Bruins better hope Thomas’ concern for Middle East isn’t distraction
Thomas/By S. Bradley
BOSTON — The day before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final with your team down 1-0 probably isn’t the best time to “put things in perspective.”
But that’s what Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas tried to do today as he talked after practice about getting mentally prepared for the Bruins’ must-win game tomorrow night at the TD Garden.
“I think you should get mentally prepared. It can get all-consuming but I don’t think really that’s the right way to go,” he said. “These hockey games are important, they’re important to us, they’re important to the city, but to be realistic, it is just a game. You look around at what’s going on in the world right now, Israel was attacked on numerous fronts yesterday. It can really make you put it in perspective.”
Well, Timmy, thanks for your concern for the state of Israel. But there have been horrible things going on in the world for centuries and yet the NHL exists and you’re being paid pretty handsomely — $5 million a season — to stop a puck and reward the people that pay hundreds of bucks to see you play in person and on television with a victory.
So, yes, a hockey game isn’t war. But it is important when it’s your livelihood. I’m not sure if Thomas was just making a convenient excuse for himself should things not go his way in this series, or maybe he’s just belittling us media types whose job it is to chronicle his every move and his team’s every game and take it seriously.
Sorry Timmy, we all can’t have the courage to go report from the Middle East. Just like some of us have a talent to get paid millions to play a sport while teachers and factory workers are getting laid off. Sports is big business partly because of the media granting so much attention to the games and players and asking questions that fans want answers to, regardless of how insignificant you think they are.
That’s the way the world works. Hopefully thinking about the 2012 presidential race won’t make you miss the next Brett Clark backhander.
thanks patrickD, i’ve just recently discovered this blog. not sure i’ll stick with it, but that does change the prospective a bit.
@ PatrickD what’s ESL, I eat my fries french, I couldn’t figure it out, Désolé.
@Bru…MK has always said he reporst on the Bruins…he isn’t a fan. And I think that is what makes this blog so good.
Folks-
Please be aware of the comments policy that’s linked on the left. I cannot permit any profanity. So “RuggedRyan” consider yourself blocked fro this site.
MK
There are Kalmans from Hungary that are of jewish faith. I doubt they are anti-semites. Insinuating someone is Anti-Semite for no reason is just plain wrong. These two days would have flown by if the B’s won Saturday. Instead we’re fighting like bored siblings.
sometimes i can’t tell if MK is a fan of the bruins. thomas comes across as a pretty thoughtful down to earth guy in interviews. that’s just one more thing i like about it. he can say whatever the hell he wants to about how he prepares for a game. do yoga, perform tantric sex, write an essay on pakastan, i don’t care. he’s one of the best goalies in the league. thank god he plays for the bruins.
Good Lord, Matt. I love your site and your reporting, but come on. I don’t remember you getting your panties in a bunch after the B’s went down 0-2 to the Habs and Thornton said something like: “this isn’t pressure; losing your job and trying to keep your kids in shoes is pressure.” Thornton was correct then and Thomas is correct now: no one’s life (not even TT’s) hinges on how Thomas plays. And I’m convinced that no one in the world wants Thomas to play brilliantly tonight more than Thomas does.
This was a stupid column. A player can’t be aware of world events? Tim Thomas won’t be ready for game 2 because he’s focused on Israel? I can’t believe you made an issue out of this.
Reporter to Marv Levy before Super Bowl: Coach is this a must win
Levy: WWII was a must win. This is a football GAME.
Let Timmy be.
I read this piece and was at first a little choked at TTs recycling of the Fox News Perspective the “Isreaal had been attacked”. Yeah attacked by a bunch of marchers protesting the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land 60 years ago. Only way to deal with that is to start shooting…Then MK bugged with with his comments. ( I agree with Dr. Peter…he is just trying to relieve the pressure). Then some of the comments were so silly they were making me mad. Then I read Bernard Gilbert’s and as always his stream of conscious, ESL, typo riddled, historical/biblical referenced craziness made me smile. And all is right in the world. Go Bruins go!
Oh my god – half of you don’t know a thing about HOCKEY – please don’t start commenting on world affairs!
Tim should reread the Versailles treaty and then comment not. Everything Israel is stems from that declaration of war document that lead to the Zion lead world community we all know of nowadays. Keep digging King David diggers. At the expense of the rest of humanity, so what… So silly….
P.S. There were no MDW found in Irak and Georges Bush was not reelected.
Sheesh. Big deal. If there is one Bruin who is amped and ready for every game we’ve seen him play, I would have to say it’s Thomas. Clearly he is just trying not to be overly amped, which is exactly what might lead to the kind of weak goals that would give everyone a real reason to come after him. This is a guy that knows he’s got a lot riding on him–he’s dedicated his life to be in this position, and he’s old enough to know he won’t get many (if any) more chances to be here. He’s just doing what he can to be mentally ready for the challenge. In short, like Dr. Peter said above, I don’t think he was trying to put things in perspective for writers or fans. I think he was trying to explain how he’s approaching the series himself.
Just what this liberal state needs a anti-semite sports writer. Going after the goalie who is the main reason your in the playoffs is truly an act of idiocy. Why can’t you go after the real reason the Bruins sucked in the last game. Its the coach and his pet players. If only sports writers in this town had as much savy as the I.D.F.
Wow, the sporting world’s 4th estate is upset about a player’s “perspective” statement. Blame the schedule for ‘nothing new to add’ by the players to the same questions the last 3 days.
Does the media expect a different answer to the same question(s) because a certain reporter asked it?
Cut him some slack Matt. He, like all the B’s, Lightning, Sharks, and Canucks players, are just tired of having a microphone in their face day after day. There are pros and cons of being a pro athlete and dealing with the press is definitely a con.
His comments had absolutely no place. Oh and by the way, our own American soldiers have been getting killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for several years now. When is the last time he stopped to put things in perspective for them? Why is it he has to use the example he used, are our own troops that are getting killed not more important than a non-event in Israel? Besides, who says Israel was attacked? These people were protesting their displacement from their land, so I am not quite sure I would call that an attack Israel? I think it would be better for him to focus on hockey, and if he is to talk about war etc.., I think our American soldiers are far more important than any other country’s issues.
NOBODY CARES, MK/TT.
…is game 2 here yet?!
Thanks for the perspective, Stu
Ok, I don’t know what tone of voice Thomas used or if he’s made comments like that to you before, but you seem a bit overly sensitive to this one. It wasn’t a rant or anything. Maybe he was just feeling a bit cranky. He’s human, he’s allowed to have a bad day once in a while. Even with the media.
Agreed Matt, sounds like he is getting an excuse ready in the case of a poor game 2. Just play the game Timmy and leave the perspectives to us.
I am peeved Pierre.
Next time Thomas has a great game, we should all go “Timmy great game, but that’s nothing compared to what the Navy Seals did.” I mean really, do we need Tim Thomas to put things in perspective. It’s just a dumb statement and a bit of a slap at the media, saying none of this is important.
MK
Thank goodness we have jocks to patronize us. Who else in our lives could give us such enligtening perspective?
Matt, please relax–Timmy is using the strategy of “putting things into perspective”, which helps athletes to alleviate the pressure, knowing that hockey isn’t the be-all-end-all in the world…So cool down buddy!
Very disappointed to hear Timmy saying something so ridiculous as this. Look, it doesn’t have any place in the interview, but it’s pathetic to hear him talk about something he so obviously knows little about. How was it that Israel was attacked when they killed 20 unarmed protestors commemorating the expulsion of Palestinians from Israeli territory during the founding of the Israeli state? Why are we even talking about this in this forum?
Please Tim… Now we’ll know what your thinking about if you let in another brutal, game-killing goal like the second goal in game one.
Ouch, little peevish MK, don’t ya think?