Hook Slide Kelly: Place to be

So many bars so little time. Lowell is known for its down town bar scene sporting dozens of bars in a rather small area. With all the college students and local residents enjoying these establishments; these bars can get rowdy, crowded, and suffocating.

According to many; some bars just aren’t big enough however, one bar named Hook Slide Kellys seems to have the right idea. "Hook Slides is the place to go. Thursday nights at Hook Slide Kelly’s are great,” said Tim Baroni, of Lowell.

Other share the same opinion, “I enjoy going out, but I do not enjoy fighting my way through a crowd every time I need to use the bathroom. Hook Slide’s is one of the only bars that has easy bathroom access,” said Mike Fernandez, of Billerica.

With other bars overcrowding themselves beyond capacity simple tasks such as using the bathroom can become quite daunting. Hook Slides sets up their bathroom in the back down a hallway that at first seems incontinent, but in fact allows a much better flow of traffic.

“The first time I went to Hook Slides I had no idea where the bathroom was. It was like a maze. After I figured it out, I realized how convent it really was,” said Baroni.

According to many getting a drink can also be a very difficult task while at many of the Lowell bars. “Getting a drink can be very hard, I found that Hook Slides does a decent job of serving their customers, but any where you go it’s not easy,” said Fernandez.

Although Hook Slide Kellys service is about the same as the surrounding bars, their set up allows for easier travel to and from the bar. “Well they have the dance floor in the back; then I nice long bar on the right side, and tables on the left. Every area is wide and open unlike most bars in the area,” said Jackie Spry, of Wilmington.

The wide open set-up Hook Slide’s provides allows everyone to have fun, while still allowing personal space. Hook Slide’s also has one of the bigger dance floors of any Lowell bar attracting a younger crowd.

“I love to dance and have fun. Besides the Brewery, Hook Slides has the best area to dance that I’ve seen in Lowell,” said Spry.

Some people hold their allegiances to other bars in the area, “I like the dub [Dubliner], it is always filled with college kids and is right downtown,” said Steve Johnson, of Wilmington. “Hook Slides only fills up on Thursdays, and sometimes they don’t let people in, which can be aggravating to get caught outside”.

No bar seems to be without its flaws, but Hook Slide Kellys seems to be as close as it’s going to get around the Lowell area. With so many bars to choose from going out is easy. Lowell clearly has a great spot for college students to unwind, and have a good time.

No matter what bar you prefer; it is clear that Hook Slide Kellys is definitely worth spending some time in.

Bruins Struggles Continue

The Boston Bruins lost another tough game in the final two minutes of the third period, as Vaclav Prospal beat Manny Fernandez for the go ahead and eventual game winning goal. The worst part about this loss was that it was too the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are currently ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Bruins Coach Claude Julien had other thoughts "I think if all the cards were aligned, I don't think they be in the bottom of the league. You just have to look at the guys that they have up front. There’s a lot of fire power there" said Julien reports http://espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290222020.

The Lightening is a talented team and deserves credit for putting on a great show, but it was a game the Bruins should have won. Just like many of their other losses on this slump, the Bruins out shot and outplayed Tampa Bay for the duration of the game, and just couldn't hold defensively.

Ever since giving a game up late to Philadelphia back on February 7th, the Bruins seem to be in a rut they cannot climb out of. They have lost six of their last seven and have only been out shot in two of the six loses.
Who’s To Blame

It is very easy to point the finger at the Bruins offense considering they have been shut out twice during this slump; however the offense is not to blame. The Bruins have out shot four of the six opponents they have fallen to while dominating offensively, out shooting Philly 37-30, New Jersey 31-18, Florida 41-29, and Tampa 43-18. While only being out shot in loses to San Jose 31-30, and Nashville 25-31. Over those six loses the Bruins out shot their opponents 207-157 and had 10 goals to show for it over the 6 games.

This shows their offense has hit a bit of a cold streak, but over those same six games the defense has given up 19 goals. This averages over three goals a game given up by bad decisions and bad goal tending. The combination of All-star Tim Thomas and back up Manny Fernandez seems to struggling along with the rest of the defense.

This is a very bad sign for the future, because the Bruins are built on defense and toughness. The reason they took Montreal to game seven last year was because of defense, and the reason they are on the top of the Eastern Conference is directly related to their defensive play thus far. So as the Bruins defense stumbles the rest of the team will continue to fall.

For all the Bruins fans out there don’t sell your season tickets quite yet as long as Coach Claude Julien is at the helm the defense remains a very fixable problem.

Suns Get Rondoed

No Kevin Garnett, no problem, Celtics still have Rondo. On his 23rd birthday Rajon Rondo decided it was a good time to show off his talent against a very hot Phoenix Suns team. Not only scoring a game high 32 points, but also leading the team in assists, steals, and rebounds.
Rondo again showed his ability to dominate one of the best point guards in the game in Steve Nash, and with the help of Ray Allen, was able to make some team history in the process. As the two guards lit up the scoreboard all night, becoming the first Celtics backcourt duo to score 30 plus points each since 1977. After starting the year off strong Rondo looked as though he had a chance at the All Star game, but his struggles lately knocked him out of the voting. After his showing in Phoenix, it seems those struggles have gone away, and at a time when the Celtics need him the most with Garnett out.
With Rondo showing what he can do, I do not expect the Celtics to show much of a drop off with Garnett out of the lineup. With Garnett out the Celtics have posted a 12 and 2 record in the past, and there is no reason why they can't do it again. http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290222021 reports, Rondo feels the same way "guys step up and play thier roles even better when kevin is out" Rondo said after his career night. Although there will be a drop in the defensive play, the offense should continue on with Rondo, Allen and Peirce leading the way. Over the next few weeks watch for Perkins and Scalabrine to step up defensively. Also watch for big baby Davis and Leon Powe to see substantial playing time with Garnett's absence.