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!