Jerry Remy in "Playgirl."

Surprising.

The Eck, in "Playgirl."

Surprising.

Not so much.

Baseball Prospectus posted a piece about several ballplayers who posed for "Playgirl" in the 1980s.

Among the notables, our own lovable Rem Dawg from July 1984.

Boston Barstool Sports posted the photo of Remy and raised it with a "Playgirl" photo from the same issue of Remy's NESN pre and post-game host, current Hall of Famer and former teammate, Dennis Eckersley

According to Eck's brief bio in the magazine, he was considered "tightfisted," at least when it came to giving up hits.

The folks at "Playgirl" Baseball Prospectus added their own faux scouting reports for each player it featured, listing Remy's position as an "INF/Sex God" and his abilities as "varied."

Among the other players photographed by "Playgirl" back in the day were George Brett, Danny Ford, Phil Garner and Rickey Henderson.

Nothing was available on Don Orsillo.

(HT: Toucher and Rich/Deadspin)

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"Slap Shot" was rated "R" for excessive violence, profanity, lots of blood on the ice and brief nudity.

The Bruins-Rangers series has been rated "R" for excessive violence, profanity and lots of blood on the ice.

No nudity, thank goodness/unfortunately - depending on your perspective.

This has been Old Time Hockey at its finest. Two "Original Six" teams from two cities that still manage to hate each other despite all that goodwill shared following the Boston Marathon bombings. The Rangers have been overmatched, especially by Boston's vaunted "Fourth Line." They ought to be called the "First Line" since they're doing all the work.

Maybe the "T" can add a special "Merlot" line that runs straight from the Garden to the next Duck Boat parade.

Meanwhile, Boston continues to run on Tuukka Time. And Rask, who has developed a hard-assed edge throughout the playoffs, continued on the offensive during his post-game interviews.

Following in the footsteps of Comcast Sports Net New England's Tony Amonte and Rangers coach John Tortorella, Tuukka dropped an "f-bomb" on live TV after someone (according to 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich) decided to lower the volume on his iPod dock.

After stopping in mid-question, he leaned over and said: "Are you f--king serious?"

Lesson: You do not mess with the Finnish play list.

Speaking of Finnish, or finished, that's where the Rangers stand today. Bruins fans, as they are genetically pre-disposed to do, will be leery of any 3-0 lead following the choke job against Philadelphia in 2010. Of course, the Bruins swept the Flyers in 2011, turning a 3-0 lead into a 4-0 series win. The Bruins are 17-1 in series in which they've led 3-0. I certainly hope so. As long as Rask remains steady, as he's been since the first loss in the Maple Leafs' series, the Rangers simply don't have the horses to keep up with the Bruins.

That was evident every time Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton were on the ice. Those three, along with grinders like Johnny Boychuk and wunderkind Torey Krug have been the difference in this series. Unless John Tortorella, who when clean-shaven seems like a dead ringer for Al Pacino's "John Milton" character in "The Devil's Advocate," can re-possess their souls, the Rangers are finished.

As far as the violence and gore in this R-rated affair, it was all over the ice at Madison Square Garden. Players from both teams were sprawled, covering various parts of their face and head as the ice turned into a Bloodsicle. Sticks and verbal stones were flying all over the place.

Amazingly, little of the gore resulted in penalty minutes. Maybe Alexander Ovechkin was on to something after all.

Among the officiating lowlights:

• If one single play epitomized the craziness, it happened in the third period when Tyler Seguin fired a shot on net but his stick hit Chris Krieder in the face. At the same time, Steven Eminger’s stick whacked Seguin in the noggin. Seguin was shooting the puck. Eminger was shooting Seguin's head. No call was made on either player.

• Wanna-be thug Ryan Callahan bushwhacked Zdeno Chara in the face with a stick in the first period. Chara was bleeding. This used to be considered a text-book four-minute minor. But nothing was called.

• Dan (No Relation to Mike or Joe) Girardi wound up and went David Ortiz on David Krejci, as he flooded the zone with a 2-on-2 rush. Krejci was taken out at his feet and lost the puck. Tripping? Not tonight, fellas.

• Rangers defenseman Eminger pulled a John Cena on Chris Kelly and took him down at the shoulder in the second period after a similar move by Jaromir Jagr. The elderly Jagr was called, Eminger wasn't. Something was wrong with my DVR during the game, as Jagr was skating at 3/4 speed all night.

These grips are legit from this perspective because they're being aired and the Bruins still won the game. Not a big fan of blaming the refs, but this still could lead to serious injury to the Bruins, who expect to be playing in the next round. The Rangers have all summer to recover on the golf course from any of Boston's illicit misdeeds.

Expect even more mayhem in Game 4. The Rangers, despite the reassuring words of their coach, are in deep trouble. They are throwing everything they have at the Bruins, but nothing seems to stick.

Despite the faux thuggery and cheap shots, this series has been an agonizing joy to watch. Remember the NHL lockout? Me neither. It seems like a 1,000 years ago. Playoff hockey and a 3-0 lead over New York can have that effect on anyone.

The bruised, bloodied but unbowed face of Patrice Bergeron, sitting on the bench in the third period after being cut by a stick said it all for the Bruins in this series.

The Bruins will advance to the next round, or run out of blood trying.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

"Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." - Babe Ruth, "The Sandlot"

During the Red Sox eternal rain delay Sunday, several players watched the movie "The Sandlot" in the clubhouse.

Some players also met a couple of stars from the movie, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this past weekend, at Target Field, where it was remembered.

The guys from the Sandlot with @middlebrooks @15lasershow & @jacobyellsbury #baseballclassic twitpic.com/cra6it

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) May 17, 2013

The underlying theme of the movie is a boy (Scotty Smalls) who moves to Los Angeles and ends up on a sandlot baseball team despite his limited skills. There's a fence around the lot and balls hit over the fence are doomed because of the "The Beast." He is a monstrous Mastiff that belongs to Mr. Mertle, who is the"meanest man who ever lived." Mertle was played by Darth Vader's voice himself, James Earl Jones.

After a visit from Babe Ruth - via a dream - one of the boys in the group, Benny, gets the courage to run into the yard and retrieve a "Babe Ruth" signed baseball that ended up over the fence.

Well, the dog escapes and a chaotic chase ensues. Eventually, all ends well with Jones' character telling the boys he would have gladly returned the baseballs if the kids had just asked. Then things get out of hand emotionally, after we learn Mr. Mertle was a Negro Leaguer who knew Ruth. He becomes buddies with the kids. The movie ends with a "Where are they now montage," with Smalls broadcasting Dodger games and his pal, Benny, stealing home.

Meanwhile, "The Beast" (named Hercules) ends up living a long and fruitful life.

Happy endings everywhere.

Among the Red Sox enjoying Sunday's unscheduled matinee was starting pitcher John Lackey.

Lackey has been "The Beast" lurking beyond the Green Monster for Red Sox since the Great Collapse of 2011. He was buried deep in the doghouse, along with his drinking buddy Josh Beckett and the rest of their un-indicted co-conspirators. Lackey saw his effectiveness wilt in September of that year, along with the rest of the Red Sox rotation. The Red Sox lost five of his Lackey's final six starts. His final win of 2011 came on Aug. 23. In his final five starts, he went 0-2 with a 9.13 ERA in only 23.2 innings.

That finish was good enough for Lackey to earn our first-ever "Negative 10th Player Award," earning 53 percent of the nearly 3,500 votes cast.

Dog days indeed.

Lackey was then at ground zero of "Chicken and Beer Gate" and, thankfully for all concerned, underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason, effectively removing himself from the team's 2012 equation.

Of course, like "The Beast," Lackey was always there, even when he wasn't. Turns out he was with the team on the road for most of last season and even found time to double-fist now and then in the clubhouse. Always a good strategy when you're trying to back in shape after career-alerting surgery.

Boston's "Beast" bore even more of the fandom and media's ire after Josh Beckett and Friends were granted asylum in what is now known as Last-Place Dodgertown.

A slimmed down Lackey arrived at training camp in Fort Myers newly divorced, both of those factors can hinder or help an athlete's performance depending on the circumstances. In Lackey's case, both have appeared to be a plus. His performance this season has been considered a lynch pin on the team's ultimate success in 2013, both here in this space and elsewhere.

Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are 12-0 combined (heading into Monday night) and counting. Their continued dominance is the foundation for any success the Red Sox will have this season. But for the team to actually contend for the post-season, Lackey needs to lead the way in the back-end of the rotation. That's due mainly due to his Beastly five-year, $82.5 million contract and the often Beastly Red Sox bullpen.

Long before Sunday's game resumed, following three hours of waiting, Lackey's day was finished. Lackey (2-4) lowered his ERA from 4.05 to 3.31 after throwing six innings without giving up an earned run, striking out five and allowing just one hit. Lackey has has plenty of Lackeyesque moments this season and briefly returned to the DL for three weeks.

He's no longer "The Beast" but isn't quite "Lassie" yet, either. He's become like a stray mutt you took in, for $82.5 million, who has finally stopped tearing up the furniture and peeing inside the house. Now, he'll fetch the morning paper (yes, this is a fictional analogy), not bark at the cat so much and ward off a potential burglar now and then.

Sunday's rain delay was blessing and a curse for Lackey. The Red Sox were comfortably ahead when it began in the seventh, but it robbed him of a chance of throwing a complete-game shutout. That would have immeasurably boosted his already high confidence.

Lackey bark has softened this season, but his bite has shown renewed effectiveness. The bad innings are the exception of late. It's risky territory to try and extrapolate a full turnaround from someone who is still 2-4 and is still John Lackey.

First Stephen Drew, Andrew Bailey coming off the DL and now this. Red Sox fans are running out of venom. We might need Bobby V. Day just to fire things back up.

These are heady times again for the Red Sox. Boston's won five straight since Drew's twice-in-a-lifetime grand slam last week at Tropicana Mausoleum.

It was a home run that indeed showed anything is possible in 2013.

Including John Lackey finally escaping from the Red Sox doghouse.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Missed this one the other day, since we were wrapped up watching the near riot that broke out outside the Ace Ticket Studios on Causeway Street after the Bruins won Game 7 in OT against the Maple Leafs.

Comcast Sports Net New England pre-and-post-game hosts Michael Felger and Tony Amonte were in studio watching the action on TV along with the rest of us. But the Comcast cameras were watching them.

Felger's on-camera reaction to both the game-tying and winning goals from the 5-4 win over the Leafs should provide plenty of fodder for the callers to his "Felger and Mazz" show on 98.5 The Sports Hub. But remember, there's no rule against cheering in the studio, in the broadcast booth or home on the couch, just inside the press box. Felger may have been the only one watching the game on TV who didn't celebrate with a few profane words directed toward the Maple Leafs.

Meanwhile, Amonte, who later dropped an "F-Bomb" during the post-game glass-pounding mayhem, remains calm while taking notes. The folks at Comcast managed to get some reinforcements stationed outside the studio window after Boston's victories over the Rangers Thursday and Sunday. Too bad.

Felger's reactionary clip was shown during this week's CSNNE "Sports Sunday" telecast.

While Felger showed some major Black and Gold fan-blood after Game 7, his reaction was not nearly as intense as the one delivered by Jack Edwards during the NESN telecast.

Felger showed some agility with his ability to jump off the chair while Edwards get major style points for sticking the dagger and "killing the beast."

Too bad neither had their face painted.

Don and Jerry, you're up next.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Oscar-winning director Ben Affleck returned this week to host SNL for the fifth time, but it may have been Stefon and Kayne West who stole the show in the season finale.

You can sum this show up in three words: "Stefon," "Kanye" and "farewell."

Stefon's real-life counterpart, Bill Hader, was making his final appearance as a cast member. His character's appearance was not a surprise, but his wedding was another story.

Stefon gave us a look a head at what's going on in New York this summer. Time to hits "Pants." Stefon's club review ended abruptly after his pal Meyers once again hurt his feelings. The flamboyant critic told Meyers that he was marrying someone else and stormed off the set. But Meyers chased him down - in a filmed segement - and found Stefon about to wed Anderson Cooper with a throng of eclectic guests from his favorites night spots come to life in attendance.

In true "Graduate" style, Meyers broke up the nuptials by slugging Cooper and raced off with his "bride." The new Mr. Seth and Stefon Meyers ended their getaway with a hug at the "Weekend Update" set while being feted with many of the "Weekend Update" regulars including "Drunk Uncle," "Satan" and Arianna Huffington.

During the monologue, viewers got a surprise appearance by Mrs. Affleck, as Mr. Affleck worked for a do-over of his Oscar acceptance speech when he said his marriage was "work."









Jennifer Garner gave her hubby some marriage tips and advice on tact, while Affleck, who had some deep 11:30 p.m. shadow, replied that their "marriage is a work of love." Her assessment was slightly different. "Why don't we go ahead and mention who does all the work?" she said.

Affleck's introduction to the Five Timers Club was a little less splashy than Justin Timberlake's. The Cambridge native got a song from Bobby Moynihan, who was wearing a t-shirt with the number "5" on it.

Affleck labored throughout the show and was caught reading cue cards in several sketches, and not just by his wife tongue-in-cheek in their monologue. It was as if he was a last-minute fill-in or missed a few rehearsals.

West, the musical guest, continued to show the hostile side that resurfaced with last week's paparazzi run-in and yelled into the microphone twice, debuting a pair of new songs off his upcoming album.

He opened with "Black Skinhead," complete in a studded black leather jacket in front of a screen showing barking Dobermans.









Doutbful all the lyrics of his second tune "New Slaves," rapped in front of flashing images of sale tags and a "Not For Sale" sign, made it past the West Coast censors.







West premiered “New Slaves” outdoors on 66 different buildings in 10 cities on Friday. Saturday he said his new album that drops June 18, featuring both songs, will be called "Yeezus." That's also probably something similar to what the NBC censors were yelling after both performances.

The last time I heard the "N" word that many times live was sitting in Section 22 after watching Reggie Jackson's home run in the 1978 Red Sox-Yankees playoff game. But it wasn't the first time viewers heard the "N" word on SNL. It was also half the punch line in the classic "Word Association" sketch from 1975 featuring Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor.

Here's the other half: "Dead honky"

Before Stefon's arrival, departure and return, Amy Poehler stopped by for another segment with "Really? With Seth and Amy" ripping into the IRS scandal.





"The government only keeps you around to make the DMV look good," Poehler said. "You're the president, we expect you to know the ending of "Breaking Bad," added Meyers.

She then helped Meyers finish his report. On David Beckham's retirement, Meyers said: "Now he'll just spend the rest of his life around the house just bending it."

Fred Armisen, who was also reportedly leaving after this season along with Jason Sudeikis, returned as English punk rocker Ian Rubbish and performed "I Had Lovely Night" with Hader and Sudeikis. Jamming with then on stage were Armisen's "Portlandia" co-star Carrie Brownstein, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Aimee Mann, and even Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols.

Among the show's other highlights:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Arimsen) gave us the other side of "Argo" from the Iranian perspective in the HBO documentary "Ben Argo-bleep Yourself."





Ahmadinejad tried his best Boston accent by repeating "park the car in Harvard Yard" before each scene depicting each of Affleck's lies. Affleck even appeared as the sound man. '

Why? "I've longed to appear in a film worse than "Gigli," he said.

If having to attend too many immaculate gay summer weddings is causing stress, you need Xanax For Gay Summer Weddings, featured in a filmed commercial.





"At my wedding, we gave out Cheeze-Its and a mini-bottle of water. Keith and William gave us two tickets to Italy and $40,000." And the pastels were perfect.

The cold opening found Al Sharpton having a little problem straightening out Mitch McConnell and Matthew McConaughey as MSNBC went all-out reporting on the IRS scandal. Hader looked hilarious as a Tea Party member in full-blown Colonial garb.

The show failed to hit the astronomically high expectations it sparked on the Interwebs this past week. Overall, the 38th season of the show offered a few highs, multiple lows and way too many in-betweens.

Expect much change in the offseason.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

"Saturday Night Live" bashing is all the rage on the Interwebs. The show has produced a number of clunkers this season, which ends this week with host Ben Affleck joining the Five Timers Club. Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are will be making their farewell appearances as a cast members, leaving the options wide open for which of their favorite characters we'll see exit stage right.

Stefon, we'll miss you. The versatility of both Hader and Sudeikis will leave a very talented hole for next season's newcomers.

Seth Meyers was officially tapped as Jimmy Fallon's replacement on "Late Night" but said this week he'll stick around for the first half of next season.

According to the Interwebs, the biggest buzz heading into this week's show is the unpredictability and sour puss of Kim Kardashian's soon-to-be-baby daddy, Kanye West, who is the musical guest, in this week's promos (see above). Nice Band-Aid, Kanye. The bandage is an homage to his incident with the paparazzi-triggered incident last week where he met a street sign head first. West said he won't be doing any humorous sketches on SNL this week. His personal life is often funny enough.

With the season coming to a close, we thought it would be fun and funny to take a look back at the best moments of the season. Not worth it to catalog the worst. Just think "The Californians" and hosts Kevin Hart, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruno Mars.

Here are 10 things we liked about the show season. Expect Affleck to come out tonight in a "Boston Strong" Red Sox or Bruins' shirt and leave us laughing until the fall.

1. Best Overall Show of the Season: Melissa McCarthy:

There's nothing she can't do funny and showed it with her second appearance as host.

Her take on the Mike Rice-Rutgers' basketball scandal in the "Outside the Lines" spoof was the single funniest moment of the season.

And her love of ham was also deliciously hilarious.

The rest of the season's top five in order (pending Affleck tonight): Christoph Waltz, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Timberlake and Seth MacFarland.

2. Best Monologue of the Season: Seth MacFarland

Although the first line fell crushingly flat, Seth MacFarland and the SNL crew saved the best for first. The bit was flat-out funny from start to finish. MacFarland's monologue featured all of pals, including Peter, Stewie and Brian Griffin,and Glenn Quagmire from "Family Guy," Roger Smith "American Dad!" along with George Takei, Droopy the Dog, Marty McFly and Kermit the Frog. In that episode, Jay Pharoah assumed the presidency from from Arimsen as well.

3. Best "Weekend Update" Guest: Ray Lewis.

Kenan Thompson killed it.

4. Best Cold Opening: Silent Night Christmas Show

This one brought out chills, tears and goose bumps. Completely unexpected and 100 percent class. It was the New York Children's Chior signing just days after the killings at Sandy Hook:

5. Biggest Risk: The Obama-Martin Luther King Cold Open

"Saturday Night Live" has a long-faded reputation for pushing the limits of political satire. This sketch came in the wake of Obama's inauguration on Martin Luther King day. Something that could have been tremendously tasteless was absolutely hilarious, especially the Beyonce line.

What was up with those bangs, anyway?




6. Best Cameos: Justin Timberlake's Five Timers Monologue

Any time you can get two original cast members (Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd) along with first -season hosts Candice Bergen and Paul Simon in the same sketch (Steve Martin's first of his 15 times hosting was in 1976), you're dropping some solid TV history on the audience.

Affleck has a tough act to follow tonight.




7. Best Live Sketch: It's A Date

The "wild and crazy" Czech brothers (Martin and a slightly larger Ackroyd) battled for the heart of a lovely lady against an overmatched Bobby Moynihan and the "D-k In The Box" brothers (Andy Samberg and Timberlake.)

Three generations of SNL excellence. It shows both the past and potential of this show.




8. Best Political Sketch: The Vice Presidential Debate:

Almost as funny as real life. Sudeikis was spectacular as both Joe Biden and GOP candidate Mitt Romney. The Romney-Obama campaign debates and "Weekend Update" appearances were all excellent. The 2008 campaign turned into the Tina Fay-Sarah Palin show. In 2012, SNL packed a surprisingly bi-partisan political punch.

9. Best Filmed Sktech: "Djesus Uncrossed"

As a Christian, I was laughing like hell the first three times I saw this one to be offended. The "H" is silent. Never knew ex-Nazis could be so funny. The Christoph Waltz episode was No. 2 on the season's best list.

"When you get to heaven, say 'hi' to my dad."




10. Funniest Cast Member: Pharoah

It helps when you've got the president nailed down but his range of characters and this Stephen A. Smith clip might gives him the edge over Kate McKinnon and the soon-to-be departed Hader.

And no matter what Kayne does does, or doesn't do this week, we'll be live blogging this week's show right here and we'll have a full review with legal embeds once they become available.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

It's been fashionable to bash the Bruins, justifiably at times in the past month or so, for not being able to score multiple goals at will.

Their offense finally came to life, briefly, just in time to put the Maple Leafs and their fans our of our misery. But for the most part, the team doesn't seem able to put away opponents early on when they have the chance.

Thursday night, the Bruins pushed around the Rangers just enough to nullify whatever offense the Rangers allegedly possessed. Two out of the three games Boston and New York played this season ended after 60 minutes, with the Rangers winning both 4-3.

This postseason, the Bruins are mastering the art of leaving fans happy, but doing so in an agonizing fashion. That's what we get when hockey season wades into late May and, dare we hope, early June. Watching these games isn't fun, but the outcome can be delicious. Monday night was one glaring example of this. Hell, I'm still buzzed about that win even though Boston is now up 1-0 on the Rangers.

Once in a while, a rout is not a bad thing. But at its essence, all of this is entertainment. A necessary diversion to take us away from all that is necessary in our lives, such as work, caring for loved ones, exercise, shopping or whatever else we do between football seasons. The core of playoff hockey is just that - entertaining.

This whole "wait-to-the-last-minute" thing spread to St. Petersburg Thursday night, as Will Middlebrooks delivered a three-run, bases-loaded game-winning double after he and the Red Sox were down to their last strike. Heady times, indeed.

No one who invests a rooting interest and emotion into the outcome of these NHL playoff games can say with a straight face that they sit back with some Merlot and break down each line change. No, most fans both at home or the TD Garden are on the edge of their seats, perhaps with a chilled beverage in hand, unloading curse after curse at each extra power-play pass or shot that pings off the post.

The Bruins had four pings Thursday night, three more than Jack Ryan needed from Captain Ramius to save the Red October.

Monday, Patrice Bergeron, Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara re-asserted their playoff presence. Chara nearly replicated Monday's performance with a Bourque-sque 38:40 of ice time against the Rangers in Game 1.

Thursday, the "Little Ball of Hate" felt the love after scoring on a feed from Bergeron 15:40 into overtime after a 2-on-1 rush.

It was Boston's third straight victory coming in overtime. The Bruins dominated this overtime, as they did the other night. Take that into consideration the next time you're inclined to be critical of their inability to score six goals a game. Being able to win consistently in overtime says much about the character of any team.

John Milton and Branch Rickey knew what they were talking about by saying "luck is the residue of design." Some people are made to do nothing until the last minute. The same holds with hockey players.

Boston's momentum came early in the fourth period thanks to a Derek Dorsett interference penalty 2:20 into overtime. In a scene out the 1970s, the Bruins blasted away at Henrik Lundqvist during the power play and kept the puck in the offensive zone for nearly the full two minutes. Chara was stopped point blank and Jaromir Jagr's shot found the goal post about a minute into the power play.

Chara had nine shots and a goal Thursday, in addition to his nearly two full periods of ice time. Who knew that "Zdeno Chara" was Slovakian for "Tony Stark"?

But the thrill of these overtime games, like any intoxicant, needs to be handled in moderation. The Bruins have Friday off. Game 2 won't come until Sunday afternoon, which should be enough time to recover from this angina-producing affair.

Those fans in Toronto don't know what they're missing.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Watch the first moon landing (they tell me it really happened) on TV. Check.

Survive two organ transplants. Check.

Have a long and wonderful marriage and a great kid. Check

See the Red Sox erase a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in 2004 and win the World Series. Check.

See the Patriots win a Super Bowl in person. Check.

Watched live on TV both ends of the Bruins' 39-year Stanley Cup drought. Check.

Cover the game when from the press row in the Garden when Larry Bird stole the ball. Check.

Witness Stephen Drew hit a grand slam for the Red Sox. Check.

Bucket List complete.

Bruins' "Miracle on Ice" followed by Drew's "Bop at the Trop."

A "Miracle on Craputurf."

What an incredible week for Boston sports. And it's only Thursday.

The announced attendance at Tropicana Field for Boston's 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was 15,767. They must have been counting toes, not people. But millions no doubt will say they were there the night Stephen Drew dropped the big one into the right-center field bleachers.

Shock and awesome. Clutch home runs of nowhere were in the air at Tropicana Field Wednesday night as former Red Sox outfielder Bernie Carbo was at the Ted Williams Museum signing autographs before the game.

They've already taken measures to mark this historic occasion. The Baseball Hall of Fame has asked for Drew's bat and plants to recreate the scene in Cooperstown by taking the Sweetbay sign from right-center field. The Rays are adding a special red seat to mark the spot just to the left of the 370-foot marker where this historic clout landed.

Jamey Wright meet Ralph Branca.

Construction on the Stephen Drew statute outside the right-field gate of Fenway Park begins today. They're going to squeeze him in between Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr.

One more shot like this and Drew might even knock Tom Brady off the Mt. Rushmore of Boston sports.

In a night when Nomar Garciaparra was in the house (working for ESPN), Drew took a giant step in silencing skeptics, such as the author of this blog and its Twitter feed, who are still haunted by the fact that his name is Drew and he wears No. 7. More importantly, Drew offered some hard-core proof at the plate that the Red Sox might have found someone who can give them stability at the shortstop and not finish the season with 22 RBI and a .179 batting average.

Drew began Boston's eight-run third inning by drawing a walk and not even realizing it was ball four. He would eventually score. Drew's grand blast on a 1-1 cutter in was so majestic and stunning (although my cousin sitting next to me did call it two pitches ahead of time), that he may have slipped next to Nomar on top of the list of "Best Red Sox Shortstops Since Johnny Pesky" with one swing.

Following the ball's trajectory off the bat from my seats near third base brought back the childhood memory of watching Tony Perez's Game 7 satellite launch off Bill Lee from the bleachers in 1975.

Drew also turned a couple of sweet plays in the infield Wednesday. His second career grand slam and a line drive home run off the bat of Will Middlebrooks to right field in the ninth helped power the Red Sox to an easy 9-2 win and give the left side of the Red Sox infield a much-needed spark.

Wednesday night's victory was a steroid-laced shot in the arm for the Red Sox, who had lost nine of 11 and three straight heading into the game. Boston is now 5-9 this month after going a major league-best 18-8 in April. Jon Lester (6-0) kept the Rays dim all night, except for a little rough patch in the third inning. He kept the Rays from doing any damage, despite several threats, and only gave up one hit over his final four innings. Overall, he threw seven innings, giving up eight hits and just two runs on 107 pitches.

Grand slams out of a nowhere are a Drew Family Tradition, much like leading runners in scoring position in the eighth inning. J.D. gave the Red Sox his $70 million grand slam in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS. The Red Sox were still down 3-2 in that series. But Drew's shot to dead center field in the first inning off Fausto Carmona gave the Sox a super-boost of confidence in that series and emotionally wrapped things up at that point, even though there were 17 innings to go before Boston would win the series and start Riverdancing.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Drew was hitting .119 and providing plenty of fuel for the "Bring Back Jose Iglesias debate." In the past 18 games, Drew is 20 of 63 (.317) with eight extra-base hits and 17 RBIs. So John Henry has now gotten two surprisingly clutch grand slams from the Drew boys for a mere $79 million.

A bargain at any price.

Time to get Tim Drew out of retirement.

The Red Sox could always use another arm in the bullpen.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

The internet kept on giving in the wake of the Bruins gigantic and historic 5-4 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

NESN posted this You Tube video showing Jack Edwards delivering his call of Patrice Bergeron's OT goal.

It comes complete with Edwards bringing home his point with several deep, thrusting and stabbing motions as he describes the Bruins comeback thusly: "With the point of the dagger at their throats, they rip it out of Toronto's hands and kill the beast."

Analyst Andy Brickley gets some major cool points for being the perfect straight man, and avoiding bodily injury.

All this coming in the wake of the "f-bomb", glass-pounding mayhem on the Michael Felger/Tony Amonte Comcast Sports New England post-game show Monday night means it time for everyone to get cable or DirecTV for the rest of the playoffs.

The Edwards clip may be the best 34 seconds of nudity-free internet ever, although Edwards did tell the OBF blog via Twitter that he was "actually naked in this video. Just wearing REALLY GOOD body paint."

We'll happily take his word for it.

There were more Bruins-based gifts from the Interwebs on Tuesday:

A photo collage of the Bruins' post-game celebration and the Boston Globe photo of the three Boston Police officers charging post-Marathon bombing was making the rounds.

Perfect, especially in light of what appeared in this space in the wee hours after the Bruins' win.

"[The Bruins win] came four weeks to the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. In just 28 days, Boston has transformed from a city in stunned shock, pain and horror into a city that literally overnight has fallen back in love back its hockey team.

Something special happened in this game. Something that has to carry past this series and beyond the New York Rangers in the next round. The Celtics were never really in it this postseason. They were lost in the post-Marathon sports shuffle. But the Bruins have been there front-and-center since evil crossed the finish line at 4:09 of the Boston Marathon.

Those same Bruins, who carried the burden of being the first team back in action in Boston after the bombings, found sudden life in sudden death.

Toronto Stronger? Like hell it is.

"It was dead out there," said Rask, who played so solid and consistent throughout this season that Tim Thomas was going to apply for joint citizenship in the United States, Glen Beckistan and Finland in honor of his replacement's performance. "It's do or die. You have to make a save. You're either a hero or an a--hole," he added.

We'll go with "hero."

No, hockey players aren't heroes like policemen, soldiers and medical personnel. But they sure as hell made us feel good on Monday night.

Just like Edwards.

Tonight, it's off to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., to catch the Red Sox. I'll be the guy wearing the Bruins hat.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

(Fans pound away on studio glass on Causeway Street during Comcast post-game show. More on that down below.)

Jekyll and Hyde.

Dead and buried.

Alive and well.

Unreal and unbelievable.

Welcome to No. 37 Heaven, Bruins fans.

The Bruins benched their best player of the series, and then went on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in historic fashion with a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 5-4 overtime victory at the TD Garden.

Not even Disney or Al Michaels could have dreamed up this "Miracle on Ice."

Even if you don't believe in miracles, it's hard not to believe in the Bruins after what they accomplished Monday night.

With Tuukka Rask pulled for the extra attacker, they scored a pair of goals in 31 seconds in the game's final two minutes that helped to wipe out a 4-1 deficit and forced overtime. Patrice Bergeron's game-tying goal came with 51 seconds left. The Bruins probably could have sat Rask and wrapped it up there. Rich Peverly almost did that anyway.

Bergeron made history 6:05 into overtime with the game-winner. It was the first time ever an NHL team had won a Game 7 after trailing by three goals in the third period.

They may want to think about sitting Rask to start Game 1 against the Rangers.

Tyler Seguin, Bergeron and Milan Lucic all found their inner champion-self at the last and best possible moment and sent the Bruins on to face the New York Rangers in the next round of the playoffs.

After the game, even Lucic admitted that this version of the Bruins was toast had they lost.

Claude Julien was ticketed for unemployment. His first words in his post-game press conference should have been: "Thanks for keeping my job safe for another year, fellas."

Boston had scored just two goals in the previous four days before the start of Game 7 and ended up leading just 4:40 combined during Games 4-7. But they still managed to win two of those contests.

Boston was badly outplayed for a massive chunk of Game 7, didn't have Andrew Ference and had an injured Dennis Seidenberg for only 37 seconds of ice time. The Bruins didn't get to Boston until late Monday morning and looked defeated long before the game was finished. The Bruins even got booed off the ice after the second period. Then there was "the plane" and all the mess that surrounded Boston's trip from Toronto.

So many gave up on the Bruins early in the third period, yours truly included. I now renounce every @RealOBF Tweet from about 8:30 until Lucic's goal a 18:38 of the third period. The TV stayed on, but the venom and disappointment was flowing. At least I didn't leave the Garden.

"Beating the traffic" never sucked as badly as it did Monday night in Boston.

The most important thing Monday was that the Bruins never gave up on the Bruins. And they happened to be playing the Maple Leafs. The players who perhaps personified the frustration of Bruins diehards and bandwagoners - Bergeron, Lucic and Seguin - played the best when it counted the most.

Seguin re-joined his old linemates in overtime, an overtime dominated by Boston, and ended up once again coming out on the better half of the Phil Kessel trade.

Seguin was invisible the entire series until the very end, when he helped to end it by assisting on the game-winner.

Phil Who?

Looks like Charlie Brown to me. Except it was Lucic, and not Lucy, who pulled away the football this time.

Those who stuck it out were treated to the most memorable Bruins' comeback since Espo returned to get his No. 7 sent to the rafters in 1987 and Ray Bourque became No. 77 forever.

Those same fans who stayed until the end also delivered an epic post-game performance on the windows of the Comcast Sports New England post-game show studios on Causeway Street.

The pounding on the clear glass was so loud (video above), show hosts Michael Felger and Tony Amonte had to both yell over it, plea for help from the Burlington studio, and eventually, return to some level of regular television once someone summoned the police to break up the delirious masses.

Viewers were even treated to a passionate f-bomb courtesy of Amonte, who was caught saying "they're going to break the f--king window" after the telecast returned from a Dunkin' Donuts commercial. Felger quickly apologized for the profanity, which was understandable given the mayhem going on outside the window and the noise inside the studio.

The window-pounding madness wasn't even the cherry on to the top of this wonderful night. That came thanks to the internwebs, which brought us photos and videos of the throng gathered outside the Air Canada Center in Toronto watching the end of hostilities on the big screen.

So many drunks, so little video after the goal.

Toronto Star photo of Leafs fans as Bergeron tied it 4-4 twitter.com/pang/status/33…

— Kevin Pang (@pang) May 14, 2013

It's not like they have to work tomorrow.

The only way this could have been any better is if the guy with the "Toronto Stronger" sign in Game 3 got lost in South Boston.

Enough of the Maple Syrups.

This night belonged to the Bruins, and to the ages. It's already landed on the enormous list of greatest Boston sports comebacks. It's probably somewhere behind Kevin Millar, Dave Roberts and Friends against the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS and the Tuck Rule Game, but little more historic and impactful than UMass' win over North Carolina in 1993.

Speaking of miracles on ice, even Mike Eruzione got into the action via Twitter after Boston cut it to 4-2:

Wow wow wow the bruins Have finally realize in order to score you must shoot the puck instead of passing it all around

— MIKE ERUZIONE (@MERUZIONE) May 14, 2013

What made this game unique was that the Bruins had no business playing in it, since they had a 3-1 lead in this series at one time, and no business winning it, especially the way things stood with about 12 minutes to play.

It also came four weeks to the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. In just 28 days, Boston has transformed from a city in stunned shock, pain and horror into a city that literally overnight has fallen back in love back its hockey team.

Something special happened in this game. Something that has to carry past this series and beyond the New York Rangers in the next round. The Celtics were never really in it this postseason. They were lost in the post-Marathon sports shuffle. But the Bruins have been there front-and-center since evil crossed the finish line at 4:09 of the Boston Marathon.

Those same Bruins, who carried the burden of being the first team back in action in Boston after the bombings, found sudden life in sudden death.

Toronto Stronger? Like hell it is.

"It was dead out there," said Rask, who played so solid and consistent throughout this season that Tim Thomas was going to apply for joint citizenship in the United States, Glen Beckistan and Finland in honor of his replacement's performance. "It's do or die. You have to make a save. You're either a hero or an a--hole," he added.

We'll go with "hero."

Zdeno Chara found his inner Ivan Drago again Monday and slugged, hit and chipped his way through the Leafs all night, even when things looked bleakest. He logged 35:46 of ice time. Every second vital.

My son strolled into the family room of the OBF residence when the Bruins were losing 4-1. About 10 seconds later, Nathan Horton cut it to 4-2. OBF Jr. did not move for the rest of the game and he won't be getting off the couch until the Stanley Cup returns to Causeway Street, or the Bruins somehow run out of magic ice chips along the way.

Neither will anyone else not at the Garden, or the other Garden, in the next round.

Whomever said "sports doesn't matter" wasn't watching hockey Monday night.

#BostonStrong, as ever.

And so are the Bruins.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Don't count on the fans to bail you out tonight, Bruins.

This one is on you.

The crowd at TD Garden earned its "fan points" for the next 25 years with its performance of the National Anthem during the Bruins-Sabres game two days after the Boston Marathon bombings.

There is no way any crowd could manufacture the real emotion and passion of that night - especially when the home team is limping back from a solemn and weak performance in Game 6 at Toronto Sunday night. The Bruins weren't able to return to Boston until Monday morning because of airplane problems.

Bad sign or blessing? We'll know soon enough. The Bruins won't be able to use their travel woes as an excuse for losing tonight, however.

Why? Here's pretty much the only stat that matters with this team heading into tonight's Game 7: In the past 140 minutes and six seconds of hockey your Boston Bruins have scored just two - that's right two - even-strength goals. Guess that whole "turn on the offense thing in time for the playoffs" really doesn't work after all. And there were no airplane problems before games five and six, either.

It really shouldn't matter if tonight's game was being played in Boston, Toronto or South Beach, the Bruins ought to be good enough to come out and play inspired, aggressive and balls-out hockey for at least 60 minutes in a Game 7. Having the home crowd is a nice convenience and a great way for Bruins' fans to help the team with a solid emotional push. This isn't a question of fan loyalty in Boston. Remember, the faithful stuck it out for 39 years of Cup-lessness, the majority of which took place at the old Garden and under the thumb of the Jacobs Family and its warm beers, obstructed-view seats and hot and cold running rats.

If any team specializes in Game 7s, it's these Bruins. In the past five seasons, the Bruins have ended their playoff run in a Game 7 (Montreal, Carolina, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Washington). Four times, that Game 7 was a loss. And when they won the Cup in 2011, it took them three Game 7 victories to do it. The Bruins and Red Sox share something else in addition to State Run Media telecasts - both teams have trouble with their closers.

The Bruins blew two chances to close this thing out over the weekend. The Maple Leafs and yes, Phil Kessel, deserve all the credit in Ontario for being able to pack the net at both ends of the ice, push the puck relentlessly and find the right way to score, or stop a goal, at the most important moments. To wit: the clutch stops James Reimer made on Patrice Bergeron in Games 5 and 6. The big one in Game 6 came on a wraparound that would have gotten the Bruins on the board first.

Let's not kid ourselves. Tuukka Rask is the only reason why the Bruins didn't lose this thing in six games, or even less. Tim Thomas remains an all-time Bruins fan favorite because of what he did in 2011. His refusal to go to the White House and political views are not relevant here, but even Thomas would have to consider Finnish citizenship if the Bruins and Rask manage to win this thing. And it's absurd to think that the 2011 oversion of Thomas would have done any better in this series, considering again it took the Bruins three Game 7s to reach the promised land in Vancouver two years ago.

The "Thank you, Seguin" chants Sunday night were both on point and idiotic. They were on-point given Seguin's horrible play in this series yet foolish because Seguin had nothing to do with the trade that sent him (via the draft) to Boston for Kessel. Of course, these same geniuses found a a way to boo during the American National anthem Sunday night. The dutiful hosts on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada - talk about your State Run Media - told their viewers across North America that the boos were not anti-American, but in response to Zdeno Chara's face appearing on the message board.

Nice try, fellas. Thinking the good folks in Toronto would have the decency to hold back any response during the American National Anthem no matter whose face is shown on the video board. That's like taking a call in the middle of church because it seemed urgent. Some things are more important than others. Demonstrating class and respect during any nation's national anthem, except perhaps the old Soviet Union national anthem ("The Internationale") during "Rocky IV," is something we hope a six-year-old can grasp, never mind a hockey fan in Toronto. Four weeks after the Boston Marathon Bombings it's the least they could do. Somehow, we're supposed to give those same fans credit for not rioting after Toronto's win Sunday night. That was probably the most they could do.

The fake Gorbachev from "Rocky IV" might be the next coach of the Bruins if Claude can't get his lines firing tonight.

The Leafs have nullified Big-Z's mythical slapshot by being willing to lay their bodies on the line every time he winds up. Bruins fans may be the ones who end up booing his face at the end of hostilities tonight.

Not even the Bruins seem to know for sure which version of the "Jekyll and Hyde" team will show up Monday. At least the plane landed safely this morning. For Seguin, Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton and Brad Marchand, to indict a few, it's mainly been a series of "Jekyll and Hide," as the Bruins' offense and ability to set up rebounds, find the open hole and get more than one player in front of the net at a time has disappeared.

This series and John Farrell's defection to the Red Sox has allowed Toronto to join the ever-growing list of cities that have developed a sports rivalry with Boston. Torontonians - or whatever they call themsevles - can get in line behind the unwashed masses from Vancouver, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, among other locales.

Bring the hate, people. Boston can handle it, and a lot more. After Speed Bump and Asshat, you've got nothing.

The great thing about Game 7 is that offers everyone one final shot to come through, be the hero, or, in the case of the Bruins, perhaps score three goals in a game.

They get that chance tonight, assuming their plane ever gets off the ground in Toronto.

And it will be up to themselves do to something about it.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Kristen Wiig was back on "Saturday Night Live" this week, returning as host for the first time since her departure at the end of last season. There wasn't much new on the show, as Wiig brought back many of her trademark characters back for a show that could have been labeled an "Almost Best-of-Kristen Wiig" special. This week's version of the Internet was loaded with posts offering various "Top 10" Kristen Wiig characters and sketches.

The pull to revive many of them this week was obviously irresistible. That also dulled much of what we saw.

Among the many notable Wiig characters who returned for this week's show were "Gilly," "The Target Lady" (above) and the female portion of "Garth and Kat." Wiig is a remarkable talent and was perhaps the funniest comedienne on TV this side of Carol Burnett (Kids, ask your Mom today at dinner about Burnett or check out her legacy on You Tube.) Wiig's comedic big-screen potential is limitless if her incredibly hilarious "Bridesmaids" is any indication of future performance. That movie grossed more than $169 million, making it by far the most-successful R-rated female comedy of all time.

It was clearly an emotional return to the SNL stage for Wiig. Unfortunately, there were not nearly as many laughs as one might have expected, especially with the return of the flat-out funniest female cast member in the history of the show. Tina Fey was a better writer for sure, but became too much of a one-trick Sarah Palin pony in the end. Wiig's diversity on the character front gives her the long-term edge.

Things began with an abysmal cold-opening that tried to get laughs with convicted killer Jodi Arias and accused rapist and kidnapper Ariel Castro as last-minute guests at the Benghazi hearings. Missed the humor in the deaths of four American heroes in Libya - no matter one's political views are. Perhaps the SNL writers will come back with some Sandy Hook or Boston Marathon bombing jokes next week.

Wiig's monologue turned into a snappy dance number that featured a cameo of Jonah Hill making out in a closet with a very pregnant Maya Rudolph, who co-starred with Wiig in "Bridesmaids." Even "Gilly" herself showed up live on tape talking to producer Lorne Michaels.

Here are some of the clips worth watching:

A 1-800-FLOWERS spot that featured a frustrated daughter (Wiig) buying her meddling mom (the always-funny Kate McKinnon) some Mother's Day flowers hit close to home on multiple fronts.

A Disney Channel show where mom becomes a "Korean Water Ghost" called "Aw, Nuts, Mom's a Ghost," scored points for creativity and produced this GIF from SNL's Tumblr page:

Unfortunately, we were brutalized with another episode of "The Californians" early in the show. This regular-sketch might have been funny in the 1980s, but since daily and weekly soap operas have gone the way of afternoon newspapers, this one might be better off as a "web-exclusive." The acting talent continues to be wasted on a sketch that appears to be more of a time-filler than anything else. The only laughs came when the cast members failed to keep it together.

The singing Merrell Sisters, featuring Wiig's Dooneese, returned to the "Lawrence Welk" show. Wiig's man-hungry antics still brought home plenty of laughs. While Welk's show peaked about 30 years ago, this skit has the staying power "The Californians" lost somewhere deep inside the San Andreas Fault.

Post 12:30, Jason Sudeikis' acupuncture session turned into an impromptu blood-letting that allowed Wiig, Aidy Bryant and McKinnon offer a dark interpretation of Lucy and Ethel's candy-assembly line sketch with a gruesomely funny twist. The blood kept coming and they could do nothing to stop it. (Kids, you can ask your Grandmother about Lucy and Ethel today at dinner, as well.)

Wiig and Cecily Strong played a pair of boozy, somewhat-desperate cougars out on a date with a pair of sixth-grade boys, Tyler and Drew (Tim Robinson and Bobby Moynihan). While the girls ordered drinks, the boys ordered "noodles with a lot of butter." Funny and not nearly as gross as it could have been.

Seth Meyers didn't disappoint during "Weekend Update." While remarking on a report that said Finland is the best place to be a mother, he deadpanned that high school is the worst. And citing another study this week that said three children is the most stressful number when it comes to having children. Meyers remarked, "especially if you had four when you got to the mall." Singers "Garth and Kat' returned and once again failed to produce anything in tune.

Ben Affleck hosts next week's season-finale with musical guest Kanye West.

Don't forget to visit our Obnoxious Boston Fan blog. As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Hat trick for David Krecji.

Hat's off to Tuukka Rask.

But the juiciest moment of Wednesday's 4-3 Bruins overtime victory at Toronto may have occurred in the significant others' section of the Air Canada Centre.

Actress Elisha Cuthbert, who is the fiancee of Maple Leafs’ defenseman Dion "Big Mistake" Phaneuf, wasn't too happy about her beau's team losing to the Bruins.

And she apparently didn’t enjoy getting a glaring "I can't believe your guy did that" look from April Reimer, the wife of goalie James Reimer, either.

This was either the NHL's version of Gisele's post Super Bowl XLVI outburst or a misunderstanding brought to us by the internet.

My heart screams for Gisele II.

But the head says otherwise.

Here's Mrs. Reimer's version of events:

For those who were thinkin @happyelishas and I were rolling our eyes @ eachother. Was the jerk beside us #rudecomment twitter.com/april_reimer/s…

— April Reimer (@april_reimer) May 9, 2013

BFFs forever?

Just ask the future Mrs. Phaneuf:

Things are not always what they seem. I'm insulted and disappointed by a lot of these Comments. That's real. Not a 3 sec. Clip.

— Elisha Cuthbert (@HappyElishas) May 9, 2013

We'll let this stand until the Bruins win Game 5.

You can't see any visible jerks next to the two hockey queens on this You Tube clip. Perhaps the mystery fan was the same DB who was waving the "Toronto Stronger" sign before Game 3.

The Bruins gave the Leafs and their fans plenty to roll their eyes about during Wednesday's thriller. It was a throwback to the good old days of 2011 and the game generated all the excitement and angina of a Game 7, even though it was just another overtime first-round affair.

Krecji's hat trick demonstrated that the Bruins still have it offensively. But the real star power at the Air Canada Centre wasn't generated by Cuthbert, Mrs. Reimer, or April's mother-in-law. It emanated from the pads and stick of Tuukka Rask. At 26, Rask finally dropped his playoff nut with his stellar performance, especially in overtime.

Rask made 45 saves at the very raucous Air Canada Centre. He stopped breakaways, rebounds, shots to the five-hole, risers, sliders. You name it, he stopped it. He made 14 of those stops in a back-and-forth overtime that saw multiple potential game-winners missed by both sides.

This may have been the playoff game that might finally purge the Bruins from the curse of Tim Thomas. At least for the time being. Rask hasn't dropped any of his political philosophy on Twitter or Facebook. Meanwhile, Thomas was last seen (we'd like to think) stockpiling gold and food insurance in his Colorado bunker. Or maybe it was just legal weed. Either way, Boston fans will always be grateful for his efforts in 2011. Rask showed plenty of Thomas Wednesday night, although his upright style is in marked contrast to Thomas' perpetual Zamboniness.

Even better for Rask, he doesn't have to wait around for Roberta Luongo to pump his tires. We'll be happy to do it here.

By the way, Luongo and the Canucks have lost 10 of their past 11 playoff games and are no longer with us this playoff season. And yes, fans rioted in Vancouver after the Canucks got swept by the Sharks. Luongo is also selling his very awesome Vancouver condo for just $4.2 million Canadian if you're interested, Tim.

We were promised riots in Toronto Wednesday night, if the Maple Leafs lost:

So there's a riot going on in Toronto right now then twitter.com/TdGardenGenera…

— Garden General (@TdGardenGeneral) May 9, 2013

But we got nothing when it came to civil unrest. Once again, Toronto's bark proved much worse than its bite. And it can really bite.

Krecji gave the Bruins a desperately needed big-money offensive game Wednesday. A game that Tyler Seguin and Nathan Horton would be wise to emulate. Despite their continued misfires, there was plenty of 2011 on the ice Wednesday night, especially in the form of an OT game-winner on the road in Canada.

Even the Red Sox got into "Throwback Wednesday" with a 15-8 loss to the Twins. When Boston was down 14-6, NESN was dutifully pimping the Premier League Game of the Week. It was just like old times 2012 style. All we needed was Bobby V.

Rask kept the Bruins viable all evening. He covered up multiple mistakes that occurred both in the Bruins' end and on offense when the Bruins simply dumped the puck in the general direction of the net but failed to force a rebound off Reimer.

And he made sure Phil Kessel would not get the last laugh on his former teammates in overtime.

Rask played his Ask off, no doubt. He showed himself capable of giving the Bruins enough air even in the fourth period of a brutally physically tough road game to allow the likes of Krecji a chance to win it.

The Bruins are still lacking when it comes to the power play even though they converted on two of their 10 chances. Boston had a chance to ice the game with a 3:30 power play in the third period that turned into 210 seconds of frustration. Conversely, the Bruins were up against the boards when Joffrey Lupul earned a best-actress nod for drawing a high-sticking penalty on Chara. That would be, surprisingly, the final penalty of the game.

But Boston turned in its biggest penalty kill of the season thus far and Cuthbert and April Reimer were left at the end of the evening exchanging dagger-eyes, or commiserating about an alleged "jerk" sitting nearby.

Either way, they can blame Tuukka Rask.

And he was a lot hotter than either Cuthbert or Reimer.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

The season's over.

The emotion of Friday's thrilling comeback has faded.

As much fun as the Celtics created by putting a scare into the Knicks, one of the many sullen (as opposed to Sullinger) facts from this brief playoff flirtation was the Boston lost two home games and fell behind by 26 points in an elimination game on the famed TD Garden parquet. For an NBA playoff team that carried such historic cache into the postseason, that's inexcusable.

Grit and balls, for sure. But next time, bring a point guard just to be safe.

The Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce-led Boston Celtics of the past seven seasons have given fans some memorable moments. They had a tendency to overachieve when it came to entertainment, the raw end of a six-game series never looked this good.

This team, with all of its Hall of Fame talent all of its expectation, all of its Celtic Pride, drama, passion and Tommy Points, with all of Doc Rivers' masterful coaching and Danny Ainge's contortions, still under performed when it comes to history.

One championship.

That's it.

Six seasons with Garnett, Pierce, five of which included Ray Allen.

A Springfield trio.

The Big Three, or Big Four, or Big Three-and-a-half.

However you want to break it down, the only number that really mattered was won, er one.

The original Big Three, the NBA's model for the Heatles, netted one championship.

Coulda/should/woulda been more? Likely. The one that got away came in 2010, when the Celtics had a comfy 3-2 lead over the Lakers heading West. The Celtics got blown out in game six, scoring just 67 points in a 22-point loss. Kendrick Perkins went down with an injury in the first quarter that night, and the Celtics were out-rebounded 30-13 in the first half. Kobe Bryant ripped them apart from all over the place, and Pao Gasol finished them off inside, with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

How bad was it? Bill Russell walked out in the fourth quarter.

Boston ran out of gas inside in Game 7. Celtics fans watching that night began to get a little queasy at the start of the fourth quarter, even though the Celtics had a 13-point lead during the second half.

Slipping away. Even Bryant, who hit just six of his 24 shots that night, managed to get off nine free throws in the fourth quarter as Banner 18 became shredded at Staples Center.

The Perkins trade in February 2011 was Ainge's Watergate. It continues to dog his administration to this day. The Perkins trade forever solidified the starting five of Perkins, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo and Allen as being undefeated in the postseason.

There's no doubt the Perkins trade wiped out whatever shot the Celtics - still the clear favorites in the East at that time - had at winning another title.

Even Rivers admitted after the season the timing of the Perkins trade was a mistake, mainly because it ruined the Cetlics' on-court continuity. Rivers also vetoed an earlier deal involving the moody center.

At that time, the Celtics still held a distinct advantage over Miami because LeBron and Friends had not played together for a full season. A factor handily exploited by the Mavericks.

That team, the Big Three's last, best shot at the title, was never in sync again, even during Shaq's 12 postseason minutes against the Heat.

It's doubtful a healthy Perkins, or a healthy Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in their prime would have been enough to stop LeBron's rampage in Games 6 and 7 in 2012. Although McHale would have been good for at least one clothesline in the second half of game six.

Jeff Green was not the answer then, nor is he the problem now. Green had some moments of brilliance in the playoffs. And J.D. Drew hit a grand slam in the 2007 ALCS.

The reasons for the Perkins trade remain in the eye of the beholder.

It was either a shrewd salary move to free-up space to avoid paying an injury-prone big man or Ainge's way to get the high-scoring Green back into Celtic green after his momentary time with the Celtics on draft night in 2007. Or both. Or neither.

Green might be a key factor in whatever success Boston has in 2014. But the cost of getting him here took away the best shot the Big Three ever had at their next championship.

The biggest question about Boston's future is whether or not Rivers will be back for another run at all this. He's got a great spread in Winter Park, Fla., the opportunity for year-round golf and any TV analyst job for the asking. My bias (Rivers and I attended Marquette University simultaneously for a year) toward the Celtics' coach somewhat distorts any analysis of his shortcomings.

This year's team went about as far as reasonable people thought it would. Although a point guard, any point guard, would have proven beneficial in helping Boston break the 100-point barrier at least once against the Knicks. Danny and Doc can arm wrestle over the blame on that one.

When your team is built around Rajon Rondo and he gets hurt for the season, the season is pretty much lost at that moment. The loss of Sullinger should have been a slap in the face to anyone who still pondered thoughts of deep spring run post-Rondo-loss.

Rivers' best work during his term in Boston has been his ability to keep order among among all those monstrous egos in the Celtics locker room. Sure, the 2008 Celtics were loaded with talent, but being able to massage and coddle the likes of Perkins, Rondo and Allen and keep the team focused on winning for so long is a tremendous skill. No one can set up a play off a timeout better than Doc. He, also, most importantly commands the respect of his players and those elsewhere in the league.

The only coach in the NBA who has longer tenure with his current team is Gregg Popovich of the Spurs. And he's probably the only coach you'd pick ahead of Doc in your fantasy coaching league draft.

If Doc does retire/take a break, that means the team will jettison Pierce. That will trigger Garnett's departure for points west. As it stands, Boston is hardly a destination of choice for NBA free agents, thanks to weather and high state income taxes, among other factors. Without Rivers, Boston will lose its best drawing card. Danny will have a bridge year on his hands spanning the 2012 Red Sox.

After the game, play-by-play announcer Sean Grande told his listeners that next year's Celtics' team will be "built around" Rondo and Green. That's the problem, Celtics Nation. Pierce and Garnett, even if they are back, will lead much more in spirit than they will statistically. On their best days, Rondo and Green scream "eighth playoff seed."

The worse place to be in the NBA is to be in the middle, mediocre or just plain average. You have no real hope of a title, or, if your miss the playoffs, not enough Ping Pong balls to make the draft worthwhile.

That appears to be just where the Celtics are headed.

Especially once Doc leaves town.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide participated in the sacrament of Holy Unction on Wednesday. The faithful, willing and those kids who are dragged there by their parents, are anointed with oil and God's grace for healing of soul, body and forgiveness of sins. It's part of Holy Week leading up to Easter.

Boston fans continued their healing on Wednesday on a night when the Celtics, Bruins and Red Sox won by a combined score of 106-88.

There were no signs of distress on this May Day.

One night does not a month make, but winning like this feels good, especially these days.

This wonderfully fun and prosperous night came to be due to the grace of Clay Buchholz pitching seven shutout innings for the Red Sox, the grit of Kevin Garnett owning the Knicks' soft underbelly with 18 rebounds and the long-lost offensive flair of the Bruins, who were led by David Krejci and Nathan Horton.

Even Stephen Drew hit a home run.

Miracles everywhere.

Every time the calendar blesses us with a night like this in the spring, the Red Sox are usually relegated to third-team status. Wednesday's top priority was a tough call. The Bruins were opening the playoffs and had a multitude of concerns. The Celtics were on the verge of ending the playoffs before facing a multitude of questions. The Red Sox were sitting atop baseball with an 18-8 record but were in midst of a troubling one-game losing streak.

Not sure how valid TV ratings are on a night like this, when people are bouncing back and forth with the clicker, taking advantage of picture-in-picture or employing a two, or three-screen strategy.

Doesn't really matter.

After Boston was stopped in its track shoes on Patriot's Day, so many turned to sports for a much-needed break from it all.

Boston's spirit has never been stronger. But even on this most glorious of May Days, the Marathon bombings again grabbed the headlines. Three college pals of Speed Bump's little brother were arrested after they allegedly helped to cover up the alleged bombing that left three alleged victims dead and so many other alleged victims in alleged hospitals across the city following their alleged act of alleged terrorism by allegedly throwing a computer and back pack in the trash after they allegedly learned their pal allegedly did it.

Try saying that three times fast.

Come on. Haven't we all thrown out our roommate's computer and backpack after he's blown up a marathon? Most of us would not throw out an empty coffee cup our roommate left on the table.

"LOL"

Much of April's public emotional muscle came courtesy of the Red Sox, who brought us the last smile on Patriot's Day Monday - beating the Rays at Fenway an hour before all Hell broke loose in Copley Square. Even in the numbness of the week that followed the bombings, the Red Sox humbly went to Cleveland, hung their "Boston 617 Strong" jersey and came home with a sweep.

The first dose of civic Percocet. This does not minimize the real-world loss and suffering. Exactly the opposite, nights like Wednesday allow us to continue to function and deal with all of this craziness.

Responsible adults know what's really important and what isn't, but sports helps healing on a civic scale in more ways than many cynics and elitists are willing to acknowledge.

The Red Sox wrapped a seven-game winning streak around Patriot's Day and Lockdown Friday and didn't miss a pitch. It was punctuated by David Ortiz's hydrogen f-bomb on April 20. At a time when human imperfection was magnified on a grand scale, the Red Sox batted 1.000.

The success of the Red Sox and its importance - along with Ortiz's rallying cry - did not diminish the losses of the victims. Rather they offered another way to honor them and help the city and nation bond - and manged to look good on the field all at the same time.

The Bruins carried the burden of offering the first public chance to gather, vent and cry after the bombings. In addition, the team had two games postponed in the final two weeks of the season because of the bombings and the manhunt for Dave Henneberry's boat's ballast.

The play of the team was undoubtedly affected by all of it.

Before Wednesday's 4-1 victory over the Maple Syrups, the Bruins had not scored more than three goals in their previous nine games, seven of which were losses. Six of those games came in a nine-day span. A grueling run in any sport not called baseball.

"It's been draining for players to deal with that stuff," said Claude Julien. "We're all sentimental to what happened to this city. It was just a matter of turning the page and getting a fresh start from the regular season."

The Celtics had disappeared from the thoughts of many during the Marathon mayhem. They had a game canceled and did not return home until April 26, when they promptly lost game three to the Knicks and fell behind 3-0. I was probably the first to write them off via Twitter. I wrongly picked them to beat the Heat in seven games last year but would mind being wrong about this one, too.

But these are the Carmelo Anthony-led Knicks, so "anything is possible" for their opponents. The Knicks planned for Wednesday's game to be Boston's funeral. Instead, they took a dirt nap and Boston won 92-86. New York never led in the second half and shot just 39.5 percent. Meanwhile, the Celtics, who shot 45.7 percent, are doing all this without a point guard.

One thing is certain.

If Paul Pierce comes out Friday wearing a bloody sock in Game 6, the Knicks are doomed.

We can only hope.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

April was unforgettable.

For all the wrong reasons.

And memorable.

For all the right ones.

The Red Sox came though in a big way in April, just when Boston needed it most.

And there's no reason for a mayday on May Day.

April was a watershed month in the history of Boston sports - and not only because the Red Sox finished with a tied-team record 18 wins against just eight losses.

The city was forever moved in every direction on Patriot's Day. New villains emerged (and continue to emerge Wednesday) but they were overwhelmed by multitude of new superstars, heroes and champions whose names are now as well-known as KG, Pierce and Brady.

The Red Sox began the month in full recovery mode from all that was Bobby V and 2011. On and off the field, the talk was all about redemption. Instead, winning took over.

The Red Sox have the best record in baseball on May 1. There's still 84 percent of the season ahead of them. But they are pretty damn good.

And yes, it remains the pitching, stupid.

The Red Sox pitching staff - even after Tuesday night's nine-run calamity, is still fourth in the American League with a 3.58 ERA (just 0.01 behind third-place Detroit) and is first in the league with 255 Ks. More importantly, the front end of the rotation has been stellar. Jon Lester, who got tagged for six runs Tuesday, is still 4-0 with a 3.11 ERA. Clay Buchholz is on track to be starting the All-Star Game at 5-0 (1.19 ERA) and Ryan Dempster has found his inner Nolan Ryan with 43 strikeouts in nine starts. The only starter currently on the roster with an ERA over 4.00 is Felix Doubront and he's still 3-0.

Then there's Ortiz. He's hitting .500 since giving Boston its new motto. His slugging percentage is .917 and his OPS is a Ruthian 1.429 - if they had had OPS back in the Babe's day. Carmine hasn't been this excited since it spit out the name "J.D. Drew."

Nothing typified Ortiz's season more than Tuesday night's bases-loaded, one-out double off Steve Delabar. Ortiz fouled off the second pitch which was a fast ball right down the middle. It was his pitch and Ortiz knew it. He even called time before the third pitch to let the frustration subside. The third pitch bounced in the dirt off the catchers mitt and pitch number four was ball down and away. Ortiz then pounced on a 3-1 fastball - in virtually the same spot as the first pitch - and hammered over the lead of Jose Bautista. The bases were cleared the Red Sox had a 7-6 lead.

Which they promptly blew. But the point was made by Ortiz, who in fairness to the cynics also made the last out of the game.

The Red Sox are going to be in this thing long after the end of May, as well. They've done well - both in terms of play and in the genuine reaction of the players and scripted events of the franchise to help the city heal.

Much has been said about "getting back to normal" in the wake of all that happened in April. No one can say what "normal" means these days.

But given that caveat, there's one sure sign of normalcy around New England in the summer.

The Red Sox being involved in a pennant race.

And it looks like that's going to be the new normal in 2013.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

,

Boston Strong, meet Austin Strong.

The tributes to Boston have reached Austin, Texas, along with one of the Boston Marathon victims.

The Round Rock Express will pay tribute to the victims of the Marathon bombing tragedy Friday against the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Katie Carmona, an Austin resident, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. She was at the race, cheering on her husband Paul, when the first bomb went off, sending metal shrapnel into her shin.

In the middle of the seventh inning, a time normally reserved for fans to stand up and stretch, David Garza, Maria Groten and Matt Harmatuk, who ran in this year’s Boston Marathon, will enter Dell Diamond through the center field gate and run toward the pitchers’ mound to symbolically finish the race.

Fans in Boston might be SOL on those shirts, since they'll be for sale for $25 only at the game. The Round Rock Express is the Class AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

First responders will hold up the finish line tape that reads "Run Austin, Love Boston" as a tribute to the true heroes in each and every community across our great nation.

Following “The Finish Line,” Carmona will lead the crowd in a rendition of “God Bless America.”

“Tragic events, like the ones that occurred during the Boston Marathon and nearby in West [Texas] remind us not only of the courage and dedication of our first responders, but also how their quick action saves lives,” said George King, general manager of the Express, said in a release.

The team is asking fans to wear a race shirt and/or Boston sports gear to the game.

#BostonStrong.

Austin Strong isn't so bad, either.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

It's been 11 days since Boston was ripped apart and the nation was rattled. And a week since the city was paralyzed by a lockdown and shooting spree/manhunt.

Was there any good from what happened at the Boston Marathon and the subsequent manhunt and mayhem?

The victims will be present in the hearts and minds of the Bay State for generations. The spotlight now shifts toward the survivors - as fans of the city and humanity move on with their lives. The stories of those affected by the Marathon bombings and their aftermath will be a part of the conversation for the foreseeable future.

There's been much good since the bombs went off and the city was placed on lockdown - in addition to the heroism displayed on Patriot's Day and again last Thursday and Friday.

Here are 10 signs of hope amid the pain, sorrow and loss.

1. The list of charitable endeavors helping Marathon victims is extensive. The One Fund has raised more than $25 million on its own through individual and corporate donations.

2. The next time you think you can't do something - anything - just watch this video. It's a compilation of advice and support offered by U.S. veterans who lost limbs in service to their country. The Virginia company Shoulder 2 Shoulder, which is operated by wounded veterans, posted this clip on its You Tube channel.

3. Boston Magazine found a stunningly beautiful and poignant way to honor the Marathon victims and runners in its May cover. The cover reads "We Will Finish The Race" and is an image taken from shoe of some of the people who ran the race.

A perfect confluence of photography, art and storytelling.

The story behind the cover is almost as interesting as the cover itself.

4. When Watertown police chief Ed Deveau appeared on WEEI radio earlier this week, he said his department was swamped with requests for official Watertown Police Department merchandise. The department was able to quickly assemble enough hats for the Boston Bruins to wear before Saturday�s game against Pittsburgh.

�We don�t have Watertown Police hats -- no one ever wanted one before. We had to get them made up before the game,� Deveau said.

There's no word on the hats, but there "Watertown Strong" t-shirts for sale via the Watertown Police Store. Profits from the sale of the shirts go to the department and a fund to be established later.

Check out this list of 10 shirts you can buy to raise money for Marathon victims.

Some other fundraising efforts of note:

WAAF morning radio host Greg Hill has raised $243, 574 as of Thursday through his charitable efforts via the Greg Hill Foundation. All of that money raised will go directly to help victims and their families.

The group TUGG - Technology Underwriting Greater Good - has raised more than $280,000, including about $4,500 from a meet up Wednesday night.

Barstool Sports Boston raised $192,000 through the sales of various t-shirts which included "Boston Strong," "Massachusetts Invented America" and a few other choice phrases.

5. Boston's athletes deserve much credit for their willingness to take a leading role in helping to heal the city and comfort the victims. Much of that comforting it was done in private and with great sincerity and humility. And no one summed it all up better than David Ortiz did last Saturday. So much of what we see in sports is contrived, but the love for the city displayed by so many of Boston's pro athletes in the past week makes it that much more difficult the next time they strike out, brick a free-throw, miss the empty net or drop an open pass.

More importantly, they've opened their wallets. For instance, the Kraft family donated $617,000 (we get it) to the One Fund. That's also the Patriot Way.

6. Facebook has been a great means to raise awareness, the mourn the victims and offer those injured support and encouragement.

The "Patrick and Jess Running Again" page has done a wonderful job in keeping people informed of the condition of the Patrick and Jess Downes, both of whom lost a leg in last Monday's blast.

The above photo was from an running event held in Washington, where hundreds gathered at the National Mall in Washington DC to run 4.09 (official marathon time) miles for Boston. "Many of us ran for Patrick and Jess. We sang 'Sweet Caroline' at the finish line. We are all sending positive and healing thoughts to you from DC," wrote Rachel Bloom, a former co-worker with Patrick from The Gifford School.

The page has solicited more than 60 videos from the public to offer their encouragement to the couple, including this one from actress Fran Drescher.

And this quick message of support from Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

More than $500,000 has been raised for the couple through family, friends and strangers through two crowdfunding sites.

7. The Celeste and Sydney Recovery Fund has generated more than $650,000 via its gofundme page. Sydney's cousin, Alyssa Carter, also created the Celeste and Sydney Corcoran Support Page that has gotten more than 15,000 likes.

Corcoran Strong.

The mother and daughter were both badly injured by the blast, with Celeste losing both her legs below her knees.

Kevin Corcoran was photographed with his wife after the blast in a photo seen world-wide. "Before they put me under, I just wanted to die. Then I thought, I can't, I can't, there's too much do to," Celeste told the TODAY show Friday.

It posted the below photo of Marathon amputee victim Jeff Bauman paying Sandy a visit on her 18th birthday Tuesday.

The photo, which ran with the caption "Jeff Bauman visited today and gave Sydney a birthday gift -- what a sweetheart! Very emotional and awesome experience for all involved." - received more than 14,000 likes and was shared over 1,600, in addition to being published on news sites around the world.

The latest update on their condition, posted late Wednesday, gave some encouraging news. "Another day of progress! Sydney was up and down stairs on crutches and Celeste was able to follow her in the hall in a wheelchair on her own. They unwrapped the bandages on Celeste's legs and she was able actually see her legs for the first time. It was certainly emotional, but "not as bad" as she thought it would be. Tonight, Celeste and Sydney are getting massages to help them relax. They both will be discharged from the hospital this weekend and rehab will begin! "

A video of several Marines paying both women a visit racked up nearly 250,000 views on You Tube in less than 48 hours.

Check it out here:

As one of the wounded warriors says while pointing to where Celeste's legs would have been. "This doesn't matter. This is just a chance of scenery."

The family is scheduled to be featured on NBC's "Rock Center" later tonight.

8. The Jeff Bauman - Boston Strong, True Patriot and Hero Facebook page was started by someone not affiliated with Bauman but has had continual input from his family. It has more than 84,000 likes.

Bauman, who lost both his legs in the attack, was on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan show Friday. "I'm alive, he's dead," Bauman said of his attackers. He also said he's begun the rehabilitation phase of his recovery. Among those who stopped by his room: Shawn Thornton of the Bruins and Bradley Cooper of "Hangover" and "Silver Linings Playbook" fame. As soon as Bauman was alert, he wrote down his description of Speed Bump - also know as Suspect No. 1 - which was pivotal in helping the police.

The Bauman page includes updates from Bauman's family and links to the story about Bauman's rescue at the Marathon by cowboy-hatted hero Carlos Arredondo.

It links to the lone official fundraising site authorized by Bauman's family - Bucks for Bauman! - which was begun by Brooke Gibbs and her brother, who was Bauman's best friend since childhood. The site launched nine days ago and had generated more than $688,000 of its $1 million stated goal.

The Facebook page's most trafficked post was this update by Bauman's cousin, Courtney:

'We were surprised to step off of the elevator and run in to Rob Gronkowski and Stevan Ridley, but even more excited to see a smiling Jeff wheel himself down to meet them. Like his best friend John said, Jeff was more concerned with Rob's injuries and how the Patriots were going to step up their game. I believe his exact words were "so...going to have some good games?"...they assured us they would try."

It also posted this update about the page itself. "We are not an official representative for Jeff. However, we are in constant contact with his family and friends and are forwarding urgent messages to them as well as getting updates. The outpouring of love has meant a lot to them all including Jeff ... We are getting thousands of messages, and clearly Jeff isn't able to read through them all quite yet. When Jeff is better we hope to find out all the ways we can help him. But at this time he must focus on his immediate priorities of getting better."

As far as Jeff's condition, Brooke wrote this on the Bucks For Bauman! page:

"He is in great spirits, wheeling himself around, and appreciate all that has been done. We never imagined to be bringing our goal to 1 million, and now it is in reach!! We couldn't have done it without your help. I cannot express enough gratitude for anyone to understand just how thankful we are."

9. Dave Henneberry has done more for smoking than Don Draper and the Marlboro Man combined. I don't smoke. My house was full of smoke growing up. Hated it. But at the same time, smokers have been needlessly demonized. Henneberry went outside to fire-up a heater in Watertown Friday after a day of nicotine deprivation and ended up doing something thousands of cops and the FBI couldn't - he found Speed Bump's little brother. His boat got shot up - amazing how many police bullets missed their target last Thursday night and Friday - but Henneberry refused charitable efforts to replace it, saying the money should go toward the real victims. After all, he has a canoe. If anything, he's earned free Camels and the right to smoke inside Dunkin' Donuts for the rest of his life.

10. It's becoming apparent that lots of folks screwed up big time leading up to this. But remember, it's only been 11 days since this happened. Time will be the great equalizer when it comes to finding the truth of what and who caused this, who funded the bombers (in addition to the taxpayers) and most importantly, what must be done to make sure it doesn't happen again. Try to be patient if the upside means learning the truth.

Quick rundown on the hot sports topics of the day as you look forward to a "lockdown-free" weekend.

What was the highlight of the first round of the NFL draft?

The Manti Te'o jokes on Twitter. This week's ESPN "30-for-30" documentary about the 1983 draft - yep, the one 30 years ago - was infinitely more interesting than anything that happened Thursday.

Or will happen the rest of the weekend.

The Patriots made a first-round trade. There's a shocker.

Should Andrew Bailey remain the Red Sox closer once Joel "Gagne" Hanrahan gets off the DL?

Yes. Remember, Bailey lost his closer job due to injury, so that argument goes out the window.

It's easy to realize what's going to happen - the Red Sox will make Hanrahan the closer because that's what they told him when he was signed. This situation is the same as the Stephen Drew/Jose Iglesias dilemma. Iglesias was hitting about .900 when he was sent down because the Red Sox had to insert Drew and his $9 million paycheck into the lineup. At last check, J.D. Jr., was batting .119. The Red Sox are white hot, so this misstep will be easily swept under the rug for the time being.

The question should be whether or not Bailey or Hanrahan is best equipped physically and mentally to handle the job. Right now, it appears to be Bailey on all fronts. In seven save opportunities, he's 1-0 with five saves.

Despite the occasional home run or on-the-line double/foul ball, Bailey has the makeup to be a closer in Boston. Felt that way when he replaced Jonathan Papelbon. The acquisition of Bailey was the lone bright spot in the Nuclear Autumn and Winter of 2011-12.

His 19-pitch, three-strikeout save Wednesday was Papelbon-esque in its drama. "That was a manly save," pitching coach Juan Nieves told the Globe, in another refreshing episode of political incorrectness from the Red Sox. Keep this up boys and I'll buy Wally dolls for all my nieces and nephews.

Are the Celtics done?

The door on this team closed when Kendrick Perkins went down in the 2010 NBA Finals.

Will the Bruins "flip the switch" in time for the playoffs?

They will play better than in May than they played in April. Thursday's win over Tampa Bay was minimal progress. It's not encouraging that lines are still subject to change at this date. In their defense, they tried to get the best possible players to help out late in the season. The Jarome Iginla decision wasn't theirs, but they were able to get Jagr and Carl Soderberg, both of whom will continue to improve as the playoffs progress.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Monday was a difficult and solemn day for many around Boston, including Father Chip Hines.

He, like several thousand baseball fans, also found some solace in the Red Sox game later that night.

Guarantee his day was tougher than yours, though. As the parish priest at St. Joseph Roman Catholic church on High Street in Medford, it was his obligation and privilege to offer the funeral mass for Krystle Campbell in the morning.

Campbell, 29, who lived in Arlington, Medford and Somerville during her brief but brilliant life, perished last Monday at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

For Fr. Hines, 45, this was both a personal and professional challenge.

But not a spiritual one.

"I just let the Holy Spirit take over," he told the OBF blog in a lengthy conversation Tuesday. Fr. Hines [at left] was not technically the chief officiant of the Mass, since Cardinal O'Malley was in attendance. But it was his Fr. Hines' task to not only perform the majority of the service - which was closed to the media and cameras at the family's request - but also do his best to comfort the Campbell family and those who knew and loved Krystle dearly.

All of this under the watchful eyes of his boss, the Cardinal, more than a thousand mourners, the Campbell family and - of course - the Big Man Upstairs.

"Having the Cardinal there was comforting, but I also had butterflies. It's not often we work in front of our bosses like that," Hines said.

Hines has been a priest at St. Joe's since last July. He came from a parish in Wrentham. The service, from all accounts, was beautiful, solemn and comforting to those in attendance.

Talk about performing in the clutch.

"I spoke to her parents [Patricia and William Campbell Jr.] and her brother, [Billy] for about an hour on Friday. They told me all about her and I shared it with the congregation Monday. "

Fr. Hines relayed those words here verbatim, as he did during Monday's service.

“Unselfish. Kind. Always willing to help. Always put herself last. Hard worker. Couldn’t say no. Always smiling. Adventurous. No trouble. Try anything once. Loved to dance. Took care of everyone, remembered birthdays and loved life.”

Fr. Hines said he's heard nothing negative about Campbell, which is to be expected when remembering a young life that was lost in such such an evil manner.

An R.I.P Krystle Campbell Facebook page has more than 75,000 likes and has been loaded with personal tributes and photos, including the shot of her above in the Tom Brady jersey. "But even in private, it's all good. She really was a wonderful person," Hines said. "I got an email from a State Trooper I know who knew Krystle when she worked for the Summer Shack in Hingham. He told me 'everything they're saying about Krystle is true.'"

As he writes in this week's church bulletin:

"With the possible exception of “loved to dance”, (but hey who knows) we can see the Christ like message of these descriptions. Jesus was unselfish, always willing to help, he put himself last, took care of everyone and loves life. Now that doesn’t mean we canonize Krystle, after all she was a human being, with all the flaws that come with being a human being ... but these words do provide us with the framework of how we can live our lives, still be flawed, but strive for an imitation of Christ."

But the Father knows words can only help so much.

"I didn't want to say too much, especially in my speech, because I knew no matter what I said, no matter how many kind words people say about her, no matter what I can say to her family, nothing is going to bring her back. I wish it would," he told the OBF blog.

So sad, so true.

As is the case for priests, pastors, rabbis, counselors or anyone who deals with human tragedy on a daily basis, their lives aren't completely defined by their work.

Fr. Hines was born in Medford and graduated from Reading High School in 1986. Like so many others from Greater Boston, Fr. Hines is a vocal and passionate Boston sports fan. His email address even includes a "33" in tribute to a certain hick from French Lick.

The father - and his father - had decided to attend the Red Sox game Monday - and shared that news via Twitter - after thanking so many followers for their thoughts and prayers.

This priest had a tough day...going to see @redsox with my dad...hope the seats are good!

— Fr. Chip Hines (@Chines) April 22, 2013

"I posted on my Twitter account that I was going to the game," he recalled. "I was at dinner with my dad and the phone rang. I didn't answer because it was from an unrecognized number. I checked the message and it was a woman from the Red Sox. They wanted to know if we wanted to upgrade our seats."

Sure, why not?

"I met her at the gate and she took care of everything."

Instead of right-field box seats somewhere below the Budwesier sign for the fathers Hines, it was two tickets to the posh EMC club - with all the benefits.

Seats tonight twitter.com/Chines/status/…

— Fr. Chip Hines (@Chines) April 22, 2013

"I don't know how it happened. I have no idea who said what to who - or how they got my number," he said. "But sometimes you have friends who have connections you don't know about. The Red Sox were really gracious to us. They asked for nothing and wanted no notoriety."

One example of sports helping the healing process - with the help of some unknown ticket angel - one priest at a time.

"Sports has been so important in the past week," Fr. Hines said. "You're gathering a lot of people in one place, whether it's at the Garden or Fenway Park, and it allows them that sort of civic moment where we're all together. It's kind of a concentrated moment. Sports in Boston is so important. We're indoctrinated from a young age. We follow them and bleed their colors and offers us an opportunity to come together and have some enjoyment even if it's just a moment for us to get together and talk and laugh."

That relief was never needed in Boston more than last Wednesday at the Garden. And again on Saturday back at the Garden and Fenway Park, Watching the Celtics in the playoffs and pondering the Patriots' moves in this week's draft was also part of the necessary return to normal.

We know where Boston's sports teams were in all of this, but where was God?

"That was my message on Sunday," Fr. Hines said. "The Good Shepherd was there on Monday. He was there in the EMTs. He was there the police and first responders who rushed in to help without concern for their safety. He was there in the people who aided the victims and in the medical personnel."

One of the most painful stats from this past week's murder and mayhem was that the four victims who died - and many of the seriously injured and amputee victims - were under 30 years old. Those who were killed - ranging from 8-year-old Martin, to 23-year-old Lingzi, to 27-year-old Sean to 29-year-old Krystle - had so much life unlived. Martin Richard and Sean Collier were laid to rest Tuesday and there was a memorial service for Lu Lingzi at BU Monday night.

Only the good die young, it seems. But why?

"That's a question that's way above my pay grade," Fr. Hines said. " The marathon brings out young people - it's an inexpensive and fun thing to do with your family and a moment of civic pride in Boston. People love it. Why does an 8-year-old boy or a 23-year-old girl from China go to a marathon? They were all there to cheer on human good. That' was a beautiful thing. Why do young people have do die like this? I wish I knew - there's no explaining it."

The feeling of community that's enveloped Boston and Massachusetts in the past eight days will fade, but not completely disappear, Fr. Hines said. "Uniting us around the common idea that when something happens to one of us -- it happens to all of us. That feeling will not go away."

So what did the Good Father think when David Ortiz dropped his historic f-bomb on Fenway Park Saturday. He said he wasn't offended in the least - and laughed out loud.

"It was perfect. It summed up Boston. Ortiz is not a native Bostonian. But he gets it," Fr. Hines said. "We all appreciated that the the Yankees played "Sweet Caroline," but we all want to still kick their ass."

Amen, Father.

Amen.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

David Ortiz was refreshing and blunt Saturday, inspiring Boston and its fans with these simple words: ‘‘This is our (expletive) city, and nobody is gonna dictate our freedom. Stay strong.’’ 14 words. When it came to ‘f-bombs’ – he indeed dropped the Big One. Ortiz’s words – vulgarities and all – put a bow on the most difficult week in the city’s history since muskets fired on Bunker Hill.

But how does it rank?

On our list, his quote now rests a top the list of all-time memorable Boston sports quotes. He wasn’t the first athlete to hold the public microphone and use one of those infamous “seven famous dirty words” that so many of us hear from Dad each time the Bruins fail on the power play, the Red Sox give up a home run, the Celtics miss a free throw, or the Patriots drop a pass.

Boston has produced some memorable sports quotes, from athletes, coaches and even team owners.

We've decided to list several of our all-time favorites in this gallery posted elsewhere on boston.com.

Check it out and let us know some of your favorites.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

The official twitter account of the CBS show "60 Minutes" was hacked late Saturday night and suspended for the second time in less than 24 hours, this time by someone posting sympathetic Tweets for the Syrian government and opposing the United States' involvement there.

Earlier Saturday, both the "60 Minutes" and "48 Hours" accounts were hacked. But had been posting later in the day.

Both accounts were still down Sunday. CBS confirmed the earlier attack but not the second one.

The attack occurred while a "48 Hours" special about the Boston Marathon bombings was airing on the same network. That account was also suspended Saturday night.

A group calling itself the "Syrian Cyber Army" took the credit this time - in a Tweet that originated in Indonesian.

An outfit called the "Syrian Electrionic Army" launched a similar attack on NPR last week.

The first hacked Tweet was posted at about 10:31 p.m. Eastern and a stream of about 20 posts ridiculing President Obama, the United States and supporting the Syrian government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, flowed continually for about 20 minutes before the account was finally suspended.

One Tweet showed a Photoshopped version of the president morphed into Alfred E. Neuman with the quote: "We don't negotiate with terrorists because we are the terrorists."

Wonder who's next?

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

(Note profane content - that you all heard on live TV.)

This day was about freedom.

People on the streets. Business as usual. A sold-out Garden. A crowd of some sort at Fenway Park. Bombing suspects dead or in custody.

There were multiple examples of free speech on display at Fenway Park and Boston Garden Saturday - ranging from the beautiful and inspirational to the extreme and overboard.

There were video tributes at both venues. A moving pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park honored the political leaders, law enforcement personnel, first-responders, medical providers, civilian heroes, BAA volunteers and marathoners.

There were tears, grateful applause, moments of silence.

Then there was David Ortiz.

Ortiz dropped the hydrogen bomb of F-bombs during the Red Sox' moving ceremony before Saturday's game against the Royals. He boldly told the world that his Boston was "our f--king city" and no one was going to tell it what to do.

"The shirt we wear today doesn't say Red Sox, it says 'Boston,'" Ortiz said. "This is our f--king city. And no one is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong."

In one sentence he wiped out what was left from a year-and-a-half of ill-will toward the Red Sox and cemented his stature among the city's sports legends.

And allowed a city and country to let it all out.

It felt f--king awesome!

His eloquence may have earned Ortiz another two-year contract extension.

$26 million? Make it $36 million.

Every Boston-character ever brought to life by Seth McFarlane, Matt Damon or Ben Affleck would be proud.

Time to replace "Wally" with "TED."

In a city where f-bombs flow freer than Dunkin' Donuts coffee - Ortiz dropped the biggest one of all time.

Picture the new signs at Logan: "Welcome To Boston. This Is "Our F--king City." Got That?"

They're also revising the list of all-time top 10 sports quotes - with this somewhere between Allen Iverson's dissertation on "practice" and Lee Elia's classic 1983 tirade.

Even the FCC got involved - although the remarks were not aired live on broadcast TV, just radio - and said it's all good. The FCC doesn't have any control over cable or satellite channels. Meanwhile, ESPN feed of the event was muted when Ortiz dropped the big one.

Before the Red Sox and Bruins games, the crowds at Fenway and the Garden solidified the newest Boston tradition - fans going all-in during the National Anthem. It was, despite what you have read, hardly acapella since the organist continued to play.

Rene Rancourt and the rest of the folks who sing the National Anthem in Boston can now retire.

There was Daniel Nava's three-run homer in the eighth - that elicited this great tag line from NESN's Don Orsillo: "Boston this is for you."

And even "Sweet Caroline" was a hit - thanks to Neil Diamond's live appearance at Fenway where he sang , lip-synced performed his trademark tune. Diamond flew in from California on his own (expense and without notice) and just asked if he could give back to Boston.

It was awkward. embarrassing and wonderfully inspirational - all in the same moment.

Class A Class.

The Red Sox won their seventh straight, 4-3, over the Royals.

Boston is back and so are the Red Sox.

Bruins announcer Jack Edwards pushed free-speech to its limits of non-profane sensibility during the Bruins' game. During the first period, he compared Pittsburgh's reformed thug-in-residence Matt Cooke - of the Marc Savard hit - to Sirhan Sirhan - of the Robert Kennedy assassination.

Here's the nut of what he said: "Nominating Cooke for the Masterton is about the equivalent of nominating Sirhan Sirhan as the prisoner of the year."

Another all-time top 10 sports quote - for the wrong reasons.

Funny, for about one second.

It was one of those crazy things you hear, but can't really believe you heard it, until you realize you did.

Misplaced passion after a long and extremely trying week.

As soon as Edwards realized his temporary insanity and failed attempt at hyperbole, he apologized via Twitter.

I am sorry for insulting Matt Cooke, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the National Hockey League, and anyone else upset by my Cooke comments.

— Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) April 20, 2013

It takes class to recognize your mistake and publicly apologize for it before most others do. And it was undoubtedly sincere.

But that wasn't before - nor did it stop - the self-righteous internet from trying to storm the high ground. Interwebbers went after Edwards, as soon as many of them Googled Sirhan Sirhan.

One national post criticizing Edwards went so far as to link to Sirhan's "Wikipedia" page.

Nothing like going right to source, Woodward. Who said journalism was dead?

Edwards is bombastic, emotional and a Bruins' fan. That's why his broadcasts are so enjoyable on NESN. He also grew up in New Hampshire and is old enough to remember the death of Robert Kennedy. Does anyone honestly think he believes the hit Cooke put on Savard equates the death of the third Kennedy brother?

Ridiculous.

He gets a pass on this one, as would anyone after what he and the rest of Boston and those close to it have gone through in the past week.

Freedom to speak, freedom to offend, freedom to apologize, freedom to forgive.

Deal with it, haters.

Perhaps the Bruins should apologize for their play of late - even though they were haunted by Jarome Iginla - whose goal was the difference in Saturday's 3-2 loss.

Meanwhile, fans will continue to tune into Edwards and follow the Bruins - for as long as they play this spring.

And the Celtics, and Red Sox into the fall, and Patriots - via the draft this week and beyond.

Because sports matter. They give us reason to get happy, sad, glad and angry over things that don't matter.

Because they connect and unify us in a way that nothing else quite can.

Because this is Boston.

"Our F--king City."

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer is one of three drivers for Michael Waltrip Racing who replaced the number on the side of their car with Boston Marathon bibs Friday to honor the victims and their families in Monday's bombings.

The drivers debuted their new number schemes before practice for the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway and will use it all weekend.

Bowyer's No. 15 Marathon bib is on the side of his 5-Hour Energy Toyota.

So glad @55markmartin is putting this on his car. #NASCAR #boston twitter.com/88deevo88/stat…

— Dev (@88deevo88) April 19, 2013

Waltrip ran the Boston Marathon in 2000 and drove the No. 26 car in the Daytona 500 for Swan Racing that honored the victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings "It was a great moment of pride when they pinned the Boston Marathon bib on me," he told the Associated Press. "So it would be great to pin bib numbers on our races cars this week in Kansas."

Swan Racing will also honor the victims with a special "Prayers for Boston" paint scheme.

Prayers for Boston #nascar #NASCARstrong #PrayersForBoston twitter.com/SwanRacingCo/s…

— Swan Racing (@SwanRacingCo) April 19, 2013

Tara Davis, a Boston native and wife of Swan Racing owner Brandon Davis, said, "Boston is a strong, united community and will not be intimidated."

Driver of the No. 30 "Prayers for Boston" Toyota, David Stremme, said, "The NASCAR community rallies together in times of need. Hopefully, we can help add a little comfort with our message of 'Prayers for Boston' on the car."

Meanwhile, another part of the NASCAR family was personally affected by the loss of Sean Collier.

@daleearnold this is the hero you speak of with a friend who played ice hockey at BC twitter.com/mulassis/statu…

— Eileen Schwalm (@mulassis) April 19, 2013

Collier, 26 is the heroic MIT police officer who was killed Thursday night in Cambridge by the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Collier's brother, Andrew, is a machinist in the Hendrick Motorsports engine department. Andrew, 25, joined Hendrick Motorsports in September 2008.

Our hearts go out to the Collier family. RT @teamhendrick: Hendrick Motorsports statement: ow.ly/kejue

— Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) April 19, 2013

"We ask that the family’s privacy be considered during this difficult time," HMS said in a statement.

Sean Collier lived in Somerville.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Unexpected.

Unbelievable.

The only thing better than Rene Racourt singing the National Anthem Wednesday night happened...everyone signing the National Anthem before the Boston Bruins game at TD Garden.

Boston didn't disappoint. As if you ever thought it would?

Think of this as you try and get through whatever it is you're dealing with - including the emotion of Thursday's interfaith service.

Liz Walker, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Methodios and Mayor Menino batting 1-2-3.

Only in Boston, baby.

All-in.

Just like at the Garden, Wednesday night.

Rene handled the first 13 words, the Garden crowd handled the rest.

First, the NBC video version that we all saw:

But NBC didn't have the only cameras capturing this historic rendition.

Hundreds of clips of the Anthem filled You Tube by Thursday morning. Most of the clips on You Tube were ripped versions of the TV feed, but there were video cameras and smartphones were capturing the moment - or two - throughout the Garden.

These fans were able to convey the view from the cheap and not-so-cheap seats.

This clip - shot by You Tube user Dan Nadeau from right along the glass in the corner on ice level offers the full pre-game ceremony and a terrific feel for what it was like to be a fan in the Garden stands. Along with a bit of the sing-along - up close and personal

Another You Tube user, Geoffrey Blass, gave us this perspective.

Here was the view and acoustics from the Garden press box, via WEEI's Mike Petraglia:

From the loge seats:

Some folks were just a little off (Francis Scott) Key. The look on the face of the boy in this clip is priceless. Hopefully, the memory of all that BostonStrong will be seared into his memory whenever he gets scared about what happened on Monday.

It did sound a lot better from the rafters:

Maybe this guy started the "USA" and "Let's Go Boston" chants? In any case, next time, horizontal, please...

Same here, but another good job, good effort when it came to signing the anthem.

OK, I give up on the whole horizontal thing. The crowd came through loud and clear - no matter the shape of the image.

"Massachusetts invented America," Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday.

Got that one right, governor.

And its people showed the world how to do the National Anthem Wednesday night.

Well done, Boston.

Well done.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.

Fans forever.

Martin Richard and Krystle Campbell.

How many of us have taken the same photo?

Every parent I know has done with their son or daughter on that first trip to Fenway, the Garden or Gillette Stadium.

"Stand right there so I can get the Monster in the background."

I have the photos of my son at all three.

And it's not always kids.

Standing up at the Garden - with your Celtics or Bruins shirt. Perhaps during the warmups, a time out or after a Celtics or Bruins victory.

Sneaking down to the first row at Fenway. Past the old crusty ushers, either flashing them a smile or - back in the day - a buck or two - to get down and get that moment when you're thisclose to Yaz/Rice/Clemens/Pedro/Ortiz/Pedroia.

Proof that indeed, you were there.

Tonight at the Garden, we will all be there - either in person or watching on NBC Sports Channel.

Rene Rancourt's national anthem will be one for the You Tube books.

And all that emotion Boston has held back the past two days will come pouring forth from thousands of fans in person and millions across the country.

Richard and Campbell were murdered (ugly word but apt) Monday at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Their only crime was that they were fans who wanted to be there.

The tearful remarks from Campbell's mother in Medford were unbearable to witness, as were the reactions of neighbors and friends of the Richard family in Dorchester.

Although she grew up in Somervile and Medford, Campbell lived in Arlington in the final months of her way-too-short life. Based on the accounts from her family and friends, and the digital legacy she left on Facebook and elsewhere, it's an honor for both cities and the town to claim her.

News of her death did not come via ABC bulletin, @BostonGlobe or the lastest updates from WBZ or Fox News. It came via a Facebook post - put up before Campbell's name was officially confirmed. Campbell's former employer - the Summer Shack restaurant - and her gym of choice - Hordon Health - also posted messages of mourning.

Campbell's death hit home - literally. There have now been five terror attacks on American soil in the past 20 years - the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, 9-11, the shootings at Fort Hood and the Boston Marathon bombings. I can now say that there was a victim from my hometown of Arlington.

Unlucky her.

Campbell worked as a manager at Jimmy's Steer House, which is one of the oldest "sit down" (as we used to call it) restaurants in Arlington. That means it's not a pizza place. Jimmy's has been around since the Nixon administration and is as Arlington as Spy Pond, the No. 77 Mass. Ave bus or multiple Dunkin' Donuts locations. Because she worked at Jimmy's, she came into contact with thousands of people a week, including my sister-in-law this past Friday night.

Among the others she came into contact with during her 29 years - her 30th birthday would be next month - was Judi Shaw, a family friend, who was from Arlington but now lives in Milford.

"Krystle was a shining light. A spirit of happiness and hope and optimism. All who knew her were attracted to her beautiful smile and loving heart," Shaw said Tuesday.

This 2009 video from Campbell's days at the Summer Shack also offers a glimpse of her spirit.

Here's a portion of the tribute posted by Hordon Health:

Krystle was seldom caught not smiling, and not expressing her opinion. She was beautiful, she was loud, and everyone loved her for it. Along with the million dollar smile came head to toe freckles and gorgeous bright red hair, connecting her Irish roots and kid-like manor; it was easy to feel ten years younger around her, no matter who you were. She had tremendous passion and energy, and Krystle attacked life with vigor and excitement.

Opinionated, loud, passionate, energetic, Irish.

My God, if that isn't your textbook definition of a Boston sports fan - I don't know what is.

And she was indeed beautiful, to boot.

It was that passion that drew her to the finish line of the Marathon - again - on Monday as it had done every year since she was a girl. As both a fan of Boston, sports and - this time - to cheer on her a friend's boyfriend crossing the finish line.

Richard, reports say, was an all-too-typical "All-American" 8-year-old Dorchester boy who was "always chasing a ball."

A neighbor told The Globe that Richard and his brother were always in the family’s backyard, playing soccer, hockey, or baseball.

His entire family was at the finish line.

Like so many other families.

His mother and younger sister remained hospitalized Tuesday. That, too, is all too common in Boston these days.

Boston began its long journey back Tuesday. The first-place Red Sox did their share to help divert our eyes, trouncing Terry Francona and the Indians 7-2.

For those who want to get involved personally, a "Run For Boston" Facebook page organized by the BCS Marathon in College Station, Texas, was launched Tuesday and had more than 11,000 Facebook likes in seven hours.

The page is asking runners everywhere to "gather in groups of any size, wear blue and yellow and run together as a sign of solidarity for the people and runners of Boston." They also ask that you or your group take a photo with the words "Run For Boston" and Wednesday's date - 4/17 - and post it on "Run for Boston" Facebook page.

The Bruins return to the ice Wednesday night at the Garden against Buffalo, Boston's first big public pro sporting event since Monday's attacks.

The lines will be long, security will be tight, the tension before the game will be stomach churning. There will be nervous buzz around the Garden all afternoon. Each loud noise will turn heads.

The crowd will be orderly, almost reverent. No one wants to be the first DB to get arrested for being too drunk or acting like a jackass less than three days after the city - and nation - was ripped apart.

Do you take the kids? Do you bring the wife/girlfriend/significant other? Do you go yourself?

Knowing Boston and having two siblings who are members the Boston Garden Club - the answers will be a solid "yes" across the board.

Everyone at the Garden tonight will be fans just like Martin Richard and Krystle Campbell.

#BostonStrong

Forever.

As always, let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here, on our Obnoxious Boston Fan Facebook page, on Twitter @realOBF or e-mail me at obnoxiousbostonfan@hotmail.com.