA postseason is almost upon us, with teams having only 15 or 16 games left each. It is looking to be a good one, with no real dominating contender in the East, while the top-heavy West prepares for some competitive late-round matchups. There are still many spots to be determined, but, if the season ended right now, this is how the 2016 playoffs would look, and here are some of my predictions:

EAST

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Toronto Raptors
3. Boston Celtics
4. Miami Heat
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Chicago Bulls

Best First Round Matchup: Cavs vs. Bulls

Many would expect the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, to blow out their first round matchup. However, the Bulls are a scary 8th seed. Star guard Jimmy Butler has been out for almost a month, which has contributed to Chicago’s fall in the standings. With Butler, point guard Derrick Rose, and versatile big man Pau Gasol, they will force Lebron & Co. to seven games. However, Cleveland will eventually come out on top.

Best Playoff Performer: Paul George, Indiana Pacers

After missing all of last year due to a horrible leg injury, PG-13 is back, and better than ever. Once the 6-9 forward gets going, he’s hard to stop, and fun to watch. The Raptors do have the athleticism to control George, but Indiana’s star player will have the ball on every possession, and is sure to make the most of his opportunities. However, I do see the Raptors winning this series.

Eastern Conference Finals: Celtics vs. Cavs

In my opinion, these are the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. I do not see any other team in the East beating Boston or Cleveland in a 7-game series. However, that is where the similarities stop. The Celtics are made up of solid NBA players, with a 10-man rotation, who all play a certain role to help Boston win games. Cleveland is the exact opposite. Led by the Big 3 of Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, these stars do most of the scoring for this team, while the rest of the small rotation does the little things. This series will go 7 games but, sadly, I have to take Cleveland. The Celtics lack a consistent, legitimate wing scorer to be a threat for the Finals, and no one to match Lebron with big shots late in games.

WEST

1. Golden State Warriors
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Los Angeles Clippers
5. Memphis Grizzlies
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Houston Rockets
8. Dallas Mavericks

Best First Round Matchup: NONE

The West is EXTREMELY top-heavy. The top four teams are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the conference. I don’t think any of the bottom-seeded teams have a chance for an upset. The longest series will be between OKC and Portland, which MIGHT go 6 games. At the most.

Best Playoff Performer: Steph Curry

I’m not sure how anyone can vote against him. Curry is having quite possibly one of the best individual seasons in NBA history, on a team that could go down as the best team in NBA history. He is a human highlight reel, dribbling through defenders, nailing 30-footers, and finishing extremely diffcult shots in the lane. No one has stopped him yet, and I don’t think anyone will.

Western Conference Finals: Warriors vs. Spurs

Not only will this be a matchup of the two best teams in the NBA, but is another matchup of contrasting styles: the young, fast and exciting Warriors against the experienced, methodical and blue collar Spurs. The Spurs are no slouch, with MVP contender Kawhi Leonard, along with veterans Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Lamarcus Aldridge. However, they can’t beat the Warriors in 7 games. The quickness, athleticism, and depth of the Warriors will be too much, and they will take the West again, in 7 games.

NBA Finals: Cavs vs. Warriors

Back to back. A rematch from last year’s Finals. The Cavs will have revenge on their mind, and Lebron will be hard to stop. However, the Warriors have Klay Thompson, a knockdown shooter who is becoming one of the best defenders in the league. And, again, there is no one who will be able to stop NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry. Back to back, the 2016 NBA Champions will be the Golden State Warriors, in 6 games. 

John Farrell managed the Toronto Blue Jays for two years and now is entering his fourth year as skipper of the Boston Red Sox. He did not have a winning season in two years in Toronto and only has had one in Boston. Granted, his one winning season resulted in a World Series championship, but, if as a fan you are satisfied with having four continuous last place finishes and then winning a World Series, you are out of your mind. It’s become boring to sit around and wait for this Red Sox team to contend or even be relevant.

It’s not just fans who are becoming impatient, obviously the Red Sox front office is tired of this culture of losing. Moves like spending $217 million on ace David Price, trading for elite closer Craig Kimbrel from San Diego and having the number five farm system in all of baseball show they want to change. The front office has done the best job possible to put the Red Sox in a winning position but, as I wrote back in December, I don’t think Farrell is right for this team.

In August, Farrell was diagnosed lymphoma and left the team to get his health in check. He beat his battle with lymphoma and many have questioned if his illness saved his job. In his absence, the team played their best baseball all season when bench coach Torey Lovullo took over and I think he will be the next Red Sox manager. The reason I’m questioning Farrell before the season has even started is the reports that have come out that Jessica Moran, who covered baseball for Comcast Sportsnet New England, was dating Farrell. Now, this isn’t a gossip story, it’s a baseball story. There is no problem with a manager being affiliated with a reporter, as former Sox manager Terry Francona and former NESN anchor Hazel Mae were together. But while Francona caused drama and some separation in clubhouses over the years, no one blamed him for it because he was good at his job. Francona could manage a baseball game and really lead the Sox to a lot of their best seasons. This year, the team’s problem is they don’t have Francona, they have Farrell.

I don’t think I’m crazy when I say that Farrell could lose control of this team and his job very fast this season. If Farrell is causing drama and separation in the clubhouse and continues his losing ways, then what purpose does he serve as the manager? I believe his battle with cancer is the only reason he hasn’t been fired. If things don’t go well early for Boston, Farrell could be saying his farewells.

On Sunday March 20th the Hanover Boys Hockey team met central champ Algonquin in the Division 3 state title game. The game was played at TD Garden and the atmosphere was like no other game all year. Thousands from Hanover came out to support the team in what was their last game of the season. The game lived up to its hype.

Both team’s crowds were into it from the start but it was Hanover who had something to cheer about first. Senior captain Landon Hasenfuss scored to put the Indians up one and, then after an Algonquin goal, senior Bret Parker scored to regain the lead. At the end of the first period,  Hanover had the momentum.

The second period is where Hanover faced major adversity. Sophomore Zach Taylor was called for a boarding penalty, leaving the Indians shorthanded for 4:00 minutes. With a strong outing in his final game, senior captain and goalie Noah Clapp was able to perform well all game. Taylor made up for his penalty by beating the Algonquin goalie and making the score 3-1 Hanover going into the third period.

The third was like the whole game, all Hanover. Ryan Phillips scored early to make the score 4-1. Then with 3:00 minutes left, Nick Joy scored on an empty net to make it 5-1 Hanover. The players and crowd knew they had sealed victory and as time expired a celebration broke out. The excitement and emotion that all the players and coaches had after the game showed how much time and effort was put into this season. The skill and heart of this team was never questioned and how they preformed every game lead them to winning this state title. Hanover is the 2015-16 Division 3 boys hockey state champion.

The Indians earned the trip with a 5-1 win over D3 North champion Wayland at Gallo Arena March 16. In front of hundreds of fans who packed two buses and dozens of cars for the trip to the game, the boys stunned their opponent. Parker and Hasenfuss each had two goals, and senior Dan McDougall added another. Junior Alex Wisnes was named player of the game.

The last time Hanover made it to the Garden, in the 2013-2014 school year, they lost to a team from the much larger Shrewsbury. This year, after a season full of highlights, it became hard to believe that any team could beat this group.

The Indians captured the Division 3 South title with a 2-1 win over rival Norwell 2-1 on March 13. Clapp, who had two big saves in the third period to preserve the Indians’ lead, was named player of the game. They beat top-seeded and undefeated Dartmouth 3-2 in the semifinals March 10 with Hasenfuss scoring his 100th career point by assisting on one of two goals by  senior Bret Parker. Taylor, senior Nick Joy and junior Wisnes also contributed to the scoring.

Earlier in the tourney, 5th seeded Hanover  easily defeated 23rd-seed St. John Paul ll High School 9-1 on March 2, and 4th-seeded Sacred Heart 6-0 on March 5. In the March 5 game, Taylor scored a hat trick — three goals in one game.

The team is one of Hanover’s strongest, known for being not just competitive but always successful. That continued this past season as they finished 16-3-1 and became a team that no one wanted to play in the tournament. Coached by Jon Abban, the team plays well all around as they basically do not have a weakness. The combination of Clapp between the pipes, a multitude of offensive weapons, and reliable defensemen have contributed to the team’s success this season. Top scorers in the regular season were Parker with 33 points, Hasenfuss with 27, Wisnes with 23 and senior Trevor Doucette with 20.

For updates on the game follow @HHSPUCK on twitter.