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ALL COMING TOGETHER

NY sports seems to be coming together with a playoffs and drafts and the whole baseball scene.

The Jets drafted #16 and got UNC’s Quinton Coples, a defensive end they needed badly. Let’s hope he can remember to pass rush in the NFL! The 6-5 284 pounder can play all along the defensive line, and it is like getting more than one player for the pick. Rex Ryan had promised Coples when he met him that he would select him “no matter what” if he was still available at #16.

The Giants selected Virginia Tech running back David Wilson, the final pick of the first round.

The Rangers finally put the Ottawa Senators out of session as they skated past them with a 2-1 victory and now play the Washington Capitols in the next round. With Boston eliminated their chances of making the final round look a little better, because I figured if they did meet Boston it would have been one heck of a slug fest!

The Knicks are now ready to take on the Heat. LeBron James and crew are primed I’m sure. But I sense th Knicks under Woodson, the revitalized Melo and Stoudemire, with the addition of Lin will make this matchup very interesting.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

DAVID WRIGHT

Last Wednesday night, April 25 against the Miami Marlins, David Wright set the new Met RBI record, breaking his tie with Darryl Strawberry’s old record of 733 career RBI’s. He now has 735 all to himself, and he did it on a 2-run homer! This is the same David Wright the owner said was as expendable as anyone else on the team!

David Wright is the face of the franchise; he is the only third baseman since Wayne Garrett, Ed Charles and Howard Johnson to be a real Mets third baseman, a position that has never been successfully filled like Wright does. For years the Mets searched for a third baseman, but they were few and far between. In 1969 and 1986 were the championship years and they had a third baseman, 69’s platoon of Garrett and Charles, and in ‘86 when Hojo took over are the how important having a steady third baseman was for the Mets.

Getting a good third baseman is important, one that hits for average is a plus and one that hits it far is a bonus! The Mets are due to talk contract at the end of this season with Wright. The Mets should work to keep David Wright in Flushing where he wants to play: they better not play games like they did with Jose Reyes.

THE HOT SEAT ALREADY!

Two managers are already in the hot seat! The season isn’t a month old and already there is grumblings.

Everybody knows about Bobby Valentine in Boston, and the fact t=of the matter is he may have been out of baseball for too long. Time will tell, but he seems to be mis-stepping wherever he goes! Calling out his players and apologizing like he didn’t know, and then making out wrong lineup cards and having his players fix it makes for a questionable manager. His arrogance aside, what is he doing?

The other issue lies on the opposite coast in Mike Scioscia and the Angles. Arte Moreno handed out more than $320 million to one of the best hitters in baseball history in the person of Albert Pujols and a premium free-agent pitcher in CJ Wilson to an already high-octane starting pitching staff. With the Angels looking like they are falling off a cliff already and I know the season is early, but what gives with Pujols? Why does he flounder? Is his contract affecting him psychologically, or is he just having trouble adjusting? 

My suspicion is that both managers will survive, and that the teams will click by the end of May.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

PINEDA A COSTLY TRADE

The Yankees acquired a pretty darn good pitcher in Michael Pineda, only to see their investment increase in cost by the mere fact that the guy is now sidelined with a bum shoulder! Sidelined is one thing, but sidelined for a year is another, with the benefit of a single toss!

The Seattle Mariners traded for Montero because of their anemic hitting, getting a future all-star for a future all-star. Barring any injury to Montero, the Yanks have lost both a hitter and a pitcher.

What does this do to the starting rotation? Where does the replacement come from and what does it do to Phil Hughes and the pressure to bear on him?

Big contracts for pitchers are a crap-shoot, you never know what will happen if you are a GM.

SPEAKING OF WHICH

The other New York team, the Mets, have their own pitching woes with an enigma named Pelfrey. As any baseball fan knows, a sore elbow could be a sign of fatigue or worse, the end of a pitching career!

Mike Pelfrey has been by and large a disappointment the past few years, and this season he looked like he had turned the corner on his way to greatness, pitching extremely well.

At first the fear was that the soreness in his elbow would require surgery, but now it looks like it may not be a s bad as it seems. When he was evaluated after a pitching masterpiece last Saturday, the soreness raised alarms that the season may be over, in the press that is. Now there is some thinking that he may not need surgery, and that he may have had this condition all along, and that it is the result of his changing his pitching approach where he is now throwing more over the top! Time will tell.

There seems to be a rash of injuries early on this season with a great many teams without the full roster playing. The Phillies seem to be the most snake bit, the Mets seem to be picking up where they left off, and even the Washington Nationals, sitting alone in first place have it a bit. Is the season too long, with the inclusion of Spring Training? Maybe a shortened schedule with it staring later would help the injury  problems, with an emphasis on conditioning lasting longer in preparation rather than skills at the onset of spring training.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

YU DARVISH

It’s been 4 games into the season for Yu Darvish, 4 games to prove me wrong about his ability in the Major Leagues. Well so far he is proving me wrong! Good for him.

In those 4 games he is 3-0 with a stellar 2.42 ERA, darn good for anyone’s standards.

He doesn’t go deep, only 26 innings in 4 games, but that is enough for today’s pitching coach. Is he worth the money so far? At this rate, Texas should get all their money back by the end of the year.

SPEAKING OF PITCHING

Johan Santana started off the season under a lot of questions, one of which was would he ever be his old self again after all that time away on the disabled list? Turns out he is, and if he had some support, would not be 0-3! In 4 games his ERA is 3.00, and aside from the one poor game against the Giants, he pitched brilliantly. His last outing against the Marlins came after that poor start and he was able to pitch his best game! But the Mets are not hitting, and may not be capable of doing so, Santana looks even better than he is!

AGE MATTERS

If you look at the oldest teams in Major League Baseball the average player’s age is 30 for the; New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies, and the oldest average team… the New York Yankees at 31!

The average age in the majors is 28. The youngest? The Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros at 27.

FIT TO BE TIED

The NY Rangers and Ottawa Senators are now tied 3 games apiece for the preliminary round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One of the best with the Rangers against the last to qualify for the playoffs in Ottawa, both teams have not only won 3 games each, but both have scored 12 goals apiece!

There is a lot on the line for the Rangers after a great season.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

LOYALTY?

There is none in professional sports. If there ever was, it was replaced with the bottom line.

New Jersey Americans move to Long Island, NY

Home teams once were like religion: you stayed with it until you died: now that concept has died. You can’t be loyal to a team anymore than you can be loyal to a particular player, as face of the franchise. The money is too big: the lure of making even more is stronger than ever.

Become the New York Nets and move to...

Let’s take two cases in point. One is the New Jersey Nets, the poster children of disloyalty, having moved more times than a fish just caught. It is now moving back to New York, and Brooklyn in particular. They were once the darlings of Long Island, the storybook team that had great players and the fan base was into it, then one day moved to New Jersey. They saw a bigger market, and for 35 years tried to be an equal of the New York Knicks. They tried to create their own identity. It never happened, they were on top of the heap while the Knicks were down, yet they didn’t have the appeal of the Knicks.

New jersey Nets who will become...

Now the Nets are moving back, looking for a fan base, and they think they found it in Brooklyn of all places! You remember Brooklyn, the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the home of the greatest fan base ever. Well the Dodgers taught everyone a lesson: money talks louder than the roaring crowds of 32,000 fans for 77 games a year!

That takes me to ‘Free Agency’ and the many players that have jumped ship for the lure of more money, and the idea that they are the very best at what they do. All too often we have witnessed the ballplayers in baseball, football and hockey or basketball leave for more money. When they sign their contract and break their fans hearts, often they discover they can’t deal with the switch, their talents are eroding, and worst still, the new fan base under high expectations witnesses a poor performance and boo the guy from disappointment.

Jose can you see money

Often the team owners of the new team make the mistake that giving obscene long-term contracts to proven stars is a great idea. It will bring in fans and create even more money. Instead the star’s talents start on the decline, and they never measure up to what they once were. Look at Jason Bay on the Mets, and he is only one example. Jose Reyes is going to be a case in study. For nine years he has been exciting for NY Mets fans, for nine years he has used his fragile legs and quickness to excite and ignite, and he is now on the decline. Let’s face it, so is Albert Pujols. Will he be worth the guaranteed money that he will get at the end of his contract?

His new business clothes

The innocence of rooting for your home team, rooting for your favorite player, is now over. There is no loyalty anymore from the players or the teams, just a common search for more money.

That’s all I wrote, folks.

BOBBY VALENTINE

The 2012 season is picking up where the 2011 season left off, for Boston and Red Sox Nation. There is to my way of thinking a Red Sox ‘Notion’ to lose games and to lose them as embarrassing as possible, somewhat like the Mets did for years and revisit every so often.

FRANCONA

The interesting thing about these phenomena is the fact that basically, the two teams, the Boston Red Sox of 2011 and 2012 are for the most part the same teams. The only real difference is the manager, Terry Francona out and Bobby Valentine in. If you’ve read my blog of : Tuesday, February 21, 2012, I brought up some interesting questions. “Lester, Beckett and pray for a miracle, the Sox will continue to fall unless they can shore up the pitching, and without it will finish in third once more. Theo Epstein is gone, and it is under his realm that the Sox ended this way, although the new GM has done nothing so far to improve the situation.” This still holds true!

Valentine

But the fans are making me nuts, they seem t think that all this poor play, the collapse of the Yankee/Red Sox game a few days ago, this season and all of last season’s collapse is on Bobby Valentine’s shoulder. I think they are beating up the wrong guy. If there ever was a manager that doesn’t like to lose, it is Bobby Valentine. As far as great managers go, it is Bobby Valentine, and if any manager could do what needs to be done to right the course, it is Bobby Valentine.

Epstein

If I were to pick the real culprit for the collapsing of Red Sox Nation he is now settled in Chicago and is trying to rebuild his reputation, one which he built in Boston, then I would pick him, the President of the club, Theo Epstein. It was under his direction that the pitching staff is now composed of high school wanna-be’s. He got out of town just in time, and a great manager in Terry Francona took the fall!

The fans of Boston can boo Bobby V, but that won’t change things, but Bobby V, given a chance; can!

That’s all I wrote, folks!

IT’S DEBATEABLE

The designated hitter rule is the common name for Rule 6.10, used by the American League since 1973 that allows teams to designate an alternate player, known as the designated hitter to bat in place of a pitcher each time he comes to bat, rather than replace the pitcher with a pinch hitter.

I hate the rule, it watered down the game of baseball and all that it used to be. It makes the record books only half meaningful since the National League never employed the rule. The American League can’t really start its history until 1973, while the National League can go all the way back to the original games!

One of the beauties of baseball is the past, and the records that have been established over the years. People can spend the off season debating because there are comparisions that make for interesting conversation, and althought this may be true for other sports, not as it occurs in baseball.

But it is the actual game itself that is watered down, the strategies that ensue when a team reaches the late innings, the pitcher is pitching a credible game and the score is tied. Do you take the pitcher out and use a pinch hitter, or do you leave him in and chances are kill the rally?

Every time you mess with the purity of the game, you cheapen the product, take away some tradition and ruin it for the fans. The argument is that it brings more punch to the game to have a designated hitter, more scoring means more excitement and therefore a better game.

If you are a purist like I am, you know that all it does is take away from the order of business in executing a game of baseball. That baseball is a game meant to be played by 9 players on a side, that is the symetry of the game, that leaves it in perfect balance. Nine men on the field verses nine men coming to the plate, each representing his repective positoon on the field. It is not happening in the American League.

Who is the best hitting second baseman of all time? Whis the best fielding second baseman of all time? Who is the best hitting and fielding second baseman of all time? You can make that last question nine times for the National League, not the American League.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

THE MAGIC OF FENWAY PARK

Whether you are a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan, or any fan that enjoys the game of baseball with its rich history, you have to take note of the oldest ballpark in the majors, Fenway.

Base Ball as it was once known in writing it, is filled with great history, drama and legends that keep the game alive. But the ballparks had a great deal to do with it. The old places like Fenway and Wrigley Field are relics, monuments and treasures of the game. If you ever get a chance to go to one of these parks, you will step into history, be at the 1912 World Series in a way, and if you concentrate, you can hear the echo of the roar of the crowds that filled these places so long ago.

This year Fenway celebrates 100 years of existence, the Boston Red Sox having played their first game in 1912 at Fenway, beating the New York Yankees, then the New York Highlanders, 7-6.

I had the pleasure to attend a Yankee/Red Sox game a few years ago, and I remember with clarity the feeling I had of baseball history. As I looked out onto the infield, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that on these very base paths roamed such greats as Williams, DiMaggio and Ruth, that the game was almost the same in 1912 as it is in 2012.

Fenway has a personality that only an old time baseball fan like myself can appreciate, having attended games at Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds and the original Yankee Stadium. The construction of the park, the uniqueness of the playing field, the fences, dugouts and walls all were are equalized by the 90 feet between the bases and the 60 feet 6 inches from the pitcher’s mound to home plate.

Some music and short stories have germinated from the core of the game, the wonderful choreography, the ballet we hear so much about, the beauty that the game is a matter of inches, and that the worst team in baseball can win 42 games and beat every team at least once!

Fenway Park is a teacher, if you listen carefully to the fans that populate it or any ballpark that has a history. The fans remember how to play the game, and if you don’t play well, then the fans will tell you straight out.

But most importantly: Fenway is the reason, the reason why baseball is so popular, the reason why teams were structured like they were to accommodate the ballpark, the reason why baseball and its history is so interesting.

My hope is that when the time comes to leave Fenway, that the city will declare it a city monument, the Federal government will declare it a national historical landmark to be preserved as an example of Americana, and what we were all these years.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Original 1908 Cover
(Click for Larger Version)

1908 Version

Author: Jack Norworth
Composer: Albert Von Tilzer
Published on: 1908, 1927
Published by: York Music Compan

Katie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

That's all I sang, folks!

WHEN IS IT TIME?

As a young sports fan back in the 1950’s, Dad would remind me that in April although the baseball season was in full swing, it was too early to get either excited or upset about the Brooklyn Dodgers. He’d say that winning in April wasn’t important as the games in September.

There is some truth to what he said, but overall the wins in April count in September and October. So a win in April becomes important, or otherwise we get like the Hockey season, and it doesn’t matter until the playoffs!

I know a lot of Yankee and Red Sox fans are upset about how their team started off, and the Washington Nationals and Baltimore fans are pumped, but let’s get real, the season is 162 games, as Dad said once, it’s too early.

SOONER OR LATER…

It’s still a great feat, so you have to hand it to Curtis Granderson when he connected not once, but three times for homers, and went 5-5 for the game against the Twins! When you think about how hard it is to hit a baseball that is traveling at 90 to 96 mph, dipping and sliding and what have you, three homers is incredible! So if you hit it in the spring in game 1 or in the fall in game 162, kudos.

KNICKS IN

For the second time in two years, the Knicks are in the playoffs. They have not won a playoff game in their last 10 decisions, falling last year to the Celtics in four straight games. This year they face either the Bulls or the Heat, and their task is tough, particularly if it is Chicago! Can they at least win one game this playoff?

If you have Lin, Stoudemire and the rest of the crew back, amazing things can happen with Woodson running the show. I wouldn’t bet on it, but I wouldn’t be that surprised either if they survive the first round.

AS I SEE IT

Now that the NFL is back in full swing with the Minnie-camps opening, I thought I’d lie out some things that are on my mind.

The New York Jets have brought in an interesting situation and introduced it to football for the world to judge and time to test: two starting quarterbacks. What happens if this is a good idea? What happens if the Jets succeed beyond their wildest imagination?

If you look at most teams, or all teams, they prepare for one opponent a week, and when they do: it is one quarterback that their defensive game plan is laid out for. You study the tendencies of the starting QB, and make your alignments, pass rushers and pass defenders play accordingly. You place certain tendencies that the QB has as part of your game plan. Certain plays require certain alignments and personnel, with prescribed strategies.

One Sunday you are playing a team like the Jets and what is a third and short situation. You practiced all week long for this particular play defensively and send the players out that have practiced to defend against it. But wait; it’s not Sanchez it’s Tebow! The ball is snapped and goes for a TD!

Perhaps there is a play that calls for a second same kind of situation but this time they leave in Sanchez, what do you do as a defensive coach? Play what happened the last time or what you practiced?

Now let’s look at the draft, and the idea of trades-do you start looking at drafting with the idea in mind that you have to have two starters? Does this drive up the price of the ticket, does it impact the salary structure of the team, do you need two offensive coordinators or two defensive coordinators?

Suddenly a lot of aspects of the game become affected by a new twist in all areas of the game. Is there going to be a rivalry within the locker room? Is the starter considered the #1 man, or do you start a different QB every week? Is someone on the team unhappy about 2 QB’s? Does it affect the whole offensive?

This year will be very interesting, and everyone will be watching closely, it may turn the whole NFL upside down offensively.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

METS VIDEO TRIBUTE

The New York Mets will do a video tribute to Jose Reyes for his 9 years with the team! This is like an abandoned wife thanking her ex husband for his years with her, and asking the family to watch it. If they are doing this, why don’t the Mets throw a video tribute for the Yankees, Braves and Phillies? After all, they are the teams that fill CitiField.

KNICKS CELTICS

After the beating the Knicks took at the hands of the Heat, the media and this blog started whining about the fact that Carmelo Anthony needs help on the floor. Well good news, the rest of the team reads this blog and did what they needed to do. (Ha)

STEVE NOVAK

The Knicks spanked the Celtics with 19, that’s nineteen treys and Melo added 35 points, proving that there is life outside the circle. Anthony registered his first triple/double as a Knick and got the necessary help needed to win.

Mike Woodson emphasized the fact hat the Knicks are still shooting for the Division crown, and Steve Novak showed why it could still be done, shooting 8 for 10 beyond the big circle!

FOOTBALL ALREADY?

Seems like the football season never ended, with the mystery of where Peyton Manning would end up, the arrival of Tebow in NY, and now the schedules released for the 2012 season, when baseball hasn’t reached the Memorial Day weekend yet. The NFL teams are all doing their preseason mini-camp and issuing playbooks, and so we gear up for August preseason games!

I wonder if anyone will notice the Stanley Cup is being played out about now, or that we are about to jump into the NBA postseason playoffs?

That’s all I wrote, folks!

RANGERS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

If intimidation doesn’t work: how about rolling over and dying? That’s what happened to the Ottawa Senators against the New York Rangers in their playoff series. After serving notice that things would get rough, the Rangers turned them back with a 1-0 victory and a 2 games to 1 series lead and the home court advantage.

Brian Boyle, the most hated man in Ottawa helped his image with the Senator fans when he scored the only goal, and Henrik Lundqvist (39 saves) worked as a team, one putting the puck in the net, the other keeping it out.

Should be interesting how things shape up in Ottawa tonight.

BOBBY VALENTINE ON TIME

It didn’t take long for the master of dugout disguises to surface this year with his new team. One of the issues with Valentine is his crazy need to criticize his team to the press! If you want to have a player lose interest, do that, if you want him to sabotage you criticize him unjustifiably, saying Youkilis wasn’t “physically and emotionally” into the game for some reason.

It was bad enough he did put the word out of Kevin Youkilis, but to have a teammate come to Bobby V. and say something is even worst. It fires up the clubhouse, and soon no one wants Bobby Mouth around, seems like this story has played out before.

He can apologize all he wants, but the players will carry this incident in the back of their minds all year long.

JETS TO JETTISON THE PAST

The pre-season workout begins on the field and in the press for the New York Jets. Since they didn’t offer a parade this past season down the ‘Canyon of Heroes’,  we do have Sanchez and Holmes to now pretend that nothing is wrong.

You would think that all the dissention on the club centered around Sanchez, they would give the guy a break, but instead bring in the praying mantis Tebow.

According to Santonio Holmes, the matter was left in Miami last season, and that is where it will stay. Here was a guy who is getting the stuff kicked out of him all season, his worst yet, and he is taunting the Eagles in the end zone!

He denies he’s a cancer in the locker room, but he left nothing but ugliness there last year, undermining his quarterback instead of supporting him.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

WELL HEATED

CARMELO ANTHONY

If you were wondering where this season is going for the Knicks, just look at what the Heat did to them in spite of Carmelo Anthony’s burst of 42 points of the 85 the Knicks scored against the Miami Heat Sunday.

Granted the team is suffering from the loss of Lin and Stoudemire, yet no one else stepped up to help Anthony. If they are to be serious contenders, especially if you don’t know when Stoudemire’s bulging disk will heal if ever in time for the playoffs! The Heat meanwhile clinched the Southeast division and now can play for the fine-tuning of it.

Mike Woodson has done an incredible job, and I wonder if we are expecting more of the Knicks than they can really deliver with the present active roster, but I hope they don’t waste the opportunity to give Woodson a shot at running this club.

WHOOPING THE PENGUINS

DANCE LESSONS?

The Flyers of Philadelphia took a 3-0 lead in their playoff series, and the only ones showing any interest in the results were the Flyers, scoring 8 goals, the both took interest in plummeting each other for a ten count.

Once again the Flyers came from behind and to win and take this improbable 3-0 lead and a chance for a sweep.

What’s at stake now for the Penguins, is pride. Their cross-state rivals hold all the cards now, and a loss would leave a long summer to contemplate the loss and feel the embarrassment.

IT’S 1997 AGAIN!

The Florida Panthers waited 15 years for this to happen! What you ask, a hat trick, some fan jumping onto the ice for the camera’s? No, they won a playoff game, in fact it was game 2 of their playoff series against the New Jersey Devils.

The Panthers were holding to a 3-2 lead, when the Devils won the faceoff with 7.6 seconds left, New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk with a chance to tie that was blocked, and Tomas Fleischmann scored an empty-net goal as time expired and Florida fans littered the ice with hundreds of toy rats - a tradition that dates to the Panthers' run to the 1996 Stanley Cup finals.

And so the series is tied at 1-1 and the two teams go at it in New Jersey tonight.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

BLUE SHIRTS GET BLUE SHOTS

It's no "Man advantage" when your opponent knows your power play sucks! If you don't believe me, then ask the NY Rangers about it.

In game 2, the Ottawa Senators demonstrated that fact by pounding the Rangers from the start and sending a message from Coach Brian Murray that the rest of the series will be played in fistycuff fashion!

The Rangers had a chance to win this one at home and go into Ottawa with a 2-0 game advantage, instead of what they now have. Just 1:17 into the overtime period Chris Neil scored to win this important game for Ottawa.

So will the Senators take this advantage to the hilt, or will the Rangers make an adjustment to a great season of hockey.

KNICKS HAVE THE KNACK

But do they know it? Mike Woodson is quietly winning for the Knicks, and the media is looking for Phil Jackson and John Calipari to eventually run the club. If you ask me, give Woodson a damn contract and make it a good one, he deserves it Mr. Dolan. For once you could do something ethically right.

OZZIE CAN MAKE HISTORY

If Ozzie Guillen can find a surgeon to do tit, he should seek a mouth transplant, preferably with a mute. This is a loose cannon that has been allowed for some strange reason to fire away like he did in Chicago, then again in Miami, saying such nice things about Fidel Castro to a fan base in Miami that is largely anti-Castro transplants. It makes me sick how these bums come to this country, bad mouth it and get paid a lot of money here.

I know this is a sports blog, but Guillen is a sports person of some interest, given the responsibility of managing a winning team and building the fan base for Miami and Jeffery Loria the owner. There is high expectations so he better get his hitters hitting and his relief pitchers pitching. There is a new stadium that must be filled every day the Marlins play, and angering the fans is no way to do it.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

ISIAH THOMAS

Like flypaper, Isiah Thomas keeps sticking around! Hovering around the Knicks as an unpaid advisor to the NY Knicks, his coaching days a complete disaster, he was recently fired from the Florida International University without finishing what he couldn’t finish, turning the basketball program around.

With an overall record of 26-65 and last season record of 8-21, the powers to be got tired of seeing no progress. This will now free him up to advise Dolan at MSG to seek his advice on how to screw up the progress the Knicks are finally making.

Being a favorite of Dolan, Thomas is looking to get back into the NBA, and I’m sure has set his sights on the Knocks front office. If the Knicks get him involved, they will lose a lot of fans. He did help the Knicks land Amar’e Stoudemire, making Chairman Dolan very happy.

The guy is a cancer to the team, to the coaching staff and an embarrassment to the front office, but unfortunately they don’t see that. I would be careful if I were Dolan, and new team is crossing the river into Brooklyn, and if Thomas is back, a whole bunch of fan desertions just might occur.

IT’S SOON GOING TO BE A REBUILDING YEAR!

Another Super Bowl champion defection in the body of Dave Tollefson defensive end, skipping over to the Oakland Raiders, occurred recently. With Umenyiora Pierre-Paul and Tuck, the Giants are already deep at the position, and besides Tollefson is a native of the Oakland/San Francisco area.

MO”S MELTDOWN

What a time to come! Mo Rivera losses the first game, an opening day game to their division rival Tampa Bay Rays! It could have been worse, it could have been the Red Sox at Yankee stadium. That would have set the tone for a bad year.

For the Yankees sake, let hope that Mo is not no ‘mo’ and can still relieve, even if he IS 42! Is it time to pack it in, or do we go one mo time?

That’s all I wrote, folks!
ON VACATION: WILL RETURN APRIL 16TH!

THE LONGEST REST FOR A STARTER THAT PAID OFF

JOHAN SANTANA

Or so it seems as the Mets ace, Johan Santana after a year and a half layoff due to a shoulder surgery, came back and pitched 5 innings of 2 hit ball! Catching the Braves for the first win of the new season, the Mets left their fans happy with the result. I was expecting two things on opening day for the Mets; a long home run by Duda and a long home run by Bay, since they pulled in the fences at Citi Field. Duda was a dud and Bay was being Bay.

SPEAKING OF DUDS

JOSE REYES

The Marlins opened up their new ballpark, with new uniforms and a new starter, shortstop and third baseman, and what have they got to show for it?

If the Marlins are going anywhere they have to beat the good pitchers, and hit while not striking out. Seven hits and one run while striking out 13 times in two games without a victory kind of takes the shine off of things, no?

NEW PLAYOFF SEASON

The season ends on a Wednesday, Oct. 3. Following an off day to allow for tiebreakers, rained-out makeup games, etc., the postseason starts on Friday with a winner-take-all wild-card game for each league, nationally televised as a doubleheader.

In the divisional playoff, the numbers 1 and 2 seed will play the first two games on the road and the next 3 at home. The number one seed will open the playoffs playing a road game against the wild-card winner. That is not a great reward for being the #1 seed!

HOW STUPID CAN A FRANCHISE GET?

PAT LAFONTAINE

It is bad enough that the NY Islanders are perennial losers, mired in last place every year, missing the playoffs, but when they deny their past and a great player like Pat LaFontaine, they should move to Kansas City.

The Wall Street Journal reports that as the Islanders' 40th anniversary season in the National Hockey League winds down, Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine with the team from 1983-1991: has been deliberately left out of any recognition by the Islanders! My question is how this will square with the fans? Not just Islander fans but hockey fans in general should be offended. This is another reason why the Islanders should either sell the team or move away.

That’s all I wrote, folks!

HAPPY BASEBALL SEASON…

at least until your favorite team loses in Miami.

Jay Bruce homered with a pair of rbi’s, and Cueto ruled in his first opening-day start on Thursday, as the Cincinnati Reds waltz to a 4-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in front of one of the biggest crowds ever at Great American Ball Park to see a game.

The Marlins lost, so is this the beginning of the end, will Jose Reyes get vilified by the locals? Is Ossie going to go crazy first or Zambrano? Hey, it’s just one game, but why not fuel some speculation?

With all that talent they bought to Miami, you’d think they could muster up a first win.

GO MANATEES!

If you are a Baltimore Orioles fan you have to wonder why. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota played the Baltimore Orioles and get this-they beat the Orioles 3-2! This is a community college. The parents drop the kids off and said: “Play nice!” I get the impression that it is a long season for the Orioles.

THE GODFATHER?

“Every single one of you, before you get off the pile, affect the head.” That is what former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams told his team before a 49er’s playoff game.

Filmmaker Sean Pamphilon sent some extremely unsettling audio of Williams ordering his players to do damage to the 49ers' top players, according to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.  This is pretty well going to kill any appeal the Saints may wish to make on the matter. There is NO burden of proof for the NFL to fine and even expel some of the personal involved in this scandal. The appeals to be presented to Commissioner Roger Goodell have suddenly become much harder for team lawyers seeking to have penalties reduced.

YANKEES!

The odds makers are not all enamored with New York. Seems Tampa Bay is the favorite. The Red Sox have all but disappeared, and Toronto has an outside shot. The fun will be the 22 played between the Bosox and Yankees. Me? The Yankees all the way if the pitching is any good.  That is a big if.

That’s all I wrote, folks!