SPORTSTALKNY

The Spark Ignites!

2009-03-03T14:07:00.002-05:00

Sean Avery has returned to the New York Rangers as he was claimed off waivers by his former team. Avery is a huge help to the Rangers and this should greatly help the Rangers as they attempt to maintain a playoff spot and make a run in the playoffs.

Avery is the heart and soul of the team. He provides a great spark. There is just one difference this time around. The spark may not just be on the ice.

Earlier in the season, Tortorella called Avery "an embarrassment to the game." So Avery and Tortorella may not get along so well and Tortorella may not want to use Avery the way us Ranger fans want him to be used and how he has been used in the past. Tortorella is not a fan of Avery's "nonsense." Ranger fans know he needs to be on the ice as much as possible and he needs to get in the heads of the other players.

So we know Avery ignites a spark on the ice, we just need to hope that Tortorella chooses to continue that and also hope that that spark does not carry over into the locker room.

But for right now, this was huge for the Rangers and greatly needed.

It could be argued if Avery was a Ranger prior to the firing of Tom Renney, Tom Renney may still be the coach.

Oh well.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Jets Land Bart Scott / Lito Sheppard

2009-03-01T00:11:00.003-05:00

The New York Jets may not have a QB but they are adding strength elsewhere, especially their defense. The Jets have added Bart Scott to their group of linebackers to a 5 year 42 million dollar deal. Rex Ryan will know how to coach Scott and he also adds a lot of depth to the Jets linebacking core. Good signing.

The Jets went further and also acquired Lito Sheppard. That is huge. Sheppard is an incredibly talented defensive back. The Jets had to give up just a 5th round pick for him and a conditional pick. Essentially this is a one-year tryout with the Jets. Sheppard will receive $3 million in 2009 - his scheduled salary - but he's due a $10 million option bonus on the fifth day of the 2010 league year. That should force a re-negotiation or release, which will get Sheppard on the free agent market like he wants.

But he should perform well with the Jets and as long as he is cooperative, they can sign a little extension after the 2009 season.

An excellent last couple of days for the Jets.

Now they need a QB...

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Giants Land Michael Boley

2009-03-01T00:07:00.002-05:00

The New York Giants have signed Linebacker Michael Boley to a 5 year deal worth 25 million dollars. This was a great signing for the Giants as even with their strong defense, their Linebacking core was always one of the weaker links. The Giants defense should be a good fit for Boley.

So with Pierce in the middle and Boley and possibly Kiwanuka on the ends along with Umenyiora back up front with Justin Tuck, the Giants can still hold their title as one of the best defenses in the league.

Hopefully Bill Sheridan can keep everything together.

Well John Tortorella has received his first win as a Ranger. Of course, the common theme continues. When Drury and Gomez both score, the Rangers win. But they were not the only two to score. Naslund, Zherdev, Callahan, and Prucha also received goals in the 6-1 win over the Avalanche at Madison Square Garden.

All the Rangers that fans love and want to score did in fact score. We all of Prucha, Callahan, Gomez, Drury, and Zherdev. Naslund is whatever but in the end it was a much needed win and a big win.

Hopefully this gives the Rangers some momentum moving forward. Lundqvist had another outstanding day allowing just 1 goal.

Lundqvist should be incredibly angry with the team but after tonight, he should be very happy. This was a textbook game. Lundqvist is a great goalie. One of the best in the league and even with all the losses Lundqvist has shown that. The Rangers have a lot of offensive talent, and scoring 6 goals every so often should not be out of their reach.

Good Job boys.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Big Win for the Rangers

2009-03-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

Well John Tortorella has received his first win as a Ranger. Of course, the common theme continues. When Drury and Gomez both score, the Rangers win. But they were not the only two to score. Naslund, Zherdev, Callahan, and Prucha also received goals in the 6-1 win over the Avalanche at Madison Square Garden.

All the Rangers that fans love and want to score did in fact score. We all of Prucha, Callahan, Gomez, Drury, and Zherdev. Naslund is whatever but in the end it was a much needed win and a big win.

Hopefully this gives the Rangers some momentum moving forward. Lundqvist had another outstanding day allowing just 1 goal.

Lundqvist should be incredibly angry with the team but after tonight, he should be very happy. This was a textbook game. Lundqvist is a great goalie. One of the best in the league and even with all the losses Lundqvist has shown that. The Rangers have a lot of offensive talent, and scoring 6 goals every so often should not be out of their reach.

Good Job boys.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Tortorella... 2 games, 2 losses, 2 goals

2009-02-26T22:52:00.002-05:00

Ok so ummmm this offensive minded coach in John Tortorella is not really working. Maybe the coach was not the problem. It is clearly not a wake up call. And this can't make Tom Renney any madder. This team is still this 1 goal scoring team per game and they continue to lose and the firing seems pointless.

Yes it is only 2 games but come on. Time to wake up. Time to play some hockey!

Naslund scored the goal for the Rangers this time. Where are the offensive weapons?!?! Drury, Gomez, Dubinsky. Where are they?!?!!?

You can't ask for better goaltending performances. It is not fair. Giving up 2 goals night after night should lead to wins!

At this rate, the Rangers have zero chance of making the playoffs.

Pathetic.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Tortorella... 1 game, 1 goal, 1 point, 1 loss

2009-02-25T22:12:00.003-05:00

John Tortorella in his first game as Rangers head coach in 2009 could not produce more offense than Tom Renney. Tortorella who was supposed to help the Rangers offense, and who has a style that is supposed to fit Drury and Gomez well, failed in his first attempt as the Rangers fell to the Maple Leafs in a shootout. The game went to overtime tied at 1. Of course, the Rangers 1 goal was scored by defensemen Wade Redden. How Ironic.

The Rangers' wake up call went unheard. Better luck next time.

ugh.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Tattoo Removal

2009-02-24T20:52:00.000-05:00

It looks as though the long saga is finally over. Stephon Marbury and the Knicks have agreed on a buyout, meaning Marbury is free to sign with any team. In fact, word on the street is that Steph has already committed to signing with the Boston Celtics.

Knicks fans can now rejoice, as every team that Stephon has ever left has gotten better. The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals post-Stephon. The Nets were back to back NBA finalists A.M. (After Marbury), and the Phoenix Suns increased their win total by about a billion after Stephon's dismissal. So yes Virginia, there may be better times ahead for the New York Knicks.

Celtics fans? They may want to duck, as the biggest question regarding the franchise killer might be how to change that tattoo on his head, as 3 and 33 are retired by the club.

(But imagine if Stephon actually hits a buzzer beater to put the Celtics in the finals for the second straight season ... that would be enough to drive a Knicks fan to drink, or perhaps consider hurling himself off a bridge.)

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Renney Fired!

2009-02-23T14:04:00.002-05:00

Well I have been calling for drastic changes and here it is. Tom Renney, the head coach of the Rangers has been fired. Assistant coach Perry Pearn was fired right along with him. Hopefully this will be a wake up call for the Rangers. Mike Pelino and Benoit Allaire will remain on the coaching staff.

We will see who the Rangers name as the next head coach.

TIME TO WAKE UP RANGERS!

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Knicks Newbies Not Impressive

2009-02-23T11:01:00.003-05:00

Chris Wilcox and Larry Hughes got their first action for the Knicks against the Toronto Raptors. As both players are trying to get into game shape and fit themselves into Mike D'Antoni's fast paced offense, both players combined for just 8 points. Wilcox scored 5 and Hughes scored 3.

The Knicks did not give up much to acquire these players so we will just wait and see if they can make an adjustment. Not a great debut though. The Knicks gave up Malik Rose, Tim Thomas, and Jerome James for the couple of players.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Jeter Sore Hamstring Could Mean More Than You Think

2009-02-23T10:56:00.002-05:00

Derek Jeter is sitting out of spring training for a little while with a sore hamstring. No big deal right? Well normally I would agree. And there certainly is a great chance this is no big deal. Most likely, Jeter's hamstring will heal, no longer, be sore and Jeter will again be up and about playing baseball at 100%.

But let us think for a second. Jeter has of course been injured before but it was injuries like the dislocated shoulder which occurred from a slide into third base.

But when was the last time Derek Jeter had a hamstring injury? Well as far as I can remember, and I could be wrong, the answer is never. Jeter has never had an injury like this. So what does it mean? Well I think that Jeter is getting older. And Jeter is getting older. That is how the world works. You get one year older every year.

This sore hamstring could possibly mean that Jeter's body can no longer handle the day to day baseball activities as well as it used to be able to. Yankee fans must hope that more hamstring injuries do not come and that this does not mean that Derek Jeter's body is starting to break down due to old age.

Just something to ponder.....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rangers... Tisk Tisk Tisk

2009-02-23T10:52:00.003-05:00

The Rangers continue to struggle. After a win against the Islanders in dead last, the Rangers continue to struggle scoring as they lost to the Sabres 4-2 and then the Maple Leafs 3-2 the next night in overtime. Bathgate/Howell night was not inspiring enough to lead the Rangers to a win against the Maple Leafs. The late game tying goal with under a minute left in the third period, did not give them any momentum either as the Rangers did fall to a short handed 4 on 3 in overtime.

The Rangers continue to be incredibly pathetic. They are on the verge of losing a playoff spot and and this rate they will not get back in.

It is time to do something drastic. What will it be....?

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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And I am Right Again!

2009-02-18T22:43:00.003-05:00

So once again, after I make a "RE" post I am correct. The last time I made a "RE" post, I said that if Drury and Gomez can perform the Rangers are in good hands. Well last time, Gomez and Drury both scored and the Rangers both won.

And yet again, I make the "RE" post. Drury gets 3 assists and Gomez scores 1 goal in the Rangers 3-1 win over the New York Islanders. Maybe a win over the Islanders is not saying much but it was a much needed win and Drury and Gomez played very well.

It is important for Drury and Gomez to keep their play consistent and at a high level and the Rangers will be fine like I expressed in the past!

This does not necessarily change the opinions towards Tom Renney. And I do believe he is a good coach. But again, we may want to wait it out.

The Rangers rank dead last in Goals For Average.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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RE: So It's Drastic Changes You Want ...

2009-02-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

And just when I thought I was the only person contributing to this blog, Metstradamus has chosen to give me a piece of my own medicine. Well played sir!

Now one must keep in mind that I am not against having Illya Kovalchuck but you do not want to give up too much. I and many other Ranger fans love Brandon Dubinsky and he has become a bit of a fighter and a boost of energy. Now of course I don't need to defend Dubinsky and if we compared straight numbers, of course Kovalchuck comes way out on top.

But also keep in mind, that in the article where I mentioned I may be a genius, I was still 100% correct. If Drury and Gomez play to their full potential every game and score goals, the Rangers are in good hands.

Also, we did not expect the Rangers to be nearly as good as how they were playing. But it is appropriate to panic. The Rangers do need to get Sean Avery though. That is important. He should provide a huge boost for the team.

Also, there is a lot of talk about "Tom Renney taking the fall for Glen Sather." And sure Tom Renney has had success with the Rangers but, us fans would prefer more success. I think that a change would not be so wrong and would hopefully also be a wakeup call to the team.

So yes I have called for drastic change, possibly the firing of Renney, and certainly signing Avery. And I did say something must be done at the trade deadline but it must be smart. And not just smart for this year or next year but for the long haul.

Let us wait and see....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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So It's Drastic Changes You Want ...

2009-02-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

With the Rangers recent struggles, it seems that there are now calls for drastic changes, and calls for a big move at the trading deadline.

Hmmm.

I seem to remember having suggested a fairly drastic move about six weeks ago in this space, having explored the possibility of bringing Ilya Kovalchuk to New York. The price might have been somewhat steep, but it was something I felt might have been worth pursuing.

Upon having made that suggestion, I was told to have "patience" (along with being publicly being sent to the Principal's office for not signing my name to these posts ... sorry, I just can't shake the rebel out of me). I was then proven wrong once and for all when the Rangers won their next game, proving once and for all that the Rangers were fine and dandy and that we can go about our patient lives, blah blah blah.

Except that now it's six weeks later and, lo and behold, the Rangers are not fine and dandy. They can't score, they have no game changing defenseman (at least not one who changes the game in the Rangers favor), and a good coach is most likely going to take the fall for a GM that has put together a flawed roster with cap issues (and don't think that it's merely coincidence that this has happened since Don Maloney left for Phoenix.) Oh, and they're also sinking like a rock in the standings with a tough schedule coming up.

So my question is this: should I still be patient? Or is it okay to push the panic button right about now?

It gives me no pleasure that the Rangers are in this position. Believe me, I would rather be wrong and have the Rangers in first place than to have been proven to be somewhat prescient and have the Rangers playing the way they're playing. And I still hope to be proven wrong by this team, who have about three weeks until the trade deadline to turn the ship around and save some jobs and some careers in New York. But the proof is in the pudding that the Rangers have made the last six weeks ... and the pudding tastes awful. And if there is a way that the Rangers can make a drastic move (and I'm not sure that's possible with the cap situation the way it is), perhaps a trade for Kovalchuk is worth looking into.

But what do I know? I'm certainly no genius.

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Lack of Rangers Offense (again) Leads to Rangers Loss (again)

2009-02-16T21:41:00.002-05:00

The Rangers have now dropped 8 of 9 and this time it was the St. Louis Blues who got the best of them. A 2-1 victory in St. Louis. A much better performance by Henrik Lundqvist but of course the offense could only for the Rangers could only manufacture 1 goal of its own.

The New York Islanders beat the Penguins tonight. It was the Pens first game after their head coach was fired. The Islanders will roll into the Garden on Wednesday.

We always thought the Rangers were a much better team than the Islanders but even so, the Islanders always seem to play the Rangers real tough. Well now with the Isles coming off a win after losing 5 straight, and the Rangers losing 8 of 9, the odds are really not in favor of the New York Islanders.

The Rangers continue to keep falling and falling and falling.

The Tom Renney clock seems to be ticking a bit faster. Drastic moves must be made.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rangers = Pathetic

2009-02-16T10:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday in a nationally televised game, the incredibly awful New York Rangers completely embarrassed themselves in a 5-2 loss with the Flyers. The Rangers have now dropped 7 of 8 including two overtime losses. Lundqvist clearly does not look the same in net. He did not look comfortable in net at all. He seemed the be much slower moving than usual and after giving up a 4th goal, Lundqvist gave way to Steve Valiquette who gave up a goal of his own. The Flyers scored 1 goal in the first period, a goal early in the second, and then 3 more goals in about a 2 minute span.

The Rangers allowed their 14th shorthanded goal while on a 5 on 3 powerplay.

The Rangers need to make a big move at the trading deadline, and get Sean Avery back in a Rangers uniform.

Tom Renney is also on the hot seat.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Abreu Signing Not Good for Yanks

2009-02-12T15:26:00.002-05:00

We all knew Bobby Abreu would not be a Yankee. In fact the Yankees had no interest in pursuing him. But with Abreu signing with the Angels, that is probably the worst place Abreu can sign.

The reason why? The Yankees always have a tough time vs the Angels. Let us just look at some of the stats from 2005-2008.

In 2005, in Yankee Stadium the season series ended in a tie at 3-3. In 2006 at Yankee Stadium, the season series ended at 2-2. In 2007 at the Stadium, the season series ended at 2-4 with the Yankees on the short end. Last year, in the Bronx the season series was tied at 2-2.

In Anaheim in those same years the Yankees were 1-3, 2-4, 1-2, and 1-5 respectively.

So as you can see the Yankees can't even win a series vs the Angels and in Anaheim the Yankees struggle greatly.

The last thing they need is Bobby Abreu adding to the Angels' success against the Yankees.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Favre Says He Will Retire...Again

2009-02-11T10:41:00.003-05:00

Well it is another case of deja vu all over again. Favre's agent supposedly asked the Jets for his immediate release and the Jets declined. Sounds familiar does it not? In the end, Favre told the Jets that he plans to retire. Hmm that seems to be quite familiar sounding as well. Well I don't think we will know that Favre will officially retire until his press conference. Oh wait, that doesn't mean anything either. I guess we will have to wait until the start of next season.

But if Favre retires, I feel that this is good for the Jets. I think it is time for the Jets to draft a big time QB and get their franchise quarterback. It is time to move on. Jet fans should be happy. Yes when Favre came the Jets went from 4-12 to 9-7 but still they did not get into the playoffs.

With a new coach should come a new quarterback and maybe we can see another dominate Jets team like back in the old days. No need for the old guy sitting around. The Jets have a nice core of young players on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball and all that of course coupled with a new coach and potentially solid young QB, it should lead to good things with the Jets.

Brett Favre's potentially last game in the NFL was of course with the Jets in Giants Stadium. Favre and the Jets fell 24-17 to Chad Pennington and the Dolphins. Favre in the game through for a 50% completion percentage completing 20 passes on 40 attempts. He threw for 233 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions.

Certainly not the ideal final game but oh well.

Goodbye Favre. Enjoy your Wrangler Jeans.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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The Worst Decision Ever Made

2009-02-10T16:03:00.002-05:00

Remember the post I made a while back saying the Giants won't be as good next year? Well click here for a refresher.

The Giants have made a decision to add to my point. For pretty much no reason whatsoever the Giants will be going with Lawrency Tynes instead of John Carney next year. Damn that stupid 5 year deal. Because Carney is old (and ignoring the fact he is very efficient) and because Carney got such a dumb contract, Lawrence Tynes will be the starting kicker for the Giants next year.

Without getting into specifics, Tynes is awful. I would prefer someone paralyzed from the waist down. Tynes will lose a guaranteed 4 games for the Giants next year and maybe more.

Even in the above pictures, the Carney picture is so much more lively and colorful. Just a coincidence? I think not!

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Don't Wake Daddy!

2009-02-10T15:45:00.002-05:00

Remember this game? Well the Rangers are playing like the Daddy on top. In fact in this game, the Rangers are winning. In fact, they are doing a stellar job! But unfortunately, hockey does not work that way. And last night the Rangers lost their 5th straight game against the New Jersey Devils. In fact in the last 4 games, the Rangers have been shutout twice and in the other 2 games they scored 3 goals combined. The Rangers are not only heavily struggling but ignoring the 10-2 loss to Dallas (in which Valiquette was in goal), the confidence of Lundqvist will continue to decline despite the fact these games are for the most part not at all his fault.

I am also beginning to think that head coach Tom Renney is on the hot seat. It may be that time to shift our focus to the coaching staff and not necessarily the players.

Now let us see if the Rangers try and get Sean Avery back.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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A-Rod Interview

2009-02-09T19:59:00.003-05:00

Below is the A-Rod interview in its entirety. I just have to say that I hate what Peter Gammons was doing. Anyone who does not notice it was an idiot. Of course everyone was curious how A-Rod would respond to the allegations. It seemed as though once A-Rod made the smart choice of apologizing, he tried to make A-Rod look bad. Asking questions of how he got the steroids or who he got them from trying to get A-Rod to rat other players out and make him look bad. The idea of the interview was to get A-Rod's reaction to the allegations.

He said he was stupid and whatnot and he apologized. The other bogus questions afterward was uncalled for.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Before and After

2009-02-09T16:34:00.004-05:00

OK I am hating the talk about A Rod prior to steroids and A Rod after steroids so let us put that discussion to a sudden halt. Below is a picture of A-Rod as a Mariner and then as a Texas Ranger when he was on the juice.

Now anyone who sees a real significant change is blind. There is barely any change whatsoever. You also have to remember anyone out of High School or College will look somewhat stronger with or without steroids because when you are working out on a more rigorous level with more professional trainers, you are going to be stronger. You cannot be the same strength in High School or College as in the Major Leagues. You will fail miserably so everyone will be stronger. There cannot actually be anyone out there who believes these pictures show a significant change.

If you want to see a significant change, below is the before and after of Barry Bonds.

This is significant. Whether you believe or not he did roids, well he did. Bottom line. Bonds is on the juice. I am not telling you that this particular before and after proves it. But this is a significant change.

A-Rod has not had a significant change.

And also keep in mind what steroids is. Steroids are not magic pills. You know how Popeye the sailor pops in his spinach and his muscles grow instantly? Yeah well that isn't how steroids work. Steroids allow you to build stronger muscles quicker and also expands the capacity your muscles can grow a bit. But just because someone does steroids does not mean he becomes the instant muscle man. It would be nice if it worked that way but it does not.

Without steroids, it may have taken A-Rod a little bit longer to get to the stature he is at but he would have gotten there anyway. But still, the change in stature is rather insignificant.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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A-Rod Shows Class.... Makes the Smart Move

2009-02-09T14:32:00.003-05:00

Alex Rodriguez in an interview with Peter Gammons admitted to doing steroids and was regretful and apologetic for doing so.

A-Rod said he did steroids from 2001 through 2003. If this is true, he never did steroids during a time where he would be punished by the MLB.

However, this was an incredibly smart move by A-Rod to admit and apologize for using steroids.

If we compare Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens with Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte, we see a huge difference. (By the way this was also discussed on Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan after the interview with Bob Papa.)

But bottom line is, Clemens and Bonds continue to deny deny deny and they make appearance after appearance in court and their image is awful.

What do you still hear about Giambi and Pettitte? The answer is nothing. Sure they may be looked upon a little bit differently, but when you come out and apologize you look a lot better.

A-Rod is now in the same boat as Pettitte and Giambi and Yankee fans will be happy to know that (at least if A-Rod is telling the truth), he never did steroids as a Yankee.

Excellent job by A-Rod.

There is still question however about his image as he put up big numbers in those 3 years. But he also has had big numbers in other years and as a Yankee. But hey, just 3 years in the early 2000's? I wouldn't necessarily give him and easy pass, but I do believe he only did steroids during the time period he mentioned and any other numbers he puts up are 100% legitimate.

This admittance should take some of the pressure and heckling off of A-Rod.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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What Does Bob Papa Think of Eli Manning?

2009-02-09T10:59:00.006-05:00

On Sunday night, Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan concluded football season after the Pro Bowl with the voice of the NY Giants, Bob Papa,

About 20 minutes into the episode, Evan Brandoff proposed a question with regards to New York Giants Quarterback. Just an FYI, Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan is my show.

But some may argue that Bob Papa is not a huge fan of Eli Manning. Click the play button below to hear what Mr. Papa had to say. Everything Bob said was fair, but was it too harsh?

To hear the interview in full please visit www.sportsheavenradio.com and click on the past shows page.

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A-rod Steroid Positive

2009-02-07T11:31:00.002-05:00

According to reports told to Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez was tested positive for steroids in 2003 when he was in a Texas Rangers uniform.

No other reports have been filed regarding other steroid use...yet.

In 2003, Major League Baseball had no penalty for doing steroids.

So whatever your stance on A-rod was, well he was at least a steroid user once. He may still be doing it or he may have thought better of himself and quit. For right now we do not know. Keep in mind however, that for the time being all we know is he did steroids in 2003 for the Texas Rangers. It was just that one year on that one team. So for all of you Yankee haters out there, until they prove A-rod has done steroids in a Yankees uniform, I would keep my mouth shut for the time being.

In 2003, Alex hit .298 with 47 homeruns and 118 RBI's. Since coming to the Yankees in 2004, A-rod hit over 47 homeruns twice in 2005 and then in 2007. A-rod was above 118 RBI's 3 times with the Yankees from 2005 through 2007.

Alex Rodriguez's best years of his career exlcuding playoff time was probably during his years in Texas to date.

Stay tuned....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rangers Woes Continue...

2009-02-06T23:39:00.002-05:00

Ummm 10-2? Really? I am sorry but how do you manage to lose a hockey game 10-2? The Rangers after an embarrassing loss in Dallas have now lost 4 games in a row. Lundqvist has a bit of a Flu which is why Valiquette played in Dallas.

But overall, the entire Rangers team has been just incredibly pathetic. Awful display of hockey. They are not scoring goals. The Rangers have scored just 5 goals in the 4 losses and in the last 8 games have scored 15 goals. In those 8 games, they were shutout twice.

On February 4th, I can't remember if I blogged about it but this is from Rotoworld:

New York Rangers head coach Tom Renney was not at all happy with the way the New York Rangers practiced on Wednesday.

The Rangers practiced for 30 minutes before Renney had had enough. He got rid of the pucks and had the players spend the last 30 minutes of practice doing sprints, crossover skating drills and rink-width laps. The punishment practice hopefully hit home for the Rangers. "It's not the first time I've been a part of that, but I guess that's what the coach felt was necessary to get his point across," Markus Naslund said. "We know we have to play better, we know we have to score. If Tom thinks we're not scoring because of a lack of effort, I guess that's why he asked us to skate." It should be interesting to see how the Rangers will respond to this. Their next game is Friday in Dallas.

Source: NY Post

Awful job Rangers. Time to step up.

WAKE UP!

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rejection Feels Good

2009-02-05T22:34:00.002-05:00

I just figured I would throw this very short post out there. The Yankees offered a minor league contract to Andruw Jones which Andruw Jones went on to turn down.

Thank goodness. Andruw Jones is the complete opposite of what the Yankees need right now. Like having Nady, Swisher, Matsui, Damon, Gardner and prospect Austin Jackson isn't enough.

Granted this was a minor league contract, it would be awful for the Yankees to turn to another old washed up outfielder that they do not need.

Hey Yankees, you are on the right track right now sticking with the young Austin Jackson, giving Brett Gardner a chance, keeping the young Cano and keeping your young pitching. No need to try and get Andruw Jones.

And as for you Mr. Jones, thanks for the rejection. It is greatly appreciated.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rangers Honor Graves with Banner Raising but not with Win

2009-02-04T12:15:00.003-05:00

On a very special night at the world's most famous arena, Adam Graves, a legendary Ranger had his number put up in the rafters. (See my post below)

Unfortunately, the Rangers were unable to defeat the Atlanta Thrashers who are currently dead last in the Southeast division and almost dead last in the Eastern Conference sitting atop a team we all know as the New York Islanders.

This was a great game for the most part.... greater than it should have been. There was no score have the first 2 periods as Lehtonen and Lundqvist were fantastic.

It was not too deep in the period before Joseph Motzko gave the Thrashers a 1-0 lead.

And hey you remember that whole Kovalchuck debate a little while back? Well you can click here for the refresher. This was the original Kovalchuck post and the most recent post not written by me. I responded to the post here.

Anyway, with just under a minute left and Lundqvist sitting on the bench Kovalchuck and some room up the right wing. From the blue line he took a shot at the open net to seal the deal. But guess what? The choker missed! So do we know who was right in that Kovalchuck debate above?

So then because of the miss, the Rangers still had a chance and they took full advantage. With 6 skaters on, Markus Naslund received a beautiful pass in the high slot and it went right past Lehtonen.

The game was sent to overtime where after some tough 4 on 4 hockey the game remained time.

So it was shootout time but the Rangers failed to win.

The conclusion? Lundqvist is not the same. He gave up 6 goals in the All-Star game. He gave up 6 goals shortly after against the Penguins. And now in the shootout where we have seen Lundqvist be one of the best, he allowed 2 goals on 3 shots.

Poor job by the Rangers, poor job by Lundqvist.

Not good..... not good.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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#9 to the Rafters!

2009-02-04T12:03:00.006-05:00

Click the beautiful mini white box below to view Adam Graves' career numbers.

Right below it is a video of the banner raising.

And below that is another one of my fantastic blog posts.

Ranger fans finally saw what the wanted to see. Adam Graves' number 9 is up in the rafters. Adam Graves was a nitty gritty kind of player and was of course a member of that legendary 1994 Stanley Cup team. Graves was a Ranger from 1990 through 2001. Earlier in his career, he spent time with the Red Wings and and Oilers and ended his career with the San Jose Sharks. Graves continues to be a big part of the New York Rangers organization whether it be skating around with players or participating in charity events.

Graves will always be in the hearts of Ranger fans as a legend whether people agree or not.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Mets, Perez Agree to Terms

2009-02-02T19:19:00.006-05:00

The Mets have signed Oliver Perez to a 3-year 36 million dollar contract. In 2008, Perez went 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 197 innings pitched. Perez performed extremely well in July and August of last season.

He was not great during the other months but he was alright.

Hey Mets, whatever helps you sleep at night. There is nobody out there who should really criticize the signing. 12 mil a year may be a stretch but its alright. We have seen what Perez can do.

This particular blog post is based solely on this link so I figured it would be appropriate to share it with you.

And thanks ESPN. Nice job!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?playerId=5192

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Cardinals, Commercials, AND Springsteen an Epic Failure

2009-02-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Well the Steelers won the Super Bowl to the surprise of nobody. Arizona did put up a good fight especially in that 4th quarter but in the end they were just a complete failure. I mean all the penalties and such. What a poor job. And then there was of course that second to last play of the game. You know, the one before the kneel down? The fumble by Kurt Warner? Awful job.

Also the commercials. What was up with those. Maybe one or two made you chuckle. But overall what a terrible job. Huge waste of 3 million bucks for many of those companies. A rather large disappointment.

There was of course that little segment that said "Want to watch the commercials again? Go to hulu.com!" Yeah, no. I do not want to see those commercials again. I appreciate the offer.

And yes, Bruce Springsteen was an EPIC fail! Bruce coming out screaming his lungs out and moving around and by the time he had to sing... oh man. Bruce made Simon Cowell cringe. He had no voice, was pretty much talking and especially during born to run was WAY off tune. I do not care how big of a Springsteen fan you may be. Go back and listen to the performance and pretend you never knew who Springsteen was. You will wish you never hear him again. I mean the music was great and the fireworks and whatnot were great but as far as the actual singing, that was terrible.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Tom Coughlin to Live in a Jim Fassel Era?

2009-01-28T10:37:00.006-05:00

Remember back in the day how sloppy the Giants organization was and how much of a joke it was under Jim Fassel? Just awful defense, no togetherness, and just a terrible time to be a Giants fan.

Welcome back to that era Giants fans! Although it is possible the era may not return there is a chance. Of course by Jim Fassel era I do not mean Jim Fassel is coming back. Don't worry it is not that bad. This post really has nothing to do with Jim Fassel.

I would just like to quote one of my favorite sports websites, Rotoworld. The site reports news picked up from other news sources. This is from January 27:

Antonio Pierce believes Plaxico Burress holds the key to his own Giants' future.
GM Jerry Reese has hinted that Plax could be retained if the troubled receiver showed a tangible attitude adjustment, but coach Tom Coughlin wasn't so willing to forgive and forget. Plax's legal situation remains the biggest hurdle to his return.

Source: ESPN.com

Does anyone else see how this can lead to a mess? At this point a Giants fan should hope that Burress is put in jail to avoid any conflicting views regarding a Plaxico Burress return. It is impossible to play football while in prison.

But if Burress avoids jail, and the Giants choose not to bring him back, and then other players choose to leave or not play because of it..... well yeah. That is a huge problem.

Pierce is without doubt the defensive leader of the New York Giants and they cannot afford to lose him at this time. There may be many other players who agree with Pierce.

I feel like there is a grenade just sitting in the Giants locker room. The question is whether or not somebody is going to pull the pin.

Brace yourself for a Giant mess...... Yes the pun was in fact intended.

***UPDATE***

I wrote the above earlier today and then I read this, again on Rotoworld:

Amani Toomer lashed out against the Giants' coaching staff in an interview at a charity event Wednesday.

"The last couple of games I wasn't a big part of the offense and we lost a big percentage of the games," he said. "You can't tell me (that) didn't play a big role. I questioned (the coaching staff's) approach going in. Ultimately my suspicions came true. (The Giants' coaches) have an agenda." A 34-year-old impending free agent, Toomer won't be back with New York in 2009.

Source: Newark Star-Ledger

I think I have said this before, but I believe I am a predictor of the future.

Jan 29 ***UPDATE****

Again from Rotoworld:

Impending free agent Brandon Jacobs wants the Giants to retain Plaxico Burress for next season.

"If we have Plax...we go 15-1 and we win the Super Bowl," Jacobs said. "We had a different identity with him. (Defenses) did a little better each week because they had that eighth guy in the box." Jacobs also said he thinks Plax has changed since his self-shooting. Asked if he'd re-sign without Burress on the club, Jacobs replied "If I'm here, I need 17 back on that roster."

Source: Newark Star-Ledger

Not good.... not good.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Pettitte and Yanks Agree to Terms

2009-01-26T18:10:00.002-05:00

The Andy Pettitte talks with the New York Yankees have almost been as annoying as the Favre talk during last year's off-season but just a little less public. Andy Pettitte was being quite stubborn for a while and holding out for money the Yanks would not give him. Pettitte ideally wanted roughly 14 million dollars but the Yankees would not budge and it is good they didn't.

Pettitte is not worth 14 million dollars for one year. He was not even great last year. Pettitte was 14-14 last year with a 4.54 ERA. Not 14 million dollar material.

The deal is now agreed upon as a 5.5 million dollar deal for one year but Pettitte can earn himself up to 12 million.

The Yankees rotation should now be Sabathia, Burnett, Wang, Joba, and Pettitte. We may see some Phil Hughes mixed in some where but the signing should take away time for Ian Kennedy, Kei Igawa (thank g-d), and Alfredo Aceves (at least as a starter).

Of course we could see those 3 pitchers in the rotation at the same time if the Yankees face the worst case scenario. Burnett has shown to be injury prone, we are not really sure what the deal is with Joba yet and Pettitte is getting a lot older. The Yankees hope those guys are not hurt but you never know.

But for those of you Yankee haters with the whole buying players argument and whatever, you may see a rotation with Aceves, Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain if things are bad. Plus there is Wang as well. These guys are all young and Yankee prodigies.

So stop whining.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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SportsTalkNY Show Update: Mascots

2009-01-22T00:04:00.003-05:00

Anyone who tuned in to the latter 20 minutes of SportsTalkNY on Wednesday January 21, you heard a very in depth discussion regarding mascots.

Until I am told or can come up with something unique to write or until AJ decides to make a post, you can feel free to look over this list of college mascots courtesy of Wikipedia.

Keep in mind that it is not necessarily a complete list and also that it is Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._college_mascots

The archive of Wednesday's show can be seen at the very bottom of the blog page. I know convenient right? That was all me.....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Rex Ryan is new Jets Head Coach.... and he Wants Favre!

2009-01-21T10:32:00.002-05:00

Well Jet fans there is good news and bad news. The good news is, you are going to have a good coach in Rex Ryan. He should be able to fit over well with the Jets and one would expect the Jets to have a successful season.

The bad news is, Rex Ryan wants Brett Favre. How about ummm no! Rex Ryan may be a good coach but he may not be that smart. Rex Ryan wants Schottenheimer to stay as offensive coordinator and the Jets feel with Schottenheimer still there, it will convinve Favre to come back.

This is the very wrong approach. Ryan said in his press conference that he would rather play with Favre rather than against him. He said in 2001 Favre had maybe his best game ever against the Ravens.

Great! Who cares? 2001 was 8 years ago! That is nearly a decade. Do you know how big a difference that is? Brett Favre is not that QB anymore! He is old and oh yeah just in case you did not realize Jets and Ryan, THE JETS MISSED THE PLAYOFFS WITH FAVRE!

It is time to force Favre into retirement. Rex Ryan, Brett favre will play for the Jets or retire. He won't play for another team he won't play against you. Brett Favre will fail down the stretch again, if not maybe for the whole season and it is time for the Jets to find their Quarterback of the future and that obviously is not Brett Favre.

Idiots.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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P.S. I am a diehard Giants fan but stupidity makes me angry...

Dipietro out for Season... LOL?

2009-01-20T23:23:00.002-05:00

I think we are getting to a point where discussing the Islanders is just ridiculous. I feel really awful for anyone who broadcasts the Islanders, anyone who hosts any Islander shows or anyone who is an Islanders beat writer. Find a reason to take a leave of absence and just take off. I mean it is so ridiculous.

Dipietro is done for the season with a knee injury after playing just 5 games this season. Dipietro won only 1 of the 5 games.

It was great the Islanders signed him to such a long contract. An injury prone goaltender who is not really that great. Certainly not worth a 15 year deal!

But my post ends here. No point of continuing on.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Giants Hire Bill Sheridan as new DC

2009-01-19T14:42:00.002-05:00

The Giants have decided to hire linebacker coach Bill Sheridan as defensive coordinator to fill the vacancy of Steve Spagnuolo who is the new head coach of the Rams.

Bill Sheridan should be able to keep the strong Giants defense in tact. Sheridan knows Spagnuolo's system, he knows what system works well with this Giants team, and a hire from within the system was probably a smart choice by the New York Giants.

He has seen how this team operates and has been there along the Super Bowl run and whatnot. Even Stave Spagnuolo was trying to bring him along to St. Louis. If Spags liked him, then he must be a good fit to fill in.

Touche New York Giants... touche!

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Islanders May Move to Kansas City... Finally!

2009-01-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a long time coming but the Islanders will play a pre season game next year in Kansas City as there is a chance they may move there!

It really is about time. The Islanders are making New York look awful. This will move the spotlight to the New York Rangers where the spotlight truly belongs. We will leave the Sabres out of this for the moment.

The Islanders are a perfect fit in Kansas City. The fans there love awful teams! The Cheifs were 2-14 this year, the Royals are always terrible and finished 4th last year and now they can have the awful Islanders. Is this not the perfect world?

So much for that new Nassau Coliseum. In America, we call that "a waste."

It will be interesting to see what the current Islander fans do if the move does happen.

I gotta say though, the team name does not really fit. Kansas City isn't really an Island. I mean we all know the Islanders made sense since they were on Long Island. But we see the teams in Kansas City being people high in power with the Royals and the Chiefs so I was thinking the Kansas City Congressman. We all know congressman suck!

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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Giants to Sign TO?

2009-01-14T21:19:00.003-05:00

According to Mike Lombardi of the Nation Football Post, the Cowboys are having serious discussions about releasing Terrell Owens.

Well this timing could be perfect because with Plaxico Burress, on the verge of serving a 3 year jail sentence, the Giants lack a number one wide receiver which is a big reason why the Giants failed to win against their division rival Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

Owens is 35 years old but if the Giants want any chance of winning a Super Bowl again in the near future, Owens can certainly help. Despite being 35 years of age, Owens still has great skill and would probably draw as much attention as Plaxico Burress did. Owens is 4 years older and 3 inches smaller, Owens is a much bigger upgrade over Hixon.

There are sometimes distractions that come along with Terrell Owens but, Plaxico Burress of course has plenty of his own. Ya know... like shooting himself in the leg? A two-year contract may not hurt so much. Obviousy Owens has a lot more issues than Burress but I think it may be worth the risk. The Giants would not have to trade away good young talent and they would be able to get a number 1 caliber receiver.

Of course as of this post Owens is still a Cowboy and the Giants have had zero discussions regarding Terrell Owens. Owens averaged 18.9 YPC with five scores in the last eight games.

If TO is released I think it would be worth it for the Giants to have some discussions regarding TO.

If the Giants are really skeptical about him I would wait a little bit. If TO cannot find a team in the time frame he would like you can probably get a pretty cheap 2 year deal for him. If you don't like him after 1 year, you would not be missing out on a whole lot of money.

It is worth a shot....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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What to Expect: Gaints vs Eagles

2009-01-11T12:00:00.004-05:00

The game between the Giants and Eagles might be the greatest one in this year's playoffs. It will be a close, hard fought, and intense match up. So let us cut to the chase:

Both teams are going to rely heavily on defense. First on the Giants side, they need to make sure to contain Brian Westbrook. Westbrook is very dangerous on the running attack and even as a wide receiver. They must know where Brian Westbrook is at all times. Whether he is split out wide or in the backfield, someone must be on him. If Westbrook is in the backfield, linebacker Antonio Pierce will most likely have his eye on him. If Westbrook is split out wide, he is good enough to earn himself a corner which will open up other options for Donovan Mcnabb. The Giants secondary needs to be tight and they need to be smart. The Giants are a blitzing defense. If they bring the blitz, they need to make sure they are getting to Donovan Mcnabb. If the blitz is not working, the Giants may need to drop some more people back to stop the big play.

Main Key for Giants Defense: Know where Westbrook is and play tight, smart defense.

On the Eagles side, they need to watch for big Brandon Jacobs and of course Eli Manning. The Giants of course do not have Burress so they probably do not have to double cover anyone. The Giants are known for a power running game with Jacobs and if they can stop Jacobs, the Giants will be in trouble. If Jacobs is contained early, Eli Manning will be forced to pass more. Without Plaxico Burress, defending the pass game of the Giants has gotten much easier.

Main Key for Eagles Defense: Put the game in the hands of Eli Manning.

On the offensive side for the Giants, they need to establish the running game. They need to use a good mix of the powerful Jacobs followed by the speedy Derrick Ward. People constantly mention Ahmad Bradshaw. I personally believe the Giants need to use him more but the bottom line is, the Giants have really only been using him in the 4th quarter if at all. Don't expect Bradshaw to get moe than 6 carries. If the Giants can establish the run early, Eli Manning needs to make good use of the play action. Eli must also spread the ball to everyone. Everyone means Kevin Boss, Michael Mathews, Madison Hedgecock, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Amani Toomer, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, and Steve Smith. If every one of those players have at least one reception, plus the Giants can establish the running game, the Eagles will be lost on defense.

Main Key for Giants Offense: Establish the run early and spread the ball around to everyone.

For the Eagles offensively, they need to establish the run with Westbrook. Mcnabb needs to recognize where the Giants are blitzing from and have Westbrook rush in the opposite direction away from the defense. The Eagles also need to give the Giants many different looks. Put Westbrook wide, or in the slot. Put him on the left side, right side. The Eagles need to confuse the Giants defense and cause mismatches. They can do the same with LJ Smith. He can block but you can also put him in the slot or on the outside. Mcnabb has lost some of his mobility over the years but he may have to get some back with the Giants pass rush. Mcnabb needs to be able to move and make passes on the run.

Main Key for Eagles Offense: Establish Westbrook and show the Giants many
different looks.

Prediction: These teams know each other very well. Home field for the Giants means absolutely nothing in this game. Giants stadium does not rattle the Eagles. This game may come down to the very end and may even go into Overtime. But Mcnabb need not worry as there are no ties in the playoffs.

Final Score: Giants 23 Eagles 21

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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There is a Small Chance I am a Genius

2009-01-05T23:37:00.003-05:00

The idea of this blog probably isn't for me to gloat but I think now that I have the opportunity, I am going to do so. Granted the Penguins have lost 4 straight games before the Rangers destroyed them 4-0, I still believe that what I said in my last blog post is 100% correct.

I said that Metsradamus' assertion blah blah blah was wrong. But I also stated that if Drury and Gomez played like the players we all expected them to, the Rangers all of a sudden have 2 dynamic players.

Well wouldn't you know that just 3 days later, Drury and Gomez each get a goal and an assist vs the Penguins and the Rangers embarrass Crosby and his gang 4-0. Of course there are so many people that deserve credit in this game but it just further proves that getting rid of Dubinsky for Kovalchuck is not necessary.

When Drury and Gomez are on, the team is on. Dubinsky for Kovalchuck would be an unnecessary trade.

Just throwing that out there.....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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RE: The Good Word

2009-01-03T23:46:00.005-05:00

I would like to do something unprecedented on this blog and set a precedent. This precedent is for the contributors of this blog to respond to blog posts posted by others. Just below this post is an article titled "The Good Word." It was posted by someone that I only know as Metstradamus. This person does not sign his name at the end of his posts like he was told to do so when he was first invited to this blog. So I cannot put a name on the person I am responding to but I am responding to his post nonetheless.

The reason I have chosen to respond through a post and not a comment is because I have the ability to do so and I also did not believe that a comment would get the same amount of views as an actual post.

I will now put my obsession of starting blog posts by saying absolutely nothing on hold, and finally respond to the below article.

If you want to propse trading Brandon Dubinsky for Ilya Kovalchuck, you need to have much stronger reason.

If there is one distinct characterstic of Ranger fans, it would be pateince. Ranger fans have always had patience. They have waited from 1940 until 1994 to win a Stanley Cup and since then it has now been 8+ years since the 94 cup. Of course no sports fan necessarily wants to have patience but some sports fans have just adapted it.

Now the reason I bring this up is although any Ranger fan truly believe their team has the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup this year, or next year if they were to really really go deep inside themselves and express their true feelings (and many fans never will), I think they can admit the Rangers will not win a Stanley Cup this year.

And also, with all the players the Rangers lost in Shannahan, Jagr, Straka, Nylander and on and on and on, the Rangers I think are doing much better than everyone expected. We all knew the Rangers had great young talent but I don't think anyone thought they would get off to the start they did.

Now Mestradamus claims the Rangers do not have a dynamic player and that is 99.9% true. However, will bringing Ilya Kovalchuck really all of a sudden make us think the Rangers will win the Stanley Cup this year? The answer I still believe is no. Kovalchuck is still only 25 and he is no Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin. He would provide a great boost but the bottom line is, Ranger fans would have to wait for a Stanley Cup anyway.

The Rangers do have great experienced players in Gomez and Drury and I don't think they have necessarily performed to the high standards us Ranger fans hoped they would. However, this is the .1% reason that I do not agree with the "no dynamic player" assertion. If they really stepped it up to the high level they have shown in the past then the Rangers all of a sudden have 2 dynamic players.

Now here's the main thing. As I said, if Kovalchuck were to become a Ranger this year, the Rangers still probably will not win a Stanley Cup this year. Would they win next year? Ehh. Maybe. The next year? Possibly. You never know with hockey.

But here is my point. Kovalchuck is 25. Dubinsky is 22. They are both really young. I don't necessarily think the 3 years is a tremendous difference. But even Mestradamus said and I quote "He'd be a tough player to give up, as he is probably a future captain of this team (he even looks like a young Rod Gilbert)."

So for the purposes of this blog, let's say the Rangers even with Kovalchuck would still have to wait 3 years to win a Stanley Cup. In 3 years, Dubinsky will be 25, and the current Rangers captain Chris Drury will be 35.

If Brandon Dubinsky looks like a young Rod Gilbert already, then let's say that Dubinsky will end up being that dynamic captain-esque player in 3 years anyway! So the point is, you will end up having a dynamic Brandon Dubinsky at age 25 in stead of Kovalchuck at age 28. Dubinsky at age 25 will be just as good and the Rangers will not gain any ground by getting Kovalchuck (at least not for the reasons asserted by Mestradamus)....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
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The Good Word

2009-01-03T17:00:00.003-05:00

I asked a friend of mine the other day: "Hey, what's the good word?"

It's one of those throwaway questions you don't expect to get a real answer for. But my buddy's response:

"The good word is Kovalchuk."

From one Ranger fan to another, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

The Rangers, right now, are a nice team. They're going to win more than they lose, and as long as Henrik Lundqvist is in goal, and as long as he continues to play his best hockey after the calendar turns, they'll always have a punchers chance to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. But don't expect the Rangers ... a team with no real identity ... to be much more than that, unless they are able to make a bold move in the trade market to bring in a dynamic player. Ilya Kovalchuk might be that player.

Now granted, there are a lot of hurdles to jump over if Kovalchuk is to become a Ranger. First and foremost is getting Don Waddell to trade him, which he recently said he wouldn't. But really, what would you expect him to say? "Yeah, we can't afford him so he's gone." Then what would you reasonably expect for him in return? In fact, ten days after Waddell said he wouldn't trade him, rumors of a Kovalchuk for Marian Gaborik swap surfaced.

With Gaborik's recent hip surgery, that deal is obviously off and the opportunity to bowl the Thrashers over for a deal is wide open. Hence the other huge hurdle: the Rangers cap room. There is none. And do the Rangers have enough in their system to give Atlanta to make the thought of taking a huge contract back for Kovalchuk more palatable for Waddell?

Would guys like Brandon Dubinsky and Petr Prucha do it? Because that's probably what it would take to even start conversations. With Dubinsky due to become a restricted free agent after this season, he might be a cap casualty anyway. He'd be a tough player to give up, as he is probably a future captain of this team (he even looks like a young Rod Gilbert). But to make a bold move to get a guy like Kovalchuk, it's something worth thinking about if you want your Rangers to take the next step.

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Keeping You Posted -- Smelling the Roses

2008-12-30T20:56:00.005-05:00

Remember that really adventurous tale I told you regarding my buying of Rose Bowl tickets? Well if you don't, you can read up on that simply by clicking here. It truly will never get old in my opinion.

And although this goes right along with that random irrelevant article, I am continuing it by keeping you up to date.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 31, 2008), I will be taking my flight to Los Angeles. I will be on Delta flight 81 and you can track my plane here or track it much more in depth here. On January 2nd I will be returning via Delta flight 78 which you can track in the same location.

When I return I will post pictures and discuss my experience with the world.

You can tune in to the Rose Bowl at about 1:30pm where I will be (PT), 4:30pm ET or 3:30pm CT.

WE ARE PENN STATE!

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Giants Won't Look So Good Next Year

2008-12-30T12:46:00.004-05:00

As I look over the blog page, it is great to see everyone back. Many of the guys have not written anything in over a week and all of a sudden they are all back and ready to go.

If only the Giants can say that next year. However, during the bye week the Giants have coming up, both defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will be having interviews and the Giants do not plan to step in and stop it. Even if the Giants did step in, they would still have the same interviews in the offseason.

The Giants need to finish this year strong because without those two coordinators next year they will not be nearly as good no matter who comes in (especially on the defensive side).

Hopefully interviews this week do not effect the team's performance in the divisional round of the playoffs but it will without doubt effect the Giants next season.

With these 2 guys gone, you are losing the Super Bowl winning defense followed up by the number 1 seed defense as well as the Super Bowl winning offense and the number 1 seed offense.

To be honest, I do not care as much about Kevin Gilbride. It took me only 4 games as him heading the offense to be able to predict the next play coming with 93% accuracy. Kevin Gilbride is incredibly predictable and it gets very frustrating. However, something about him may change in the playoffs. Last year in the playoffs and especially in the Super Bowl I predicted plays with only 45% accuracy approximately. He seemed to call his plays much differently. Maybe it is all part of his plan. He is predicatable in the regular season (and it works) and then when teams think they know him in the playoffs, he is unpredictable.

That of course is not a bad plan and if that is actually what he thinks about when running his offense then god bless him. But he has not called in the playoffs yet this year so we have to wait and see.

Now if he is so predictable you may ask why it works. Even though teams may or may not know what play is coming, it works so well in this offense. Before becoming offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride was Eli Manning's QB coach. He knew Eli Manning inside and out. He knew his strengths and weaknesses. When Gilbride became offensive coordinator he knew exactly what plays to pick to fit Eli Manning's strengths.

But because Gilbride (at least in the regular season) is so predictable, I do not mind it if he is gone. Kevin Gilbride sometimes comes up with such awful awful play calls as well.

But the biggest problem is going to be the loss of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Giants defense during their "awful" years were just so pathetic. The Giants had the worst coerage ever and everything was so sloppy. Spagnuolo was able to really unite the defense and make this defense one of the strongest in the league. Spagnuolo's defensive style fits the Giants talent perfectly. People should just say Spagnuolo runs a "Giants Defense." It fits that team that well!

Despite how good Spagnuolo is, I still don't see the Giants stopping anyone on 3rd down in my lifetime. It is something the Giants could never do whether it was the 2000 Super Bowl, the 4-12 2003 season, last year's Super Bowl, or this year's number 1 seed team. The Giants are awful on 3rd down and for some reason do their worst defense on 3rd and 10 or longer. On 3rd and 10 they give up 15 yards, on 3rd and 22 they give up 25 yards. It is just the way they are.

But generally speaking, their is nobody in New York that I can see criticizing Steve Spagnuolo. No defensive coordinator will be able to come in and do as good a job as he did.

Next year's Giants schedule as we know it now looks like this:

HOME: Atlanta, Carolina, Oakland, San Diego, Arizona
AWAY: New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City, Minnesota

Luckily, the Giants are not facing too many teams with high powered offenses. Of course missing from the above schedule is the divisional opponents. So they will be facing the Eagles, and Cowboys but Tony Romo should really just quit football and Mcnabb could possibly no longer be an Eagle.

Either way, the Giants still will struggle a bit. The talent is still there but if someone not similar to Spagnuolo comes in, the defense will not work.

To sum it all up, I think you will notice only minor differences in the offense without Gilbride. I think defensivley, things will be so different. I think fans will get completely frustrated and ask themselves how this same defense was the Super Bowl champs and then the number 1 seed the next year. People are going to think that this current Giants defense is a huge fluke. It actually could be that bad.

The Giants need to finish up strong because I think the Giants could fall into another draught. Coughlin will really start looking a lot like Jim Fassel.....

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Masochistics Anonymous

2008-12-30T12:00:00.006-05:00

I've come to the following conclusion:

The New York Jets will never participate in a Super Bowl in my lifetime.

I'm not sure of the exact moment that this happened on Sunday. It could have been during Brett Favre's first interception. Or his ill advised screen pass for his second interception. Perhaps it was the moment that the Jets were down by only a touchdown late in the game, and they had their heads hung on the bench as if they were the Detroit Lions or something.

More likely, this epiphany came to me the moment that I looked up from my seat in a near empty Meadowlands to see a stadium usher standing in the aisle looking at me waiting for me to leave 20 minutes after the game had ended while I was watching the SNY postgame show on the big screen. The usher didn't have the heart to tell me it was time to go. She just waited until I came to the conclusion myself. Heck, I had to leave eventually ... after all, there's a playoff game the Stadium has to prepare for. Of course, the Jets will not be at that game without tickets.

Or maybe it came to me while waiting 40 minutes for the bus to go home ... shooting nasty looks to people as they tried to sneak ahead of me in line prompting one guy to say to his friend "don't cut this man dude, he will shoot you down!" I guess that 40 years of this team will put even the most mild mannered bloggers in the foulest of moods.

But the reality of the situation hit me so let me repeat it: The New York Jets will never ... ever ... participate in a Super Bowl in my lifetime, your lifetime, and possibly your children's lifetime.

(I threw that last part in just in case somebody thinks that the solution to this problem would be to kill me.)

Now, don't mistake that statement for me abandoning the Jets ... rooting for another team ... putting my fandom up on eBay (passe) or anything else that involves me washing away the football team that I started rooting for when Scott Dierking roamed the backfield, and I was cutting pictures of Richard Todd out of the newspaper and using them to create a Jets crest to hand in to my second grade teacher as a homework assignment. I am not abandoning the Jets. I am fully aware that I'm attached at the hip with this team for better or for worse.

But I am now fully accepting of the irrefutable fact that this team isn't sniffing the Super Bowl without some sort of massive and severe food poisoning that inexplicably hits 28 NFL locker rooms. And now that I have come to this realization, I will be a happier fan going forward, and can finally enjoy Jets football.

How do I know that the Jets will never make the Super Bowl? Because things that work for other franchises don't work here. You tell me that the Jets would have been better off drafting Joe Flacco and handing him the reins because of what he did with Baltimore? Yeah, the Jets tried that rookie quarterback route. Broadway Browning Nagle didn't work out so well, did he? (Heck, he didn't even work out so well with the Buffalo Destroyers.)

The Jets have also failed with older players ... whether it be this season, or whether it be in 1993 to try to cover up Nagle's stench. Brett Favre, Kris Jenkins, and Calvin Pace didn't work in much the same fashion that Boomer Esiason, Ronnie Lott, and Leonard Marshall didn't work. Two eras, two completely different groups of people, same result.

It works for other teams ... Reggie White worked for the Packers after he guilted the Jets into signing Esiason ("you know, if you went and got yourselves a better quarterback I might sign with you ... psych!") But it doesn't work here.

Build a team of no-names and let a Bill Belichick disciple coach them? Oh, yeah. Let's do it like the Patriots do it. That'll work.

No, you just become a cheap carbon copy from Kinko's which loses color and texture because a cheap imitation is just that.

(And speaking of Belichick, I'm beginning to think he's the smart one)

Rookie head coaches seem to work for other teams. Here, we only prepare coaches for their true dream job ... since the Jets can't possibly be anyone's dream job. The Jets are the DeVry of the NFL.

Build through the draft? Ha!

Instead of going through the litany of Jet draft picks gone down the toilet I'll only say this: I know for an absolute fact that there was an NFL team that considered Vernon Gholston a late second/early third round pick on their draft board this past April, and labeled him as a possible "bust of the year" candidate. The sad part: the team in question isn't exactly known for getting out of its own way much less success ... and they had Gholston down as a bust.

I knew Gholston was a bust.

So what do the Jets do? Draft him sixth overall. Of course.

You're starting to get the picture now? Nothing works. Nothing has worked, nothing will work. Certainly not as long as we have an owner who is content with letting his core fan base in Queens and Long Island erode by moving the practice facility out of Hofstra and going out to Florham Park in Jersey, and sharing a stadium with the Giants for the next hundred years. You thought you saw a lot of people wear Giants, Cowboys, Bucs, Steelers, and XFL jerseys at a Jets home game now? Wait until the core people in Queens and Long Island no longer want to take two, three hour drives to your stadium when it starts costing $5,000 per seat for their precious personal seat licenses. That new place will be teeming with nomad fans mixed with the wine and cheese crowd making a Jets home game look more like a tourist group passing through the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Oh, we may get to an AFC Championship or two ... maybe even three or four. But something will happen to mess it up. Something always happens.

Your response to me might be that instead of looking at the past, you'd be better served to look towards the future. Yeah ... the same future from August when the Jets traded for a Hall of Fame quarterback who, during week 17 in a must win game, threw a screen pass to a defensive lineman who returned it for a touchdown. At this point, what makes Brett Favre different from Bubby Brister?

Future? Okay. Let's draft a big time quarterback so he can get sacked 93 times.

Or, let's sign a big free agent defensive lineman so he can promptly forget how to play football (I'm looking at you, Kimo von Oelhoffen.)

Maybe the Jets can get some help for the secondary in the draft so he can be caught with five pounds of weed and three hookers in the back room of a Roy Rogers at the Dolly Madison rest stop. Because things like this happen to the Jets.

You tell me that the Jets had the chance to draft Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, and Jerry Rice? I'll tell you that if that had happened, Marino would have retired as a rookie with multiple concussions, Smith would have blown out his knee, and Rice would have written a book called "Gimme The F#$%ing Ball!" (then been traded to Tampa to win a Super Bowl there.)

Bill Cowher? If I ever see Bill Cowher on the street I will tell him ... for his own sake ... to steer very far away from this franchise. A legacy doesn't need to be ruined here. Because once Cowher puts on that green windbreaker, it will make him do crazy things like, for example, punt after his kicker hits a 45 yard field goal with a good 15 yards to spare because your team was brain dead enough to commit a delay of game penalty on a field goal attempt. Or perhaps kick a field goal on fourth and an inch from the three yard line with 45 seconds left in the game. Or call all his timeouts in the third quarter.

The Jets could exhume Johnny Unitas, charge him back to life with the hard drive of a used iPod, and he'll still throw an interception at the goal line in the waning moments of a wild card game.

The Jets could draw DNA from Deacon Jones, use it to create a test tube baby, and draft him in 23 years. Once he puts on that Jets green, he's still a prime candidate to rough the passer on fourth down during a divisional playoff game to keep a Browns drive alive.

The Jets could play an AFC Championship in a domed stadium, and still find a way to wind up playing on a field of mud while their quarterback throws three interceptions to a defensive lineman.

It could be worse, you say? You could be a Mets fan, you say? I am a Mets fan! I was at Shea for the final game of '08, and I lived through the '07 collapse, the Yadier Molina home run, and the Subway Series. And I tell you that the New York Jets make the New York Mets look clutch. Hell, this year's Jets make the '86 Jets look clutch ... and they lost their last five down the stretch! But they didn't lose to the 3-11 Seahawks, the 4-8 Niners, or the soon to have their own collapse Denver Broncos. Mets collapses? Please. The Mets are a reasonable facsimile, but you can't reprint a Picasso. The New York Jets are the Picasso ... the Beethoven ... the Albert Einstein of EPIC FAIL!!!

You could be a Rangers fan, you say?

I'm a Rangers fan too. I root for the Hat Trick of Horror (as penned by Joe Queenan). And I'll say this: You know when a guy has a hitting streak going, but nobody really pays attention to it until he hits 40 and people start to take his chances of breaking DiMaggio's record seriously?

Well 40 is extremely close to 54. It's time to start taking this streak seriously. And as long as the Jets continue to be the Jets, 54 will be here before you know it.

It's inevitable. So I say ... embrace it. And when you get those fleeting moments of success like going to an AFC Championship game, or ending another team's perfect season to go 8-3 and be talked about as the best team in the AFC and on a collision course to meet the Giants in the Super Bowl, enjoy it. Then, turn off the television. Because it isn't going to get any better than that. I know this now, and I accept it.

See SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night live from 9 PM to 11 PM est at www.sportstalknylive.com. Check out past shows on the archive page and download all past interviews in the iTunes store, keyword "sportstalknypodcasts".

Isles Lose Again!

2008-12-29T23:06:00.002-05:00

Well my original prediction regarding this game was way off. I said the Rangers would win in 19 rounds of a shootout by a score of 2-1. Instead, there was a great high action back and forth game that ended in regulation and in favor of the Rangers. The Rangers won 5-4.

However, the Islanders did give the Rangers all they could handle. The Islanders had a 1-0 lead after the first period and a 2-1 lead after the second period. However, the Rangers outscored the Islanders 4-2 in the 3rd period.

Petr Prucha who played over Aaron Voros earned the first star of the game and had a goal. Prucha was outstanding.

The Islanders fought to the end though. With a 5-3 deficit with 18 seconds left in the game, the Islanders pulled to within one. The Islanders seem to be scoring late goals of late as that is the second game in a row they did that. Down 1 goal against the Sabres, the Islanders scored with 2 seconds remaining in the game but eventually lost in a shootout. The Islanders unfortunately on Monday night were unable to score the second goal that they needed late in the game.

The Rangers won their first game since beating the Kings 4 games ago and the Islanders are now 1-10-2 in the month of December and only 1 game in December left.

The Islanders continue to be awful and the Rangers are trying to get back on track...

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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WILL THIS ONE LAST A LIFETIME,MY BIOLOGICAL CLOCK IS TICKING !!!

2008-12-29T22:27:00.006-05:00

Sundays New York Jet game made me keenly aware that my sports biological clock is ticking. In 48 years my teams The Mets, Jets, and Rangers have reached the promised land a grand total of 4 times, let me say it again 4 times ! Now if I was to be a Yankee,Giant, Islander fan I would have popped the champagne corks more then 3 times that amount. To put it in prospective there have been 137 opportunities in those 3 sports for my teams to win it , yet it is the team that hadn't won a championship in 54 years that last reached the promised land for me over 14 years ago ! It's been 22 years since my last baseball championship and a whopping 40 since my last NFL championship. Now lets say I live to the ripe old age of 96, that means I have lived half my life, and all I have to show for is it is 4 frigging championships 2 of which happened when I was 9 years old ??? Are you kidding me ?

Meanwhile some 10 year old snot in New England has 3 Superbowl wins and 2 World Series wins ? A 30 year old in Pittsburgh has 1 World Series, 1 Superbowl and 2 Stanley Cups. Something is just not right here ! The way my teams are going and the way the Mets have crashed and burned in the last two seasons, combined with the Jets collapse has be wondering what made me chose these teams. What in my genetic DNA made me want to suffer season after season of heartache ? Which of my teams will win a championship again first ? I guess all things considered ,I just should be thankful I am not a Cubs,Blackhawks,Bears fan, but perhaps when all is said and done they may bring there fans more championships they my big 3, tick ,tick ,tick.....

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Brett Would Rather Be MIA

2008-12-28T19:30:00.002-05:00

Brett Favre played what could be his final NFL game on Sunday as the Jets lost to the Miami Dolphins 24-17. You could say Brett Favre would have rather been "Missing in Action" instead of playing.

Favre threw 3 interceptions in the loss and after every single one, Mangini looked as though he despises Brett Favre. Mangini had said publicly earlier in the season that he wants Brett Favre to throw less interceptions. He obviously does not realize that Brett Favre is known for throwing interceptions.

There was a time before the season when Jet fans believed Brett Favre would carry the team to the Super Bowl. Everything was Favre, Favre, Favre. They figured his shoulders would be sore from carrying the team! Well his shoulders were sore for other reasons. People thought Favre would still carry the Jets to the Super Bowl after the win against Tennesse. However, that still was not the case as the Jets missed the playoffs. Even if they had beat Miami, the Jets would still fall short because Baltimore beat Jacksonville.

Now the question is what does this mean for Brett and what does this mean for the Jets?

Well in my opinion, whether Favre wants to retire or not, I cannot see the Jets brining him back. I think the Jets will force him into retirement. The Jets cannot afford to just release him of course. As I said earlier, I think Mangini despises Favre. After seeing some of the faces he made I cannot imagine he wants to see Favre out there (this of course assuming Mangini is back but we will dsicuss that a little later on). I think the Jets are ready to see what Kellen Clemens could do or I can see the Jets making an attempt at franchsining free agent quarterback Matt Cassel. The Patriots are not going to pay a large sum of money to Cassel to play behind Tom Brady.

Even if Favre was a free agent I do not think he is at a point in his career where he wants to go team hopping and have 1 year stint after 1 year stint.

In my opinion as I mentioned on my internet radio show many times, there was no reason for Brett Favre to be with the Jets unless he got them to a Super Bowl. Why? Because if the Jets do choose to see what they have in Kellen Clemens, then Kellen Clemens could have come out this year and also not gotten the Jets to the playoffs. They did not need to bring in Favre to do something Clemens could have easily done. Clemens probably would not have thrown nearly as many interceptions either. Granted, if Favre never came the Jets would probably still have Pennington but when push comes to shove, Pennington is in the playoffs and Favre is not. So overall, now that Favre has not gotten the Jets to the Super Bowl let alone the playoffs, this was a royal waste. Now Pennington may have continued to struggle in New York. But then of course you would have seen Kellen Clemens who is now in a sense one year behind in his development. If Kellen Clemens got playing time this year, he would become better quicker. Clemens is not going to get younger.

Now as far as Eric Mangini goes. Well first off he shows no emotion and I don't know if that is the real Mangini. He may be putting on some sort of Bill Belichick or Joe Torre act. I do not know. But at the same time, Mangini has not done a very good job with this Jets team. In 2006 he brought the Jets to the playoffs where they lost to the Patriots. Follwing that, the Jets went 4-12 last year and then of course has the big collpase this year wih Brett Favre who was supposed to act as a football g-d.

In my opinion, there is no sense in keeping Mangini. I think the Jets and their fans have had enough of him. There are plenty of other possible coaches floating around that can probably do a better job. There are probably only a handful of people that would be angry to see the current head coach go and the only people that would not like it is anyone with the last name "Mangini."

The next question becomes, would I or the Jets feel the same way if the Jets beat Miami? Well, the Jets still would have missed the playoffs and if it was up to me I would still say he is gone. Granted if they won and made the playoffs I would have a different answer. But the bottom line is, the Jets were in a situation where the really seemed unstoppable. However, losses to Oakland, the 49ers and the Seahawks really do not make Mangini seem better. The Jets on the other hand may have thought differently. If the Jets won maybe he would stay anyway. Then again at the time of this blog post Mangini has not been fired and the Jets lost. I am just assuming he is gone.

Feel free to comment on any of this.

Mark Elliot Wishnia <---------------------------CLICK!
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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What to Expect in the Rangers Isles Showdown

2008-12-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

The battle for bragging rights is always fun and New York is a great place to do it. So many New York teams in every sport (except basketball since NEW JERSEY AND NEW YORK ARE 2 DIFFERENT STATES) and the battle continues on Monday as the Islanders will take on the Rangers at the Garden.

The Rangers have dropped 3 in a row. A close one in San Jose, an OT loss to Washington despite leading in the game 4-0, and then a fairly weak performance against the New Jersey Devils.

The Islanders had lost 10 in a row until winning their first game of December against Toronto. However, the Islanders went right back on to losing as they lost the the Sabres in a shootout.

The Rangers seem to struggle a lot against the Islanders no matter how good or bad the Islanders are going. So far this season the two teams are 1-1 against each other.

The Rangers could not beat what was probably a fatigued New Jersey Devils team on Saturday night at the Garden. The Islanders despite losing 11 of their last 12, have played real well in their last 2 games by receiving a win and playing well against a Sabres team that for the moment I will call "decent."

The Rangers have given up a lead leading 11 short handed goals. The Islanders are 18th in the league in PP%. The Rangers are 25th in that same category.

If I had to make a prediction I would say the Rangers win this game 2-1 after 19 rounds of a shootout.

If the Islanders win in regulation or even at all, I will not be surprised.

The standings mean absolutely nothing in this game. Momentum is EVERYTHING. Energy is even more than everything.

Yours truly will be on hand!

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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If You Had to Guess, Which Team Would the T-Wolves Finally Beat?...

2008-12-26T22:17:00.002-05:00

Well given the nature of this particular blog the answer to the above question is probably not going to be the Washington Wizards.

On Friday night the New York Knicks lost to what was a 4 win Minnesota team who had also lost 13 straight. The Knicks were awful defensively as usual and David Lee fouled out just 4 minutes into the 4th quarter.

The Knicks are just an awful basketball team and if Lebron James signs an extension in the offseason with the Cavaliers, the Knicks will really be in trouble.

That is all I have to say. The Knicks are awful and it is not fair to me to waste my time writing a full article on a team that is so incredibly pathetic.

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Dipetro Returns... Jumper Cables Included

2008-12-26T22:09:00.003-05:00

Rick Dipietro finally made his return back to the Islanders Friday night which may have finally jump started the Islanders who won a game after being winless in their last 10. Dipietro hasd played in 3 games prior to tonight; the last one being on October 25th. Dipietro lost all 3 of the games he has started until Friday. The Islanders beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice in a 4-1 victory. Hopefully for the Islanders this is the start of something good. The Islanders will take on the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night in Buffalo followed by a trip to the Garden to take on the Rangers on Monday. Yours truly will be on hand for that one.

The Islanders desperately needed the win against a Maple Leafs team that has not been so hot as of late. Bill Guerin also recorded his 400th career goal in the win. It was a good night for the Islanders but they still are in dead last in the Eastern Conference.

We will see if the Islanders can make a climb. If I had to make a prediction I would say not. However, they usually play really well against the Rangers and a win on Monday could really give them a boost.

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Swisher to Play Outfield for Yankees

2008-12-23T15:52:00.002-05:00

Well it is now official what Nick Swisher will be playing in the outfield because the Yankees have landed a man by the name of Mark Teixeira. The Yankees now have a much needed number 3 hitter, a great first basemen for 8 years and lots of depth in the outfield. The Yankees now have a similar deadly combination that the Red Sox had with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. The Yankees' lineup will start with the fast contact hitter in Johnny Damon, the face of the Yankees with Derek Jeter, and then followed by the hazards of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

Nick Swisher will most likely move to left, Damon will play in center, and Nady will play right. Matsui, Gardner, and possibly Austin Jackson will also see time in the outfield. The Yankees have landed 3 huge free agents now. They added a huge boost to their lineup AND their pitching and they did it by getting 3 young guys still in their prime. They finally did not get old washed up guys.

Along with the New Yankee Stadium comes a New Yankee Era.

The Yankees just have to hope that some of Joe Girardi's questionable management tactics don't mess this up....

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Why Is This Man Smiling ...

2008-12-22T00:00:00.003-05:00

... when he should be laughing hysterically?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. We, Jets fans, go through the same things ... make the same long trips to the stadium named after the other team in town, buy new jerseys with the past his prime/future Hall of Famer's name on the back or ask for them for Christmas, start making plans about who you know in that season's Super Bowl city so you can ask to crash at their place that week when the Jets finally get to go to the big game ... we do this year after year. Yet we expect a different result than we've gotten for the past 40 years.

We expect our coach to give a professional NFL kicker a chance to make a field goal from 50 yards out after hitting a 45-yarder with 10 yards to spare on a play called back by a penalty.

We expect to root for the team not affected by bad weather ... you know, being from New York City and having the quarterback that came from the frozen tundra and such.

And speaking of the quarterback, we expect the captain, leader, and field general not to have a perpetual blank look on his face on the sidelines as if his dog just ran away every time there's some sort of adversity on the other side of the ball.

We expect a team that beat New England and Tennessee on the road not to come within a Losman of pulling Paul McGuire II against four lousy teams.

Why do we expect this? It's simple. We're insane.

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Top 10 Reasons to Still Attend an Islanders Game

2008-12-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

The bottom line is, the Islanders suck. They are absolutely awful. They have now lost 9 games in a row. They have yet to win in December. Their last win was on November 29. However, if you turn on your TV and wonder, why are there actually fans sitting in Nassau Coliseum, you are not alone.

I decided to come up with the top 10 reasons to still attend an Islanders game despite the fact they are awful:

10. Since the AFL season has been suspended in 2009, this is your only chance to go to Nassau Coliseum.

9. Soon, this old piece of junk will be gone. You might as well go ONE last time. But not more than that ONE last time.

8. You are from some random foreign country and you have never heard of hockey before until your American host family gave you Islander tickets so you did not know who they were and you did not know they sucked.

7. You have been in a coma since the 70's and when you woke up you thought they were still good.

6. You don't have MSG, MSG 2, or MSG + (even though this is probably a good thing)

5. It has been a while since you got some action and the next best thing is the Ice Girls

4. You think it is actually impossible for a hockey team to lose 9 games in a row and you think the media is deceiving you. You need to see a team this bad in person to actually believe it.

3. A member of your family is one of the referees and you want to go out to see him.

2. You work at Nassau Coliseum

1. You are a fan of the opposing team.

These are the only reasons to continue to attend games. I do not care if you are a die hard fan, I do not care if you get free tickets, I do not care if you are sitting in what you consider to be the best seats. The Islanders do not deserve to have you there!

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Miracle at the Meadowlands: The Sequel

2008-12-15T03:00:00.001-05:00

Did my eyes deceive me? Because I could have sworn that Herman Edwards was back in the Meadowlands on Sunday.

The game was over. The season was over. The credits were rolling on the Jets' yearbook video that NFL Films does every year. And then, J.P. Losman wanted to remind the world why he's been benched 274 times in his brief NFL career.

As a Jet fan, you wonder a few things. You wonder what the Jets would have won by if they had brought the kind of pressure that Abram Elam brought on that unfathomable play all game. You wonder if that was the moment that will finally and accidentally get the Jets back on the right track. But most of all you just wonder ... what the hell just happened?

The Jets won the AFC East in 2002 because of a similar blunder. Not by J.P. Losman, but by former Dolphins head coach Dave Wannestedt who, backed up near his own end zone, up by three late in the game, and Ricky Williams having rushed for a zillion yards that day, decided to call three passing plays ... all incomplete, thus saving the Patriots three time outs, and giving them the ball back and set up a tying field goal ... then the winning field goal ... giving the Jets a chance to win the division in their final game of the season at the Meadowlands later that day.

The quarterbacks for that game? Pennington vs. Favre.

Six years later, J.P. Losman's slippery fingers have given the Jets a new hope to win the division on the final day of the season at the Meadowlands. One in which the quarterbacks will be ...

That's right, Pennington vs. Favre. But I imagine that this time the Jets faithful will be backing the other guy.

Merry Christmas, J.P. Losman. Because when you get a gift that says "Do Not Open Until Christmas", you don't wait. You go right ahead and open that gift ... and it's one that we can all enjoy here in New York.

See SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night live from 9 PM to 11 PM est at www.sportstalknylive.com. Check out past shows on the archive page and download all past interviews in the iTunes store, keyword "sportstalknypodcasts".

A Random Note... But Noteworthy

2008-12-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

Although this is way off topic from this blog, being a staff member I feel I have the right to make this post. I think you will enjoy this post. It is comical, it is adventurous, it is torture, it is awesome.

As I am sure you can tell from the picture above, this post probably has something to do with the Rose Bowl and that is indeed correct. If you do not know, I am a Freshman at Penn State so the 95th Rose Bowl game being played on January 1, certainly applies to me.

So after 2 paragraphs of saying literally nothing, I will now get to my story.

It was a cold Thursday afternoon when I picked up Penn State's student newspaper called the "Daily Collegian." It told me that on Saturday, Rose Bowl tickets would be sold. However, in the past, Penn State has done very poor with its ticketing distribution due to camp out rules being violated and then Penn State not caring at all that the rules were violated. So the Collegian told me the athletic department was doing something smarter. Tickets would go on sale Saturday at 8am however the location of the ticket sale would not be made public until 6:30am on Saturday. This would prevent camp outs and make it fair for everyone to get tickets. They were also concerned about health issues and did not want people camping out for weeks in 20 degree weather. Do not worry however, because the health issue comes up a little later on again.

So my alarm goes off at 5:55am and by 6:10 I am all ready to go. All I have to do is wait until 6:30am, refresh the Penn State sports homepage and find out the location of the ticket sale. So at 6:30 it tells me that the location is the Bryce Jordan Center. My friend and I then dart out of his room, through the doors and outside. We are sprinting down the road along with hundreds of other Penn State Students. Upperclassmen were speeding down the street as the running students cut in front of them to get across the street. Yes, I would consider this a health issue. But do not worry, there is more health concern later on. So it is about 6:40 and the line is already in a big loop around the outside of the Bryce Jordan center. Everyone is in a nice organized straight line in front of the ticket window in many layers.

So, remember how I talked about health and cold? Well one genius from the Bryce Jordan Center decides that they are going to actually sell the tickets inside in a ticket center and have people wait inside. Penn State unfortunately thinks this is a perfect world. In a perfect world, people would stay in line and walk in the door. Well that is not how the world works. They decided to open 2 standard size doors both of which were separated by a closed door in the middle. Well of course the 2 doors opened and the hundreds of students (it was at least hundreds) just made a mad dash towards the doors. Now anyone who is a living person knows that you probably cannot fit more than 2 people in a doorway no matter what the size of the two people are. When there are hundreds of students trying to get into 2 doors you have something similar to what we know in America as Black Friday. When this occurs with all college students who are still drunk or hungover from the night that just ended maybe 3 hours before this whole debacle, we have what we know around the world as war. So there was pushing and shoving and organs being flipped, turned, and transported to all different parts of the body. At one point my feet were lifted off of the ground and the large crowd just carried me to the door. Some people were smashed up against the glass window next to the door.

Well after a little while every thing was settled (at least somewhat). Of course people did not have the same spot in line but I would say for the most part it was pretty close. So at this point we are all burning in our 50 sweatshirts and knit caps and there is still a good hour to go before the ticket sale. So people are just sitting and chilling on the Bryce Jordan Center floor until 8am.

At 8am the ticket door opens and for some reason, instead of people being normal and staying in line and just waiting for their turn, there is another mad dash. People sprint all over and get out of line. Now the difference between inside and outside are the walls. Once you are up against a wall, you cannot move anymore. As you may have learned at one point in science class, it is very hard for 2 solid objects to pass through each other. Especially, a human and a wall. So now people are squished together wall to wall, there is absolutely no line and nobody can move.

Every 15-20 minutes people would constantly push as the line moved forward. The hundreds of different body odors from all the people as well as the alcohol was not pleasant. People continued to push and shove like some kind of animals. Police were there and they just kept saying "form a line." Yeah ok, form a line. Maybe we can just magically poof into one since none of us can move! People were rubbing up against each other, holding on to their friends so they would not lost them. I was not that lucky. After about 30 minutes, my friend was gone. He was behind me on the complete other side of the scramble and I had no idea where he was. Well, that's the way life works. So I am all by myself, I cannot breathe, my heart is in my spine, my spleen is in my throat and it was just a huge mess. If I had to describe this debacle in 2 words.... "Gigantic Orgie."

One girl with bad asthma passed out. That's right. Someone passed out because of a ticket sale! It is good Penn State is concerned with the health of their students.

They were letting people into the ticket room about 10 at a time and people were trying to get through that door from all different directions. A cop was there though making sure it was orderly.

After being only 4 feet from the door for roughly 30 minutes, I finally got inside and all my organs were put back into place.

I got up to the ticket window and I did in fact receive a Rose Bowl ticket. It all turned out well in the end.

Keep in mind though, had we not moved inside everything would have run smoothly. People were in line in front of a ticket window and people would have just walked up to the window in a line and the next person would go. It was all nice and smooth until we moved inside.

But the bottom line is, I will be going to the Rose Bowl and I thought I should share my story. And do not worry, I am sitting close to my friend anyway. He is 1 row in front of me (despite getting his ticket after me) and 5 seats over. That is not bad and maybe someone will switch.

And for the hell of it, below is a picture of the ticket. Isn't it nice?

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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P.S. Just for the sake of keeping this post somewhat relevant, despite the fact

Burnett is somewhat injury prone, he was a great acquistion for the Yankees.

Also I like the fact that the Yankees now have 2 pitchers whose first names are

known by just two letters: AJ and CC

This Second Helping Might Not Be So Sloppy

2008-12-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

Rumors are fun, especially when they involve Sean Avery and the Rangers.

With the Dallas Stars set to reveal their plans for the "Worst Teammate Known to Man" on Sunday (it only took this long because blindfolding him, driving him to the middle of the sticks and leaving him there to find his own way home for a few weeks isn't a legal option), speculation abounds as to what Avery's fate will be.

Avery seems to be a hockey pariah these days ... so even if Brett Hull comes out and announces to the league that he's available in a trade (come 'n get 'em, boys), even Hull can't expect his door to be knocked down. The Rangers, the stop where Avery has had his best impact, has been mentioned as a landing spot for him. But Avery's comments regarding Steve Valiquette and his unnecessary attack on MSG's John Giannone provided enough gasoline to burn down the George Washington bridge.

Now, there's a rumor out there that the Rangers could still trade for Avery and make the room happy at the same time. Here's how: The Rangers trade Michal Rozsival (or Wade Redden, depending on what you read), for Avery. The Rozsival trade would free up about a million in cap room. Then, the Rangers would put Avery on waivers, and when nobody picks up Avery, he goes to the minor leagues (which in itself would make Valiquette giggle), and frees up another four million dollars.

And wouldn't you know there's a certain star player who's still looking for a job.

Oh yeah, Mats Sundin. I heard he might be available.

Right now, this is still in rumor stage ... but I wonder if a team that went 0 for 9 on the power play against New Jersey (and one for its previous 29), wouldn't think long and hard about letting Avery pass through New York on his way to the minors (or back to Vogue) for a chance at Sundin.

Would it all be worth it? You decide. While you're thinking about it, watch as both Avery and Sundin drive goalies to drink.

One real ...

One fictional.

See SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night live from 9 PM to 11 PM est at www.sportstalknylive.com. Check out past shows on the archive page and download all past interviews in the iTunes store, keyword "sportstalknypodcasts".

The Bronx can CC Sabathia

2008-12-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Although only 99.9% official at the time of this post, it appears as though C.C. Sabathia will finally be heading to the Bronx. The deal is reportedly for 7 years and 160 million dollars. The Yankees first offer was proposed around November 14.

C.C. Sabathia finally accepted when the Yankees through in an extra year and an extra 20 million dollars than the offer that was on the table for quite some time.

So how much will this impact the Yankees? Well CC was a Cy Young winner in 2007 and there is no reason for this not to help the Yankees. Even though ideally, CC Sabathia would prefer to be in California, I do not think it will effect his focus.

This is when fans find it nice that there is no salary cap since this deal would use it all up or go over it.

The only thing Yankee fans need to hope for is that Sabathia does not fall under the pressure. Sabthia received the largest contract for a pitcher in history. He really wanted to pitch in California and for an extra 20 million dollars he came to New York. Was it just for the money? Maybe. He has never been on such a big stage before.

But then for those who like players who are loyal, was Sabathia loyal? We thought that money would not speak loud enough for Sabathia and despite what the Yankees would give him he would stay in California. Just when we thought Sabathia would stay true to himself, he did not. Yankee fans at this point don't care. But maybe they will.....

I guess we will have to see what Sweeny Murti has to say about it on Sports Heaven with Mark and Evan this Sunday December 14th at 8pm ET.

FInd out more on www.sportsheavenwithmarkandevan.webs.com

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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The K-Rod Signing: A Skeptic's View

2008-12-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Lest we forget, amid the hoopla over the Mets’ signing Francisco Rodriguez:

It was only three years ago that Mets fans hailed the signing of another fireballer, the top-rated closer on the market at the time. But when Billy Wagner came to town, we saw a pitcher who had fallen in love with his breaking stuff, who seemed to have forgotten the heat that brought him his reputation, who seemed more focused on nibbling at the corners to get batters out and who seemed to put base runners on with frustrating frequency as a result. The blown saves that became the hallmark of the Billy Wagner era were due to the fascination with his off-speed pitches and his mystifying forsaking of his blow-them-away fastball.

Lest we forget, amid the hoopla over the Mets’ signing Francisco Rodriguez :

It was only nine years ago that the Mets had a fireballing, blow-them-away closer, Randall K. Myers (as Rusty Staub called him) – only to trade him for a junkballer who managed to fool batters for a few years until they realized that John Franco wasn’t going to throw strikes and that if they laid off, Franco would walk the bases loaded until he had to groove one. Ignore the saves numbers. The John Franco era provided more frustration than satisfaction.

Lest we forget, amid the hoopla over the Mets’ signing Francisco Rodriguez:

The book on K-Rod says that he has fallen in love with his breaking pitches, that he has lost mileage off his blow-them-away fastball (does anybody believe that’s a conscious effort?), that he walks batters at the rate of one every two innings and that he gets himself into trouble before getting out of it.

Instead of bringing a new era to the Mets bullpen, a case could be made that the Rodriguez signing incorporates much of the worst of the last decade.

Yes, many Mets fans are celebrating today because the team has gotten who appears to be the best closer on the market to fill a gaping hole in the roster. And they may turn out to be right: K-rod may be a key to returning the team to the postseason.

But I would sound a cautionary note after looking at Mets history and K-Rod’s numbers:

Be careful what you wish for.

A.J. Carter, co-host

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Giants Clinch NFC East Despite Loss

2008-12-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

The New York Giants are the NFC East Champions despite losing their second game of the season on Sunday. The Giants did not look sharp in a 20-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at home. The cold weather and swirling winds as well as the loss of Plaxico Burress helped lead the Giants to a loss. Brandon Jacobs and Aaron Ross injured themselves during the game and has to be pulled.

The difference in this game was only 6 points and early on in the game Plaxico's replacement, Domenik Hixon, dropped a wide open pass in the middle of the field which would have eventually resulted in an easy TD. Could that play have been the reason the Giants lost by 6 instead of won by 1? Possibly. The Giants even had 2 blocked field goals in the game, one of which was returned for a TD, and they still lost.

The Eagles blocked a Giants FG as well. It is quite rare to see blocked FG's and to see 3 in one game is quite amazing. That of course is irrelevant to everything.

Despite the Giants loss, they clinched the NFC East anyway with the help of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys loss to the Steelers put the Giants through. A late Tony Romo interception which was returned for a TD put the game away.

Do I think the Giants can run the table without Burress? As long as the weather is good. Good weather = good play. Bad weather = bad play. This is why the Giants getting home field was not necessarily a good thing.

The Giants certainly have the weapons though. Although Burress is a big presence on the field and almost always draws double coverage, the Giants have plenty of other ways the screw with the minds of different defense's. Manning can throw to Domenik Hixon, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, Kevin Boss, Michael Mathews, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Madison Hedgecock. All of these players have shown they know how to catch a football and can make clutch plays when called upon.

If Eli can find at least 8 of those 11 players at least 3 or 4 times early on, the defense will not know who to cover. That mixed with run plays and play action can help the Giants run the table.

Miscues like all the dropped passes and some penalties they had today during the Eagles game will not help them. The Giants even got away with some calls.

Predcitions moving forward:

Giants 24 Dallas 21

Carolina 13 Giants 14

Giants 30 Minnesota 31

The Giants will make it to the NFC Championship game. What happens from there? Watch FOX

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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CASH AND BURN, RINSE AND REPEAT

2008-12-04T13:08:00.000-05:00

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that the hallmark of a “first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” Well then, by Fitzgerald’s measure, Brian Cashman belongs among the great geniuses of modern baseball. Witness the contradictions.

In 2007’s off-season, deprecating costly, long-term contracts for pitchers, Cashman spurns a deal for Johan Santana, champions young, farm-grown starters, and entrusts 40% of his rotation to two rookies. In 2008’s, the GM offers CC Sabathia a 6-year contract commensurate to Santana’s, pursues two more 30-plus free-agent starters demanding 4-year deal besides, and announces that his two rookie prodigies, Hughes and Kennedy, now have to prove themselves in AAA.

Just this September, the GM can conclude an anemic lineup, down 180 runs scored from one year ago, bedevils the Yankees. By November, the GM can jettison two of his most productive hitters, Abreu and Giambi, and forswear Mark Teixeira, the one free-agent most equipped to compensate.

One April Cashman can risk his rotation to youth, inexperience, and innings caps because the offense is supposed to compensate. The next April, Cashman can risk his lineup to age, skill regression, and two 35-year old veterans rebounding from major injuries (Posada and Matsui) because the formidable high-priced, re-engineered rotation he envisions supposedly will ensure success.

One minute the Yankees GM is lavishing $6 million more dollars and committing two more years to Damaso Marte, a middle-reliever, a notoriously unreliable commodity. The next minute the Yankees GM won’t offer arbitration to one of his most consistent, durable, and productive hitters in Bobby Abreu because he fears having to pay him over one year $6 million more dollars than he’s worth. Yet the contradictions continue. For he’s, at once, binding the organization to rebuilding its farm system all the while, in forsaking compensatory draft picks, squandering his most fertile opportunity for doing so.

Is there a method to Cashman’s madness, a key to the apparent contradiction, a long-range plan? Not one, evidently, to which he’s either willing or seemingly able to adhere. To the contrary, the impression the Yankees Front-Office creates is of frantic, ad hoc, remedial reaction. Each off-season the Front-Office adopts a new recipe but without first learning the lesson the prior year’s failure exposed. A recipe best described as follows: Trial. Error. Abandonment…. Reaction. Overcompensation. Failure…. Rinse and Repeat.

2008 FOLLIES REVISITED: YOUNG PITCHING
Of course, consistency in the face of error constitutes its own kind of madness. And to Cashman’s credit, he’s currently trying to rectify the critical error in judgment he made last year by forgoing Santana and exposing 40% of his rotation to the inconsistency, innings caps, and injury-risks of rookie starters—an error that derailed the Yankees 2008 season.

Last year, to recall, Cashman calculated that the team’s prolific lineup would hedge against a rotation anchored by two rookies under 23. A hypothesis more sound in theory than practice. The Twins, after all, followed this very formula. In ’08, they finished 3rd in the AL in Runs Scored and their rotation of Blackburn, Slowey, and Perkins, all in their first full season, accounted for over 50% of the team’s starts. And the team found itself in September playing a one game playoff for the division title.

However, Minnesota isn’t New York. The Twins pitchers benefited from low expectations. In contrast, the clamor in the Bronx to demote Hughes started in April, even before he disclosed the rib injury. And the Scranton bus arrived for Kennedy soon thereafter. Not without cause, however. By May 1st, in the 12 games Hughes and Kennedy had started, they’d combined for a 9.16 ERA in 46 innings, and the Yankees went 2-10. The Yankees were 12-5 otherwise in April, and 14-15 in total. And from this middling performance, over the easy part of their schedule, the team never recovered.

THE OFF-SEASON: THE ERROR OF OVERCOMPENSATION
Last year’s error, however, has instigated this off-season’s ill-considered knee-jerk reflex. Overcompensating for one deficiency now risks incurring its inverse. A rotation constituted of youth, inexperience, and fragility in 2008 will have wrought in 2009 a lineup composed of diminished power, infirm veterans, and fading stars.

The plan for 2009, reportedly, contemplates as follows. Cashman hopes to leverage $80 million dollars in expiring contracts by signing two among Sabathia, Burnett, and Lowe, and re-signing Pettitte at a lower salary. If successful, his rotation would consist of Wang, Pettitte, two free agents, and Joba, the 5th starter, confined to approximately 130 innings. As such, Scranton would provide in Hughes, Aceves, and Kennedy a ready stable of arms to bolster the Bronx rotation when fatigue, injuries, or innings limits exact their toll, as they invariably will, and require reinforcements.

All well and good, except for the caveat. Signing two of Sabathia, Burnett, and Lowe, according to Cashman, would preclude a third for Teixeira. And with the departure of Abreu now all but certain, the Yankees need Teixeira as badly as they do Sabathia.

For as Cashman himself conceded just two months ago, the lineup’s regression in Runs Scored, On-Base Percentage, and RISP average in 2008 accounted as much for the Yankees’ finishing in 3rd place as did their injury-decimated rotation. But thus far rather than remedying the problem, Cashman has seen fit to exacerbate it.

He’s disposed of two of his most productive and patient hitters. Giambi and Abreu ranked 2nd and 3rd in OPS+ at 128 and 120, respectively, and led the team in pitches per plate appearance at 4.3. Meanwhile, the acquisition of Nick Swisher mitigates their loss but hardly compensates for it. For all Swisher’s youth, proficiency in drawing walks and pitches per plate, his career OPS+ is only 112. And in the 3 of his 5 major league season, his OPS+ didn’t exceed 101; that is, the league average.

THE MIRROR IMAGE FALLACY: 2009’s INADEQUATE LINEUP

For some reason, Cashman imagines that without Abreu, Giambi, or hitter of Teixeira’s caliber, his lineup nonetheless will be sufficiently formidable to contend in the AL East. His projection ostensibly depends on (i) Matsui and Posada fully recuperating and recapturing their 2007 seasons; (ii) Cano, A-Rod, and Swisher, all rebounding from sub-par 2008s; (iii) Damon and Nady reproducing their prolific 2008 stats and not reverting to their mediocre 2007 numbers; and finally, (iv) his revamped pitching rotation affecting a dramatic improvement over its last two incarnations in performance and stability.

The irony is that the GM’s plan for 2009 rests on assumptions no less tenuous or speculative than his plan for 2008. Actually, the associated risks of depending on Hughes and Kennedy’s in 2008 mirror the associated risks of relying on Posada and Matsui in 2009. The one is the converse of the other. The youth, inexperience, and fragility of Hughes and Kennedy made their performances as impossible to predict as age, injury, and skill regression now cloud the futures of Posada’s and Matsui’s.

Posada, after all, will be a 38-year-old catcher in August, a position notorious for the precipitous fall in productivity its players undergo as they age. (Mike Piazza, recall, didn’t last beyond the age of 38.) More problematic still, Posada is recuperating from a torn labrum, about as dire an injury to catchers’ and pitchers’ career as exists in the age of modern medicine. To compound the unknown, this is the second time in Posada’s career has had surgery for the injury. How can the Yankees expect Posada, at 38, and recovering from injury no less, to equal his career averages, let alone reprise the unprecedentedly productive season he had in 2007?

Expecting Matsui to reproduce his 123 OPS+ suffers from the same willfully blind optimism. Matsui is no youngster either. He turns 35 in March, and among the Yankees’ cohort of over-33 players, Matsui has aged least gracefully. Perhaps, his consecutive game streak in Japan has worn him down. Whatever the reason, the chronically arthritic knees he suffers from has robbed him of mobility, precipitated two separate operations on them last year, and subjects him to an ongoing risk of swelling. (His two operations last year only addressed its effect; the arthritis itself is incurable.) Matsui was a notorious streaky hitter to begin with. It’s doubtful he can go an entire season without the pain or swelling impairing his swing.

Now, Cashman, it’s true, can project greater productivity from A-Rod and Cano in 2009. But that’s only half the picture. The other half assumes what they add, Damon, Nady and perhaps, even Jeter won’t subtract by contributing less than last year. Damon’s OPS+ was 118 last year. His career average is 103; and in 2007, it was 97. The Yankees should expect a regression accordingly. Same applies to Nady, whose OPS + was 128 last year (105 with the Yankees), 107 in 2007, and 108 for his career.

As for Jeter, his OPS+ in 2008 dropped 18 points below his career average, 120 (career), 102 (2008). But then again, how much offensive improvement can the Yankees expect from a 35 year old short-stop?

Then too, as their roster is currently constituted, the Yankees don’t have a genuine three hitter. The three-hole is a critical position in any lineup, but especially in the Yankees’ because the player precedes A-Rod, a guess hitter, who depends on disciplined hitters like Abreu and Teixeira in front of him to work counts and to expose a pitcher’s full repertoire.

TREADING WATER IN THE AL EAST

Of course, Cashman’s new model stresses pitching and defense. Never mind that the above lineup only upgrades his outfield’s defense and Posada’s return may diminish it behind the plate. Never mind because signing two premiere starters, Cashman contends, supposedly will buy in runs allowed what he sacrifices in runs scored.

Once again, though, the Yankee GM’s model excludes too many unseemly details that qualify it. First it scants the competition. In past off-seasons, merely keeping pace with the Red Sox was enough because the Yankees still could make the playoffs finishing behind them. The emergence of the Rays, however, means that the Yankees, by keeping pace, fall behind. It isn’t merely six wins—the six wins separating Boston and the Bronx last year-- the Yankees have to gain. It is six wins over and above their constantly improving competition.

The addition of David Price to the Rays rotation, even under innings caps, and a left-handed bat either to DH—possibly, Jason Giambi-- or to play right-field will only further strengthen a team that was 8-wins better than the Yankees last year. And the Red Sox will do likewise by signing Mark Teixeira and trading Lowell, as they hope, and/or by fortifying their bullpen, with Ramon Ramirez’s acquisition and/or that of another free-agent reliever.

Unfortunately, the current Yankees’ lineup for 2009, listed below, examined through the prism of age and injury, pales before any the team has fielded in recent memory. Compare it, by contrast, to their two AL East rivals’ projected lineups.

To excel the Rays and Sox, the Yankees need to improve then in every facet, not just their starting pitching. In fact improving the pitching while neglecting the offense—a lineup that now has to contend with either Gardner or Melky in CF-- offers a prescription less for surpassing the Rays and Red Sox than for emulating the Blue Jays or for worse, disaster.

Recall: the Blue Jays finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the entire AL the last two seasons in Runs Allowed, 610 in 2008, 699 in 2007. However, they won 83 games in ’07 and 86 games in ’08, largely because of a deficient lineup. They scored 753 in ’07 (10th in the AL) and 714 in ’08 (11th in the AL). Below, I list the Yankees totals, for comparison, and their league rank.

The table illustrates, first of all, that the Yankees sustained the greatest change either team experienced over the last two seasons in both aggregate numbers and rank, and their lineup accounted for it, not their pitching staff.

Secondly, the Jays’ failure to improve by more than 3 wins from ’07 to ’08 despite yielding 90 less runs illustrates the peril of neglecting your offense. The Jays’ static lineup, ranking about the same over the two seasons, vitiated whatever they gained with pitching.

Do the Yankees really want to emulate the Jays in this regard? That’s the risk they run by letting their lineup founder, however dramatically they augment their pitching staff.

Then, too, would signing Sabathia and Burnett automatically improve the rotation as much as we’d like to believe. They’d have to. In 2009, Wang can only hope to duplicate Mussina’s 2008. Innings caps, again, will confine Joba to about 130 innings. And how much would AJ Burnett’s 4.07 ERA and injury risk really improve the rotation anyway? If the Yankees have $80 million dollars in expiring contracts then why should their payroll preclude them from signing Sabathia ($25 million) and Teixeira ($21 million) and re-signing Pettitte at ($10-12) for a total of approximately $60 million? Especially, when after 2009, Damon’s, Matsui’s, and Nady’s contracts, totaling another $35 million, expire? Regardless, isn’t a $21 million a year investment in a 28-year-old first baseman a sounder investment than a $15 or $16 million one for a fragile 32-year old Burnett or an aging 36-year-old Lowe?

All of which begs the question: in Brian Cashman, do the Yankees have a first-rate intelligence and a second-rate General Manager.

Matthew S. Schweber, Yankees beat reporter for Sportstalkny

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2008-12-04T00:10:00.000-05:00

A Tale of Two Organizations
If you want to see side by side examples of a first-class sports organization and one that still doesn’t get it, look no further than the actions this past week of the Giants and the Knicks.
First-class organization that they are, the Giants acted swiftly to rid themselves of a headache and a potential distraction on their road back to the Super Bowl by removing Plaxico Burress from their midst and taking a stand on behalf of civilized behavior (We’ll leave alone for the moment whether the team acted properly the night/morning of the incident. I don’t buy Mayor Bloomberg’s argument that Giants executives not on the scene should have reported the incident to police. That’s for the hospital Burress was told to go to, and for Burress himself or Antonio Pierce).
Even before the shooting, Burress had become a sideshow whose on-field brilliance was sporadic and whose disregard for team rules and me-first approach don’t fit in with the team-first attitude Tom Coughlin and his staff have worked so hard to develop.
The Giants’ decisive action made a clear, strong statement that they don’t condone Burress’ actions, a position more important than the effect Burress might have on the team’s won-lost record. They found the high ground, rushed there and staked out their position. Yes, they’ll try to recoup Burress’ signing bonus and try to negate the rest of his contract, but those actions will come after they excised him from the roster.
Would that the allegedly new-era Knicks take the same road in their dealings with Stephon Marbury. The longer Donnie Walsh and Jim Dolan allow the Marbury situation to fester, the more the once-unthinkable happens: they generate sympathy for a player whom they hung out to dry, night after night. And for what end? To save a couple of million bucks? When did Madison Square Garden start reading the economic news on the business pages?
It’s one thing to say they don’t see Marbury fitting into their plans. It’s another to bounce him around from having him show up for practice one day, suit up to sit on the bench during a game, make him sit on the bench in street clothes for others, require him to attend practices, offer to make him a starter for the rest of the season, banish him from practices. What’s next? Offer him out to entertain at kid birthday parties?
I don’t believe the contention that Marbury refused to play. If that were the case, the solution would be to dress him for a game, tell him he was going in and see if he refuses. Short of that, I lean toward his side: that he expressed his preference not to play but never refused.
I’m no fan of Marbury’s. I’m one of those who take note of the fact that every team Marbury has played on got better after he left. But he does deserve being allowed to maintain his dignity as he and the Knicks part ways.
If you believe reports about buyout discussions between Marbury and the Knicks, they’re only a couple of million dollars apart: chump change for an organization still paying Isiah Thomas, Alan Houston and, who knows, Frederic Weis? But chumps that they are, Walsh and Dolan are holding out, which only reminds us that despite a change at the top, the organization still hasn’t changed.
They should take a lesson from the Giants. Do what has to be done, quickly and decisively. Fully sever the ties with Stephon Marbury.
Only then, can the Knicks’ new era truly begin.

A.J. Carter, co-host

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SIDNEY CRYS-BABY THE REAL DETRIMENT TO THE NHL

2008-12-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

Yes Sean Avery is the poster boy for rude ,crude , outrageous comments. But the NHL's appointed "next one" conduct on the ice is becoming just as detrimental to the game. The league looks to punish off ice idiots like Avery, yet turns a blind eye to Sidneys constant whining at every single whistle, Crosby has somehow obtained Wayne Gretzky status in the eyes of the NHL who use his face to promote everything. Not only is Crosby not in Gretzky's league it can easily be argued that he isn't even the best player on his team let alone league. In his years in the NHL he has lead the league in scoring once. Yet he is allowed to cross check anyone who shadows him. Don't get me wrong Sidney Crosby is an elite player, and before his time is done he will warrant a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, however he should not be the NHL's poster boy. His constant whining to the referees is an act that is growing old fast. Watch a Penguins game with an objective eye, watch at the end of everyone of #87's shift that ends in a whistle and watch him go to the ref to complain about some injustice he has suffered, enough already start giving him a delay of game penalty, Sean Avery certainly would get one. As far as Avery goes the suspension is a joke, everyone knows that Averys a loose cannon who says and does stupid things, what he said hardly warrants a suspension. Oh by the way all Sids whining couldnt get him a win tonight and had his cross check on Colton Orr because Crys-baby was upset that Orr actually shadowed him , he would have been in the box rather on the ice to set up the Pens first goal, they wouldn't have even gotten a point in the game . And as long as I'm venting here's another real detriment to the game, Don "have another donut" Koharski, what an awful ref ! Wow imagine if the Rangers lost how mad I'd be !

Mark Rosenman

HOST,PRODUCER SPORTSTALKNY

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Lundqvist Deserves to be Paid Overtime.....Shootout That Is!

2008-12-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Henrik Lundqvist helped the Rangers to yet another shootout win on Wednesday night. It was the 8th shootout of the season for the Rangers and their 7th win in the shootout. With all the extra work Henrik Lundqvist is putting in, he deserves to be paid overtime. However, with all the shootouts, one can argue he should be paid "shootout."

It was the second time this season the Rangers beat the Penguins in a shootout and both times Fredrick Sjostrom got the winning goal.

Henrik Lundqvist recovered very well from the last game he played. Against the Panthers on Sunday night, Lundqvist was pulled from the game after allowing 3 goals on 23 shots in 36 minutes of play. Fortunately for the Rangers, Lundqvist is morally opposed to having two consecutive bad games.

Lundqvist allowed 2 goals on 31 shots in the shootout win against the Penguins.

Aside from Lundqvist, the Rangers came back from a 2-0 defecit. Petr Prucha who refused to be sent down in order to play scored the game tying goal late in the 3rd period. Prucha had been a healthy scratch for roughly a month.

The Rangers will take on the Canadiens this Thursday in Montreal.

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Burress Puts Bullet in Leg

2008-11-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

You my be surprised to find out the title of this article does not act only as an attention getter but also as the truth. Late Friday night, Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress "accidentally" shot himself in the leg. He shot himself in the same leg that was bothering him and keeping him out of this Sunday's game against the Redskins. This may raise a few questions. First off, why is Burress carrying a loaded gun? Well thats obvious, he probably had someone he wanted to kill. A small pistol in New York is rarely used for hunting. But seriously, who knows why he would have a loaded gun? You may also ask, what the heck is wrong with this guy? Probably the most obvious question is who shoots themself in the leg? How dumb can you possibly be?

Well the picture above is a picture of Plaxico Burress at a Knicks game. Maybe Burress had a few ideas from Stephon Marbury. Maybe Burress does not want to play football. So how can you say you do not want to play football without being fined or suspened? "Easy!" Burress thought. "I'll just shoot myself. Yeah, I'll show them." Well what a genius idea. This should end Burress' season. I mean he put a bullet in his leg.

I would think Marbury and Burress have to be best friends. Maybe they can setup a playdate. They both cause so many distractions and have so many similar habits. I would be wasting my time to list everything.

Of course there could be other theories to why a bullet ended up in Burress' leg. I think it would be fair to say Burress is "different." We have seen football players shoot others and we have seen others shoot football players. Well Burress did not want to be like that so he figured he would be the person taking AND receiving the shot. You never know. It could happen.

Really, the only thing I can say is wow. I cannot wait until Burress makes a statement. What can he possibly say to defend himself on this one? Will any cliches work? Well let us look at a few:

Life isn't fair, Money doesn't grow on Trees, Speak softly, but carry a big stick, in a nickel out a dime, God does not like ugly, An apple a day keeps the doctor away, Live and let live, Karma will come back and bite you in the butt, It's not what you know, it is who you know, It does not matter if you win or lose, but how you play the game, Death is terrible, Life is hard then you die, When you have a bunch of lemons, make Lemonade, Don't confuse love with lust, Worrying does not change anything, Think positively, Believe in yourself, It will get better, It is not who wins the battle but who wins the war, Good things come to those who wait, The devil at work today, God has a plan, Rainy days pass, Get a good night sleep, you will feel better in the morning, In for a dollar out for a pound, You are what you eat.

Well after looking over all of the following it comes down to a couple of choices. He will either say "Life isn't fair," Live and let live," Death is terrible," or the most likely choice "the devil at work today."

But all in all... again the only thing I can say is wow. Of course Burress has the right to bear arms but why does Burress really need to exercise that right?

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Seeing the Forest for the Swamp

2008-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was warned that every Thanksgiving dinner in New York City and the surrounding area would feature at least one conversation about whether the Giants and Jets would reach the Super Bowl this season.

Not my table. My family knows better.

Because you see, they were with me for the Mud Bowl, Bernie Kosar, Pete Carroll's choke symbol, Blair Thomas, Roger Vick, Kyle Brady, Vinny Testaverde's achilles, Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler having injuries end their seasons in the same quarter, Herm Edwards' clock management, and Dewayne Robertson. They know that November is way too early to be talking about Super Bowl ... whether the Giants are a part of it or not.

Believe me, I don't want to be a killjoy about this. I'm as excited about the Jets being 8-3 as anyone ... because this isn't like Al Groh going 9-4 where you still sensed doom was coming (and doom did indeed arrive at the Jets' door in 2000) ... this is a legitimate 8-3. And there really is no good reason for this Jets team not to go to the Super Bowl ... well, except for the fact that they are still the Jets, they still wear green, and inevitably that Joe Walton playbook is going to get dusted off at some point. But other than that, this is a Super Bowl caliber team in this season's AFC.

But unfortunately, we live in a sports society that spends too much time looking at the forest that it bonks its collective nose on every tree it tries to walk through. It's the same reason why we ask LeBron James about playing in New York in 2010 when we just started 2008 (the basketball season ... not the calendar year). It's why we make predictions for the 2009 World Series two days after the 2008 World Series ends. It's why we start talking about a Swamp Super Bowl (last I checked, no subways in East Rutherford ... only swamp) after week 12.

You know as well as I do that there's a long way to go ... whether you're a Jet fan like me, or a Giant fan. Now I'm convinced that the Giants just need to stay out of their own way to make a return trip to the Super Bowl ... but I'm sure a Giant fan will tell you that it's a different vibe being the favorite as opposed to being that scrappy underdog that everybody (besides Cowboys fans) rooted against the Patriots. That target on your back weighs a ton. But besides that, it sure as hell looks good for them.

The Jets? Their schedule looks like cake the rest of the way ... certainly easier than what Pittsburgh has, paving the way for a two seed and a bye week in the AFC. But the Jets have repeatedly choked on cake in the past (despite the fact that cake has no bones). How about losing to a 4-12 Bears team during Week 15 in 2002 to make it almost impossible to make the playoffs that season? (They got their miracle that final week when Dave Wannestedt gave away the division title by losing to the Pats setting up the Jets to win the title against Green Bay.) Or how about '97? You surely remember that season for the ill fated Leon Johnson halfback option during their season ending loss to the Lions that season. But do you remember a 22-14 loss to the 1-12 Colts two weeks earlier? That would have made the Lions game meaningless.

But the real reason it's way too early to talk about a Jets/Giants Super Bowl: Because if it does happen, we'll have a whole two weeks to talk about nothing except a Jets/Giants Super Bowl ... to the point where even Jets and Giants fans will want to poke their ears out from hearing all of the mindless "blah blah blah" from people that know nothing of an oblong shaped ball with pointy ends until January when they're all of a sudden "experts".

You know, like me.

So let's enjoy the journey, which will have plenty of football to keep us entertained along the way. Good or bad, things will work themselves out. And if we do get that Swamp Super Bowl, believe me, there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss. But for now ... Denver at the Meadowlands at 4:15 on Sunday will provide enough consternation and acid reflux, thank you.

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I Call that a Bargain !!

2008-11-25T06:42:00.000-05:00

We are now 1/4 of the way into the NHL season, a pretty good sampling to see who is and isn't getting the job done. This past off season the NY Rangers committed 11.5 million dollars for this season for 2 defencemen, Wade Redden and Michal Rosival, yet it is the 2nd lowest paid defencemen on the team who far and away has been the best night in and night out. Dan Giardi currently sits 9th amongst all NHL defenceman in scoring . Among those top 9 Giardi is the 3rd lowest paid backliner trailing only Shea Weber of Nashville and Mike Green of the Capitals. Giardi is the prototypical 2 way defenseman. He does not do anything flashy, he just does everything right. Giardi already has more then half the points he had all last season he is on pace to score 10 goals and have 41 assists which would translate to a 51 point season, now those are not Bobby Orr numbers mind you, but if you look at the 2 highest paid Rangers Defenceman's prior season that netted them the big contracts they are working on, you can only sit and scratch your head. Redden last season had 38 points and in his 13 year NHL season only surpassed 10 goals once and never had more then 50 points in a season, that body of work netted him a 6.5 million dollars a year contract. The next highest paid D-man is Michal Rozsival (the new Marek Malik), Rozsival has played 7 NHL seasons and again only scored more then 10 goals once in his career and his highest point total is 40 ,which was more a cause and effect of playing on the power play with Jagr. Giardi is doing what he is doing with limited power play time and a not so potent offensive attack. While the Redden and Rozsival contracts are worthy of a government bailout, Dan Giardi's to borrow a phrase from The Who, I call that a Bargain the best we every had.

Mark Rosenman

SPORTSTALKNY HOST AND PRODUCER

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LeBron or Bust

2008-11-22T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are trying to be relevant again in the town known for being the Mecca of Basketball.

It'll just take a couple of years.

In a society and a city that depends on instant gratification, Friday's trades of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph are no doubt seen as putting all their eggs in the basket of the future, while fans will no doubt have to endure two more seasons of certain frustration from a team that has given them a decade's worth.

But for those waiting for the 2010 free agent class to actually be free see Friday's events as the necessary cleansing of years worth of bad financial decisions, which started with the trading of Patrick Ewing to Seattle for bad contracts, which turned into more bad contracts, which turned into more bad contracts, which turned into a payroll roughly the amount of the national debt.

People will no doubt wonder why it was necessary to sacrifice the '08-'09 season for the sake of '10-'11, while taking on another team's "situation" (Al Harrington) in the process. After all, this team started 6-2, and had the Mavericks on the ropes in a game they probably should have won. And under their new run 'n gun approach implemented by Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks have at least showed a capability of taking care of lower rung teams like Charlotte and Oklahoma City (although they did let a 30 point lead fritter down to 10, tsk tsk), which probably puts them in a position to battle for the 8th seed for the right to get their heads handed to them by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

That said, the Knicks of Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, even under D'Antoni, weren't getting anywhere. The sooner you're honest about that, the better. When the chance arises to trade a first round beating this season for being in contention for the whole freakin' kit and kaboodle in two seasons, you take it. Every time.

Let's not forget that this is the Knicks we're talking about, so there's some inherent risk here. First off, of the big names available in 2010 in addition to James, you have Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudamire. Though I personally don't see any of those three coming to New York, money does talk. And you never know what kinds of challenges drives these athletes, and you also never know what kind of moves can precede a big fish. Would Kevin Garnett had been comfortable with a trade to the Celtics without their previous acquisition of Ray Allen? The answer is no, and look what happened to the Celtics last season (and this, with a 12-2 record and steamrolling towards another division title even at this early stage.) Don't think the Knicks ignored the basketball renaissance in Boston last season where superstars provide instant credibility.

But with Wade and Stoudamire most likely staying where they are, and Bosh being a Texas native who may look at the three Lone Star franchises before New York, it would seem to be "LeBron or Bust" for Donnie Walsh.

The Knicks hope that LeBron James noticed the happenings in New York today, and they hope he sees it as the ultimate sign of respect, admiration, and the ultimate floral bouquet sitting at his doorstep. "LeBron, we're clearing the way for you. Love, New York City." But so much can happen in two seasons. Not the least of which is this: What if LeBron James wins a championship in his home city this season or next? How possible would it be for him to leave then? LeBron did take the Celtics to Game 7 before finally falling. What if they get over that hump in '09 or '10, for a team that can give him a max contract? And did I mention ... at home?

It's not impossible, with the Cavaliers at 9-3 and Mo Williams now manning the point for Cleveland instead of Daniel Gibson. This is a team that has a punchers chance at returning to the Finals. Unless the Knicks get another superstar or two to commit to complementing James (instead of being the star of their own team), can a potential situation in New York be better for his legacy than what would be presented him in Cleveland?

The Knicks do have D'Antoni going for them ... not only is he one of the best offensive coaches going which may be attractive to James, but their experience together at the Beijing Olympics could give the Knicks an advantage when that fateful day finally comes. But there is too much time between now and then to guarantee that these deals are going to pay off with the bounty of LeBron. But it's worth the gamble.

In any event, this trade may have the unintended effect of making it easier to buy out Stephon Marbury. By offering him the chance to play this season, Marbury no longer has the luxury of refusing a buyout to do the same thing he would be doing while employed: and that's not play. Now, Stephon has the choice to either play or take a lump sum buyout and go somewhere else. By choosing not to play against the Bucks Friday night, he loses all leverage he once had ... and its increasingly clear that the end of his fruitless Knick career is coming sooner rather than later. And that makes this trade gamble already worth while.

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All Right, My Head is Spinning Now

2008-11-21T20:35:00.000-05:00

After a few weeks of nothing in the world of all things Metropolitan, now we have more news than we can handle. First, Aaron Heilman demands to either start, or be traded somewhere where he can start. Then we find out that Luis Castillo has practically begged the Mets to not be traded.

Now we have news that it's not Frankie Rodriguez nor Brian Fuentes, or even Bobby Jenks that the Mets are targeting to close, but Mariners closer JJ Putz.

Irony, thy name is Omar Minaya. It's kinda hilarious the same team that is concerned that K-Rod might get hurt would instead turn to Putz, who already has been hurt. Yup, forward thinking.

But before you overreact by throwing a brick through a plate glass window, breathe. The same person who originally brought us this nugget
also told us that Livan Hernandez was on his way to Queens also. So easy does it, gang.

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SHOW ME THE MONEY

2008-11-20T11:07:00.000-05:00

Money can't buy you love perhaps. Recent history, in fact, indicates it can't even guarantee a playoff appearance, let alone a championship. However, as Congress' recent bailout of the banking sector demonstrates, cash certainly can assuage anxiety, restore confidence, and renew hope.

So for all us Yankee fans who recently watched the Red Sox and Rays, fortified by seemingly endless reserves of young talent, march through the playoffs and have wallowed in resentment, despair, and self-pity ever since-- well, have faith, and remember Scarlett O'Hara's credo. For tomorrow is indeed another day. This time, quite literally.

For tomorrow the Yankees can begin to offer contracts to free agents. Tomorrow, the Yankees can begin to leverage their financial might to compensate for a farm system, that while beginning to show the first signs of growth after a decade of neglect and plunder, will not yield the likes of a Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youklis, or Jacoby Ellsbury; Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, or BJ Upton for years to come.

No, it won't earn the Yankees many admirers in the industry or among the games' self-appointed moral guardians in the media. Before the Steinbrenners have spent so much as a penny, in fact, baseball's Reds have already launched their annual jeremiad about the gluttonous Yankee payroll and have accused the Bronx robber barons of cornering the market and destroying baseball's competitive integrity. The irony is how many of these same media hacks would impose on the Yankees a financial tax they themselves would bridle at paying. The New York Daily News, for example, recently quoted one of the most consistently strident and dogmatic advocates for a salary cap in baseball, The Million Dollar Mad Dog, Christopher Russo, as follows, "I voted for McCain. I think there is an element of people sitting on their fannies. 'Lets go tax the wealthy up and down to make sure the guy on Main Street can sleep until 10 o'clock in the morning.' That kind of thing... steered me to McCain." Let them all eat Yankee Franks, says the Mad Dog.

The truth is that in the NBA and NFL, salary caps, actually, enshrines an aristocracy of talent, crowning dynasties like the Spurs and Patriots and perpetuating losing franchises by preventing them from spending enough money to re-arm. This is why NFL and NBA teams, to improve, depend so heavily on their drafts.

Baseball, in contrast, more readily approximates the liberal democratic ideal. In many ways, in fact, it mirrors the U.S.'s own system of liberal welfare state capitalism. No law prohibits Microsoft, for example, from mustering its $21 billion in cash reserves to throttle and ravage would-be competitors. They just have to pay taxes. So too with the Yankees.

In 2005, Forbes reported that the Yankees earned $354 million in revenue, $77 million of which baseball exacted and redistributed to 16 small-market teams through revenue-sharing, another $34 million of which the Yankees paid in luxury taxes. (Steinbrenner's Tax Shelter, Forbes, 05/08/06) Together, the two levies constitute the equivalent of a 31% tax, about as high the 35% rate both Microsoft and Chris Russo probably paid last year.

Accordingly, the Yankees will have no reason to apologize for if in the forthcoming weeks they spend prodigious sums of money and sign multiple players from among, perhaps, the most talented free-agent class in baseball. After all, the Red Sox responded likewise after failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2006, going on a $210 million off-season spending spree that netted them Dice-K, J.D. Drew, and Julio Lugo. What's more, with the 2008 season's end, $80+ million in Yankees player contracts have expired which they now can re-allocate to address their most pressing needs. Onward, Cash.

WHOM TO SIGN AND WHY

PRIORITY #1: The Ace
That the Yankees foremost priority should be to marshal every last resource to sign CC Sabathia strikes me as so self-evident it's not worth arguing. Rare is it for a team to rectify the mistake they made one year the next.

The 2008 season, as such, could best be called Cashman's Folly. For it demonstrated the hubris of constructing a rotation in the New York crucible that hinges so greatly on the performance of rookie pitchers confined by innings caps. It's one thing to cultivate starting pitchers and to integrate them slowly into the rotation. Quite another, to bear the risk of injury and inconsistency that comes with assigning 40% of the rotation to two untested, under-25 pitcher with innings limitations to boot and still to expect the team to thrive and qualify for post-season. The risk only intensifies, in fact, when two 35+ starters comprise another 40%.

Apart then from the quality start a pitcher like Sabathia can offer every fifth day, he, in anchoring the rotation and providing 200+ innings, also alleviates the pressure on the starters who follow him. He would allow the Yankees, then, to exercise more patience with, and thereby assist in, the ongoing development of Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves, or whomever else earns a Bronx audition in 2009.

Priority #2: The Three Hole
According to SI's John Heyman and other reporters privy to the Yankees thinking, the front-office's second priority is to sign one of the other two or three other premiere free-agent pitchers-- A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, or perhaps, Ben Sheets. With this decision, I admantly disagree.

Let's begin by assuming the Yankees sign Sabathia (if they cannot, then in this eventuality, I can't argue with signing Burnett or Lowe or both). Andy Pettite already has indicated he wishes to return and would accept a one-year deal to do so. Should the Yankees oblige Pettitte, then, they'd begin with a rotation of Sabathia, Wang, and Pettitte. I'll address the 4th and 5th spots below in Priority #3.

To my mind, the Yankees' lineup last year was almost as deficient as their starting rotation, if not more so. They scored 179 less runs than in 2007. Their on-base average declined from .366 to .344; their slugging percentage dropped from .463 to .427; their batting average with runners in scoring position fell from .293 to .261.

Nonetheless, the Yankees would compound the regression the lineup already has shown. That is, the Front-Office intends not to re-sign their 3rd and 5th hitters, Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi, two of their lineup's most proficient hitters last year in two of the three statistical groups above which accrued a shortfall from the previous year -- on-base percentage and slugging. Only Alex Rodriguez exceeded Abreu and Giambi in OPS (on-base + slugging percentage). Giambi and Abreu also led the team in the number of pitches they saw per plate appearance, each with 4.3 P/PA.

Yes, Posada and Matsui may return next year, but relying on either player to recuperate fully at their advanced age, to reproduce their 2007 totals, and to stay healthy for the season's duration is as presumptuous and reckless as Cashman's decision last off-season to entrust 40% of the rotation to rookies. Perhaps, the Yankees can assume Posada and/or Matsui could fill the five hole and compensate for Giambi's loss. Neither however is a genuine 3 hole hitter even when fully realizing his potential.

The only two players available via free-agency who promise the Yankees sufficient production as three hitters in (i) their ability to get on base, (ii) work counts, and (iii) amass extra-base hits are Mark Teixiera, Manny Ramirez or Abreu himself. (It is impossible to project how Adam Dunn-- a career NL player, with a low average and high strike out totals and a questionable passion for the game-- would perform in New York. But each caveat presents its own risk.)

Ramirez is limited to LF or DH and will command a $100 million contract besides. He's the least desirable option as such. Teixiera and Abreu, to be sure, present risks as well. Teixiera is a younger than Abreu, a better hitter and fielder, but nonetheless will commit the Yankees to at least a seven year obligation, if not more. Abreu, on the other hand, only desires a 3-year contract and might even acquiesce to two years with a vesting option, if the Yankees offer it because he wants to return to New York. I concede his speed has diminished and he's lost some range in RF but he's not nearly as much a defensive liability as his critics insist. Nor for that matter does his anointed succesor, Xavier Nady, represent a dramatic improvement.

Re-signing Abreu has the added virtue of enabling the Yankees to play Nady at 1B or to trade him for first-baseman while Nady still has value. (Nady is a Boras client and will accompany Damon and Matsui on the free-agent market at next season' conclusion.) Alternatively, after re-signing Abreu, they Yankees could trade Matsui, freeing the DH position for Damon, Abreu, Nady, and Posada to rotate through, and could audition Juan Miranda at 1B or perhaps even sign Giambi for one-year.

Either way, with Brett Gardner expected to play CF in 2009, Jorge Posada returning from labrum surgery, Matsui suffering from chronically arthritic knees, Derek Jeter reverting to his free-swinging ways and his GDP numbers increasing annually, and A-Rod always prone to press, the Yankees need a sure-fire, prolific bat in the three hole almost as much as they do Sabathia. Only two free agents fit the bill, Teixiera and Abreu. The Yankees would err greatly in not signing one or the other.

Priority #3: The Innings-Eater
Another reason why a 3-hole hitter should take precedence to a second starter is cost efficiency. Mark Teixiera is a young elite talent and one of the best players in baseball at his position, and probably will remain so for the lion share of his contact. Abreu, similarly, joins Pujols and A-Rod as one of only three players in the game to amass 6 consecutive seasons of 100 RBI's. He also happens to be one of the game's most durable players as well, playing 150 games or more every year since he became a starter in 1998. Plate discipline, his great asset, what's more, is one of the more age-resistant player skills. The Yankees, accordingly, can expect to receive production roughly commensurate to their outlay by signing either.

The same cannot be said of AJ Burnett certainly, and perhaps not of Derek Lowe either. Burnett lives on the disabled list, having thrown 200 innings or more in only 3 of the last 7 seasons. (No Maas.org, cleverly, refers to him as the baseball market's equivalent to a sub-prime mortgage.) Lowe, on the other hand, while more durable, will turn 36 next year, wants a 3-4 year contract at $15+ million, despite not qualifying as one of the best pitchers in the game, and finally, hasn't pitched in the AL since 2004.

The Yankees would profit more accordingly from signing one or more less prestigious, second or third-tier pitchers who would cost them less and necessitate a shorter contractual commitment, but upon whom they can rely alone, or in tandem, to pitch 200 innings: John Garland, Paul Byrd, Randy Wolf, Mike Mussina (if for a year, two at most) or perhaps, some combination of one-year contracts for Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, and Eric Milton.

The Yankees rotation would then consist of Sabathia, Wang, Pettite, Innings-Eater, and Joba. Then as injuries mount and innings caps are reached, the organization could integrate Hughes, Aceves, Kennedy, Coke, Brackman, etc., as their performances and health warrant.

What the Yankees actually do is anybody's guess. The marketplace unfolds according to a logic of its own that can upend even the best laid plans. Count on it, for this reason, to dictate one or more choices the Front-Office otherwise wouldn't make.

Still, should the Yankees somehow achieve a reasonable facsimile of the three priorities above, I'm confidence they'll resume their role as perennial contender in the AL East.

Matthew Schweber, Sportstalkny, Yankees Beat Reporter

See SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night from 9 PM to 11 PM EST at www.sportstalknylive.com. Check out past shows on the archive page and download all past interviews in the itunes store keyword "sportstalknypodcasts".

Missing Moose

2008-11-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

Well we have a new state of mind in New York. It is called "quit while you're ahead." We have seen it from Tiki Barber and now we see it from Mike Mussina. After his first 20 win season of his career, Mike Mussina has called it quits. He said he planned on retiring after this season no matter what but he did not tell anyone. Who knew he would have such a great year after winning only 11 games the prior year. Mike Mussina deserves a lot of credit for a few reasons. Although most Yankee fans will be upset, he is showing that he is not money hungry. After having a 20 win season at his age many teams including the Yankees would without doubt be willing to throw a lot of money at Mussina and he knows that. Instead of being money hungry and being greedy like many professional athletes are, he is just calling it quits. You cannot disrespect that. He also deserves credit for being loyal and true to his decision. He had a poor season prior to this one with just 11 wins like I mentioned above. After that poor season, he most likely said to himself, "I am too old for this so after next season I am going to retire." Despite having a spectacular year to show himself and the MLB that he still is a great pitcher, he has stuck with his decision to retire. I guess when you are with New York teams for a long time, these decisions stick with you. Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, and now Mike Mussina all had intentions to retire and they all did. There were no Brett Favre's or Mario Lemieux's.

We sure will miss you Mike Mussina and we all praise you for your stint with the Yankees and your loyalty to your decision. Yankee fans now of course will hope the C.C. Sabathia is money hungry and chooses the Yankees. Nobody will beat their offer but if Sabathia stays true to himself, he will be in the National League next year and/or on the West Coast....

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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Booing Betemit

2008-11-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

We all know New York City is known as the Big Apple. Does that mean all the people in it are New York's little apples? Well I know one person who is and that is Wilson Betemit. Wilson Betemit is a career .260 hitter and under manager Joe Girardi he played 87 games. Go figure. For those of you who are bad at math or those who do not have a calculator, that means Betemit played in 53% of the Yankees' games. Oh by the way, 53% is more than half. Wilson Betemit is a utility infielder and the reason he would play so many times over either Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, or Jason Giambi is in fact mind boggling. I can continue to throw out stats at you like his .218 average with runners in scoring position but I just don't find it necessary. The point is, Wilson Betemit is in fact a little apple. Had a deal actually been completed I would prefer an apple playing in place of Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez on a day off. Given the small strike zone provided by an apple, the on base percentage would be nearly 1.000.

The Yankees made a great move today in trading Wilson Betemit. I won't even get into why a team would be willing to take him. But in return, the Yankees received OF/1B Nick Swisher who is a big improvement over Betemit and is much needed due to the vacancies at both first base and outfield. Granted he can only play one position at a time and will most likely play first base moreso than anywhere else, I have finally given props to Brian Cashman on this move. The Yankees did also give up RHP Jeff Marquez and RHP Jhonny Nunez. In addition to Swisher, the Yankees also received RHP Kanekoa Texeira who is now the closest the Yankees will get to Mark Texiera... or is he? Swisher did have a pretty awful season last year but still did show his display of power and if he can get back to his old self this is a true upgrade at both first base or the outfield. If the Yankees do continue to try and pursue Mark Texiera, then it will be a great move. Keep in mind the Yankees still can give another shot to Shelley Duncan at first base. So to sum it all up, the Yankees got Nick Swisher in return for an apple. Now let us discuss C.C. Sabathia...

Mark Elliot Wishnia
SportsTalkNY Blog Team

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SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night live from 9 PM to 11 PM est at
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ON FU DAY NOV 13TH CAN WE ASK AARON HEILMAN TO REMOVE HIMSELF FROM HIS PLACE OF RESIDENCE ?

2008-11-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Omar, Omar, Omar deep down you know I am right. There simply is no way on earth,let alone Citifield that Heilman can remain a New York Met, so today on the infamous day in honor of Felix Unger let the house cleaning begin. Here is my list of players currently on the Mets 40 man roster that must go, and I am sure my good friend and New York Herald sports reporter Oscar Madison would agree .

1) Aaron Heilman : One winning season in six as a Met, back to back seasons with 5 blow saves in less then 10 save opportunities, an ERA of over 5.2 last season and over 4 for his career. Heilman wants to start ?? Fine , START by packing your bags !

2) Abbiorix Burgos : Gives a whole new meaning to term "battery mate " I doubt the NYSE had as bad a month as Burgos did this past September to October. Burgos was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend,prosecutors say he repeatedly punched her on the back,bit her and slapped her, and then less then a month later he was indicted on charges of hit and run in his native Dominican Republic. Sources say that Burgos struck two women in his SUV and drove off. The woman later died of their injuries. There is no upside here, the closest Burgos will ever come to being a closer is maybe being booked by Kyra Sedgwick.

3,4 ) Orlando Hernandez/Moises Alou: Yes these two players epitomize what a professional baseball player should be, that being said, if you look very closely ay Davinci's Last Supper you can see EL Duque and Moises on the far right. Hey Jesus is Moises uncle ! There clearly is no role for either of them on this team.

5) Scott Schoenweis : From all accounts a great guy, from all accounts a lousy pitcher. Lifetime 10 games under .500, 15 blown saves in 24 chances in his career, Lifetime ERA close to 5 runs a game. Go to baseball reference.com and compare by age and the impressive list of relief pitchers that he ranks with are Brad Havens, Wandy Rodriguez, Ron Villone and Brian Bohanon..get the point ?

Bonus clean-up : Luis Castillo * I am actually on the fence on this one. A few years back I was screaming that Jose Valentin was done, yet he went on to have a very productive year and was a key component of the team, I loved the acquisition of Castillo and thought he was the perfect number two hitter behind Reyes. Castillo was known for his work ethic, his bat control, yet this past season he seemed to be the second coming of Roberto Alomar. I would like to give Castillo spring training and the month of April before writing him off, I think he may have a rebound year.

Your thoughts ??

Mark Rosenman, SPORTSTALKNY, Host and Producer

See SPORTSTALKNY every Wednesday night live at 9 PM to 11 PM est at www.sportstalknylive.com. Check out past shows on the archive page and download all the past interviews in the itunes store keyword "sportstalknypodcasts"