Can't Play It Talk It

Rangers Come Closer to Finalizing Roster

2009-09-24T17:05:00.006-04:00

The Rangers cut two more players from their camp this week, winger P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti.

Tortorella was very impressed with Parenteau's play during the preseason; there just wasn't a roster spot for him. Parenteau, if he clears waivers, will head to Hartford where he will be an offensive force. I would be shocked if he is not called up to New York at some point during the season to replace an injured or struggling forward.

Although Sanguinetti played great last year in Hartford while appearing to be NHL-ready, he was outplayed in preseason by fellow youngsters Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto. If a New York blueliner goes down for an extended period of time, the Rangers may choose to call up Sanguinetti over a more experienced Corey Potter or Michael Sauer. Also if either Gilroy or Del Zotto do not play well this year, Sanguinetti could replace them on the roster.

The Rangers most likely will only have one more roster cut before the season starts, and that should be Evgeny Grachev. Although he has played very well, there is no spot for him on this team. The final two forward positions will go to Enver Lisin and Aaron Voros, who will be switching off on the fourth line alongside Brian Boyle and Donald Brashear.

It would not be wise for a young top prospect like Grachev to play limited minutes on a fourth line, so there is little doubt that he will head back to the juniors. The reason he is still up with the Rangers is that they are missing a body with Sean Avery's right knee sprain. Avery should be ready to go when the season begins and Grachev can return to the juniors or begin a rookie campaign with the Wolf Pack (as a Russian, he is age-eligible).

My prediction for the Rangers on opening night is:
1st Line: Higgins- Dubinsky- Gaborik
2nd Line: Kotalik- Drury- Callahan
3rd Line: Avery- Anisimov- Prospal
4th Line: Brashear-Boyle- Lisin/Voros
1st D Pair:Staal-Gilroy
2nd D Pair:Redden-Rozsival
3rd D Pair:Girardi-Del Zotto
Goalies: Lundqvist, Valiquette
Healthy Scratches: Lisin/Voros, Semenov

Rangers Roster Cuts: Round 2

2009-09-19T23:37:00.004-04:00

The Rangers made 5 more roster cuts today, sending goalies Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba, center Paul Crowder, and defensemen Corey Potter and Ilkka Heikkinen to AAA Hartford.

As I previously noted, Johnson and Zaba were never really in competition for a roster spot. They were just providing preseason depth in net to provide Henrik Lundqvist and Stephen Valiquette some rest. Zaba will most likely split stars with Miika Wiikman in Hartford this year, while Johnson will start in AA Charlotte.

Johnson's fellow University of Alaska-Anchorage alum Paul Crowder will be a top center with the Wolf Pack. The Blueshirts are investing a lot in him (almost $1 million) to develop his skills this season.

At the beginning of training camp, I thought there was a good chance that Potter would make the opening day roster. During the 2008-2009 campaign he played great in Hartford. Potter also played very well in his five games with the Rangers, even contributing a goal and an assist. Heikkinen put up high offensive numbers in Finland last season (8 goals, 26 assists in 54 games), but it appears New York wants him to get accustomed to the North American game with some time in the AHL.

The Rangers now left on the roster (including those in Hartford camp) are:
Goal: Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Valiquette
Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Bobby Sanguinetti, Alexei Semenov, Marc Staal
Forwards: Artem Anisimov, Tyler Arnason, Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, Donald Brashear, Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, Evgeny Grachev, Christopher Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, Corey Locke, Jordan Owens, P.A. Parenteau, Vinny Prospal, Patrick Rissmiller, Aaron Voros

It will be interesting to see what roster moves the Blueshirts make before the season starts in October. They are set behind the pipes, and Girardi, Redden, Rozsival, and Staal are locks at the blue line. Although New York did not carry a 7th defenseman for almost all of last season, there is a good chance veteran Alexei Semenov (in camp on a tryout) will fill that role this season. The 5th and 6th defensemen positions will be filled by rookies. Gilroy, Del Zotto, and Sanguinetti will battle it out over the remaining preseason games to fill those holes. My predicition is that Gilroy and Sanguinetti make the team while Del Zotto heads back to the juniors for one more season.

My prediction for the New York forward lines is:
1st Line: Higgins- Dubinsky- Gaborik
2nd Line: Kotalik- Drury- Callahan
3rd Line: Avery- Anisimov- Prospal
4th Line: Brashear-Boyle- Lisin/Voros

This would mean that in addition to the 5 players semi-cut this past week, P. A. Parenteau and Evgeny Grachev will not make the final roster. Parenteau, one of the biggest scoring threats in the AHL last season, should start the year in Hartford but keep his phone on and handy. He and Dane Byers will be the top forwards on the pecking order to be called up if someone gets hurt in New York. Grachev has impressed this preseason but can definitely benefit from another year in the juniors.

Dubinsky Signs, Rangers Make First Round of Roster Cuts

2009-09-19T18:05:00.007-04:00

After contract disputes that lasted the entire summer, the Rangers have finally reached terms with Brandon Dubinsky. The 23-year-old center has signed a 2-year deal worth $3.7 million.

Dubinsky had a great rookie season from 2007-2008 in which he centered a line with Jaromir Jagr and contributed 14 goals and 26 assists. Duby then failed to build off his rookie campaign last season without a superstar alongside him and scored 13 goals and added 28 assists. This year, the Alaska native should be centering Marian Gaborik on the New York first line and the combination could be lethal to opponents.

The Blueshirt lineup is still far from figured out, but a little clearer after this week's first roster cuts. Most of the players sent to Hartford or the juniors were expected to end up there, but there were a few surprises. The Rangers sent down Michael Sauer, who was in contention for one of the team's vacant defenseman positions, in their first set of cuts. Sauer was called up from Hartford for a few games last year, and Tortorella was not happy with what he saw and sent him right back down. The hard-hitting defenseman clearly seems to be in the doghouse.

New York also sent down goalie Miika Wiikman fairly early on. Although Henrik Lundqvist and Stephen Valiquette are locks behind the Rangers net, the team kept Matt Zaba and Chad Johnson around to share the preseason work load. The Blueshirts seem high on Johnson, whom they traded a 5th round pick this summer to Pittsburgh to acquire, as they have given him a lot of ice time. Johnson is a recent graduate from University of Alaska-Fairbanks where he was a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season. Inversely, the Rangers seem to be low on Wiikman, who did not even appear in a preseason game before being cut. Wiikman should backup/split time with Zaba in Hartford, and Johnson should start in AA Charlotte where he can get many starts and acclimate to the professional game.

There are five members of the organization who were semi-cut this week. Corey Locke, Dane Byers, Tyler Arnason, Jordan Owens, and Patrick Rissmiller will continue camp in Hartford but have technically not been sent down to the Wolf Pack. If these players were sent down, they would have had to pass through waivers, and New York is not looking to get involved with that dangerous process just yet.

The move was designed to give Locke, Byers, Arnason, Owens, and Rissmiller some ice time without losing them but they still each may have a chance to play a preseason game or two with the big club. Byers is the only one who still has a legitimate chance of making the team. He was very impressive in Hartford's playoff ran last year after missing most of the regular season with injuries, and is very versatile. Byers is speedy and physical and can help the Blueshirts in a 4th- line/penalty-killing role similar to the one that the departed Fredrik Sjostrom occupied last season.

Now that Dubinsky has signed, centers Locke and Arnason have virtually no shot at roster spots. These two veterans should provide depth in Hartford for the Rangers. Owens is a fast winger with a lot of talent and needs another year with the Wolf Pack to further develop his skills before he is NHL ready. Rissmiller was an important member of the Pack last year after being sent down from New York, and should continue that role this year. The physical winger is due to make $1 million this season (as well as another million next season), which is an insane amount for a player in the AHL. Although this would not count against the New York cap if Rissmiller is in Hartford, there is no doubt the Rangers hope he is claimed off waivers to save some cash.

The Rangers now left on the roster (including those in Hartford camp) are:
Goal: Chad Johnson, Henrik Lundqvist, Steve Valiquette, Matt Zaba
Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ilkka Heikkinen, Corey Potter, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Bobby Sanguinetti, Alexei Semenov, Marc Staal
Forwards: Artem Anisimov, Tyler Arnason, Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, Donald Brashear, Dane Byers, Ryan Callahan, Paul Crowder, Chris Drury, Marian Gaborik, Evgeny Grachev, Christopher Higgins, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, Corey Locke, Jordan Owens, P.A. Parenteau, Vinny Prospal, Patrick Rissmiller, Aaron Voros

Beltran Returns to the Mets

2009-09-08T16:36:00.003-04:00

One of the Mets injured players is finally coming back, even though the Amazins are already out of playoff contention.

Carlos Beltran will play CF tonight and bat clean up. He has been out with a bone bruise in his knee since June 21, and the Mets struggled in his absence with a 27-42 record.

This is a positive for the Mets that he's back because that is one less question mark they will have next spring training. Beltran clearly made a strong push to return to the lineup, and it shows a lot of heart on his part to want to play despite the games being meaningless at this point. What looked like a weak lineup two weeks ago now looks a lot better with a middle of the lineup that includes Beltran, David Wright, and Jeff Francoeur. Hopefully Carlos is really ready to come back, and the Mets training staff does not make another blunder.

(AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Giants announce final roster, cut Super Bowl XLII hero Tyree

2009-09-06T13:02:00.004-04:00

We all new this was coming. The Giants have cut Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree, whose leaping catch over Rodney Harrison helped the Giants defeat the undefeated Patriots. Tyree spent six seasons with the Giants, and made the 2006 Pro Bowl as a special teams player. The 2003 sixth round pick out of Syracuse missed all of last season with a knee injury. The Giants will go with seven wideouts on there final roster. Here is the 53 man roster, which the Giants finalized yesterday.

QB (2): Eli Manning, David Carr
RB (3): Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware
FB (1): Madison Hedgecock
WR (7): Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden, Derek Hagan
TE (3): Kevin Boss, Darcy Johnson, Travis Beckum
OL (10): Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee, Rich Seubert, Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, Tutan Reyes, Guy Whimper, Adam Koets, Will Beatty
DL (9): Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, Mathias Kiwanuka, Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, Dave Tollefson, Leger Douzable
LB (8): Antonio Pierce, Danny Clark, Chase Blackburn, Gerris Wilkinson, Clint Sintim, Zak DeOssie, Jonathan Goff, Bryan Kehl
DB (8): Corey Webster, Aaron Ross, Michael Johnson, Kenny Phillips, Kevin Dockery, Terrell Thomas, C.C. Brown, Bruce Johnson
K (1): Lawrence Tynes
P (1): Jeff Feagles
LB Michael Boley is suspended for the regular-season opener. He's eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 14 - the day after the game against the Redskins.

And finally, here are some jersey number changes.

Nicks: 18 to Matthews' 88, which he wore in college.
Feagles: 17 back to 18
Douzable: 78 to DE Robert Henderson's 90

(Chris Faytok photo/The Star-Ledger)

Rocky Mountain High for Mets in Series Finale

2009-09-03T20:52:00.004-04:00

The trend of winning the last game of the series continued for the Mets on their nine game road trip. The Mets took down the Rockies 8-3 on getaway day Thursday afternoon.. Pat Misch was finally rewarded with his first major league win, after receiving a no decision on Friday after a great outing.

The southpaw went seven strong innings and helped make the Mets 3/3 in avoiding sweeps on this trip. It was his first win in 13 starts after starting off his career 0-8. Misch has been impressive in two starts with the Amazins, and if he continues to do well, then that would help him possibly secure a long relief role with the Mets for next year or employment elsewhere.

All the position players that started had at least one hit. A four run 5th inning broke open the game, spurred on by David Wright's two-run double. Wright performed well on the field and looked better in doing it, since he ditched the melon like helmet. David was 3/4 with 3 RBI and 2 R, and was 4/8 in the series.

Josh Thole was promoted from AA Binghamton on Monday and made his MLB debut today. It only took him one AB to get his first career hit and then subsequently swiped second base for his first MLB steal. He also doubled off Beimel in the 9th to finish 2/5 on the day. With the Mets out of the race, hopefully Jerry continues to play Thole to see if he can play here on a consistent basis. There's no reason for Brian Schneider and his sub .200 average to be in the lineup, and Omir Santos is nothing more than a platoon player at best.

Angel Pagan continues to swing a hot bat. He had five multi hit games on the road trip, and he's batting .293 with 6 HR and 24 RBI in the second half. He also covers a ton of real estate in the outfield and has shown he can play all three positions out there. Pagan is definitely making a strong case to be the 4th outfielder next year. He just needs to improve his durability and baseball smarts.

Last night Brian Stokes got hit hard in the 8th inning for the second time on this road trip. It seems like the Mets have no luck with their 8th inning guys. Stokes the last two times out, Sean Green before him, Bobby Parnell in June, and then J.J. Putz struggled before getting shelved with an elbow injury in June.

Mike Pelfrey was so upset with himself for Tuesday's performance that he left the clubhouse after leaving the game to run laps outside the ballpark.

http://www.newsday.com/news/frustrated-pelfrey-blows-off-steam-mets-lose-1.1418186

I'm glad Pelfrey is being accountable for his inconsistency this season, but he needs to step it up and close out the season strong. He was someone the Mets thought would be their #2 starter, but he's taken a huge step back this year. He seems to get flustered when runners reach base and things go against him. Every time he gets the ball, he needs to give the Mets six solid innings of two or three run ball. There have been too many times where he is lasting less than five innings and taxing the Mets bullpen in the process.

The Mets also said they will not be moving in the fences in at Citi Field for next season. Citi Field Fences I think they should at least lower the wall in LF because it is way too high. While I know the Mets wanted to make it more of a pitchers park, Citi Field favors the pitchers way too much. Citi is pretty much like PETCO east with the dimensions. It will be tougher to attract FA hitters to play in a pitcher's park like Citi Field.

The Mets return home to face the Cubs tomorrow night at 7:10. Carlos Zambrano (7-6, 3.91 ERA) will get the ball for Chicago and Bobby Parnell (3-7, 5.81 ERA) will go for the Mets.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Mets Head Into September as Spoilers

2009-08-31T19:35:00.004-04:00

For the first time since the 2004 season, the Mets will not be playing meaningful games in September. The Amazins first year at Citi Field has been marred by injuries to key players such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado, which has greatly hindered the offense. The pitching staff has also been devastated by injuries to John Maine, Oliver Perez, and now Johan Santana. With Livan Hernandez's release two weeks ago, Mike Pelfrey is the only starter left in the rotation from when the Mets broke spring training at the beginning of April.

What was suppose to be Santana/Pelfrey/Perez/Maine/Hernandez has now turned into Pelfrey/Redding/Parnell/Figueroa/Misch. I would say that's a pretty big turnover and downgrade from the first group.

The only players that are still playing that started in the opening day lineup are Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Brian Schneider, and David Wright, who will be back in the lineup at Colorado tomorrow night. Castillo and Murphy are the only ones that have not had a DL stint this year.

The bullpen has stayed intact for the most part, except for J.J. Putz's elbow injury in June that will sideline him for the rest of the season. His loss proved to be huge for the Mets, since Bobby Parnell struggled after a promotion into the setup role to Francisco Rodriguez. Putz's injury forced everyone in front of K-Rod to move up a spot, with only Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes being able to consistently flourish down in the pen.

The Mets will have $40 million come off their payroll with the expiring contracts of Delgado, Putz, and Bill Wagner among others. While the free agent class for this offseason is pretty thin, the Mets will use the final month to evaluate who could fill a role on the 2010 team. Here is what to watch.

1B Daniel Murphy: He struggled earlier in the season with his outfield defense and hit bat. He was not swinging at good pitches and struggled to get on base. The change to first base has made him much more comfortable in the field, which in effect has made him feel better at the plate. Murphy is hitting .277 the second half of the season, and he has been solid with runners in scoring position. While the HR and RBI totals are low for a first baseman (7 HR, 46 RBI), he is only 24 years old and will have time to develop as a hitter. His defense at first has been very good surprisingly. He moves very well around the bag, and he throws the ball down to second base effectively. I think the Mets will wind up keeping him because he has played well defensively and has swung a better bat in the second half.

C Brian Schneider and Omir Santos: Schneider is a lock to be gone this offseason. You cannot have a player in your lineup hitting below .200, enough said. Every time he is up, he hits a weak grounder to the right sidet. Santos got his chance when Schneider went on the DL in April, and he played so well that the Mets wound up trading Ramon Castro and keeping Santos to platoon with Schneider. Santos has hit decently well for his first MLB season (.267, 6 HR, 33 RBI) and has thrown out 32% of all base stealers. Santos should get a chance to compete for the starting job, but the Mets will probably bring in a proven vet to platoon with him while Josh Thole gets more seasoning in the minors.

Outfield positions: Carlos Beltran will be patrolling center next year, and Jeff Francoeur will be playing right after rejuvenating himself and recovering from a funk in Atlanta. Left field will be a position the Mets will have to address in the offseason. Fernando Martinez could be the prime candidate to fill that spot, but he still needs more seasoning in the minors after a brief stint with the Mets in June.

Angel Pagan is receiving the bulk of the playing time in center, and he has done a nice job getting on base and covers a lot of ground in the outfield. The Mets should definitely bring him back as a reserve. Gary Sheffield still leads the Mets in HR with 10, and I'm not counting Francoeur since he has not hit all his HR's with the Mets. Sheff wants to play again next year, but he might not be offered a contract because of his age and attitude towards management. Cory Sullivan has proven to be a hard working player and will use the last month playing for a job with the Mets or for a free agent contract.

Starting rotation: Bobby Parnell used to be a starter in the minors until converting into a reliever. He is now being asked to start after all the injuries to the rotation, and he has had one excellent start and four poor starts. In his six shutout innings against the Giants on August 14th, he through a ton of first pitch strikes by throwing that hard fast ball and mixing in his off speed pitches. In his bad outings, he has struggled to throw strikes and is giving up a lot of big hits. I think his best role is in the bullpen as the 8th inning guy because he can throw heat coming out of the pen, and I don't think his other pitches are developed enough to be a solid starter. The Mets also have Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, and Perez coming back barring a major move, and they need to add a number two starter behind Johan after watching the guys behind him struggle mightily this year.

There has also been a lot of speculation about whether manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will be back. I will touch on those issues after the season, but Jerry's job all depends on if Omar comes back or not. It all depends on what kind of effort the players put out there in September and the Mets final record.

(Photo Courtesy of NJ.com)

Sillinger Announces Retirement

2009-08-27T13:13:00.005-04:00

There will be no more trades or new teams for Mike Sillinger. The veteran center has announced his retirement from the NHL after 17 seasons due to an injured left hip. This particular injury allowed Sillinger to play only 7 games for the Islanders and 3 games for their AHL affiliate Bridgeport last season before undergoing surgery in February.

Sillinger played for an NHL-record 12 different teams, and was traded an NHL-record 9 times. He had been most recently a New York Islander, having signed with them during the summer of 2006. The 38 year-old had the best season of his career during his first year on the Island, scoring 26 goals and 33 assists.

If healthy, Sillinger would probably have been welcomed back to Nassau Coliseum for a fourth season with open arms. The Islanders have a ton of cap space (approximately $15 million) and even though they don't want to spend much until the Lighthouse Project picks up speed, Sillinger would have came cheap. New York is also lacking veteran leadership on and off the ice other than Doug Weight to help guide John Tavares and the young, rebuilding Islanders.

Giants take first preseason game against Carolina

2009-08-18T11:58:00.005-04:00

It's always a positive when your top rookies perform well in training camp and in the preaseason. But it's extra special when someone like Tommie Hill, an undrafted free-agent from Colorado State exceeds expectations. The 23 year old San Diego native did just that last night, returning a fumble 18 yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired in regulation in the Giants' 24-17 preseason victory over the Panthers.

Defensive tackle Leger Douzable knocked the ball out of Panthers quarterback Hunter Cantwell's arm as he pulled back to make a throw. Carolina was attempting to run a trick play instead of kneeling on the ball. Had they, the game would have went into overtime. But the end result puts the Giants at 1-0 in the preseason.

While the win is nice, what I look for in preseason games is rythm - from both the offense and the defense. The Giants did exactly that, moving the ball efficiently on offense, and . "We did a good job," quarterback Eli Manning said after the game. "We ran the ball really well, hit a couple passes and we got a touchdown. That is always the goal."

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who had 52 total yards and a touchdown on seven touches was the star of the night. His 19 yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter put the Giants up 7-0.

Eli Manning threw only three passes, two of which he completed. The first was a 13-yard dump-off to Brandon Jacobs on the offense's second drive. Jacobs followed that play with a 22-yard run off the left side behind a big lead block from Madison Hedgecock.How Bradshaw performs this season will be critical to the Giants, who last year rode dual 1,000-yard seasons from Jacobs and Ward to the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Giants also have Danny Ware -- who sprinted for a 36-yard touchdown on a short pass from Carr late in the second quarter. Jacobs predicted the Giants will again have the league's top ground game, but Bradshaw, who was limited to 67 carries for 355 yards in 2008, will have to carry a much larger workload this fall.

The Giants return to Albany for practice Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for their next game against the Bears on Saturday

Giants notes:

WR Steve Smith, CBs Corey Webster (hip) and Aaron Ross (leg), OL Rich Seubert (shoulder) and Chris Snee (leg), DTs Chris Canty (hamstring), Fred Robbins (knee) and Rocky Bernard (hamstring/NFL), LB Michael Boley (hip/PUP) sat out Monday's game -- along with RB Andre Brown, who will miss the season with a ruptured Achilles. Seubert and Snee, who were replaced by Tutan Reyes and Kevin Boothe, were the only two surprises. Sinorice Moss started in place of Smith.
I thought Mario Manningham looked good in his brief time returning punts. With Bradhsaw the number two running back, Tom Coughlin will be looking for someone to return kicks, and maybe Manningham can fill that role.
David Carr looked good, going 6/10 for 74 yards and one touchdown. I feel very comfortable with him as the Giants number two quarterback.
While Tommie Hill was the defensive star of the night, it was great to see pro-bowler Osi Umenyiora back on the field and playing well. Osi pro bowl tackle Jordan Gross to record a sack and force a fumble when he got a piece of Jake Delhomme as he got ready to make a throw.
Click here for the boxscore from last night's game.

(Photos Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT)

Rangers Sign Prospal, Bring Back Messier

2009-08-16T21:07:00.007-04:00

On a July 25th post I wrote:
"Many fans and writers think the Rangers should go out and sign a top tier center to anchor Marian Gaborik's line instead of Dubinsky, but I think Duby showed during his time playing next to Jaromir Jagr, that he can successfully center a star winger. Instead, New York needs to sign a capable center who can also play wing for around $2 million, so that if Anisimov cannot handle 3rd line duties, he can step in."

Well, the Rangers have filled that hole, and found a center/winger for under $2 million. They have signed 34 year-old Vinny Prospal to a 1 year/$1.1 million contract. This takes the pressure off of both Dubinsky and Anisimov, as Prospal can easily step in to center their respective lines if needed. If both youngsters are successful, Prospal can easily fit with the Blueshirts as a veteran winger.

This is a great signing not only because it fills a major hole in the New York lineup, but also because the Rangers are spending so little to get a player who has the potential to contribute so much. Prospal had success under Tortorella in Tampa Bay, and is coming off of a decent year (19 goals, 26 assists).

This transaction was made possible by the Lightning buying the veteran forward out of the final 3 years of a 4 year/$14 million deal this offseason. It is understandable why Tampa Bay would not have wanted to pay over $3 million a year for the aging Prospal, but $1.1 million for a year is definitely a bargain for the Blueshirts.

Rangers Notes:
-The Rangers have hired Hall of Famer Mark Messier to a front office position as a special assistant to President Glen Sather. New York has done a good job getting retired players with meaningful ties to the organization involved, such as Adam Graves, and I applaud them for bringing in Number 11. Messier has been rumored as a candidate to take over head coaching and/or general manager positions for the Rangers for years, and who knows where this road will take him.
-Rangers AAA affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack will visit the New Jersey Devils AAA affiliate Lowell Devils at the Prudential Center on January 6th and February 3rd. It makes sense for the New Jersey organization to do this, as they do not have many events to bring fans to their Prudential Center (other than NJ Devils games) and their AHL affiliate has been doing terrible in home attendance since moving from Albany in 2006 (where they were the River Rats). New Jersey realizes that many Rangers fans go to Rangers games at Prudential, and hopes many will also go there to see the Wolf Pack. Even a crowd of 2,300 would surpass the AHL-worst 2008-2009 average attendance for Lowell.

David Wright placed on the DL

2009-08-16T17:25:00.005-04:00

You really can't make it up anymore. According to WFAN, David Wright has been placed on the disabled list with post concussion syndrome. There is no timetable for his return, as it would be smart for the Mets to play it safe with not much to play for over the last seven weeks of the season. Wright joins Delgado, Reyes, and Beltran on the DL, and New York is now missing all the forces in their lineup, with the exception of Jeff Francoeur pretty much. Fernando Tatis will fill in at 3rd while Wright is out since there is no one in Buffalo to come up and step in.

(AP Photo/Newsday, David Pokress)

Jets Fall in Preseason Opener

2009-08-15T14:13:00.005-04:00

The New York Jets lost 23-20 to the St. Louis Rams in their first preseason game. While head coach Rex Ryan was not happy with the loss, there were some positives that came out of the game.

Mark Sanchez threw a 48 yard strike on his first play to David Clowney. Sanchez was shocked when offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer made the call for him to go deep on the first play. He finished 3/4 for 88 yards in leading the Jets to a touchdown drive. The USC alum only played one series, but looked sharp nonetheless.

On the other side of the QB battle, Kellen Clemens was 4/4 for 24 yards over two series and lost a fumble on the first drive. No starter was named for Gang Green's next preseason game on Monday, August 24th in Baltimore, where Rex Ryan used to be the defensive coordinator.

Clowney looked very impressive in making some tough catches. He caught two balls for over 45+ yards, including a 50 yard TD catch from Erik Ainge. The Jets really need someone to step up at WR besides Jericho Cotchery. Dustin Keller also looked very good catching the ball in the open field and racking up yards after the catch.

Thomas Jones rushed for a TD, and rookie Shonn Greene looked good on the ground in rushing for 45 yards on 9 carries. The first team defense limited the Rams to a few first half field goals.

(AP Photo Bill Kostroun)

Parnell mows down the Giants

2009-08-14T22:48:00.003-04:00

Bobby Parnell (3-4) dominated the San Francisco Giants with his blazing fastball and wicked slider in his second career start and third win of the year for a 3-0 Mets victory. The win helped New York start off a season high 11 game home stand on the right foot.

Parnell was just awesome, striking out seven and not walking a batter. He pounded the strike zone all night by throwing 61 of his 86 pitches for strikes. He was much more consistent this time around than he was on Saturday, and if he can be efficient with his off speed stuff, he will strike out a lot of batters with his high 90's fastball.

After being benched for the last two games of the Arizona series, Angel Pagan got the start in center field and did not disappoint. He smacked a HR to lead off the bottom of the 1st inning, giving the Mets all the offense they would need in the victory. He also made a leaping catch in the 7th inning after misjudging a fly ball.

Jeff Francoeur drove in another run with an RBI double in the 4th. He has been a lot more patient at the plate, and he is hitting the ball hard when he makes contact. He is definitely one of the reasons David Wright is hitting better, since he is getting more pitches to hit. It also helps that Pagan and Luis Castillo have done a very good job getting on base the last few weeks.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 26th save of the year, shutting down the middle of the Giants order in the process.

The Mets wore their old school New York Giants jerseys tonight to honor the 1905 Giants with big letters N Y going across the chest. They are also honoring the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Mets on August 22nd, so they have a 1969 flag drawn out in the grass in center field and Mets 1969 logos painted down the lines in foul territory. In addition, a video board was added down the RF line in foul territory, and in the promenade level food court.

The Mets have won their last five games against the Giants in New York, including a sweep last year at Shea. They have also won 7 of 8 against San Francisco.

A great pitching match up in tomorrow's game at 4:10 PM will go down between Matt Cain (12-4) 2.44 ERA and Johan Santana (13-8) 3.00 ERA. Santana will go for his 14th win of the year, which would tie him with Josh Beckett for the MLB lead.

(AP Photo, Ed Betz)

WFAN in Albany, update on wide recievers.

2009-08-13T20:07:00.004-04:00

WFAN's Mike Francesa was at Giant training camp at Albany today. Among his guests were head coach Tom Coughlin, general manager Jerry Reese, and quarterback Eli Manning. The link to the audio can be found here.

Also, Star-Ledger and SNY Giant insider Mike Garafolo provides an update on the Giant's recieving corps from training camp.

Breaking down the Giants receivers at training camp

Mets Avoid Being Swept out of the Desert

2009-08-12T21:11:00.006-04:00

After being outplayed in the first two games in Arizona, the Mets bounced back and avoided the sweep with a 6-4 win today. Oliver Perez danced around trouble once again in allowing one run, six hits and six walks in 5.1 innings. While he did a nice job keeping the Mets in the game, his command, especially on his fastball, was poor once again. He needs to be able to attack the strike zone earlier in counts and get hitters to make contact that will result in outs. It will be hard for the Mets to win his starts if he keeps throwing at least 20 pitches every inning.

Perez suffered a no-decision when Pedro Feliciano had a rare bad outing by giving up two hits with runners on base, enabling the D-Backs to tie the game at three. There could have been more damage if it wasn't for Omir Santos holding on to the ball after being run over at the plate by Mark Reynolds. It was an incredible play by Santos who did a great job blocking the plate and holding on to the ball. He also helped save a run in the first inning when Ryan Roberts was forced to slide over home since it was blocked, and then was called out despite the fact that he beat the throw to the plate. Those two runs wound up being the difference in the game.

The D-Backs played a very sloppy game, especially catcher Chris Snyder, who failed to block a few pitches that allowed Mets runners to advance a base or score. New York scored two of their runs on passed balls, and a few runners reached base after striking out because of wild pitches. Fernando Tatis drove in a run with an RBI single in the 6th. Arizona made a careless play because they had Tatis caught in a rundown between 1st and 2nd, and Jeff Francoeur, who was on 3rd, scored on the play without any D-Backs players looking him back towards third base. Overall, it was a very sloppy game by Arizona, and the Mets had just enough to squeak by and avoid a sweep in the desert.

The Mets finished off their west coast swing 2-5, winning both games in the finale of each series. New York starts up a season high 11 game home stand on Friday night against the San Francisco Giants. Bobby Parnell will make his second start in a row against Barry Zito, who is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA against the Mets as a Giant.

Tidbits

Francoeur went hitless but hit the ball hard in every at-bat, including the 1st inning when he was robbed of an extra base hit by Arizona RF Trent Oeltjen.
Speaking of Oeltjen, the 26 year old rookie was 6/11 with four extra base hits in the first two games, but went 0-5 today.
Perez only threw a first pitch strike to 9 out of 28 batters.
Francisco Rodriguez gave up a run with 2 outs in the 9th before closing it out for his 25th save.
Carlos Delgado had a setback in his rehab because of a strained oblique muscle and has stopped participating in baseball activities
The Mets announced that they will put photographs of top moments in franchise history around Citi Field.

(AP Photo Matt York)

Long ball powers Yankees past Blue Jays

2009-08-12T20:50:00.011-04:00

The Yankees hit a lot of homeruns. The actual number, 173, leads all of baseball. The Yankees hit seven against the Blue Jays, en route to a 2-1 series win. And for the first time in my lifetime, the Yankees hit back-to-back homeruns in three consecutive games.

On Monday, it was Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston Jr. who went back-to-back in the 4th. Derek Jeter also homered in the 5-4 loss, which snapped the Yankees seven game winning streak.
Tuesday, with the game tied at five in the eighth inning, it was Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada who went back-to-back as part of a four run frame, as the Yankees won 7-5.
Today, Johnny Damon (.282 avg, 22 hrs, 67 RBI's) and Cano went back-to-back in the fourth inning, as the Yankees won the rubber match 4-3.

Damon now has five homeruns and eight RBIs in last 9 games. His career high is 24 homeruns, which he accomplished in in his first year with the Yankees back in 2006. I think it's safe to say he will surpass that number this year.

The Yankee lineup is so dangerous because every batter in the order has the ability to hit one out of the park. That is why the Yankees are never out of a game, becuase even if they're losing, they have the ability with one swing of the bat to get right back in it. The 2006 Tigers hold the record with 11 players to finish the year with ten or more homeruns, but the Yankees may seriously challenge that this year.

Having tremendous power in your lineup is also important when you don't get a good outing from your starting pitcher. With the type of power the Yankees have, they can slug their way to a victory even if their starter isn't sharp that day.

Other Notes:

Chad Gaudin (1-0) made his Yankee debut today, and earned himself the win by pitching a scoreless 10th and 11th inning. He looked sharp, stricking out three and only allowing one hit. Joe Girardi said in the postgame that Gaudin will probably start Sunday's game.
Jeter had to leave today's game after the second inning after being hit by a pitch on the foot. X-Rays were negative, and hopefully Jeter won't miss any time.
At 71-43, the Yankees hit their high watermark of the season by going 28 games over .500.
The Yankees went 6-1 on their seven game homestand, and have the best home record in baseball at 41-18.
The Bombers head west for a the first seven games of a ten game road trip. They open up a four game series with the Mariners tomorrow, followed by a three game series with the A's.
C.C Sabathia (12-7 3.76 ERA) will take the mound tomorrow. The lefty comes off his best start of the year, when he shut out the Red Sox in Saturday's 5-0 win. Former Pirate Ian Snell (2-8 5.42 ERA) will start for the Mariners.

(AP Photos/Kathy Willens)

Ramses Barden impressing at training camp

2009-08-11T12:38:00.006-04:00

From all accounts, Ramses Barden the 6-6 wide reciever that the Giants selected in the third round from Division 1-AA/FCS Cal Poly is performing well halfway through camp. This is good news for the Giants, who need someone to step up at the reciever position. It remains to be seen just how well Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon can perform as starters for a full season. With first round pick Hakeem Nicks sidelined with a hamstring injury, Barden's play is a great sign for the Giants. Here's most of Mike Garafolo's article on Barden, from yesterday's Star-Ledger:

The Giants coaches teach their wide receivers to go get the ball at the highest point a player can first reach it.Ramses Barden's highest point, as he proved late last week, is significantly above anyone else's.

During Saturday's one-on-one end-zone drills, Barden ran a fade to the left side of the end zone while being covered by rookie cornerback Stoney Woodson. A few plays earlier, backup quarterback David Carr didn't throw it high enough and Woodson knocked it away. This time, Rhett Bomar lobbed it high and at Barden's back shoulder, trusting (or perhaps daring) the 6-6 rookie to make the play.

Barden pivoted, separated from Woodson, jumped and reached his right hand about 10 feet into the air -- while Woodson could only remain on the ground and watch. With only his right hand, Barden snatched the ball and came down in bounds for a touchdown.And then came the most impressive part for some of his teammates: Barden jogged back and flipped the ball to a member of the equipment staff.

"That play surprised me, but he seemed like he had done it before," third-year wide receiver Domenik Hixon said Monday during a break at training camp. "He didn't have to hoot and holler. He didn't have to say, 'Hey, look at me.' He's just doing his thing. "But that's him. He just took care of business."

In a little more than a week here at camp, Barden has adjusted to the NFL about as well as anyone could have expected of a rookie making the leap from Division 1-AA/FCS Cal Poly.The third-round pick has made plenty of catches over the top of smaller defenders, has used his big body well to create separation while grabbing a ball in traffic and has run some pretty smooth routes for a big guy. He even took a big chunk out of the "he can't get off the line quickly" criticism with a few impressive post-snap moves, including one quick shimmy that helped him blow right past cornerback Aaron Ross.

Barden's play has surprised a lot of people. Barden isn't one of them.
"I know what I'm capable of," he said. "All I'm doing is trying to be the player I can be. As far as surprises, they have to do with expectations. I didn't really come into this with expectations at all."

With his play to this point in camp, Barden is raising expectations. "That one-handed catch was terrific. That's the kind of stuff we need," wide receiver Sinorice Moss said. "Using his size and those big hands, that's the kind of stuff you should expect from him. I know I do."

Asked Monday how the receivers are doing, quarterback Eli Manning mentioned Barden first. "Ramses is doing really well," Manning said. "He's a big target, he's made some plays and he seems like he's got a pretty good feel for what's going on."

Barden has helped limit his mental errors by burying his nose in the playbook since receiving it at the start of rookie camp in May. Moss said he's also been asking a lot of questions. And Tuesday, while a lot of players are enjoying their first day off from practice in a week, Barden will be studying.

(Star-Ledger Photos)

Brook Lopez has high expectations for Nets this season

2009-08-10T11:12:00.009-04:00

Brook Lopez sat down with Jorge Sierra of Hoops Hype in a one on one interview. One of the surprising things he said was that he thinks the Nets can go deep in the playoffs this year despite dealing away Vince Carter.

"Without Vince Carter, what’s a realistic goal for the Nets this season?"

BL: "Our goal is to be a very good playoff team. We have really good young talent, but also a little bit of experience. So it's a good combination and I think we can go somewhere."

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/61055/20090809/lopez_nets_want_to_be_good_playoff_team/#

(Click on the link in the article for the blog.)

Right now, I just do not see the Nets having enough outside shooting and depth to compete in the Eastern Conference. However, they have proven us wrong in the past, and Lawrence Frank tends to muster a lot out of teams that are suppose to not perform as well. They are definitely in a great situation with a stud young PG in Devin Harris, and I think Lopez is a budding big man star. Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee gained a lot of valuable playoff experience from last year with the Magic, and bring some scoring punch to the lineup. I believe this team is a year or two away from making some noise in the east, but they will have a shot to make the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed if they play around .500 basketball. The question is, will they get enough scoring to be able to play around .500 ball. (AP Photo)

Yankee universe is sweeping the nation

2009-08-10T00:39:00.007-04:00

The title should actually be in the past tense - as in, "Yankee universe has swept the nation." That's Red Sox Nation to be specific. But it was four up and four down in the Bronx, as the Yankees completed the four game sweep of their rivals, and now have a commanding 6 1/2 game lead in the AL East. At 69-42, the Yankees can aslo lay claim to having the best record in baseball.

The Yankees dominated the Red Sox with an easy formula - pitching and clutch hitting. Throw game one aside, which was just an offensive explosion. Games two-four however featured dominating pitching from both sides, but it was the Yankees who came up with the timely at-bats.

Game two was one of the best baseball games I have seen in awhile. Game three, while not as nerve wrenching, was equally as intense a ballgame. C.C Sabathia dominated, tossing seven and 2/3 of scoreless ball with nine strikeouts. Then you have last night's game. Andy Pettitte and Jon Lester dueled back and forth, but it was Pettitte who was just a little bit better, as he didn't allow a run in seven innings to Lester's one earned. For a second when Victor Martinez launched a two homerun off of Phil Coke, I thought OK, maybe the Sox get this one. Then Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back homeruns off of Daniel Bard, and the Yankees retook the lead 3-2.

And how about this Yankee bullpen? I think it is quickly becoming the best in the majors. In Friday's 15th inning marathon, it went 7 and a third, allowed no runs on three hits, and struck out eight. And just how good is Mariano Rivera, who at 39 years old just keeps getting better. He recorded his 32nd save in 33 chances last night, also lowering his ERA to 1.88. He has converted 100 of his last 104 saves dating back to 2007, and hasn't allowed a run since the mid June. With the dominance of Rivera and Phil Hughes, and the versatility of someone like Alfredo Aceves, who can pitch two or three innings if needed, the Yankees are impossible to beat towards the end of the game. The numbers speak for themselves; the Yankees have only lost one game this year when leading after seven innings.

The Yankees get a ton of praise for some of the clutch hits, and specifically homeruns in this series. On Thursday, it was Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada each hitting three run homeruns in an eight run 4th inning. On Friday night's it was Alex Rodrgriguez's two out, walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 15th that gave the Yankees the win. On Saturday, it was Derek Jeter's opposite field shot to right that extended the Yankee lead to 5-0 in the 8th inning. And finally yesterday, it was Damon and Teixeira hitting back-to-back homeruns in the 8th inning, that allowed the Yankees to retake the lead 3-2. This was the difference in this series, because the Red Sox starting pitching minus Thursday was equally as good as the Yankees. But New York time and time again was able to come up with the clutch hit in late inning situations.

The Yankee pitchers certainly deserve much of the credit, but the Red Sox bats were just awful this series. I mean they just couldn't buy a hit, especially with runners in scoring position. Boston scored just six runs in this series, and went a hideous 3 for 28 with RISP. Their ugly scoreless streak against New York was Boston's longest since a 34-inning stretch from Sept. 1-24, 1952, according to STATS LLC. The Red Sox had beaten New York eight straight times to start the season, but now find themselves limping back to Fenway Park. Boston is on a six-game skid and facing it's largest deficit in the division since Oct. 1, 2006. Even worse, Boston fell to 0-9 since the All-Star break against teams with winning records.

From here, the Yankees have what I would deem an easy ten games against Toronto, Seattle, and Oakland, before they play the Red Sox again in Boston later in the month. The Yankees will send Sergio Mitre (1-0 7.50 ERA) to the mound to open up Blue Jay series tonight. He goes up against Mark Rzepczynski (1-3 3.74 ERA) whom he faced in last Wednesday's 8-4 Yankee win.

So be happy Yankee Universe. Your team has won seven in a row. You have the best record in baseball. You just got a heavy dose of revenge against the Red Sox, and the views have to look nice from the top of the AL East. 0-8 seems like so long ago now. As Andy Pettitte said in last night's postgame, it's all about keeping the pedal to the metal, and the Yankees seemed poised to do that all the way into October.

(AP Photos/Bill Kostroun)

Mets Avoid the Brooms in San Diego

2009-08-09T19:48:00.006-04:00

The stopper. The 137.5 million dollar man. The ace. The medicine the Mets needed to avoid a sweep and snap an eight game slide at PETCO Park. Johan Santana pitched eight dominating innings of one run ball in a 5-1 Mets victory, improving to 13-8 on the year and now tied for the MLB lead in wins with Adam Wainwright and Josh Beckett. Santana was on cruise control in the Southern California sun, getting a lot of ground ball outs and throwing a lot of strikes.

It was great to see that the Mets could rely on someone to come out and throw a gem to end a losing streak. With all the inconsistencies in the rotation this year and the recent injury to Jonathon Niese, New York needed their ace to come through and carry them on his back. I know San Diego is in last place in the NL West, but the Mets have been dreadful at PETCO Park and being swept in a four game series there for the second straight year would have been a major blow.

Oh, and by the way, the same guy who dominated on the mound also made his presence known at the plate. Johan was 2-3 with two singles, a walk, and a RBI. He started the Mets three run 6th inning with a shot into the left-center field gap which Tony Gwynn Jr. appeared to catch, but he dropped the ball while diving to make the play. While Johan has struggled at the dish this year, he had a two run double on Tuesday against St. Louis, and he contributed with two more hits today. He used to be a short stop when he was coming up in the Astros organization, and he takes a lot of hard cuts at the plate.

Anderson Hernandez drove in the Mets first run in the second on an RBI single and finished with two hits on the afternoon. They also greatly benefitted from an Oscar Salazar error in the 6th which led to two more Mets runs. Daniel Murphy drove in the last of the five runs with a RBI single in the 9th to make it a non save situation for K-Rod. Murphy has really stepped up at the plate by hitting for more doubles, and he seems to be showing much better plate discipline. He also made an incredible over the shoulder catch way down the right field line to end the game. His defense at first base has been a huge plus for the Mets defense, and he has a great feel around the bag.

Let's face it, this win probably doesn't mean much. At 52-59 and ten games back of the division, the year is over as far as the playoffs are concerned. However, even with all the injuries and turmoil this team has gone through, it would be nice see someone like Santana get to 20 wins.

Tidbits

The Mets improved to 6-15 at PETCO Park and went 2-6 vs San Diego this year
Jeff Francoeur is 7 for his last 18
Santana has pitched 8 innings in his last two starts, and has pitched into the 7th inning in 9 of his last 10 starts
Luis Castillo returned to the lineup today and went 2/5
K-Rod pitched a scoreless 9th, and his velocity was in the low 90's compared to the high 80's in his blown save on Friday night
The game was delayed in the 5th inning after home plate umpire Randy Marsh was struck in the face with a foul ball. The impact of the ball was so great that his mask fell right off. He left the game and was replaced by second base umpire Marvin Hudson.
The Mets continue their seven game road trip in Arizona tomorrow. Mike Pelfrey (8-7) will go for the Mets after missing the start on Saturday because of the birth of his son Chase on Thursday. Doug Davis (6-10) will toe the rubber for the D-Backs. The Mets lost 3 of 4 from Arizona last weekend at Citi Field.

(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Game One: Yankees

2009-08-07T00:10:00.006-04:00

The Yankees finally got off the schnide against the Red Sox tonight, and in a big way - thumping Boston 13-6 for their first win in nine tries this season. It took 3 hours and 45 minutes, but after it was over New York finally could breathe a sigh of relief.

Where to start in this one? The atmosphere before tonight's game was electric, and certainly had a postseason feel to it. But let's talk about the offense, which was great in this game. Thirteen runs on 18 hits is a lot. Johnny Damon went 3 for 5, and hit his third homerun in as many games that tied the game at one in the third inning. The key inning in this game was clearly the fourth. Trailing 3-1, the Yankees knocked starter John Smoltz out of the game, scoring eight runs in the frame. The biggest blow came off the bat of Melky Cabrera, who delivered another big hit for the Yankees with his three run homerun, that gave the Yankees a 5-2 lead. Jorge Posada also hit a three run homerun, and the Yankees led 9-3 going to the fifth.

The Yankees scored two more in the fifth, when Hideki Matsui doubled in two runs. The bombers also scored in the sixth and seventh, the later when Mark Teixeira belted his AL leading 28th homerun. That made the score 13-4. Yankee hitters 6-9 had nine hits tonight with two homeruns and seven RBI's. The bombers also were 6-13 with RISP tonight.

While the offense was cruising, Joba Chamberlain (8-2) was not sharp. Yes he got the win, but he barely made it through his five innings tonight, as he walked a career high seven batters. I give him credit for making pitches when he needed to though. In the fifth, Joba struck out Casey Kotchman and Nick Green with runners on second and third with one out. It was obvious the Red Sox strategy was to take pitches and make Joba labor, and they did a good job of that. Yankee pitchers walked 12 batters tonight. Joba had been electric in his previous three starts before tonight, and as he said in the postgame he is just glad the team got the win. Let's hope he can rebound from this outing next time out. Smoltz (2-5) was tagged for eight runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings, sending his ERA to 8.33 for his eight starts this season. It was his most runs allowed since he gave up eight in a no-decision with Atlanta on May 28, 2006, at Wrigley Field.

So it wasn't pretty at times, but what a huge win for Joe Girardi's club to get the monkey off their backs. If the Yankees had lost this game after coming in with a three game winning streak and the favorable pitching matchup, there would have been chaos tomorrow. The newspapers, talk radio, and the fans would all have the same message - the Yankees just cannot beat the Red Sox. In his postgame comments, Girardi was clearly unhappy about the twelve walks, but you could hear the sense of relief in his voice that his club came away with the win. Now the bombers finally erase that sense of desperation against the Red Sox with this win. They can go into the remaining three games of this series lose and confident, knowing that they can finally beat this team.

The win and the offense aside, here's the other good thing that came out of this game: Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and Mariano Rivera all did not pitch. That means that assuming A.J Burnett can go six innings tomorrow, the Yankees will have their best relievers ready to go out of the bullpen. Hughes was not pitching no matter what today after pitching both games in Toronto, and there was no need to throw Aceves or Rivera for that matter once tonight's game became a blowout. David Robertson, Phil Coke, and Anthony Claggett were able to perform mop up duty tonight to keep the core guys fresh for tomorrow.

With tonights win, the Yankees increased their lead over the Red Sox to 3 1/2 games. They also improved to a season best 24 games over .500 at 66-42. It was also great to see a sellout crowd of 49,005 for the game. Tomorrow night's contest should hopefully be a better pitchers matchup than today. A.J Burnett (10-5 3.89 ERA) and Josh Beckett (13-4 3.27 ERA) square off for the third time this season.

(AP Photos/Kathy Willens and Frank Franklin II)

Mets Acquire Anderson Hernandez from Washington

2009-08-06T13:10:00.004-04:00

Who Says You Can't Go Home? A famous song by Bon Jovi, but also the phrase that second baseman Anderson Hernandez must be thinking about right now. That's because he was traded back to the New York Mets for minor league infielder Greg Veloz. Last season Hernandez was dealt from the Mets to the Nats in August for Luis Ayala. Now he is back to provide a reinforcement at second base with the injury to Luis Castillo, which must signal that he might have to go on the DL. Hernandez is expected to join the Mets in San Diego in time for Friday's game.

Hernandez was frequently shuffled between the Mets and AAA, and while he has fantastic range at second base, he lacked the consistency at the plate to play every day. This season he's hitting .251 with 1 HR and 23 RBI in 73 games with Washington. He got an RBI single off John Smoltz when I was at the Red Sox/Nationals game on June 25, and he showed that his bat improved a little bit. The move is a nice low risk transaction, and the Mets feel more comfortable with him than Argenis Reyes at second.

In other moves, Elmer Dessens was called up from Buffalo, and Jonathon Niese was placed on the 60 day DL. He is out for the season after tearing his upper right hamstring while covering 1st base yesterday. He will have surgery in the next few days and should be ready for spring training.

(AP Photo/Darren Hauck)

Devils Re-Sign Shanahan

2009-08-06T09:55:00.005-04:00

The New Jersey Devils have re-signed 40 year-old winger Brendan Shanahan to a 1-year deal. After spending the first few months of last season looking for a team located close to his home in New York to offer him a contract (Devils and Flyers were the only teams interested), Shanahan joined New Jersey and scored 14 points in 34 games.

This time the NHL's active leading goal scorer will have a chance to spend an entire season in Newark. Shanny felt he had unfinished business with the Devils after they were eliminated in Game 7 of the playoffs' first round last year. He was not the old Brendan Shanahan last year, but still showed that he can provide some offensive help along with his great leadership both on and off the ice. And with only a 1-year deal, even if he struggles, it won't hurt New Jersey like their disastrous 4-year/$20 million deal to Brian Rolston who scored just 32 points in 64 games in his first year in the Garden State last season.

For his career, Shanahan has 656 goals and 698 assists in 1,524 games.

Yankees wrap up Blue Jays, prepare for showdown with the Sox

2009-08-05T23:11:00.006-04:00

For the seventh time in nine tries this season, the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays tonight, with an 8-4 win in the Skydome. With the win, they swept the two game series, and finished a nine game road trip 5-4.

Johnny Damon went 3 for 5 and hit a solo homerun, his 19th, and had three RBI's. Nick Swisher also connected on his 18th homerun of the season, a towering shot to left that tied the game at three in the seventh inning.

Early in this game it looked as if the Yankees would be in trouble. Sergio Mitre was once again awful, allowing three earned runs and ten base runners in four and 1/3 innings. He threw 92 pitches, in what was likely his last start for awhile. The bullpen did a great job tonight bailing Mitre out. Alfredo Aceves came on in relief, and threw two great innings, with the lone blip on the radar a solo homerun he allowed to Marco Scutaro in the seventh. Phil Coke, Phil Hughes, and David Robertson combined for two 2/3 innings of no run ball, with five strikeouts and no walks.

This game was won in the seventh inning, when the Yankees plated four runs against the Blue Jays bullpen. Trailing 3-2, Swisher led off with his bomb to right. Robinson Cano then doubled, and was brought home later off a Hideki Matsui single. Runs three and four came off of back to back singles from Damon and Mark Teixeira.

Damon's homerun came in the ninth, and was very important because it took a save opportunity away from Mariano Rivera, giving him another day to rest before the Red Sox series this weekend. Coke also threw just seven pitches tonight, so assuming Joba can go seven innings tomorrow, Coke would pitch the eighth to setup Rivera in the ninth. Hughes also only threw 25 pitches, so depending on the matchups Girardi may throw him out there for the eighth.

Now for the main event. The Yankees, holders of the best record in the American League (65-42), return home riding a three game win streak to take on their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. Boston has dropped its last two games to Tampa Bay, and come into the series 2 1/2 games behind New York. Here are the matchups for the four game series:

Game one: J. Chamberlain (7-2 3.58 ERA) vs. John Smoltz (2-4 7.12 ERA)
Game two: A.J Burnett (10-5 3.89 ERA) vs. Josh Beckett (13-4 3.27 ERA)
Game three: C.C Sabathia (11-7 3.95 ERA) vs. Clay Buchholz (1-1 6.05 ERA)
Game four: Andy Pettitte (9-6 4.35 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (9-7 3.79 ERA)

The Yankees are 0-8 against the Red Sox this year. It's time for some revenge, and a lot of it. If the Yankees win this series, they get the monkey off their back, and become the favorites to win the pennant. My money says they do, winning three of the four games.

(AP Photo/Frank Gunn)

Mets Win Matinee, Lose Niese

2009-08-05T21:49:00.003-04:00

The New York Mets shutout the Cardinals 9-0, but in the process, lost top pitching prospect Jonathon Niese for the season. Niese was covering first base on a play in the second inning, and did a split trying to make a catch, and came up hurt. The 22 year-old southpaw then threw a practice pitch and collapsed while grimacing in pain. He had to be helped to the dugout, where it was found out that he tore his right hamstring and will be out until next spring.

Niese entered the Mets rotation two weeks ago after he had been pitching very well in AAA and Fernando Nieve went on the DL. Niese seemed to have really found his game recently while in Buffalo, and I was looking forward to him developing it through the remainder of the season in Flushing. Unfortunately, it looks like Niese will have to put that on hold until next season, which he will most likely start with the Bisons.

Mets Notes:
-Nelson Figueroa, coming off of a rocking on Monday, relieved Niese and provided the Amazings with 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball, while striking out 5. Figgy also added a 2 RBI triple and got the win.

-Bobby Parnell then took the ball from the Brooklyn native, striking out three in a scoreless three innings to get his first save.

-It is really up in the air on who will replace Niese in the rotation next go around. Figueroa and Tim Redding have had their ups and downs this year, but both seem to be more effective in long relief than starting. Parnell, a starter in the minor leagues before being converted into a relief pitcher last September, may be given a shot in the rotation. His velocity is higher as a reliever, and pitching coach Dan Warthen has stated that he envisions Parnell as a future closer and not starter, but the Mets do not have many options. There is really no one in Buffalo (a team I follow very much) who can start at the major league level at this point.

-Angel Pagan was the offensive star of the Mets victory. The center fielder went 3-4 with 4 RBIs and scored 2 runs. Pagan was a double away from hitting for the cycle.

-David Wright had a solid game, going 3-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs off of a 2-run homer.

-Gary Sheffield aggravated a hamstring injury running out a single in the 6th and came out of the game. He does not believe it is anything serious, and his being taken out was only a precautionary measure.

-Luis Castillo missed today's game due to his sprained ankle from yesterday's dugout steps trip.

-To put it simply- do not expect Jose Reyes back this year. Reyes is now showing scar tissue and inflammation behind his right knee, and is continuing physical therapy in New York.

Jerry Reese on Eli Manning's contract extension

2009-08-05T18:17:00.002-04:00

Jerry Reese talked to reporters briefly today about Eli Manning's new contract. The link can be found here.

Giants General Manager Jerry Reese talks about Eli Manning contract extension

Mets Collapse in Grand Fashion

2009-08-05T10:33:00.005-04:00

The sliding Mets lost another one Tuesday night, this time 12 to 7. The Amazings blew a 7-4 lead and eventually lost in the 10th after a Mark DeRosa hit by pitch with the bases load followed by an Albert Pujols grand slam.

Game Notes:
-Pujols went 3-4 including his fifth slam of the season, tying him for 2nd place on the list for most grand slams in a season.
-Luis Castillo, surprisingly one of the 4 position players from the Mets opening day roster who has not seen DL time (along with Wright, Murphy, and Reed)- slipped trying to avoid a glove on the dugout steps after he grounded out in the 7th, and sprained his ankle. Thankfully for New York fans, X-rays were negative, otherwise they may have had to see Argenis Reyes at 2nd again.
-Johan Santana pitched a season-high 8 innings, but gave up 5 earned runs off of 9 hits.
-K-Rod blew his 4th save of the season, giving up 2 earned runs off of a Julio Lugo RBI double and a Skip Schumaker RBI single to tie the game at 7 in the 9th.
-Pedro Feliciano and Sean Green combined to give up 5 earned runs in 2/3 innings in the 10th.
-The only positive coming out of another Mets debacle is that the offense was on fire, scoring 7 runs off of 15 hits. Wright went 2-3, Sheffield went 2-4 with 2 RBIs, Murphy went 2-4 with an RBI, Cora went 2-5 with an RBI, Santos went 2-4, and Santana went 1-3 with 2 RBIs.
- The Mets have now lost 3 straight, and 5 of 6.

For a full boxscore of this game, click here.
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Back to back and belly to belly

2009-08-04T23:05:00.004-04:00

Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back to back homeruns off of Roy Halladay in the eighth inning, as the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays tonight 5-3. The win improves their record to 64-42.

The Yankees never trailed in this one, scoring twice in the first inning off a Alex Rodriguez double, and a Kevin Millar error. The Blue Jays got one back in the fourth when Alex Rios hit a sac fly, but then Damon (18th) and Teixeira (27th) did their damage in the eighth, making it a 4-1 game. The Jays scored twice more in the eighth when Vernon Wells doubled off of Mariano Rivera, making it a 4-3 game. However Hideki Matsui hit a homerun off Halladay in the top of the ninth, providing a much needed insurance run.

Andy Pettitte (9-6) won for the first time in six starts. The lefty allowed one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struggled with his control tonight by walking four batters, but struck out six and got two double plays. He left with runners at first and second in the seventh but Phil Hughes came on and struck out Jose Bautista. Hughes gave up two singles to begin the eighth, then struck out two batters before being replaced by Rivera, who picked up his 31st save in 32 chances. He hasn't surrendered a run since the beginning of June.

Halladay (11-5) was the hardluck loser in this one. He came into this game 16-5 all time against the bombers. He went this distance in this one, and despite allowing the three homeruns showed great control by not walking a batter and striking out five. He still gets my vote for AL Cy Young.

The Yankees finish this two game series in Toronto tomorrow, before the big four game series with the Red Sox this weekend. The contest won't be the pitcher's matchup that tonight was. Sergio Mitre (1-0 7.90 ERA), who got shelled for five runs in three innings against the White Sox last Friday gets the start. He will be opposed by rookie 23 year old Marc Rzepczynski (1-2 3.35 ERA).

This was a good win for the Yankees, who have rebounded nicely after three straight loses to the White Sox to win on Sunday, and now beat Roy Halladay tonight. All systems seem set to go for the four game series against the Red Sox this weekend. I'm expecting a great series, and hopefully the Yankees are ready to extract some much sought after revenge against their rivals.

For the full boxscore of this game, click here.
(AP Photo/Chris Young)

Zherdev No Longer a Ranger

2009-08-04T22:22:00.011-04:00

The New York Rangers have rejected winger Nikolai Zhedev's $3.9 million arbitration hearing award, making him an unrestricted free agent and ending his short stay in Manhattan.

On his decision, Rangers General Manager Glen Sather said:
"With the additions we've been able to make this summer, we feel we've been able to add scoring and offense from the wing position. Following the arbitration process and subsequent award given, we feel it is in our best interest to walk away and continue to explore all available options to improve our roster."

It was smart for the Blueshirts to not accept the award, and as I previously noted, $3.9 million is a lot of money for an inconsistent, unpredictable player who has shown no signs of fitting in John Tortorella's system.

With the Zherdev situation settled, the Rangers will now focus on signing a deal with restricted free agent Brandon Dubinsky. There is no doubt that Duby, who the organization views as a first line center next season, will be re-signed. The only question is if they want to ink him to a short team contract or a long one. While Dubinsky is the team's only remaining restricted free agent, unrestricted free agent netminder Steve Valiquette will most likely be returning to New York after another solid season backing up King Henrik.

Giants enter camp with chip on their shoulder, ready to move on

2009-08-04T15:56:00.009-04:00

The Giants enter training camp 2009 ready to erase the sting of last years dissapointing postseason loss to the Eagles. Pasted below is a great preview from the Star-Ledger's Mike Garafolo, one of the best Giant beat reporters out there.

Training Camp Preview

The pressure's on Eli: There's been plenty of talk about whether the Giants' stable of young, unproven wide receivers can compensate for the loss of Plaxico Burress and make this passing game go. Well, don't forget about the guy that has to get them the ball. Eli Manning has made some excellent throws over his five-year career, but he's often been erratic. Burress sometimes came to the rescue by jostling for position and reaching up or back to grab balls smaller receivers wouldn't have been able to reach. And don't forget Amani Toomer was pretty good at making some catches on the sideline and in the end zone while dragging his field in bounds. Bottom line: a few of the Giants' receivers must emerge as go-to guys, but Manning has to make sure he finds them on a consistent basis.

The pressure will be on opposing quarterbacks, too: While many were pointing to the wide receivers last year, the Giants saw a problem on the other side of the ball with a defensive line that didn't have a lot of depth and wore down as the season progressed. So they went out and signed tackles Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley while drafting linebacker Clint Sintim in the second round. Add those players to ends Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka and tackles Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield and Jay Alford and that's a lot of talented pass rushers to have to block. The only problem? Which players to use when and where. That's a good problem to have.

How will Antonio Pierce play? He had a lot of fingers pointed at him last year when he got caught in a few 1-on-1 matchups with the Eagles' Brian Westbrook. (Even though the Giants' coaches admitted they screwed up by putting him in such a position.) Oh, and then there was the little matter of possible gun-possession charges stemming from his role in the Plaxico Burress shooting hanging over his head. But Pierce was apparently focused and working hard this off-season after taking it a bit easy after the Super Bowl XLII victory. He'll be an interesting case this year.

Who gets the ball? The Giants kept some stability in their running game by giving Brandon Jacobs a four-year contract extension in the off-season. That came right before they let Derrick Ward leave via free agency. Jacobs has yet to play a full season - even last year when he was trying to prove to the Giants he was more durable than they believed - so at some point this year, you'd have to figure the offense will take to the field with Ahmad Bradshaw as the starting running back and Danny Ware as the No. 2. Bradshaw has been an excellent late-game, change-of-pace back after Jacobs wore down a defense for three quarters. Will he be as effective in the first quarter? And is Ware, who has only two career carries in the regular season, ready for a much bigger role? Those questions will likely be answered soon.

WHAT'S NEW?

The defensive coordinator: It would seem there can't be any way Bill Sheridan could fail with as many pass rushers he has at his disposal. But it's not as easy as it looks and Steve Spagnuolo was an excellent game-planning and game-day coach. The key for Sheridan might be that his defensive staff stayed mostly intact.

The rookie receivers: Hakeem Nicks looked like he was NFL-ready in the spring. And with the Giants' receiver position in flux, he has a shot at playing time. Also, Ramses Barden has proven to be an extremely hard worker. If he can work on his technique, he might be a situational contributor early.

Kenny Phillips at starting safety: Last year's first-round pick had an excellent off-season after flashing some potential in spot duty as a rookie. Last year, he displayed excellent range; this year, he's added improved awareness, so he can use that speed to make plays, not just recover.

WHAT'S NOT?

UAlbany: The Giants have been training here for 14 years. But their contract with the school expires after this camp. And with their new $90-million practice facility, perhaps they won't be coming back. Or maybe their future visits will be briefer.

Jeff Feagles: The guy is 43 and still kicking. (Okay, punting.) Just don't expect him to exert himself much in Albany. The Giants don't have another punter on the roster, so they'll use the JUGS machine to practice punt returns and coverage, while giving Feagles' right leg a rest.

Turnover at linebacker: It seems like every year the Giants are shuffling the players on either side of Pierce. It's no different this year, as Boley has been signed to play on the weak side. But he's recovering from a hip injury and has been suspended for the opener, so his spot is up for grabs between Chase Blackburn, Bryan Kehl and Gerris Wilkinson. Speaking of Wilkinson, it's time for the 2006 third-round pick to step up and win a job or risk being cut at the end of the preseason.

ONE MORE THING
Don't be surprised if Manning has a new contract before he leaves Albany.

PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Tuesday: 8:35 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.
Thursday: 8:35 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Friday: 2:35 p.m.
Saturday: 8:35 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Aug. 9: 2:35p.m.
Aug. 10: 8:35 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Aug. 12: 8:35 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Aug. 13: 2:35 p.m.
Aug. 14: 8:35 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Aug. 15: 2:35 p.m.
Aug. 16: 10:00 a.m.
Aug. 19: 2:35 p.m.
Aug. 20: 9:10 a.m. and 6:05 p.m.
Aug. 21:10:25 a.m.
Aug. 24: 2:35 p.m.
Aug. 25: 8:35 a.m.

PRESEASON GAMES
Aug. 17: Panthers, 8:15 p.m.
Aug. 22: Bears, 8:00 p.m.
Aug. 29: Jets, 8:00 p.m.
Sept. 3: Patriots, 7:30 p.m.

(Star-Ledger photos/William Perlman & Chris Faytok)

Kiwanuka and Manning on day one of camp

2009-08-04T12:46:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the Star-Ledger for posting these videos on nj.com. Day one of training camp was yesterday up in Albany, and I'll have a full preview coming later.

Giants defender Mathias Kiwanuka talks about the first full day of training camp

Giants quarterback Eli Manning talks about the first full day of training camp

Jets training camp update

2009-08-04T01:00:00.004-04:00

Mark Cannizzarro of the New York Post provides this update from Jets training camp.

Mets Are Snake Bitten

2009-08-04T00:03:00.004-04:00

The Mets got poisoned by the Diamondbacks in the first two innings and did not have enough in their arsenal to shake it off, falling 6-5 in losing three of four against the NL West's 4th place team. Here's the least you should know from tonight's game:

Game Notes

Nelson Figueroa was absolutely shelled, giving up 6 ER and 10 hits in one and two thirds innings of work. He gave up three mammoth HR's, two to Mark Reynolds and one to Miguel Montero. Nelson was missing badly with all his pitches, and he left everything up in the zone.
Tim Redding was outstanding in relief with three and a third innings of scoreless ball in relief of Figueroa. The Mets pen allowed three hits and no runs in 7 and a third innings of relief.
The Mets started to make Haren really sweat in the 5th inning, but blew a golden opportunity when Angel Pagan failed to go first to third on a Luis Castillo two RBI single. Instead of 2nd and third with one out, it was first and second, and David Wright got a single that drove in a run. The issue was if the Mets took the extra base, then they would have stayed out of the double play with Gary Sheffield up. That was not the case, and Sheffield hit into a 5-4-3 double play to kill a Mets three run rally in the inning.
Jim Wolf, brother of Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf, is usually a pretty reliable umpire behind the dish but was not giving the pitchers that strike call at the knees. Haren was growing visibly frustrated with Wolf as the game progressed.
Jeff Francoeur gounrded out to third in the 8th with two outs and Sheffield on second and the chance to tie up the ball game. Frenchy was 0-4 on the day and the only Met starter without a hit. He did not have good plate discipline, only seeing six pitches in four at-bats. The Mets failed to get Sheff home with him on second with one out in the inning.
Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds hit four homers in the series at Citi Field, which is the same amount David Wright has hit in his home yard this season.
The Mets have lost four of five since a five game winning streak.
They are back at it tomorrow as they open a quick two game set against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Johan Santana goes for the Amazins against Met dominator Joel Pineiro for the Redbirds.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Zherdev Awarded $3.9 million, Rangers Likely to Pass

2009-08-03T08:48:00.008-04:00

Newday's Steve Zipay reported on Sunday that Rangers winger Nikolai Zherdev was awarded $3.9 million in his Friday arbitration hearing. This most likely signals the end of the speedy forward's short run on Broadway.

The Blueshirts initially qualified Zherdev at 1 year/$3.25 million and were not interested in paying anything more, while Zherdev was seeking over $4 million a year.

$3.9 million is a lot of money for an inconsistent, unpredictable player who has shown no signs of fitting in John Tortorella's system. New York will most likely pass up on re-signing him, making him an unrestricted free agent. They also could sign Zherdev and trade him before the season starts to get something back for losing him. Zherdev is a very talented player, and I'm sure there is a general manager out there willing to give up a draft pick to try to help him find his game.

It is tough for me to state that I do not want a guy as talented as Zherdev, who the Rangers gave up Fedor Tyutin for, back at Madison Square Garden this fall. But just like with Lauri Korpikoski, all that matters is if a player fits with the team. If he does not, he needs to go, even if it means he has great success somewhere else.

If Zherdev stays, his talents will be lost to Tortorella's system while taking up a big chunk of the salary cap, so the best thing for both he and the Rangers is that he either becomes an unrestricted free agent or is traded before the season begins.

UPDATE: Zipay (the best Rangers beat reporter by far) is now reporting that Toronto is very interested in Zherdev, and is talking with the Rangers about trading for him. New York has until noon today (Tuesday) to decide if they want to accept Zherdev's arbitration award or reject it making him an unrestricted free agent.

Here is a higlight reel of the winger below:

Jets Training Camp Preview

2009-08-03T00:25:00.008-04:00

After moving their training camp from Hofstra to Cortland, the Jets are underway in year one of the Rex Ryan regime. Here are some interesting storylines to keep an eye on during training camp.

1) Quarterback Situation: Everyone is wondering who will get the nod Week One in Houston between Kellen Clemens and 5th overall pick Mark Sanchez. We know the USC star might be the pick amongst the girls, but Rex Ryan is not about popularity with the girls, but rather winning football games. I could understand the Jets going with Clemens to start the year so they do not throw Sanchez right into the fire as an inexperienced rookie. However, Clemens is not that polished himself because he only has seven NFL starts under his belt. Jets owner Woody Johnson loves these star queterback types (Brett Favre), so for Clemens to win the job, he will really have to blow Sanchez away. If the Jets had a seasoned vet at the position, then I would definitely think Sanchez would start the year as the backup. But that is not the case, so this is clearly an open competition, and there is no doubt that Rex Ryan will play the guy that gives him the best chance to win right away.

2) Carries at running back: Thomas Jones had a pro bowl season last year with 1312 yards and 13 TD's on the ground. He really benefitted from the Jets being able to stretch the field with Brett Favre at quarterback. Leon Washington was their change of pace back that accumulated 448 yards and six TD's. He also had the ability to break the game open on special teams with his kick and punt return abilities. I would expect a lot of pouting from both players in camp since they are both disgruntled with their contract situations. Washington even skipped day one. On the other hand, expect an intense camp since both guys will want to play well to earn more carries to have the chance to flourish in contract years. Shonn Greene, the rookie RB from Iowa, will also have an opportunity to earn some carries.

3) WR's after Jericho Cotchery: Chansi Stuckey, David Clowney, and Brad Smith. Most people who are not part of Jets nation have no idea who any of those guys are. Well, they are not receiving much respect from the media either. In an article on foxsports.com, the Jets unproven WR's are sick and tired of hearing they are not good enough. The three players I mentioned above have combined for 86 receptions in their careers, and they will be replacing Laveranues Coles, who averaged almost 80 catches a season for Gang Green. I would expect a fierce battle in camp for the number two receiver role behind Cotchery, and someone needs to step up to make an unsettled QB situation a little better. Jets fans should expect a heavy ground attack this year because of the lack of wideouts, and a new quarterback under center.

4) Rex Ryan in his first camp: The former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator has a lot on his plate in his first training camp as the head coach. A quarterback competition is enough for a head coach to handle, but major questions at wideout, your running backs upset about their contract situations, and a team that collapsed down the stretch last year makes for an interesting camp. But Ryan has come in and immediately put his footprint on this team. It seems like he motivated all the players to come into camp in great shape, and everyone, especially the guys on defense, look like they are very pumped to play for him on Sundays. Ryan dealt with the media pretty well in his press conference on Friday by answering questions honestly and joking around a lot. The best thing he can do is do a thorough evaluation of the QB position and pick between Clemens and Sanchez so the offense can have continuity going into the season.

5) Defense: The Jets defense was pretty good last year, and it will only improve with the guru Rex Ryan coming over from Baltimore. Ryan's defenses have been consistently rated near the top in Baltimore. The Jets also brought in two big time players in LB Bart Scott (4 years $40 million) and CB Lito Sheppard. The two main things to look for in camp are Vernon Gholston's performance and a cornerback battle between Sheppard and Dwight Lowery. Gholston said in an article on foxsports.com that he is looking forward to putting last year's dismal season behind him. He has the chance to be a starter for the first four games while Calvin Pace serves a four game suspension for PED use. He definitely has a lot to prove, but Ryan likes what he saw of him in tape and has confidence in him to have a breakout year. Sheppard comes over from Philadelphia and will be pushed by Lowery for his starting cornerback spot. Ryan really liked what he saw from Lowery on the first day of camp and expects a heated battle for the position. Aside from these position battles, it will be interesting to see how Ryan molds this defense as a whole.

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

The Melk Man Delivers

2009-08-02T19:49:00.005-04:00

For the first time in fourteen years, a Yankee player hit for the cycle. No it wasn't Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter, but 24 year old outfielder Melky Cabrera. Melky's career day helped the Yankees beat the White Sox 8-5, and they leave Chicago with at least one win in their four game series.

Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the second to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead, doubled in the fourth and chased Mark Buehrle (11-5) with an RBI single in the fifth. He then tripled to right leading off the ninth against Scott Linebrink, driving the ball over Jermaine Dye's head, and motoring around second before sliding safely into third. The cycle was the first by a Yankee since Tony Fernandez did it against Oakland on Sept. 3, 1995.

I'm very happy for Melky, who at .292, 10 homeruns, and 40 RBI's is having his best season in his fourth year with the Yankees. Yes he is only a fourth outfielder, but he has been an integral part of the Yankees success this year, with a number of big hits in late inning situations. He was the subject of trade rumours two years ago in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, but Brian Cashman decided to hold onto the switch-hitter. Melky has been working very hard this year with hitting coach Kevin Long on batting from the right side. The work is paying dividends, as Melky is batting .284 righty, as opposed to a career .252 average coming into the season.

Melky's career day isn't the only thing to take away from this game. Each Yankee starter had a hit, including two from Jeter, Nick Swisher, and newcomer Jerry Hairston Jr., who also played a nice third base today with Rodriguez the DH. Yankee fans also have to like that after blowing a 3-0 lead to go down 4-3 in the third, the Yankees responded with two runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively.

This game never turned into the pitcher's duel that it seemed it would be between Buehrle and C.C Sabathia. Staked to the early lead after Cabrera's 10th homer, Sabathia quickly gave it back in a four-run third when Jermaine Dye hit a two-run shot and Jim Thome followed with his 559th home run. He battled though, tossing seven innings of five run ball with five strikeouts and no walks. He earned the win, his team leading 11th of the season. Buehrle was far from effective let alone perfect in his first start at U.S. Cellular Field since that perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23. This time, he allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 4 1/3 innings after teasing another historic performance in his previous start against Minnesota. Mariano Rivera picked up his 30th save in 31 chances. Mo has been unconscious lately - he hasn't allowed a run since June 12th. At 39 years old, there is still no question Rivera is still the best closer in baseball.

The Yankees unfortuantely do not gain any ground with this win. With a final score that looked like a football game, the Red Sox defeated the Orioles 18-10, to remain a 1/2 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. For the first time since the All-Star Break, New York has a day off tomorrow, before going to Toronto for two on Tuesday. That game features a great pitcher's matchup between Andy Pettitte (8-6), and ace Roy Halladay (11-4).

(AP Photos/Nam Y. Huh)

What happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago...

2009-08-02T00:16:00.010-04:00

...or let's hope so for the Yankees sake. With today's 14-4 loss in the Windy City, New York has now lost the first three games of this four game set with the White Sox, and they have looked bad doing so. In the three games, the Yanks have gotten outscored 27-11. This after coming out of the All-Star Break having won 11 of 13 games.

On Thursday night, the Yankees were at least in the game, only losing the contest 3-2 in extras. Andy Pettitte and Gavin Floyd were locked up in a pitchers duel, as both allowed just one run each. The bombers got away with a costly Robinson Cano throwing error in the 7th, when Nick Swisher hit a game-tying two out homerun in the top of the ninth. I was at a bar watching this game, and the place went nuts when Swisher's ball reached the seats. Unfortunantely, Phil Hughes, who had come on relief in the seventh, ran out of gas in the tenth, and allowed back-to-back base hits before being taken out of the game. Lefty Phil Coke came on in relief and recorded one out, before Dewayne Wise hit a base hit up the middle that brought in the winning run.

The next two games get little mention, because they were flat out embarassing. Yesterday, the Yankees were up 3-0 early, and then things got out of hand. Down 6-5 after the fifth inning, the bombers failed to plate the tying run in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings. Alfredo Aceves, who has been sharp all season long coming out of the bullpen, was shelled for four runs in the bottom of the seventh. In today's 14-4 embarassment, nothing went well for New York. A.J Burnett, who had been 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA in his last six starts, was ghastly today. He allowed six runs in the second inning, and didn't even make it out of the fifth inning today. If A.J Burnett was ghastly, then Phil Coke was terryfing. The lefty allowed six runs in a third of an inning. Every White Sox starter recorded a hit.

As bad as these three losses have been, Yankee fans need not get crazy. Putting things in perspective, this is still one of the best teams in baseball, and they came into this series the hottest team in the league. Yes Burnett was awful, but he has arguably been the Yankees best starter since June, and hopefully today was just a blip on the radar. The bullpen has also been awful this series, but has been one of the strong points for this team for well over a month. The White Sox are also a very good ballclub, so I can't get too worked up over losing to them. I really think these three games are a bump in the road in what has been an otherwise impressive run for the Yankees. Win tomorrow, and move on. If they get beat up by the Red Sox again later this week, then it's time to start kicking and screaming.

Because Boston won their third straight game with their 4-0 win over the Baltimore tonight, they have inched to within a half game behind the Yankees (62-41) for first place in the AL East. The Yankees will try to salvage this series tomorrow with C.C Sabathia (10-7 3.83 ERA) on the mound. The big lefty comes off a rough outing on Tuesday, in which he allowed five earned runs to Tampa Bay in a loss. Mr. Perfect Mark Buehrle (11-4 3.45 ERA) will take the ball for the White Sox. Gametime is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

(AP Photos/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Pagan Grand Slam Powers Mets over Arizona

2009-08-02T00:03:00.007-04:00

It was deja vu all over again for the Mets. Tie game in the 8th, bases loaded. Fernando Tatis came up big on Monday in that spot. This time Angel Pagan smoked a grand slam to break a tie at five and give the Mets a 9-6 win. Jerry Manuel said in his post game press conference that Pagan lacked energy in his at bats earlier in the game. But there is no question he had enough juice in his bat later when it counted.

The hit was huge for the Mets because it would have been a big blow to lose a game where they led by two after five innings. They needed to make sure their two game losing streak did not get any worse since they have a lot of teams ahead of them in the wild card hunt. Pagan rightfully received a curtain call from the Citi Field faithful. He picked a great time to hit his first long ball as a Met and his first in over two years.

The offense was great once again as all the starters recorded a hit except for Luis Castillo. The Mets were 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and they are getting a lot more hits in bunches and big spots. This is not a team that will out slug you with all the injuries and playing in Citi Field. They need to be able to move runners over and play more small ball, which is what they are starting to figure out. It was great to see someone like Jeff Francoeur put the ball in play with David Wright on third and one out just to get him in. It was not fancy, but it got the job done and gave the Mets a two run lead at that juncture in the game.

Oliver Perez was very spotty as usual. While he only surrendered two earned runs in five innings of work, he walked five batters in five innings, and he now has 47 walks in 48.2 innings this season. He did strike out seven, and he was getting really good movement on his pitches out of the zone, but the walks are still extremely troubling. Manuel stated in his press conference that Ollie keeps him "on the top step of the dugout". Through all his control issues, Perez did a great job escaping a few jams in the 3rd and 5th innings, including a huge double play in the 3rd where Daniel Murphy made a great scoop on a throw. It was great to see Perez keep the Mets in the game despite walking a lot of guys and giving up six hits.

The Mets improved to 50-53 on the year, and they are right back at it tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 against the D-Backs. Mike Pelfrey will go for the Mets against Jon Garland for Arizona. Big Pelf has been great in his last two starts, while Garland has gone at least six innings or more in his last 11 outings.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

All's quiet in New York as trade deadline passes

2009-07-31T18:29:00.008-04:00

At 4:01 p.m this afternoon, all was quiet in Flushing and the Bronx, except for a minor deal that brought utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. over from the Reds to the Yankees in exchange for minor league catcher Chase Weems. The blockbuster moves happened elsewhere. Jake Peavy finally decided he wants to win, as he lifted his no trade clause to accept a trade to the White Sox. Victor Martinez is now a Red Sox. The Detroit Tigers acquired LHP Jarrod Washburn in exchange for Luke French and a pitching prospect. So at 62-40 the team with the best record in the AL decided to stand pat, and at 49-52, the Mets decided now wasn't the time to trade what few prospects they have left.

I am not surprised, and am pleased as a Yankee fan that GM Brian Cashman decided not to pull off a major trade. This team is arguably the best team in baseball right now, having won 11 of 13 since the All-Star Break. So the Red Sox got Victor Martinez. I still think the Yankees have a better lineup and better pitching, and in my opinion are the favorites to represent the American League in the Fall Classic. There was no need to acquire someone like Roy Halladay, who would have cost the Yankees either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. Manager Joe Girardi also didn't feel the team needed to make a move, saying this just the other day before the deadline:

"I'm not sure we'll do anything. As of right now we're playing very well and...there's always ways that you're trying to better your club, but sometimes things don't work out and you sit tight. I don't think there's a sense of urgency."

Girardi is right on the money. There is no sense of urgency right now. Remember, teams can still make trades through August 31st, except those players must now clear waivers. The Yankees could still pick up someone like Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, should they feel the need. With this team rolling the way they are, the Yankees can win the World Series with the pieces they already have in place.

The Mets however, seemed more inclined to make a move than the Yankees, and they didn't pull the trigger on a deal. The Amazin's have won 6 of their last 7, catapulting them back into the playoff conversation. At 49-52, and sitting just 6.5 games back of the Rockies for the wildcard, the Mets had been linked to such names as Victor Martinez, Nick Johnson, and a slew of left handed relievers. Speaking to reporters at Citi Field today after the deadline, GM Omar Minaya had this to say:

“The cost would have probably been too high… You have to take in to account where you are in the standings, and you have to take in to account the prospects you have… One thing that has been good about this process has been that I got a good feel for a lot of the teams and how much they like our prospects. But, some of those prospects that some teams wanted were too high to give them, and we have some pretty good young prospects… Unless it is someone we were going to hold on to beyond one year, we’re gonna hold on to as many prospects as we can.”

Give Minaya credit for acquiring OF Jeff Francoeur a couple weeks ago, as he looks like a player, and a steal for what they gave up in OF Ryan Church. However, it has to be frustrating for a Mets fan to watch the deadline go by, and see Victor Martinez get traded to the Red Sox, and Nick Johnson get traded to the Marlins. Judging by the players given up for Martinez and Johnson, the Mets certaintly could have pulled off a move. In the quote above, Minaya talks about the Mets good young prospects. These players he is referring to, like 22 year-old RHP Brad Holt and 19 year-old Jenry Mejia, were probably the prospects other teams would have wanted.

The Mets have one of the weaker farm systems in baseball, so I can understand why Minaya would want to keep onto the few prospects he does have. However, if Minaya's job is in jeopardy, I would think that he would pull the trigger on a deal to acquire someone of Martinez's caliber, in an effort to sneak into the postseason as the wildcard. The Met's can still make a trade during the waiver period, but it remains to be seen just who is out there that can really give this team a lift down the stretch. More importantly for the Mets is that they get some of their injured players back, like Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

Mets Take 3 of 4 from Colorado, split DH

2009-07-31T11:31:00.008-04:00

The Mets have suddenly made the Rockies look like they did most of July: offensively inept. The Metropolitans beat the Rockies 7-0 in the first game of the doubleheader. Now New York is on a roll with five straight wins. Johan Santana (12-8) pitched seven shutout innings on the way to his 12th win of the season, and Colorado was shut out for the second straight game and held to only four hits. Santana did a fantastic job getting ahead of hitters with 18 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced. He also threw 73 of his 104 pitches for strikes and struck out eight batters. When you let Johan get ahead in the count, it is tough to hang in there because it is so hard to hit that devastating change up.

In addition to Santana being vintage Santana, the Mets offense put up a five spot in the second inning, with the big hit coming off a Angel Berroa two run double. The offense was so dominating, that New York even chased Rockies starter Jason Hammel after only an inning and a third. David Wright also chipped in with a double and two RBI's, and he seems to be hitting for a lot more power lately. The homers might not be there, but he is hitting a lot more doubles than he was a few weeks ago. Hopefully he can start to heat up, and Jeff Francoeur hitting behind him and being on a roll has to be helping Wright get more pitches to hit.

The Mets and Rockies did not have to wait long to get back out on the field. After the first game at 12:10, the teams took the field for game two at 7:10, a make up of Wednesday's rainout. Unfortunately, the Mets could not complete the sweep in the first ever doubleheader at Citi Field as they fell to the Rockies 4-2, ending their five game winning streak. The Mets got on the board first in the 4th with a Francoeur RBI sac fly, but could not hold the lead. Colorado tied it in the 6th, and then the wheels fell off in the 7th.

Jonathon Niese gave up a lead off double to the pitcher Jorge De La Rosa, which came back to haunt him and the Mets. Fernando Tatis then made a spectacular diving catch on a ball that was smoked by LF Seth Smith. But then Clint Barmes hit the ball so hard that no one could catch it except the fans in the stands. Barmes's two run shot put the Rockies ahead for good, and then Troy Tulowitzki hit a triple off the left field wall that brought Barmes home. Niese has definitely made huge strides in his short time in the majors. He has great stuff with a sharp 12 to 6 bite on his curveball, and he mixes in a high 80's to low 90's fastball. However, he walks guys to lead off innings, and you cannot let the pitcher get a double to lead off the 7th with the big bats coming up. That is totally inexcusable. De La Rosa was batting .089 before he smoked a double over Pagan's head, and why Niese gave him a fastball down the middle was beyond me.

Tidbits

The Mets are 21-4 at home against the Rockies since 2003
Omar Minaya apologized to Daily News writer Adam Rubin in New York on Wednesday. Rubin accepted his apology, saying Omar's "remorse was sincere"
The Mets called up Robinson Cancel from AAA Buffalo and designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment
Omir Santos caught both games of the doubleheader since Schneider's left knee was bothering him. Brian should be back in the lineup tonight against Arizona
Luis Castillo's wife gave birth to his second child, a baby girl, Thursday morning. Castillo missed the first game, but played in the second one.
The Mets are back at it tonight at Citi Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks make their first trip to the Mets new home. Livan Hernandez goes up against Doug Davis at 7:10.

(AP Photos/Frank Franklin II)

Check This Out: Dan Blackburn

2009-07-31T00:02:00.007-04:00

Check out former New York Rangers goalie and top prospect Dan Blackburn talk about the day he was drafted, his time in New York, the injuries that cut his career way too short, Richter, Henrik, and more.
http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=763&id=45262

What are you doing Donnie?

2009-07-30T19:57:00.006-04:00

I've waited paitently to see how Donnie Walsh would handle the free agency period, but now that patience is beginning to wear thin. According to Knicks beat reporter Frank Isola, the Knicks will make a decision on whether to make an offer to point guards Ramon Sessions or Jamaal Tinsley by week's end. Isola goes on to report that Bucks owner John Hammond and Walsh spoke on Wednesday. Gery Woelfel, who covers the Bucks for the Journal Times, believes the subject of their conversation was the possibility of the two clubs completing a sign-and-trade deal. The New York Post reported today that Tinsley met with Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni yesterday, to gague mutual interest.

In 39 games last year, the 31 year-old Tinsley averaged 12 ppg and 8.4 assists for the Pacers. In 79 games for the Bucks last year, the 23 year-old Sessions averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.7 apg.

Here's why I'm upset: Sessions is far and away a better sigining than Tinsley. At 23 years of age, Sessions has the potential to be an all-star caliber point guard. He has an up-tempo style of play that would fit in nicely with Mike D'Antoni's offense. Tinsley meanwhile, is on the wrong side of 30, and coming off an injury plagued 2008-2009 season. He is only looking for a one year deal, and would be much cheaper than Sessions, who is looking for a four year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $22-26 million. However, the Knicks need to invest in young talent, not players past their prime. Sesssions could join a core group of players that includes Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Jordan Hill, and David Lee. At his age and with his skill set, he can be the point guard of the future in New York.

Here's something else that doesn't make sense about the potential Tinsley signing: Chris Duhon and Nate Robinson will be free agents at the end of next year. Add Tinsley to that list if the Knicks do choose to sign him. So who then is the Knicks point guard of the future? It won't be Steve Nash, who recently signed a two year $22 million contract extension with the Suns. The Knicks also don't have a first round draft pick next year (thank you Stephon Marbury trade), so where is this future point guard coming from if it's not Sessions? And if I here the names Allen Iverson and Jason Williams again as longshot possibilities, I'm going to throw up.

My problem is not that Walsh has taken his time making a decision on who to sign, but rather on who he is contemplating signing. The answer is so simple Donnie it is staring you right in the face. And I won't even get into the David Lee or Nate Robinson fiasco's, which is iritating me as well, so I'll stay on 'point' discussing the Knicks' guard situation. Sign Ramon Sessions Donnie. If you're afraid the Bucks will match your offer sheet, than work out a sign-and-trade. Do whatever it takes to get this guy in here, becuase I have news for you: there is no other future point guard waiting in the wings.

BREAKING NEWS: Lundqvist Leaves NHL, Returns to Sweden

2009-07-30T08:59:00.006-04:00

Did that title scare you, Rangers fans? Well, it shouldn't. King Henrik isn't going anywhere, as he is still under contract until the summer of 2014. However, his brother, forward Joel Lundqvist, has left the Dallas Stars organization to sign with Swedish team Frolunda. Both brothers played there before they headed over to the United States to play in the NHL.

Rangers Notes:

-The Blueshirts have added even more defense depth in Hartford by signing 20 year old blueliner Sam Klassen. He isn't a big scoring threat (2 g, 18 a in 72 games in junior league WHL last year), but at 6-2, 200 pounds is a a physical threat who racks up a lot of penalty minutes. Overall, he is a solid developing, physical, two-way defenseman who with all the defense depth in the Rangers organization, will probably spend all of next season in Hartford.

-Nikolai Zherdev's arbitration hearing will be held tomorrow, July 31st. Expect Sather and the Rangers to argue that Zherdev's inconsistency last year and throughout his career is why he should be offered low arbitration money. Most likely, the court will decide a number that is lower than what Zherdev wants, but still higher than what Sather is willing to pay. And after the Kotalik signing, the only price Sather would pay for Zherdev is $20. In all likelihood, the Ukrainian winger will be offered more than that, and his short tenure in New York will end.

Joba Rules part III

2009-07-29T22:04:00.015-04:00

I now declare the Joba as a starter vs. reliever debate officially dead. Chamberlain (7-2) threw perhaps his best game as a starting pitcher tonight, going eight innings while not allowing a run, and leading the Yankees to a 6-2 victory over the Rays. For his third consecutive outing, Joba showed great command, surrendering just three singles as he struck out five and walked only two batters.

As Joe Girardi said in the post-game, Joba was crisp. He and Posada had great chemistry all game, and worked quickly together. Chamberlain was so effective because he got strike one, and was also not predictable in his approach. He was strong throughout the game, and was still hitting 95 mph on the gun in the eighth inning. Chamberlain didn't have one trouble inning. The fifth was the only inning the Rays had two runners on base against him, when he walked his only two batters. Over his last three starts, Joba is 3-0, with a 0.84 ERA. On the season, he is now 7-2 with a 3.58 ERA. He also improved his road record to 5-0 this season.

The offense was equally as impressive as Chamberlain was tonight. The Yankees built a 2-0 lead on Mark Teixeira's run-scoring single in the first and a single, double and Robinson Cano's RBI grounder in the fourth. Teixeira and Melky Cabrera hit solo homers in the eighth. Teixeira and Jorge Posada also had RBI singles for the Yankees, who have 11 of 13 games coming out of the All-Star Break. Cano grounded out to drive in a run in the fourth inning, then hit his 16th homer of the year in the sixth for a 3-0 lead against Matt Garza (7-8).

Back to the man of the hour. For his third consecutive start, Joba showed the type of consistency Yankee fans have been looking for. With this three start stretch, Chamberlain is firmly entrenched as a starting pitcher, and right now if the Yankees were to enter the playoffs, he would be their #3 behind C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett. The All-Star Break must have really done something for Joba's psyche. Remember, in his three starts before the break, Joba allowed 16 earned runs. He used the break to go home to Nebraska, where he didn't think about pitching for awhile. Clearly, the time off rejuvinated him.

The bombers have now won 24 of their last 31, and are now 23 games above .500 at 62-39, their best record of the season. With Oakland's 8-5 win over Boston tonight, New York extended their lead in the AL East to 3 1/2 games. The Yankees continue their nine game road trip tomorrow. They head to Chicago to open up a four game set with the White Sox. Andy Pettitte (9-4) is set to start against youngster Gavin Floyd (8-6).

Tidbits:

Chien-Ming Wang had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his injured right shoulder in Birmingham, Alabama. Good riddance.
New York is 6-5 against Tampa this year. The two teams do not meet again until September 7-9 in the Bronx.
It was great seeing George Steinbrenner at the game and in the clubhouse tonight. Girardi and many of the players said it was great for himself and all the guys to see him, and that they want to keep their recent surge going for George.

(AP Photos/Mike Carlson)

Mets Blank the Rockies for 4th Consecutive Win

2009-07-28T23:05:00.008-04:00

The Mets silenced Colorado's bats for a 4-0 win to increase their winning streak to four games. Mike Pelfrey (8-6) was dominant on the mound tonight, mixing in a 96 mph fastball with great curveballs and sliders, to earn his 8th win of the year with 6.1 innings of shutout ball and five strikeouts. He improved to 3-1 in his career against the Rockies, and he's only allowed six earned runs in 23 innings against them.

Pelfrey's performance was enormous for the Mets tonight because they need someone to step up behind Johan Santana and become consistently reliable on the mound every fifth day. With two very good outings in a row, Big Pelf seems like he could find a groove the second half of the year if he can throw mid to high 90's and mix in his secondary pitches. In previous outings he has had trouble preventing that one bad inning. Tonight he found himself on the ropes in the fourth and the sixth, but got Clint Barmes out in both instances to escape from those situations.

Besides a stellar performance on the mound, the Metropolitans also had a strong offensive attack for the fifth straight game. New York put runs up in three consecutive innings, starting in the second with a Jeff Francoeur RBI single. Luis Castillo continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the third, and a Brian Schneider sac fly in the fourth put the Mets up 3-0.

The Mets got an insurance run in the 8th, amid some controversy when Daniel Murphy singled to center. Colorado CF Dexter Fowler made an outstanding throw to home on one bounce, and catcher Chris Iannetta clearly tagged out Castillo before he touched home, but home plate umpire Larry Vanover called him safe. Rockies manager Jim Tracy came out to argue right away and was ejected from the game. While the Mets caught a huge break and the extra tally helped them out, since Francisco Rodriguez did not have to close the deal in the ninth, the call was definitely wrong. I have not seen umpires blow so many calls in all my years of watching baseball. I know everyone makes their mistakes, but these guys are out of position way too many times when making these calls. Vanover was standing behind the catcher on the first base side when he should have been more behind the plate.

Tidbits:

The Mets improved to 48-51 on the season, and they are now 5.5 games behind the Rockies in the wild card hunt.
New York improved to 20-2 since 2003 against the Rockies in Flushing and have swept them every year at home in that span except for 2005 and 2007.
This is the first time in a while Pelfrey's velocity was over 95 mph, and he also had a really nice late drop on his curveball.
Jeremy Reed was picked off the bases between 3rd and home when trying to execute a double steal after Angel Pagan took 2nd base with two outs in the 7th. Mets play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen rightfully criticized Reed for making a terrible base running decision.
Jeff Francoeur was hit on the right hand in the 6th inning by Jason Marquis but stayed in the game. He had a huge bruise on his left hand, but luckily the ball did not hit his wrist.
David Wright hit a ball to dead center field that hit off the wall right in front of the apple for a double. If he hit it three feet more in either direction, it would have been a homer. This is the second time in three games Wright was robbed of a home run by hitting the ball to center field, which also happened in Houston on Sunday because of the hill in center.
The Mets go for five in a row tomorrow at 7:10 PM when Johan Santana opposes Jason Hammel. Santana did not pitch against the Rockies last season.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Rays can't 'shield' Yankees from 10 out of 11

2009-07-28T09:32:00.005-04:00

The Yankees hit four homeruns, including two by Nick Swisher, and A.J Burnett (10-4)was dominant once again, as the bombers won 11-4 over Tampa Bay in the first game of a nine game road trip. The Yankees were never really in any trouble in this one. They scored three runs in the second inning off of Rays starter James Shields (6-7), highlighted by a Jorge Posada RBI double, a Robinson Cano RBI triple, and a Swisher RBI groundout. The Yankees made the score 5-0 in the fifth, when Cano and Swisher went back to back, knocking Shields out of the ball game.

At this point the game was over, as Burnett was cruising once again tonight. He went seven strong, struck out five batters, didn't allow an earned run, and walked only two. He got nine swing-and-miss strikes via the fastball, and retired the leadoff man in every inning. Burnett has got to 10 wins for the 5th straight season, and has really been pitching well lately. He is 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA in his last six starts.

The Rays finally scored a couple runs in the 8th, but at that point it didn't matter. It was 7-3 when the top of the ninth started, and the Yankees went on to score four more runs on Swisher's second homerun, and a three run homer by Johnny Damon.

This is a feel good win if you are a Yankee fan. The offense was clicking, as the team hit four homeruns, and the starting pitching was dominant. Plus, New York beat a division rival on the road. With the win, the bombers are now 7 1/2 games up on the Rays, which is a comfortable sized lead. There seems to be nothing that can slow this ballclub down right now.

The Yankees improved their record to 61-38, and mantained a 2 1/2 game lead over the Red Sox. Game two of this series is tomorrow night. It's a good pitching matchup featuring a couple of southpaws. C.C Sabathia (10-6) for New York, and Scott Kazmir for the Rays.

(AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Mets fire Bernazard but pick fight with reporter, win third in a row

2009-07-27T23:01:00.012-04:00

The Mets put out a fire storm by firing Tony Bernazard. But another one hit the Big Apple when Omar Minaya attacked beat writer Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News. Minaya accussed Rubin of lobbying to land a front office position with the Mets. Rubin felt that Omar meant that he tried to get Bernazard fired, but their is no evidence to support such a claim. Rubin also accurately reported the Bernazard story. There was absolutely no reason for Omar to make a claim like that in front of the media. First of all, again as far as I know, everything was reported with accuracy. Minaya created a public relations nightmare with this - talk radio went beserk after his press conference, and the papers tomorrow will rip him to shreds.

The only good thing that came out of this press conference is that Minaya did what was necessary in firing Bernazard, who obviously had to go after his behavior in Binghamton, his remarks towards K-Rod, and the lack of class in which he represented the organization. The Mets had an opportunity to save face once they gave Bernazard the pink slip, yet they just made things worse. Now the target is on Omar's back, and if he stumbles again he could be the next one to leave Flushing.

It is tough enough when the team is underachieving, even though the Mets have been decimated by injuries this year. What makes this season worse is the off-field antics. In this case, Minaya acted unprofessional and created another distraction for the team with his actions towards Rubin. He could be upset that Rubin reported the story since he is very good friends with Bernazard, but that doesn't absolve Minaya. If anything, it helps him that Bernazard is gone because there were rumors that Tony had more power than Omar because of his strong relationship with the Wilpons.

I am thrilled that the Mets canned Bernazard, not only because he was a divisive force within the organization, but because of the way he treated the Binghamton Mets, and his poor reputation around the majors was a weak link for the Mets. With the Mets recent track record of not making the right choices in these spots, I thought they were going to keep him around until the end of the season and then make sweeping changes in the front office. New York handled the firing well until the Omar/Rubin confrontation, and the best part was that they didn't announce the move at 3 AM eastern time.

.The Game:

Despite all the controversy, the Mets still had a game to play and a winning streak to build on. They won 7-3 to increase their winning streak to three, and the hero was Fernando Tatis, who smacked a pinch hit grand slam in the 8th inning.

Oliver Perez still struggled by throwing too many pitches and lacking command. 103 pitches in 5 innings, and he has walked at least 4 batters in all his starts since returning from the DL.

Jeff Francoeur has been on a roll since the deal, hitting 3 homeruns and 15 RBI. He went deep again tonight. He has been finding pitches to hit and stroking the ball with authority.

Castillo, Murphy, and Wright continued their hot hitting. The Mets 2B had two more hits today and is doing a great job getting on base. Murphy had an RBI double and he has hit for more power in July with 8 doubles. Wright is starting to come around these last few games, and hopefully a hot Francoeur behind him will give him some pitches to hit.

(AP Photo Rick Silva), (AP Photo Kathy Willens)

Want to know recipe to Yankees success? Look no further than Phil Hughes

2009-07-26T17:44:00.019-04:00

He's just 23 years old. He was the Yankees first-round pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He can throw four pitches, and features a fastball that touches 96 mph, and a devastating knuckle curveball that freezes hitters. This season, Yankee fans are seeing why General Manager Brian Cashman wouldn't trade him in a deal for Johan Santana two offseasons ago. As the Yankees improved their record to 60-38 with their 7-5 win over Oakland today, they don't have to look far to find out one of the main reasons behind their success. Phil Hughes, the reliever.

Two months ago, Yankee fans had never heard of Phil Hughes the reliever. What they had heard of and seen, was Phil Hughes the starter: a 23 year old kid, albeit a very talented one, who was just 8-9 with an ERA over five in 28 career starts. Fast-forward to the present, and as any Yankee fan is well aware, Hughes is not starting right now, but throwing out of the bullpen. So what changed? Well, something happened earlier this year that may have switched the proverbial railroad tracks that represent Hughes' career. Chien-Ming Wang, the once ace of the Yankee staff who won 46 games in 2 1/2 years, returned from the disabled list in late May from hip problems. After making a few appearances in relief, the Yankees announced that Wang would be given his spot back in the starting rotation. Hughes, one of the Yankees top pitching prospects, had been starting in Wang's place. He was just 3-2 with a 5.45 ERA. Rather than go back to AAA to start, Hughes accepted a move to the bullpen in an effort to stay with the big club. "I'll do whatever the team needs," Hughes said. "Right now that's being in the bullpen."

So how's the move working out so far? Here are Hughes' numbers as a reliever this season:
24.1 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, 28 strikeouts , a 0.74 era, and a .145 opp avg. He also has a 24 inning scoreless streak going. In other words, Hughes has been unhitable. Look past the numbers for a second. Hughes looks like a different pitcher on the mound. His velocity is up to 95, 96 mph from the 91, 92 it was as a starter. In terms of his demeanor, Hughes looks as poised and confident as a 10x all-star. He also seems more mature, something Mariano Rivera noted when he spoke to reporters last week.

"It's all about how you take it," Rivera said of moving to the bullpen. "If you feel like you belong in the rotation and you don't want to do it, then it's more emotional. When you are just happy to be in the big leagues and do whatever the team needs you to do, everything will change. That's the attitude he has. Any opportunity to help the team, he'll do it."

The Yankees record from the time before and after Hughes became a reliever also shows the benefits the move has had. Before June 8th, which was Hughes first appearance as a reliever, the bombers were 33-23. Since then, they are 27-15. Not a huge number, but a difference nonetheless. If you're not impressed, check out Mariano Rivera's numbers since Hughes became a reliever. Rivera has allowed one run since Hughes made the switch, (18.1 innings) and has 16 saves in 16 opportunities.

Prior to this June, Hughes and reliever did not belong in the same sentence. At 6-5, 230 pounds, the California native has always been a starting pitcher. Through 2006, in his minor league career, Hughes was 21-7 with a 2.13 ERA in 237.1 innings (45 starts), in which he has averaged 5.7 hits, 2.0 walks, and 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings. Rated the #2 pitching prospect in the minor leagues for 2007 by Baseball Digest, Hughes made his major league debut on April 26, 2007. He was projected to be a frontline starting pitcher for the Yankees for many years. However, the success Hughes had found in the minor league level did not immediately translate to the show. As a starter from 2007 to early 2009, Hughes made the aforementioned 28 career starts, going 8-9 with an ERA over five.

Why did Hughes struggle as a starter through 28 big league starts? It really isn't a hard question answer: Hughes is still practically a baby, and has only thrown 165 innings in his big league career. Plus, how many established 23 year old starting pitchers do you know? Hughes also missed much of last season with a strained oblique and cracked rib. His 28 big league starts is still too small of a sampling to say that Hughes cannot be the frontline starters the Yankee organization believes he will one day become.

A lot of the credit for Hughes' success as a reliever, as well as that of the whole bullpen has to go to manager Joe Girardi. Remember the bullpen that came out of spring training? It was built around guys like Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez, and Brian Bruney. Veras was traded to Cleveland, Ramirez is in the minors, and Bruney is still struggling to find his command off of a DL stint. Now it's built around Hughes, as well as Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, and of course Mariano Rivera. A lot of credit has to go to Girardi for changing the face of this bullpen, and managing it effectively. Girardi turned what was a weakness at the beginning of the year into a big strength. Hughes has been nothing short of brilliant, and Girardi has a reliable rotation of Coke, Aceves, and Rivera to go along with him. Such a dominant bullpen is why the bombers have won 22 of their last 28, and Hughes is a big part of it.

So has Hughes success as a reliever created a long term debate? For the remainder of this season, it appears Hughes will remain in the bullpen, serving predominately as the 8th inning guy setting up Rivera. The Yankees will tell you that Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are both starting pitchers down the road. I can only nod my head in agreement. Hughes has four pitches that he throws well, and he has the physical and mental makeup to be a dominant starting pitcher. The 'problem,' if we'll even call it a problem, is that Hughes has been so brilliant as a reliever. While this may stir a debate for the fans, the Yankee brass is stone set on reinstating Hughes as a starter next year. Once that happens, it is up to Hughes to throw with the same velocity and toughness that has him blowing away batters as a reliever. I for one, think that he can do that. I am not overly worried that he didn't have the same success as a starter he has now found as a reliever. Again, he is only 23, and it takes time. For now though, lets enjoy the ride Hughes is on this year. Perhaps it will take the Yankees all the way to number 27.

Tidbits from today's game:

The Yankees won 7-5 against Oakland today, and went 9-1 on their 10 game homestand.
Derek Jeter went 2-4 with 2 RBI's. He played in his 2,077th game, passing Bernie Williams for fifth in Yankees history.
The Yankees have won 22 of their last 28 games. With the Red Sox 6-2 loss to the Orioles today, the bombers are 2 1/2 games up in the AL East.
Robinson Cano's three-run double in the first inning gave him 25 on the season. He had only 25 all of last season. He has already matched last seasons homerun total with 14.
The Yankees have a tough nine game road trip coming up, starting tomorrow in Tampa Bay. Good pitchers duel between A.J Burnett (9-4, 3.74 ERA) and James Shields (6-6 3.70 ERA).

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Mets Take the Series in Houston

2009-07-26T17:27:00.009-04:00

Where is this offense coming from? After trailing by three after the first inning, the Mets went on to pound the Astros again, and win 8-3. The key for the Mets in this one was surprisingly the offense, which racked up 12+ hits for the third straight game. New York broke through in the 3rd inning with a deep RBI triple to center by Luis Castillo and a David Wright RBI single. Jeff Francoeur tied the game at three later in the inning with a sac fly. Houston starter Brian Moehler started to have trouble commanding his pitches, and he was missing out over the plate when trying to throw inside.

The Mets tacked on two more in the 4th when Angel Pagan hit an RBI triple to deep center, which would have been a home run in most other parks. Castillo then tried a suicide squeeze to get Pagan home, and Moehler made a bad throw to Ivan Rodriguez, enabling Pagan to score to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. Moehler totally rushed the throw to Pudge because he had plenty of time to nab Pagan at home. The Mets got another run in the 8th inning courtesy of the Mets third triple of the game, this time from Jeremy Reed. In the 9th, Wright smoked a deep double up the hill in center field to drive in a run, and then Francoeur followed with an RBI single.

It was great to see the Mets bats come alive in this series, and really important going forward. Castillo was on fire, going 7/12 in the series. Wright seems to be hitting for a lot more power and driving in some runs. Pagan has been a huge force in the leadoff spot, and Francoeur has been on fire since the trade. It seems like all the hitters are looking more confident at the plate. It says a lot that the Mets came in and took this series against a Houston team that just swept the first place Cardinals.

Livan Hernandez pitched seven innings and gave up three runs in the win to improve to 7-5 on the year. He struggled in the first inning by allowing those three runs, but Pagan helped him out by making a great throw to gun down Geoff Blum at home. After that point, Hernandez settled down and allowed only four hits the rest of the way. He did a great job getting ahead of hitters, and the seven strikeouts was a nice surprise.

Tibits:

The Astros are 12-5 in their last 17 home games, with two of those losses coming this weekend against the Mets
Francouer has driven in 14 runs in 12 games with the Mets, including four multi-RBI games
Livan Hernandez has two of the four Mets wins since the break, and has allowed 5 ER in 14 innings post All-Star break
No home runs for the Mets today, but they did hit three triples. That was without Jose Reyes in the lineup, the triples king.
If you think hitting in Citi Field is tough, try hitting a ball over 420 feet to dead center field and having to settle for a double, which happened to David Wright in the 9th inning.
All nine Mets starters had at least one hit in this game.

(AP Photos/David J. Phillip)

Nets Interested in Hakim Warrick and Glen Davis

2009-07-26T10:27:00.005-04:00

According to the New York Post, the Nets are strongly pursuing Hakim Warrick and Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Warrick played last season for Memphis and was originally a restricted free agent until the Grizzlies rescinded his $3 million qualifying offer. He averaged 11.6 points and 5 boards a game last year in his 4th NBA season. If the Nets can lock him up long term for a cheap annual salary, it would be a smart move. His jumper has improved each season, and he is someone that can run the break with Devin Harris. Warrick is very long, and the Nets need players that can play the 3 and the 4.

New Jersey will have a much tougher time signing Davis because he is a restricted free agent, and Boston will most likely match any offer. There is no way the Celtics would let a valuable player off the bench behind KG leave for a division rival.

The other problems for the Nets are that they already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, and they are losing a lot of money. I could see Warrick as a strong possibility since a lot of teams are not willing to spend a lot of money. The only thing is the Nets would have to make a deal or a roster move, and they also want to save up for next summer's FA class.

(Photo courtesy of Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images)

Niese cools down Astros in Texas heat

2009-07-26T00:50:00.006-04:00

Jonathon Niese did not need a ton of run support tonight because he just pitched that well in the Mets 10-3 win in Houston. But it did not hurt to have all that offense in his first major league outing since May. The lefty pitched seven strong innings and allowed one run while earning his first win of the year to improve to 1-0.

Niese did a fantastic job changing the eye levels of hitters with his fastball and mixed in a huge curveball to keep guys off balance. He looked a lot more confident on the mound than he did last year. It also helped that he got a lot of ground ball outs and some key double plays.

The Mets offense heated up in the hot Texas weather by torching Astros starter Russ Ortiz early. The Metropolitans scored three times in the first courtesy of a Daniel Murphy RBI double, Jeff Francoeur sac fly, and Cory Sullivan RBI single. They got three in the fifth with an absolute monster blast off the bat of Francoeur, and David Wright finally went deep in the 9th for a solo shot. Ortiz has historically struggled against the Mets, and they got to him early and often in this one before he was pulled in the fifth inning.

Murphy and Francoeur are really hitting the ball well lately, and hopefully their success will help Wright see some better pitches to hit. Francoueur especially looks very comfortable in his short time as a Met. New York has hit three homers in this series, and I am glad they will not go homer-less in their lone Minute Maid visit this season. Just a few weeks back, the Mets failed to hit a HR in a three game set at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, which is a hitter's band box.

Tidbits

Jeff Francoeur is 15/45 with 2 HR and 12 RBI since coming over to the Mets
David Wright hit his first HR since June 30 in Milwaukee
Jonathan Niese earned his 2nd career win and was lights out in AAA Buffalo before his call up
All of the Mets regulars had hits except for Alex Cora and Niese
This is the second game in a row where the Mets had over 10+ hits

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Morris Signs with Boston, Rangers Still Have Holes to Fill

2009-07-25T08:51:00.008-04:00

The New York Rangers still could use a veteran defenseman who can play the point, but they will need to look outside of their organization. Derek Morris, who New York traded Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, and Dmitri Kalinin to Phoenix for in March, has signed a 1 year/$3.3 million deal with the Bruins.

Although Morris's agent had said during this offseason that he was in talk with the Rangers about bringing the blueliner back to New York, I did not see that happening. Morris did not play nearly as bad as Kalinin, the guy he essentially replaced, but he still did not play that great (0 G, 8 A in 18 games, 0 G, 2 A in 7 playoff games). He failed to give a big boost to the Rangers power play by playing the point, which is still a big hole going into next season. Morris didn't fit the bill for what the Rangers need, and he also was going to make around what he made last year which was $.3.95 million. $3.3 million is a tad bit less, but still far more than the cap conscious Rangers could afford.

The way that I see it, the Rangers have two positions they need to fill for next season. One is a veteran d-man who can play the point, and as I noted in a July 14th post:

"A possible option to replace Morris is the soon to be 39 year-old Sergei Zubov. The longtime Star looks to be leaving Dallas after an injury-plagued season which saw him play only ten games. It is believed that Zubov will be fully healthy by the start of next season after coming off of a season-ending surgery in January for chronic hip problems. His age and recent injuries should drive his price down, and the Rangers are rumored to be very interested in him. Zubov can provide a veteran presence and scoring ability, although nobody should expect him to play like he did for the Blueshirts in the 1994 playoffs with nineteen points in twenty-two games. As long as Zubov is truly healthy, it can't hurt for New York to sign him to a low-price 1-year contract."

The Blueshirts also need a center. After losing Scott Gomez, Lauri Korpikoski, and most likely Blair Betts, their center depth chart is looking like: Brandon Dubinsky- 1st Line, Chris Drury- 2nd Line, Artem Anisimov (a rookie)- 3rd Line, Brian Boyle/Tyler Arnason (whoever impresses more in camp,preseason)- 4th Line.

This is not good. Anisimov may not be able to handle centering the third line at this point in his career, and may need to slide down to the 4th Line. That means Chris Higgins, who is more of a winger than center, may have to fill that spot.

Many fans and writers think the Rangers should go out and sign a top tier center to anchor Marian Gaborik's line instead of Dubinsky, but I think Duby showed during his time playing next to Jaromir Jagr, that he can successfully center a star winger. Instead, New York needs to sign a capable center who can also play wing for around $2 million, so that if Anisimov cannot handle 3rd line duties, he can step in.

Juice Shortage for Mets at Minute Maid Park

2009-07-24T23:21:00.009-04:00

Once again the New York Mets fail to hit in the clutch. The Mets dropped their third game in a row with a 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros tonight. The offense pounded out 13 hits but couldn't get the big one when they needed to. The Mets left two runners on in four different innings, and Jeff Francoeur was thrown out at the plate in the 7th inning. New York had a great chance to tie the game in the 8th inning with two runners on, but Angel Pagan hit a sac fly and Luis Castillo lined out to left field. Every Mets starter had at least one hit except for Johan Santana. It was disappointing the Mets could not get to ex-Met Mike Hampton because they worked him hard and had a lot of base runners on.

Santana was whacked around in suffering the loss, and fell to 11-8 on the season. He gave up 12 hits, which is the most he has allowed this year. He was constantly leaving the ball up in the strike zone. While he was still able to pitch into the 7th despite not having his best stuff, he did not make the key pitches in big spots. He allowed a home run to Mike Hampton, and while you never want to let the pitcher homer off you, it is very easy to hit long balls in that band box. Hampton has smacked 16 home runs in his career, but never hit one when he was a Metropolitan. His blast in the 4th gave Houston a 3-1 lead. Then right after the Mets tied it up the next half inning, Chris Coste hit a two run double to give the Astros the lead for good.

Since the offense has struggled and four runs is actually a lot for the Mets these days , this was a game where Johan needed to come out and stop the bleeding. The Mets gave him a lead in the first, and even with his struggles, Santana gave the lead right back to the Astros in the 5th after the Mets tied the game at three. I know Johan has pitched very well this year despite a rough stretch in June. However, with the way the Mets have played, he needs to be near perfect for this team to win games and tread water. The losses mounting has to be tough for a club that has endured so much, but the Mets are just not making the plays that are necessary in the clutch.

Tidbits:

The Mets have now lost 7 of their last 9 at Houston, including a three game sweep last year.
This is the first time since July 5th at Philadelphia that Santana allowed a run in one of his starts.
Omir Santos snapped out of a slump with a 3/4 performance, including a homerun.
Luis Castillo was 3/3 from the right side, and 0/1 from the left side. He really looked good up at the plate, and he has a much better stroke batting righty since he does not slap the ball.
John Maine's right shoulder was bothering him after pitching in a simulated game on Tuesday. He will seek a second opinion with Dr. James Andrews this week, which is never a good sign for a pitcher.

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Joba Rules...Again

2009-07-24T23:14:00.009-04:00

The Indians can keep Cliff Lee if Joba Chamberlain (6-2) pitches the way he has his last two outings. After allowing one run in 6 2/3 with eight strikeouts against the Tigers on Sunday, Joba looked even more impressive tonight against the A's. The young righty went seven innings, allowed just one run on two hits, and struck out six batters. In doing so, he lowered his ERA to 3.86. Oh by the way, The Yankees won the game 8-3 for their eighth consecutive win coming out of the All-Star Break.

This game was a lot closer than the final score indicates, just 2-1 heading into the eight inning. Heres how the Bombers got things started: the Yankees scored two runs in the third, highlighted by a Derek Jeter RBI single and a Johnny Damon fielder's choice. The Bombers tacked on another run in the fifth and six innings, off another Damon fielder's choice and a Hideki Matsui RBI groundout, respectively.

The key inning in this game was the fifth though. With the score only 2-1 in favor of New York, Oakland threatened by putting runners on second and third with one out. Joba then struck out the next two batters, Mark Ellis and Eric Patterson on two filthy sliders. Joba then gave his infamous fist pump, before heading back into the dugout. The Yankees would then blow this game open in the 8th, scoring four runs. The inning was higlighted by a Jorge Posada solo bomb to leftfield, and a couple more RBI singles from Jeter and Damon. The homerun was Jorgy's 13th of the season.

Cruise control is the only way to describe the Yankees right now. They have won 8 games in a row to start the second half, and remain 2 1/2 games up on the Red Sox in the AL East. Andy Pettitte (8-5) will try to make it nine tomorrow. The lefty is coming off one of his stronger starts of the year, when he went past seven innings and allowed just one run against the Orioles on Monday.

Back to Joba. I said after his last start that the important thing for him was stringing good starts together. With his performance tonight he did just that. Joba went deep into the game, keeping his pitch count low, and attacking the A's hitters. He was throwing first pitch strikes, and not getting deep into counts. Everytime Joba has a start like this, it will silence the Joba to the bullpen talk even more. If Joba can get on a roll now, the Yankees will have the deepest starting rotation in baseball. Even more importantly, they will have a 23 year-old who is perhaps poised to finally put it all together.

Tidbits:

The Yankees have won eight straight games out of the All-Star Break. Interestingly enough, they did the exact same feat last year. Also in 2007, they won their first six out of seven post break.
Johnny Damon had three RBI's tonight on just one hit. Two fielder's choices accounted for the other two.
New York is 4-0 against Oakland this year.
What was up with Oakland Starter Brett Anderson (5-8) in the dugout tonight? Everytime the cameras were on him, he looked spaced out, or was playing with his necklace like he had OCD. Weird. The 21 year-old lefty certaintly has talent though. He came into this game with a 21 inning scoreless streak.

(AP Photos/Frank Franklin II)

Ratner could be looking to sell Nets

2009-07-24T11:03:00.007-04:00

According to the NY Post, Bruce Ratner is investigating the feasibility of selling the New Jersey Nets. This despite a very poor seller's market. Sources claim that Ratner still wants any owner to continue progress towards moving the team to Brooklyn, and he still wants a minority share in the team. The Brooklyn investor bought the Nets for $305 million in 2004, but they have struggled mightily and had a sharp 29% drop in attendance this past season.

Faced with mounting financial losses, the Nets are cutting costs this offseason. They have reduced their office workforce by approximately 25 percent. Most non-basketball employees have faced Friday furloughs in the summer, reducing their pay by 20 percent. The Nets also dealt away Vince Carter on a draft night trade, their most expensive player, to the Magic to lower their payroll for prospective buyers.

According to Nets CEO Brett Yormark, "We have recieved interest from potential investors in the team. That interest is growing as it is clear that we are moving to Brooklyn. Our ownership group is as committed as ever to the success of the Nets and to the Barclays Center."

I think Ratner should sell the team to someone who wants to keep it in New Jersey. I have never supported the move to Brooklyn. The Prudential Center would be a perfect fit for the Nets, and be a good thing for the city of Newark. The Nets are playing two preseason games at the Rock this year, and Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek has told the Nets they can gladly join the Devils in Newark longterm. Newark also has a large population and great public transportation, which would help spur ticket sales.

The Brooklyn idea is just not smart because New York is a Knicks town. If people from Brooklyn wanted to go to a game, they would go to the Garden to see the Knicks, especially if money was close for tickets. Ratner is just sabotaging the Nets right now because he is trying to get an arena plan passed that costs way too much money. The team is a lame duck right now at the Izod Center because people do not want to see a team that could be out the door.

(Photo courtesy of NJ.com)

Islanders Sign Biron, DP Continues to Slide in the Depth Chart

2009-07-23T18:20:00.007-04:00

"Adding Marty gives us three bona fide No. 1 goalies. We learned about the importance of stability in our lineup from last year and he now allows us to have another quality starter." -New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow

That is the formal way of backing the Islanders signing of Martin Biron (29-19-5, 2.76 GAA for Flyers last year) to a 1 year/$1.4 million deal.

What Snow really meant was:

"Adding Marty gives us three former No. 1 goalies. We learned over the last few years that Rick DiPietro should never be counted on to play more than 5 games in a season. Biron, and the recently signed Dwayne Roloson, should account for the other 77 games in net during the 2009-2010 campaign. Biron and the 40 year-old (in October) Roloson should combine for the best goalie duo out on the island since 2001-2002 when I went 10-7-2 and Chris Osgood went 32-25-6. It won't make a difference anyway, as our team will still come in last in the Atlantic Division during the upcoming season. Hopefully Biron still has a few quality years left in him, and can anchor us in a few years when we may make the playoffs. I hope he likes Kansas City barbecue. Who knows-maybe DP realizes that we are fed up with his injuries and are replacing him with a solid player instead of a random guy from Bridgeport, and will stop getting hurt."

Mets Hit Rock Bottom in D.C.

2009-07-23T18:09:00.015-04:00

The Mets came into Washington with hopes of getting back on the right track by beating up on the worst team in baseball. They had just lost three out of four in Atlanta while scoring nine runs in four games, and facing a Nationals team that was just swept by the Cubs. After scoring one run in the last two games of the series, the Mets are at the lowest point they have been all season, and you can throw in the off-field antics as well.

Everyone thought this would be the Mets' time to get things going again. I was at Nationals Park for the games on Monday and Tuesday, and everything got off to a great start in the opener Monday night. The Mets took advantage of J.D. Martin making his MLB debut and scored five runs in the first two innings, which was also more than half the amount of runs New York scored in four games against the Braves. Livan Hernandez pitched seven strong innings and put to rest any rumors of losing his spot in the rotation in a 6-2 win.

I knew Tuesday's game was going to be tough for the Mets since Long Beach, NY native John Lannan had pitched very well over his last few starts. With the Mets inability to score runs coupled with the chance that Oliver Perez could self destruct at any time, New York needed to have a good plan of attack against Lannan. Perez did not pitch poorly, but walked two in the 4th which led to two Nats runs, and he also hit a batter and walked one in the 5th that led to two more Washington tallies. While he was not hit hard, it is unacceptable to walk six batters in a start, and Perez cannot afford to be giving out free passes to hitters like Austin Kearns. He had pretty good command of his fastball, but his slider and other off speed pitches were all over the place.

Lannan was excellent in the 4-0 Nats victory. He threw 80 strikes out of 106 pitches and did not walk a batter in a complete game shut out. There is no doubt he pitched a great game, but the Mets hitters do not foul off enough pitches and have trouble making pitchers work. With all the injuries, a lot of the Mets are very easy outs right now like Brian Schneider, Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, and Omir Santos. Even David Wright has a poor approach at the plate because he always takes the first pitch, and then he gets in a hole and has to swing at a pitcher's pitch.

The Metropolitans ran into another hot pitcher in Craig Stammen on Wednesday night. The righty stifled the Mets bats over seven and a third innings of work by only allowing one run. Mike Pelfrey bounced back from a rough start to pitch very well (7 innings, 3 ER), but it was not enough since the Mets offense was dead once again in the 3-1 loss. Only four hits for the Mets, including a Pagan triple that led to the lone run because of a throwing error by Christian Guzman. Luis Castillo was tossed in the second inning for arguing about whether he had full control of a ball on a throw from Wright, which he indeed did bobble. When you have as many runs as ejections, something is wrong.

The Mets scored five runs in the first two innings of the series, but they then went on to muster only one run in the next 25 innings. Pitiful. This was their chance to make a statement that they were still alive in the NL East and Wild Card races. They failed to get the big hits and rattle some young pitchers, and struggled to make big pitches in key moments.

Now the Mets enter an eight game stretch where they play in Houston for four games, a place where they never play well. Then they face the Rockies for four at Citi Field. Both of those teams have been very hot, and New York will be lucky to win one game in each series. Their pitching is just not good enough right now to carry them because of their anemic offense. The Mets have hit one home run in six games since the break. No one on the staff is consistently sharp, except for Johan Santana.

.
You never want to close the door on the season near the end of July, but the Mets look done. By the time everyone returns from injuries, it will probably be too late to make a run, especially with the Phillies playing so well. I know the Mets blew a seven game lead with 17 to play in 2007, so we know anything is possible. The unfortunate thing is I just have not seen the fight, urgency, and any clutch play out of this team at all. They go through the motions night in and night out, and they continue to play a losing brand of baseball.

(Photos Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)

In case you missed it

2009-07-23T18:01:00.002-04:00

Islanders owner Charles Wang was in studio with WFAN's Mike Francesa this afternoon. Of course the main topic was The Lighthouse Project, which has been hotly debated out on the Island. Wang said the project will cost an estimated $3.7 billion. There is a big vote coming up on October 3rd, which will decide if this project will get the go-ahead. You can listen to the audio here.

Zajac Signs Multiyear Deal to Stay in Garden State

2009-07-23T02:47:00.004-04:00

The New Jersey Devils avoided a salary arbitration hearing and signed center Travis Zajac to a multiyear contract. The terms of the deal are currently undisclosed.

After a promising rookie year in which the former first round draft pick contributed 17 goals and 25 assists, Zajac dissapointed in 2007-2008 with only 14 goals and 20 assists. Coming into the 2008-2009 season, many Devils fans believed that Zajac's rookie year was a fluke, but he proved them wrong by scoring 20 goals and adding 42 assists. He also had a team leading +33 in +/-.

Zajac joins star Zach Parise as the young core of a New Jersey team surrounded by veterans such as Patrik Elias, Brian Rolston, Dainius Zubrus, and Jamie Langenbrunner. Hopefully for the Devils, Zajac will prove that his 2007-2008 campaign was the fluke, and will continue to improve his numbers.

Zajac has a lot of potential, and it was a no-brainer for New Jersey to re-sign him. He has a lot of upside and I'm sure he did not cost a whole lot.

(Update: Deal is for 4 years at $15.55 million)

Even more of a Mess off the Field

2009-07-23T00:04:00.006-04:00

The Mets play on the field has been shoddy. Things off the field have also been very troublesome. That's because Mets VP of player development Tony Bernazard challenged players on the Binghamton Mets, New York's Double- A team, to a fight after a 1-6 July home stand a few weeks back.

One player that he really scolded was Mets middle infielder Jose Coronado, even going as far to call him a derogatory term that is used towards women. One AL Insider said, "That's an all-timer if true." Players will always have their ups and downs, and it is tough to be fully focused for 162 games a year. However, Bernazard clearly crossed the line if he indeed called Coronado an inappropriate name.

Another thing that really lit the fuse under Bernazard was the alleged underage drinking problems among the players. It is understandable why the 52 year old would be frustrated about that, especially if it hinders the B-Mets ability to win, but there are certain ways to handle specific situations. He should have had someone talk to the players about behavior and work ethic. Remember, a lot of these players did not go to college and are coming straight out of high school. They do not get the chance to grow up and learn how to take care of themselves, so there is definitely a lack of responsibility in some players.

There are also rumors that Francisco Rodriguez had a confrontation with Bernazard on the team bus, of which Rodriguez verified the other day. Bernazard also reportedly got into a confrontation with an Arizona Diamondbacks scout who was sitting in his seat at Citi Field. He got angry when the scout would not leave the seat Bernazard wanted to sit in, and he cursed him off in front of other scouts. The lack of professionalism on Bernazard's part if definitely mind boggling and represents the organization in a poor manner. An unnamed Met also said recently that "this guy is crazy and a cancer. A lot of us don't even like him."

This is something that Omar Minaya will have to handle quickly and decisively, and he must take these allegations very seriously. Minaya responded by telling the Daily News that, "I know he did have a team meeting with them. "It was not a 'you-guys-have-been-great meeting.' I know he spoke to them in a stern voice. But as far as what he was wearing, what kind of shoes he was wearing, I don't know anything about that."

I know he could not say much, but there is a huge difference between a stern voice and a profanity laced tirade. Omar needs to do a better job here, rather than play with words. Bernazard is supposed to be Minaya's subordinate, and all of these antics reflect poorly on Minaya, upper management, and ownership.

Bernazard also had issues with Carlos Delgado back in the 2005 offseason when the Mets were courting him. He also has been blamed for Willie Randolph being fired last season, and when he was asked about that last month, he declined comment and had the reporter removed from the field. You can read up on that courtesy of Mets Blog.

It's pretty ironic that few months ago, Bernazard was being considered as a candidate for the Mariners vacant GM position and now he is stuck in the middle of a controversy. Besides the fact that the minor league system which Bernazard is supposedly in charge of has failed to produce quality major league talent, his antics should be the last straw in removing this divisive force from the organization. It is wrong to not only have people that cannot be successful in their role, but also people that do not represent the team with class and integrity. Enough is enough.

AP Photo/Rick Silva

Yankees rolling with sweep of the O's

2009-07-22T18:02:00.006-04:00

The Yankees woke up today in sole possession of first place, and they will go to bed still atop the Red Sox in the AL East. The Yankees won 6-4 at the stadium today, behind another strong effort from A.J Burnett (9-4). The righty went seven innings, allowed just two runs and struck out six. He went into the seventh inning with a shutout, and is now 7-2 with a 2.31 ERA in his last 10 starts.

The bombers never looked back after scoring four runs in the first inning off of Orioles' starter Jason Berken (1-8). Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher each had two run singles that accounted for the four runs. Jorge Posada tacked on a run in the third inning, with a solo homerun, his 13th off the season. Posada also brought in the 6th Yankee run, when he doubled in Rodriguez in the bottom of the 8th.

The Orioles tried to stage a rally in the 9th, when Adam Jones and Nick Markakis hit back-to-back homeruns off of reliever Brian Bruney, but then Mariano Rivera came in for a one out save. It was Mo's 28th save in 29 opportunities this season.

The Yankees seem to be playing their best ball of the season, as they have opened up the second half of the season having won six games in a row. Even Sergio Mitre, who was called up from AAA and hadn't won a game in two years after undergoing Tommy-John Surgery, got into the mix yesterday with his 6-4 victory. Manager Joe Girardi shared those sentiments, saying this after the game:

"It's the best we've been and we need to continue that. We need to continue to grind out these games," Girardi said. "It has been very professional the way these guys have gone about their business. Every day you come in and expect to win."

The Yankees are now 20 games over .500 at 57-37. They are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL East. New York opens up a four game home series with the Oakland Athletics tomorrow. C.C. Sabathia (9-6) will take the mound. In his last two starts against the Orioles, Sabathia is 2-0, has allowed one run in 16 innings, and has struck out 15 batters.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Islanders Bring in Assistant Coach, Dump Radio Team

2009-07-22T01:59:00.005-04:00

The New York Islanders have hired longtime minor league coach Scott Allen as an assistant coach. The Islanders move to hire someone with this type of background actually makes a lot of sense. Their head coach has mainly only coached in the minors, most of their players belong in the minors, their arena is fit for the minors, and their games draw like those for the minors. At least the Islanders are being consistent when it comes to mediocrity.

Allen leaves the AHL's Quad City Flames (now Abbotsford Heat) where he spend two seasons as an assistant coach, aiding the team to a 74-63-9-14 record. He has more AAA coaching experience, spending time as both head and assistant coach with the San Antonio Rampage in addition to his tenure as an assistant coach with the Lowell Lock Monsters. He also has been both a head and assistant coach with the AA ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs. Before coaching, Allen played ten years in the minor leagues.

While the doors of the crumbling Nassau Coliseum open for Allen, they close for Chris King and Steve Mears. The Islanders have decided to not renew the contracts of their radio broadcast duo as they will now simulcast the signal of their television broadcast to save some cash.

I can honestly say that I have never listened to King and Mears call games, as I am a huge Howie Rose fan and turn on the television when I want to know whats going on out on the Island. Nevertheless, I cringed when I heard this news. First, as a broadcast journalism student hoping to someday announce hockey games, I became fearful of the fact that those opportunities may be dwindling. Second, as a hockey fan and follower, I realized that the Islander faithful will be getting the short end of the stick. Currently Howie and Billy Jaffe do an amazing job at calling games, but their descriptions of the action on the ice are geared toward television.

If Howie and Billy change their style to make things less difficult for listeners, it will then be less television friendly and will be of a lesser quality for viewers. One way or another, the Islanders will have low quality and confusing broadcasts of their games.

Anyone who has ever watched a hockey game on television and listened to one on the radio knows that the broadcasts are quite different. Apparently the Islanders do not. Or they do, and don't care, as long as it saves a buck or two.

Rangers Sign Lisin

2009-07-22T01:32:00.004-04:00

The New York Rangers have signed restricted free agent Enver Lisin to a contract. The terms of the contract are currently undisclosed. Lisin was traded to the Blueshirts from Phoenix (?Hamilton?) for center and fellow restricted free agent Lauri Korpikoski. The Coyotes have since signed Korpedo to a 2 year/$1.4 million deal.

This is from my post on Tuesday July 14th commenting on Lisin and the trade to bring him from the desert to the world's most famous arena:

One youngster who will not be back in New York is former first round pick (acquired from the Brian Leetch trade) Lauri Korpikoski who was traded to the Phoenix (?Hamilton?) Coyotes for forward Enver Lisin. This marks yet another trade between Sather and his former Assistant General Manager, Don Maloney. Maloney has also brought Marcel Hossa, Al Montoya, Alex Bourret, Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, and Dmitri Kalinin, to the desert in the last two years. Many of these players were former top prospects who never really panned out for the Rangers, but whom Maloney hoped would find their game and a fit in Phoenix.

This seems like a good trade to me. Although Korpikoski had a huge playoff goal in his NHL debut in Game 5 against the Penguins in 2008, he was then juggled through just about every possible line combination last season for the Rangers, and did not seem to find a fit. If not traded, Korpi would have most likely centered the third line, but his departure allows top prospect Artem Anisimov that opportunity.

Lisin, although a year older than the 22 year-old Korpikoski, had slightly better offensive numbers last season. He had thirteen goals and eight assists in forty-eight games to the Korpedo's six goals and eight assists in sixty-eight games. Both players are restricted free agents who should make around the same amount next season. Both are young and have similar numbers, but at the end of the day if a player does not fit he needs to be moved. . If Lisin has any sort of chemistry in the New York lineup, he can be very productive for the Rangers.

Donald Brashear vs Colton Orr

2009-07-21T21:20:00.003-04:00

Found this fight from this past season on YouTube and I thought why not post it? Ironic that Brashear is now the Rangers enforcer, and Orr is no longer with the club after signing with the Maple Leafs this offseason.

Giants announce training camp schedule

2009-07-21T20:20:00.003-04:00

University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced today the New York Giants' summer training camp schedule. Big Blue, who has trained on the UAlbany campus since 1996, begin workouts on Monday, August 3. The camp will conclude on Tuesday, August 25.

Training camp will last 17 days, including eight days of double sessions. As usual, the Giants will not practice on days following preseason games. For the fourth consecutive year, head coach Tom Coughlin will host evening practices. The first night practice is on Thursday, August 6, at 6:05 p.m. All six sessions will be preceded by a morning workout. The other day-night workouts are slated for August 8, 10, 12, 14 and 20.

For fans who want to attend training camp, all-session parking passes will be available at UAlbany's Athletic Merchandise Store, located in the SEFCU Arena Lobby, beginning Monday, July 13. An all-session parking pass is $15.00. Fans can find out more information at giants.com.

Mets rejected an offer for Halladay

2009-07-21T00:34:00.009-04:00

4:30 p.m. Update: John Heyman was just a guest on with Mike Francesa. He stands by his original story. To listen to the interview, click here. This afternoon, ESPN's Keith Law was a guest on 1050 ESPN Radio. Before joining ESPN, Law spent four years with the Blue Jays as a special assistant to the general manager. Law said the Jays would never present a deal to the Mets without asking for 19–year-old Double-A RHP Jenrry Mejia, who is now considered the team’s top pitching prospect. To listen to his interview, click here.

12:45 p.m Update: Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that the Mets are not pursuing Roy Halladay. Sherman quotes a Toronto team official as saying there is absolutely nothing going on with the Blue Jays and Mets, and that there is no truth to Jon Heyman’s report in SI.com. Heyman reported that Omar Minaya rejected a four-player deal to get Halladay.

Morning Update: Omar Minaya would not comment prior to last night's game on the rumored deal below, about rejecting an offer for Halladay. In a post to Twitter, ESPN's Keith Law says the trade rumor is 'bogus' and has been shot down by multiple sources.

Original Post:
Jon Heyman of SI.com and WFAN is reporting that the Mets rejected a deal from the Jays for RHP Roy Halladay, in return for Bobby Parnell, Jon Niese, Fernando Martinez, and 17-year old SS Ruben Tejada.

The 32-year old is 11-3 this year, with a 2.73 ERA. He also has 113 strikeouts to just 17 walks. The trading deadline is July 31st.

A Thrilla by Godzilla

2009-07-20T23:57:00.013-04:00

"It is high, it is far, it is gone!" John Sterling had the call for Hideki Matsui's walk-off homerun tonight, his 15th of the season, as the Yankees won their 3rd straight 2-1 game and fourth overall. Matsui lined a a 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats off Orioles reliever Jim Johnson (3-4) for his second game-ending homer in the majors - the other was as a rookie on July 17, 2003, against Cleveland.

The Yankees got their fourth consecutive solid outing from their starting pitcher, as Andy Pettitte was superb. The lefty didn't record the win, but went 7 1/3, allowed just one run on six hits, and struck out eight batters. The only run he allowed came in the first inning, a solo homerun off the bat of Nick Markakis. If the Yankees can get solid outings from the back end of their rotation like they did tonight and last night, they won't need to make a trade for another starting pitcher. The first Yankee run came in the second inning, when Eric Hinske crushed a fastball that went off the Modell's sign in rightfield. It was the third homerun in a Yankeee uniform for the former AL Rookie of the Year.

The Yankees are now 55-37, and are now tied with Boston atop the AL East after the Red Sox lost tonight 6-3 to the Rangers. Game two tomorrow against the Orioles features Sergio Mitre making his first start for New York. Mitre takes the rotation spot of Chien-Ming Wang, who apparently had a setback to his right shoulder injury. It is uncertain if Wang will pitch again this season.

Not much else to say - the Yankees are rolling right now, having won four straight games to start the second half. There is nothing to complain about right now in Yankee universe.

Mets Bats Come Alive in the Nation's Capital

2009-07-20T23:31:00.005-04:00

The Mets jumped over Nats pitcher J.D. Martin, who made his MLB debut, with five runs in the first two innings on their way to a 6-2 win. Daniel Murphy and Jeff Francoeur supplied the offense in the 1st with RBI doubles, and Angel Pagan, Luis Castillo, and Murphy each had RBI singles in the 2nd to give the Mets a 5-0 advantage. New York tacked on a run in the 9th on a mammoth home run to left field off the bat of Francoeur, who was 3/4 with a single, double, home run, and two RBI's.

Then Livan Hernandez did what he does best: beat his former team, the Washington Nationals. Hernandez pitched seven innings of two run ball for his 8th straight win against the Nats to improve to 6-5 on the year. He is now 3-0 against Washington this year with an ERA around one. He did a great job staying ahead of hitters, and he worked around trouble in the 2nd inning and settled down the last two innings after allowing a pair of runs in the 5th off a Josh Bard two RBI double.

The play of the game came in the 8th inning, 1st and 2nd with nobody out and Adam Dunn coming to the plate as the tying run in a 5-2 game. Pedro Feliciano got the lefty to hit a ground ball in the hole on the right side, where Murphy made a fantastic play to his right to start a 3-6-1 double play. After that Sean Green came on in relief to get the Mets out of the inning, and then Francisco Rodriguez pitched a 1,2,3 9th in relief to secure the victory.

Overall the Mets did a great job jumping over a nervous Martin in the first few innings. The Nats righty was not topping 88 mph on his fastball and everything was in the strike zone and very hittable. The Mets did a great job stroking the ball all over the field, and it was nice to see this time hit a few doubles down the lines. Another great sign was the great hitting of Jeff Francoeur. He fouled off a lot of pitches in the at-bats where he got hits, and while he seemed late on some pitches, he eventually found a pitch he liked and hit it with authority.

I was at Nationals Park tonight for the game, and it was a ghost town with only 14,000+ in attendance, even though it says the paid attendance was 19,169. I attended the Nats/Red Sox game on June 25, and the Nats set a single game attendance record with 41,000+ on hand. There was a huge difference in the atmosphere, and it was surprising the Nats could not get more fans considering a lot of Mets fans made the trip south. I saw many Mets fans in my hotel, and they still made the trip in bunches despite the team's poor play over the past month.

Knicks finish Summer League 0-5

2009-07-20T17:55:00.007-04:00

Like spring training, preseason football, and preseason hockey, what happens in the NBA Summer League doesn't matter longterm. Still, I'm sure Knick fans would have liked to come away with a victory, rather than go 0-5 in Las Vegas. The clubs most recent loss came yesterday, a 89-84 defeat to the Washington Wizards.

What does matter in the Summer League, rather than the win-loss record, is how your rookies perform. Here, the Knicks get high marks. 8th pick Jordan Hill, and 29th selection Toney Douglas were equally impressive in their Knick debuts. Hill led the team in points and rebounds with 14.4 and 8.2, respectively. He showed surprisingly good range and a nose for the ball. Douglas was the team leader in assists with 7.0 per game. I thought he was more of a combo-guard and a scorer coming out of Florida State, but Douglas showed the ability to run the team, and could turn out to be a very good point guard. If he develops properly, I can't see a place for Nate Robinson past 2009/2010.

I was also surprised by the play of Morris Almond, who scored in double figures all five games, and averaged 14 ppg. Almond was drafted in 2007 by the Jazz with the 25th pick, two picks after the Knicks drafted Wilson Chandler. The former Rice star appeared in just 34 games over the last two seasons, averaging just 3.1 points in 8.6 minutes a game. Almond can really shoot the rock, and I think their is a place for him on this team.

So yes two of the five losses were blowouts. But so what. The important thing that Knick fans should take away from Summer League '09 is that they have two rookies, who look like they will be able to contribute at the NBA level.

Here are the results of all five games, just for housekeeping purposes:
July 14 vs. Grizzlies L 90-86
July 15 vs. Pistons L 96-73
July 17 vs. Kings L 84-71
July 18 vs. Bulls L 90-84
July 19 vs. Wizards L 89-84

Knick Tidbits:

Knick beat writer Frank Isola is reporting in the Daily News that team president Donnie Walsh has met with free-agent point guard Andre Miller. It is not believed the Knicks have made a formal offer. Last year for the Sixers, Miller averaged over 16 ppg and 6.5 apg.

It would behoove Donnie Walsh to make a run at restricted free-agent Ramon Se ssio ns instead of Andre Miller. Bucks beat writer Gery Woelfel wrote just a couple days ago that the Knicks are the front runner to land the former Nevada star. Woelfel writes that Donnie Walsh is trying to negotiate a sign-and-trade, and if he cannot will offer Sessions the MLE. At just 23 years old, Sessions averaged 12,4 ppg and 5.7 assists last season. To me, this move makes the most sense. Sessions is younger and more athletic than Miller at this point in his career. He would fit in perfectly with Mike D'Antoni's up and down style of play, and could very well be the point guard of the future.

It sounds like David Lee is going to be a Knick or a Trailblazer next season. The Knicks have a five year offer on the table for about $7 million a season, but the Blazers have more money. Portland actually can offer Lee upwards of $10 million a season, now that the Jazz matched their offer for restricted free-agent Paul Millsap.

Nieve Goes Down and so do the Mets

2009-07-19T23:31:00.009-04:00

Another injury, and another bad Met effort. Fernando Nieve went down with a strained right quad while running to 1st base in the 2nd inning and left the game. Then the Mets went down and lost 7-1 to the Braves, while losing three out of four in Atlanta over the weekend.

While the Mets injury woes keep creeping up like they did in the first half, Tim Redding's performance did not change from before the break. That's because he pitched poorly again, giving up 5 runs, only 2 earned, in three innings of work. Redding failed to give the Mets innings after Nieve went down, and he left the game with the bases loaded in the 5th with no one out. Elmer Dessens came on in relief and gave up a two run double to Yunel Escobar, who also singled in a run in the 4th and went deep in the 2nd.

Something else that did not help Redding was shoddy defense by the Mets once again. Jeff Francoeur bobbled a Garret Anderson double in the 4th which enabled him to get to 3rd. Then in the 5th, Alex Cora dropped a throw at second base from Brian Schneider.The defense in this game, and the injury to Nieve is a microcosm of the Mets season thus far.

The Mets scored their lone run on a Francoeur RBI single in the third inning. While he may be undisciplined at times, he also has shown a knack to turn bad pitches out of the strike zone into hits. On his RBI single, he went the other way on a pitch that was low and outside.

If this series is any indication of how the Mets will perform in the second half, then their fans should start getting excited for football. New York was absolutely dreadful again today. Sure, it didn't help that Nieve went down with a quad injury, but the offense was lifeless again and the defense continues to make costly errors. Right now the Mets just do not have the depth on their roster to win enough games to overcome a nine game deficit in the division, and they just cannot establish a level of consistency in any facet of the game. What also hurts is that the Phillies are playing their best ball of the season, having won eight in a row.

Tidbits: The Mets are 9-15 in their last 24 games, which is when Beltran went on the DL with a kneecap injury.

New York has scored 76 runs in that span, and they have been held to one run or fewer in ten of those games.

Next stop on this ten game road trip is in Washington, who the Mets are 7-2 against this year. The Nats were just swept by Chicago in their first few games under interim manager Jim Riggleman.

(AP Photos/John Amis)

Joba Rules

2009-07-19T19:26:00.005-04:00

Now we're talking. Joba Chamberlain (5-2) struck out eight Tigers and yielded just one run over 6 2/3 innings, en route to a 2-1 Yankee victory and series sweep today at the stadium for Old Timers Day. Joba had his best performance since his June 1st win against the Indians, in which he went a career high eight innings, allowed two runs, and struck out five. His win today was his first since June 24th.

What Yankee fans saw today was consistency throughout the game, and perhaps even more importantly velocity. Joba's fastball was repeatedly clocked in at 94 and 95 mph. Joba also finished his start just as strong as he began - he retired the last seven batters he faced and four of the final five outs were strikeouts. The righty was also attacking hitters every at bat. One of the knocks on Joba has been that once he gets ahead of a hitter, he tries to be too fine with his location and eventually loses the count. Today he was getting ahead of hitters and throwing purpose pitches throughout.

The Yankees only scored two runs today, but of course they were homeruns, and of course they came from Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. A-Rod's 19th came off of Tiger's starter Edwin Jackson (7-5) and tied the game at one in the fourth inning, and Tex's 23rd shot in the sixth proved to be the game winner. Mariano Rivera saved each game in this series, and is now 25/26 on the season.

The story today though is off course Joba. Chamberlain took the All-Star Break to go home to Nebraska, and regroup. Yankees color commentator Suzyn Waldman made a great point during today's radio broadcast. She said that sometimes when a pitcher is struggling, as was the case with Joba, you just need to step back, relax, and not think about pitching for awhile. In the post-game, Joba pretty much verified the point Waldman made during the game, with this statement:

"Being away for four days I kind of realized I was having fun but I wasn't being the Joba Chamberlain I should've been," he said. "That's not good enough. That's not good enough for my teammates, that's not good enough for my coaches and it's not good enough for myself."

For the year, Joba is now 5-2 with a 4.05 era and 1.52 whip. More importantly than the numbers though is consistency. Joba has turned in these types of performances before, like his June 1st start in Cleveland. But more often than not, he has followed those good starts up with a bad one. It is up to Joba now to have these types of performances on a consistent basis. If he does, he can prove to be the Yankees number three pitcher in the rotation behind C.C Sabathia and A.J Burnett. And finally, maybe he can put to rest any more talk of him going back to the bullpen.

Tidbits:

After sweeping the series, the bombers are now 54-37. They are now just one game back in the AL East after Toronto beat Boston today 3-1.
Watching all three games this series, it almost felt as if each game was a repeat of the previous one. The Yankees would get a good performance from their starting pitcher, Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira would hit a homerun, and Mariano Rivera would shut the door in the ninth.
The Yankees are in the middle of a ten game homestand. They begin a series with the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow, with gametime at 7:05 p.m. Southpaw Andy Pettitte (8-5) will oppose Orioles starter David Hernandez (2-2).
Today was the 63rd Old-Timer's Day. It was great seeing Mike Mussina and Don Zimmer back as newcomers. Honestly, is there anything greater than Yankee's Old-Timer's Day?

(AP Photos/Seth Wenig)

Johan pitches Mets past Braves

2009-07-19T15:41:00.010-04:00

After an 11-0 drubbing the previous night, Johan Santana did what he does best: Stop the bleeding. Santana pitched 7 innings of scoreless baseball while striking out five batters in earning his first ever win against the Braves. Johan also earned his 11th win of the year to improve to 11-7, but more importantly helped the Mets win their first game of the 2nd half after dropping the first two at Turner Field.

The Mets did not get on the board until the 6th, when they scored runs on a walk and a fielder's choice to go up 2-0. Things got a little dicey in the 8th inning when Pedro Feliciano served up a long ball to Chipper Jones to cut the lead in half. New York broke things open with a three run 9th courtesy of an Angel Pagan triple, Luis Castillo sacrifice bunt, and a Jeff Francoeur single to center to go up 5-1. After being hitless the first two games back in Atlanta, Francoeur was 2/5 with an RBI.

Johan Santana was a dominant force on the mound yesterday. Ever since a rough June, he has had three outstanding starts in July, going seven innings in each start and only allowing two runs in his last 21 innings of work. He did a great job going after hitters yesterday with his fastball and change up, and he looks primed for another amazing second half of the season. Whenever this team needs a big start, the 151 million dollar man always comes through. With the season on thin ice for the Metropolitans, falling 8.5 games behind the Phillies after a lifeless 11 run loss in Atlanta, Santana just came out and gave the Mets a vintage Johan performance.

Right now with all the injuries to the lineup and a very inconsistent rotation, Johan is the one sure thing the Mets have every fifth day. Mike Pelfrey has been extremely inconsistent as the number two starter, and you have no clue if he will give you seven innings of one run ball or get an early shower after three innings. Oliver Perez has pitched well since coming back, but he can walk seven guys in three innings or pitch eight innings of one run ball. After that you have Fernando Nieve and Livan Hern andez, and while Nieve has pitched well, Hernandez has been dreadful his last couple starts.

If the Mets want to hang around to make a late season run at the Phillies and the wild card, Johan is going to need to be the ace every fifth day and give the Mets a chance to score enough runs to squeak out a win. So far so good for Johan. He was 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA in the second half last year. This year he is 1-0 with an ERA of 0.00. He is the reason any Mets fan would have hope they can stay in this thing until the big hitters come back.

(AP Photos Courtesy of John Bazemore)

Sabathia outduels Verlander

2009-07-18T17:09:00.006-04:00

Pitching at its finest was on display in Yankee Stadium this afternoon. C.C Sabathia (9-6) out pitched Tiger's starter Justin Verlander (10-5), and the bombers took a 2-1 victory in a prime pitching matchup that lived up to its billing. Sabathia went seven strong, and did not surrender a run while striking out four. Verlander was the hard luck loser. He had a shutout going into the bottom of the seventh. Then Alex Rodriguez hit a popup that left the stadium in rightfield. The Yankees plated their second run on a Melky Cabrera infield single that scored Robinson Cano. The righty finished with seven innings of two run ball, and six strikeouts.

I don't think I'm alone when I say I love a great pitchers duel. In an era built around the long ball, it's great to see two craftsmen just go at it. Verlander has a chance to win the AL Cy Young Award this year - he's been that dominant (how's 155 strikeouts sound). Sabathia is also rounding into form for the Yankees - his ERA keeps creeping lower and is now at 3.66. Great pitchers duels are just good for baseball. They add a certain juice to the game, when each hurler is trying to match the other pitch for pitch. They also make the games shorter, (today's game was 2:39) which is never a bad thing.

The Yankees are now 53-37, and with the Red Sox 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays today, are just 2 games back in the AL East. The bombers go for the series sweep tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. It will be a good young pitching matchup - Joba Chamberlain (4-2) and the Tiger's Edwin Jackson (7-4).

Other notes:

The Yankees have won 15 of 20 and are 40-22 since Rodriguez came off the disabled list on May 8 - the best record in the majors.
New York improved to 18-5 against AL Central teams.
A-Rod's homerun was number 571 of his career, leaving him two behind Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew for ninth place on the career list.
Today is the 10th anniversary of David Cone's perfect game. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Yankee manager Joe Girardi, who was the catcher in that game.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

I Love Phil Hughes

2009-07-18T00:49:00.006-04:00

I'm not afraid to admit that I love Phil Hughes. Why? Maybe because he has struck out 19 batters over 15 2/3 scoreless innings over his last 12 appearances. And because he has an ERA below one as a reliever. In tonight's 5-3 Yankee win over the Tigers, Hughes pitched the seventh and eighth innings, and recorded all six outs via strikeout. The effort enabled the righthander to pick up his first career win as a reliever.

With Hughes, the Yankees have clearly found their setup man. His velocity is up 5 mph since being put in the bullpen. After the game, Hughes said "it's just a matter of, you know, adrenaline taking over." And as the adrenaline takes over, Hughes takes over the eighth.

Hughes does have first baseman Mark Teixeira to thank for his first career win as a reliever. The all-star hit a three-run go ahead homerun in the bottom of the seventh off of Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya. It was Tex's 22nd homerun of the season, and gave him 66 RBI's for the year. His homerun and Hughes performance bailed out a shaky A.J Burnett. The hard throwing righty had trouble finding the strike zone tonight, walking five batters in six innings. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth for his 24th save in 25 opportunities. The Yankees improved to 52-37 with the win, but still remain 3 games back in the AL East after Boston's 4-1 win tonight over the Blue Jays.

Back to Hughes though. I think the Yankees clearly have a decision to make about Hughes at the end of the season. Hughes has always been projected as a starting pitcher, but his dominance as a reliever will force the Yankees to rethink his future role with the club . Remember, Mariano Rivera was also a starting pitcher when he was first called up in 1995. Eventually, he became a reliever after he pitched well in relief in the 95 ALDS against the Angels. How has that move worked out so far?

Another Dud at Turner Field for the Mets

2009-07-18T00:45:00.006-04:00

The Mets made it 0 for 2 in the season's second half with an 11-0 loss to the Braves. Atlanta retiring Greg Maddux's number 31 motivated Jair Jurrjens, who pitched six scoreless innings for the win, but Mike Pelfrey definitely did not receive the memo and fell to 7-5 on the season.

The tall right hander struggled to compete from the start by allowing three runs in the first inning on a Brian McCann two run double and a Yunel Escobar RBI single. Things only got worse in the third inning when Martin Prado went deep and Brian McCann smacked a two run homer to give the Braves a 6-0 edge. Big Pelf's night finally came to an end in the 5th after he allowed RBI doubles to Garret Anderson and Yunel Escobar. The final line was not pretty for the Wichita State alum: 4.1 innings, 9 ER, 9 H, 2 HR. This was the third time in nine starts Pelfrey failed to pitch past the 5th inning, and he has only gone six or more innings three times in that span.

The Mets offense was just as lifeless as their pitching. New York only managed two hits in being shut out for the 6th time in their last 22 games. David Wright and Gary Sheffield were the only Metropolitans with hits. Over the last 18 games the Mets are averaging 2.7 runs a contest and batting .220 as a team as they are 5-13 in that span.

Gary Sheffield left the game with a pulled hamstring in the 5th inning when trying to field a ball in the outfield. Jerry Manuel said that Sheff will not start tomorrow but could be available for pinch hitting duty.

Mike Pelfrey was very frustrating tonight, and something has been wrong with him since the start of June. He just keeps having a few bad innings where he either gets hit hard or walks batters. The Mets need him to go much deeper into games, and he cannot keep having these starts where he blows up early and has to get an early hook. His inability to pitch deep into games also hurts the bullpen, and the Mets are relying on a lot more out of their second starter than a 7-5 record, a 5.07 ERA, and a 1.51 WHIP.

What's even more frustrating for the Mets than Pelfrey's recent performance is the list of injuries that keeps growing by the day. Fernando Martinez has surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee during the All-Star break and will most likely be out until mid-September. The 20 year old outfielder also had a hamstring injury last season that caused him to miss a lot of time for AAA New Orleans.

The Mets medical staff has done a poor job diagnosing all the injuries, and the front office has done an even more horrendous job managing them. Jose Reyes hurt his calf on May 13, traveled with the Mets out west to San Francisco and kept calling himself day to day. He played on May 20 at Los Angeles despite not being 100% healthy and made the injury even worse. Then he kept calling himself day to day, and the Mets eventually put him on the disabled list.

Carlos Delgado was having hip issues in early May, but played through the injury and even had three multi-hit games in a four game span before shutting it down. He played his last game on May 10, and the Mets flew him out west to San Francisco only to place him on the DL three days later with the hip injury that later required surgery. In both the Reyes and Delgado situations, the Mets failed to diagnose both players the right way, and then they took up roster spots that could have gone to healthy bodies.

The Carlos Beltran situation was also very mind boggling. He had a nagging knee issue that was not taken care of right away. Before he stopped playing on June 21, he hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games. The Mets hesitated in getting him a MRI in spite of the fact he was having pain in his right knee cap for quite some time. The organization handled the injury a little better since they did not wait to place him on the DL since they did right away.

The bottom line is the medical staff is doing a poor job recognizing players' injuries, and it is not only hurting them but it is also hurting the Mets ability to have enough healthy players to compete. The Mets injury list is getting bigger, and so is their deficit behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, which is now 8.5 games after the Phillies won 6-5 in 12 innings tonight in Florida.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore), (Jose Reyes Photo Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)

Knicks Lee, Robinson feel disrespected?

2009-07-17T18:42:00.008-04:00

According to Mark Berman's article in today's New York Post, restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson feel disrespected by the Knicks lack of urgency to resign them. Both Lee and Robinson remain without offer sheets from any other clubs. Lee and his agent Arn Tellem are reportedly asking for $10 million a season, while Robinson would have to accept the Knicks $2.8 million qualifying offer (I just don't see him going to Greece).

I have to take Lee and Robinson's side here. Donnie Walsh has taken a far greater interest in arranging a three-team trade to acquire the Jazz's power forward Carlos Boozer, who has one year left on his contract. I have said before that I do not want to see Boozer in orange and blue. He thinks far too much with his wallet than his heart, and I'd rather say no thanks, even if it would be just for one year. He can go play for Miami, one of the other teams reportedly interested in his services. Lee averaged 16 ppg and 11.7 rpg in his fourth year in the league, and I have no problem giving him $40 million. He is the harderst working player on the court, and is the type of role player you put next to star players, like a Lebron James or Dwayne Wade.

Robinson is a slightly different case. Nate isn't seeking a long term deal, and knows his time with New York is likely coming to an end with the draft choice of Florida State's Toney Douglas. But that doesn't mean he too shouldn't feel disrespected. Drafted in 2005 with Lee, Robinson also had his best NBA season last year, averaging 17 ppg and 4 apg. He was rewarded by the Douglas draft choice, and Knick's management has not even had discussions with Nate about a long term contract. Perhaps this is also why Robinson is reportedly considering playing pro ball in Greece, even though I don't see him going there.

Knick Tidbits

Danilo Gallinari is still not cleared to participate in contract drills just three months removed from back surgery. However last year's 6th overall pick is working hard on his conditioning, and improving his strength. Dennis D'Agostino has a good writeup on Danilo's return on Knicks.com.

Reportedly, Knick President Donnie Walsh is considering giving veteran point guard Andre Miller an offer for the $5.8 million midlevel exception. A ten year veteran, Miller played for the sixers last year, and averaged 16 ppg and 6.5 apg.

The Knicks are now 0-2 in summer league play, after getting blown out the other day by the Pistons 96-73.

Rangers Name Sullivan Assistant Coach

2009-07-17T10:08:00.009-04:00

After Rangers Head Coach Tom Renney and Assistant Coach Perry Pearn were fired in February, Jim Schoenfeld had more jobs than Barbie. Although Schoeny is still Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel and General Manager of the Wolf Pack, he no longer is responsible for the duties of interim assistant coach.

That position has been filled by Lightning Assistant Coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan held that position in Tampa Bay for the last two seasons including 2007-2008 under current Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella. This move has been rumored for quite a while, as Tortorella begins to assemble a coaching staff of guys that are on the same page with him.

Sullivan was also the head coach of the Bruins for two seasons, including 2003-2004 in which Boston won the Northeast Division Title, before he was fired in June 2006. He has also been the head coach for the AAA Providence Bruins and assistant coach for Boston and the 2006 United States Olympic Team.

Sullivan joins Goalie Coach Benoit Allaire as Tortorella'sright hand men. Although penalty-kill coach Mike Pelino was retained after Renney and Pearn were fired, the Team page on the New York Rangers website no longer lists him as an assistant coach. Pelino was a popular coach amongst the players and ran a great penalty kill, but he may not have blended well with the hard-nosed Tortorella. Sullivan will most likely be running the Rangers power-play which was absolutely terrible under Pearn.

Rangers Notes:
-The Blueshirts have traded Hartford defenseman Brian Fahey for Lake Erie (Colorado) d-man Nigel Williams. Although this is a minor trade, it is a very good one. Fahey was signed before last season to compete for the Rangers seventh defenseman role and/or replace Andrew Hutchinson as the leader of the Wolf Pack defense. After traveling with the Rangers along with Corey Potter to the Czech Republic as an insurance policy (they only had six defenseman on their roster), he was sent down to Hartford where he disappointed throughout the entire season. He slowly slipped from the top D pair to the third as many youngsters surpassed him.

Fahey never seemed to show any fire power, but instead made many stupid decisions on the ice, and this led to occasional healthy scratches. Williams at 21 is younger than the 28 year-old Fahey. The former Avalance prospect had around the same point total as Fahey did last year in Triple-A, but he has the talent to become an NHL player while Fahey is essentially a strictly AHL guy. Very good trade.

-Speaking of Nigel Williams, former Ranger Nigel Dawes was waived by Phoenix(?Hamilton?) and picked up by the Flames. Dawes, a solid shootout scorer, but small body and overall inconsistent player, is a very replaceable player on any team (although many Rangers fans are still upset that he was traded).

2nd Half, Similar Result for the Mets

2009-07-17T00:07:00.006-04:00

The Mets started off the 2nd half of the season on the wrong foot in a 5-3 lose to the Braves in Atlanta. Oliver Perez gave the Mets six innings of three run ball in his second start since coming back from injury, with the only hiccups back to back homers in the second by Yunel Escobar and Garret Anderson. However, the bullpen gave up runs in the 7th and 8th innings that proved to be the go-ahead tallies for the Braves, with Chipper Jones knocking in the winning run on an RBI single in the 7th. Bobby Parnell struggled in relief by giving up hits to both batters he faced, and Pedro Feliciano (2-3) suffered the loss by giving up a walk that eventually led to the deciding run.

Jeff Francoeur received a very strong ovation before his first plate appearance in his return to Turner Field, and then hit a screamer that was caught by Martin Prado that resulted in Gary Sheffield being picked off first base for a double play. "Frenchy" went 0-4 with an RBI groundout in the Mets three run fourth inning. Sheffield drove in a run with an RBI single, and Daniel M urphy chipped in with an RBI double.

There was no sighting of "Francoeur's Franks" in the stands, which is the famous fan group that supported Jeff during his tenure with the Braves. This was also the first time Francoeur played against his best friend Brian McCann. The two of them have been on the same team since they were in Little League as 12 year olds. Before Francoeur stepped into the box, he tapped McCann on his leg with his bat.

In addition to the loss, the Mets also received bad news on the injury front. According to metsblog.com, Fernando Martinez is not expected to return from a knee injury until September.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

A Bumpy Road for the Mets in the First Half

2009-07-16T00:07:00.014-04:00

It might be summer time, but that doesn't exclude the New York Mets and their players from receiving their first half report cards. The 2009 season was one of hope and revenge for the Mets after signing Francisco Rodriguez to anchor the bullpen and two straight collapses on the season's final day. The Mets finished the first half of the season with a 42-45 record.

Here are the grades some Mets players received.

Francisco Rodriguez: Grade A, He has been everything the Mets could have hoped for when they signed him to a three year, $36 million deal in the offseason. He is 23/26 in save opportunities this season, and would be 24/26 if it was not for Luis Castillo dropping that popup at Yankee Stadium that cost the Mets that game. He is 8 for 9 in one run games, and he has pitched six scoreless innings and racked up three saves against the Phillies.

Johan Santana: Grade A-, Johan was lights out to start the year and lost a few games where he did not allow an earned run. However, after a 7-2 record and an ERA below two through the first two months, Santana struggled in June with a 2-4 record and an ERA of 6.19. He's bounced back with two solid starts in July, and he could have been 2-0 this month if the Mets gave him support in his July 5th start in Philly. Johan's clearly been the ace of the staff, and without him the Mets would have no chance to make a second half run. If you think Johan was on in the first half, just wait until second half because that is where he dominates.

Mike Pelfrey: Grade B-, Pelfrey has been like gas prices, up and down. He started off poorly in his first two starts, but pitched great during May and received a few no decisions in starts where he pitched well enough to win. He had a June to forget with a 1-2 record and an ERA over six, while only pitching more than five innings in two starts. The inconsistency is the real reason he gets a B- in my book because you don't know if he will give you seven innings of two run ball or get knocked out in the third inning.

Livan Hernandez: Grade C+, Hernandez won the 5th starter's job out of spring training and took a little while to get going. He was very good in May and June, going more than six innings in eight of 11 starts with a 4-2 record in that span. However, he's also given up 5 ER or more in five starts, and he's given up 121 hits in 100 innings of work. While he's been very good at times, he has also pitched very poorly at times. Hopefully the break will help get him back on track.

Bobby Parnell: Grade B-, This was a tough one because Parnell was dominant in April and May as the 7th inning guy, but he struggled mightily when he was pitching in the 8th inning when Putz went down. Bobby was 2-0 with an ERA just over two through the first two months, and he has not allowed a run in July in 5.2 innings of work. On the other hand, his June stats were dreadful with an 0-3 record, 12 ER, 18 H in 8 innings of work. He's pitched pretty well overall, especially for his first full big league season, but the one bad month brings him down since the Mets needed him to step up in the wake of Putz's injury.

Pedro Feliciano: Grade A, Feliciano has been fantastic out of the bullpen as a lefty specialist. He is 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA, but what is even more impressive is holding lefties to a .167 average and the Phillies are only hitting .167 against him. He did a great job shutting down Howard, Utley, and Ibanez when he faced them, and he has been the second best pitcher out of the pen behind K-Rod. Hopefully the Mets can find another lefty or Wagner comes back soon, so Pedro can get some more rest.

David Wright: Grade B+, The first half has been full of peaks and valleys for the Mets, a nd that would also be the way to describe David Wright's 2009 campaign. On April 26th, Wright was hitting a season low .271, but then went on a torrid stretch and was hitting .362 after a May 22nd game in Boston and leading the NL in hitting. The average dipped down to .321 on June 2nd in Pittsburgh, rose back up to .365 on June 16, and now it's down to .324 at the break. Wright is a career .311 hitter and he's on pace to bat better than that this year, but he's only hit 5 HR and driven in 44 runs so far. What should give Mets fans hope is that in the second half of 2006, Wright only hit 6 HR and drove in 42 runs, but went yard 20 times and drove in 72 runs in the first half that year.

Luis Castillo: Grade B, Everyone will look at the dropped popup at Yankee Stadium that cost the Mets the game when they think about Luis Castillo's first half of 2009. His defense has been average at best, and his range has diminished because of all the leg injuries he has suffered. With the bat, he is hitting .285 with a .386 OBP, and he has been much better hitting 2nd and 8th than leadoff. He has a much better swing from the right side, and he's batting .16 points higher as a righty than a lefty. He's definitely hit well and he has done a nice job getting on base, but he does not drive in many runs or get extra base hits.

Daniel Murphy: Grade B-, Murphy started where he left off last year by hitting .324 in April and showing great plate discipline. Then his performance started to decline in May, where he hit .176 because of his lack of plate patience and possibly cause of all his struggles in the outfield. He has played a pretty good first base and has shown very good range around the bag. Murphy batted .333 in his last six games before the break, which should give people some hope that he might have found his stroke at the plate.

Gary Sheffield: Grade A-, Sheffield came in expecting to spell Ryan Church in RF a few games a week, but the door was open when Church and Delgado went down with injuries in May. Sheff struggled in April with a .167 average, but hit great in May and June with 9 HR and 26 RBI, and he currently leads the club with 10 HR. He has been getting on base a lot and is batting .301 with runners in scoring position. He has by far exceeded expectations for the Mets so far.

All injured players like Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, and Putz are receiving incomplete grades.

First Half: The Mets started off poorly at 9-12 in April because of poor starting pitching from everyone other than Johan Santana. Things came together in May with a season high seven game winning streak from May 4 to May 11, but then the injury bug started to bite. In a span of three weeks, the Mets lost Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and J.J. Putz, and a lineup that was already struggling to score runs and hit in the clutch was in even worse shape. The Mets finished 19-9 in May, but they were dreadful in a tough June stretch and finished that month with a horrendous 9-18. Nothing went right in June with the offense, defense, and pitching, and even Johan Santana showed he was human with a few bad starts.

Another mind boggling thing was the lack of fundamentals the Mets displayed. When Jerry Manuel came on board, he said his goal was to make the Mets a fundamentally sound ball club. Well, the Mets made countless poor plays in the field, many base running blunders, and players did not slide when they were supposed to. The Mets defense and blunders were so bad that SportsCenter even did a Not Top Ten Mets feature last week.

Second Half Outlook: Despite the lack of sound baseball, the 15th ranked slugging percentage in the NL, and injuries to key players such as Delgado, Reyes, Beltran, Putz, and Maine, the Mets are right in the NL East race. All things considered, the Mets are lucky to be only 6.5 in back of the Phillies and the same amount back of the San Francisco Giants in the wild card hunt. If New York can tread water and start to get healthy, this team can go on a serious run in the second half.

The Jeff Francoeur acquisition for Ryan Church (pictured right) could really be a steal for the Mets if he finds himself, and Johan Santana is almost unhittable in the second half. The rest of the rotation needs to step up and pitch more consistently with the offense in shambles because of injuries. Jerry Manuel needs his club to play more small ball to scratch out runs. The Mets lead the NL in stolen bases, but more guys need to get on base to put pressure on opposing defenses.

My ultimate prediction is that the Mets big players will come back too late, and they will lose out on the division to the Phillies and have too many teams to climb over in the wild card hunt. This team has just been way too inconsistent this year, and they have way too many injuries right now to think they can win the NL East or the wild card.

(Photos Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)

Billy Wagner does not envision Big Role if he returns this season

2009-07-15T21:42:00.018-04:00

When Billy Wagner came to the Mets before the 2006 season, he was viewed as the missing link to the Mets getting over the hump and making the playoffs. At that time he was considered one of the best closers in baseball, and he pitched great in the first half during both the '07 and '08 seasons in making the All Star team both years.

Then he suffered an injury to his arm and underwent Tommy John surgery on September 10th. Instead of getting paid $11 million to close out games, Wagner could be asked to pitch in a middle relief role if and when he returns.

NY Post writer Mark Hale sat down with the injured southpaw, and in his article, Wagner said how he does not figure to fill a major role when he returns.

On the players who have weathered the injury bug: "I'd hate to be there. I really would," he said. "That's a tough situation in which you're playing a lot of guys not there."

Timetable for return: "I'm not killing myself to get back for them," he said. "I want to get back because [of] Fred Wilpon and that's it."

On his role: "No. Not at all. I can't see it. I think that would be foolhardy to even insinuate something like that," he said. "I think what I would be is a Brian Stokes- type player. I might pitch once a week. I can't see 'em doing that."

(Photo Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)

Pedro Martinez signs with the Philadelphia Phillies

2009-07-15T20:10:00.021-04:00

The Mets decided not to bring back Pedro Martinez this offseason because they wanted more youth and durability in their rotation. They decided to go after Tim Redding instead for the 5th starter's role, and let's just say that has not panned out too well. When Redding got hurt, Livan Hernandez made the team and pitched pretty well until a recent string of poor starts.

Either way, the Mets picked their guys, but Pedro did not pick his team until he officially signed a one year, one million dollar deal with the Phillies this afternoon. He pitched well for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, and his fastball was clocked as high as 92 mph, but he was consistently throwing in the high 80's to low 90's. He says he's finally healthy and feels good after three injury plagued season in a row with the Mets. The Dodgers had some interest in him at the beginning of the year, but passed because of Pedro's asking price of $5 million. Pedro was put on the 15 day dl with a strained shoulder, and will aim to make his Philly debut in 2-3 weeks.

Pedro was introduced by the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, and here is what he had to say about his move down the Turnpike to the City of Brotherly Love.

On the Met's interest or lack-their of in re-signing him:
"I was hoping the Mets would make a move and they didn't, so I decided to wait. It wasn't my decision to not be in New York. It was someone else's. I knew that one of the teams would need pitching at this time, so I waited. I actually was able to jump into first place without throwing a ball. I'm really glad I'm here. The Mets are gonna go their way. I'm gonna go with Philly in my way. I just have to continue on, no grudges."

On his time with the Mets:
"I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization. I have nothing to say but God bless them, wish them well, I hope they all get healthy and come back and compete."

About the Mets-Phillies rivalry, and if he will have extra motivation to beat the Mets:"I would love to tell you that but I can't hide love, and I have love for those people. I can't do anything with the hate you have for the Mets fans. That's between you guys."

TAKE:

Pedro was a class act with the Mets, and he gave the organization everything he had, on and off the field. He had an incredible year in '05, and would have won 20 games with better run support. He started where he left off in 2006 by winning his first five starts, and was outstanding the first two months of the season.

Things fell apart after he was injured in his return to Boston in June 2006, and he had trouble staying on the field with shoulder and leg injuries. He was a great influence over younger pitchers like Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez, and he also helped lure in free agents. The only regrets Mets fans can have about the Pedro signing are that he didn't pitch in the postseason, and he was injured during the last three years of his contract. The Mets would have probably won the World Series in 2006 if he was healthy, considering Maine and Perez had to each pitch twice in the NLCS.

Pedro went to the Phillies for two reasons: win a World Series, and because they showed significant interest in him, needing another starter. He did not sign to stick it to the Mets. Like he said, he has nothing but the utmost respect for the Mets organization, and they parted amicably this offseason. He wants a chance to win a National League Pennant and another World Series. When he left Boston after 2004, there was clearly bad blood. There is absolutely no bad blood between Pedro and the Mets. I still believe he can pitch well if he can throw his fastball in the high 80's to low 90's, and mix in his nasty changeup. It will definitely be weird seeing him in Phillies' red after four years in Mets orange and blue, and it will be even weirder for him when he walks into the visitors clubhouse after four years in Flushing.

(Photo couresy of the Associated Press/Matt Rourke)

Newcomers Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira lead Yankees in first half

2009-07-15T18:04:00.018-04:00

On May 1st, after an April in which first baseman Mark Teixeira hit .200 with 3 homeruns and 10 RBI's, C.C. Sabathia went 1-2 with a 4.73 ERA, and A.J. Burnett went five starts with a 5.40 ERA, it would have been hard to imagine that Sabathia and Burnett would be the only staples in the Yankee rotation, and that Teixeira would be the Yankee MVP halfway through the season. But that is exactly the case, as the Yankees sit at 51-37 at the All-Star Break.

Teixeira turned it on in May (coincidently when A-Rod returned), hitting .330 with 13 homeruns and 34 RBI's. For the season, Tex is now hitting .275 with 21 homeruns and 63 RBI's, and was rewarded for his first half performance by being voted as the starting first baseman in the all-star game last night. He has also showed why he is a two time gold glove winner, flashing some brilliant leather at first base.

After a horrendous April, Sabathia validated the 7 year $161 million deal he signed in the offseason, going 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA. At the break, Sabathia sits at 8-6 with a 3.86 ERA. While that is above his 3.67 career ERA, Sabathia has proven to be a workhorse for the Yankees, as he has pitched 128.1 innings, just two behind the Cardinals Adam Wainwright for the league lead. Sabathia also has 95 strikeouts, which is second on the team.

First on the team in K's is the other big name pitcher the Yankees brought in during the offseason, A.J Burnett. After a 5.40 ERA in April, Burnett finally started worrying about pitching, rather than about who to hit in the face with a pie. Burnett went 5-2 combined in the months of June and July, with a 2.30 ERA. The former Blue Jay has shown some absolutely filthy offspeed stuff, and his ability to make hitters miss is a big reason why opponents are hitting just .199 against him with men on base.

Those three aren't the only ones having big years. Of course shortstop Derek Jeter is having another Jeter-esque season. Outfielders Johnny Damon and another newcomer, Nick Swisher carried this team in April. Even after missing more than a month, third baseman Alex Rodriguez still has 16 homeruns and 50 RBI's at the midway point. And at 39 years old, Mariano Rivera is still one of the best if not the best closers in baseball. Say what you want about his stuff not being as good as it once was, but with a 2.43 ERA and a 23/24 save record, he can close out for my team anyday. Rivera, along with Jeter and Teixeira, were American League all stars.

Enough about individuals. At 51-37, the Yankees have the second best record in the American League, and sit 3 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. As is usually the case, the Yankees are right at the top of the league in offensive production. The bombers are first in slugging, OBP, runs, and in the banbox that is Yankee Stadium, lead the league with 132 dingers.

The biggest problem in the first half was the back end of the starting rotation. The Yankees were just 11th in the league with a 4.54 ERA. Joba Chamberlain continues to flounder as a starting pitcher. The 4.25 ERA doesn't look bad, but the 1.56 whip does. So does the average of 5 innings a start. Andy Pettite is 8-5, but sports an untidy 4.85 ERA, and finished the first half with a 7.27 ERA in his last three outings. The biggest disaster in the rotation though has been Chien-Ming Wang. In between two stints on the DL, Wang has been a shell of his former self. He has a horrific ERA of 9.64, and has the Yankee brass scratching their heads.

One more problem the Yankees had in the first half - 0 and 8 against the Red Sox, 1-2 against the Phillies, and 2-4 against the Angels. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and so far the Yankees have unable to do so.

Second Half Outlook

At 51-37, and in a weak American League, the Yankees are probably making the playoffs, whether as the division winner or the wildcard. They will continue to slug their way through the dog days of summer, and Yankee fans shouldn't have any worries about the offense. Despite missing more than a month, Alex Rodriguez will still hit 30 homeruns and knock in 100 RBI's. Teixeira could very well win the MVP, as he is right in the mix with Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay, and Rays third basemen Evan Longoria.

The starting pitching needs to round into form. Sabathia and Burnett will be solid, but the back end of the rotation is the big Yankee question mark going forward. Joba needs to start pitching like the frontline starter the Yankee organization hopes he is. Pettite, who is usually a better second half pitcher anyway, also needs to start giving more consistent efforts. Anything you can get out of Wang is a bonus at this point.

I think the bullpen will continue to be very solid, as it has been since Phil Hughes joined. In 18 innings of relief, the 23-year old has a 0.98 ERA, and has struck out 19 batters compared to just five base on balls. With Hughes, Rivera, Phil Coke, and Alfredo Aceves, the Yankees have very dependable arms that skipper Joe Girardi can call upon in late inning situations.

Looking at the schedule, the Yankees only have 10 series against teams under .500, and of those 10, four are against the Blue Jays and three are against the Orioles. The Yankees dont' see Boston again until August 6th. They still have 10 games with the Red Sox, who they have failed to beat once this year. They also have another trip to the west coast in September, where they will see their old pals the Angels. The bombers do have the advantage of opening up the second half at home, beginning a 10 game homestand friday against the Tigers.

So if you're still reading, here is my Yankee prediction. The bombers are going to the playoffs, and will win somewhere in the neighborhood of 95 games. Will they win the division? Unfortunantely, no. That will once again go to the rival Red Sox. And the reward for winning the wildcard this year? A trip to Anaheim, where the Yankees just play oh so well.

Islanders Sign Top Pick Tavares

2009-07-15T13:46:00.008-04:00

The last number one pick in the NHL entry draft for the New York Islanders has spent most of his pro career on the injured reserve. The Islanders pray that John Tavares will have better luck than Rick DiPietro.

New York has signed the top pick of the 2009 draft class to a three-year entry level contract. Tavares had 215 goals and 218 assists over four seasons in the OHL and led the league in both totals last season. The 19 year-old center is the all-time leading goal scorer in OHL history and also broke Wayne Gretzky's record for for most goals in a season with 72 goals during the 2006-2007 campaign.

Tavares will be one of many youngsters on the Islanders trying to rebuild the organization from a dreadful 2008-2009 in which it was the worst team in the NHL. Although he is projected to be a huge star for the league, the Islanders may have been hesitant to sign him to a long deal after a disastrous 15 year/$67.5 million contract given to DiPietro (the longest in NHL history) in 2006 and an even more disastrous 1o year/$87.5 million contract given to Alexei Yashin in 2001. Even after Yashin's contract was reduced by 24% due to the 2005 CBA and the Islanders bought it out in June 2007, they still have to pay him $2.2 million every year for eight years.

Hopefully for fans out on Long Island, Tavares will earn himself a nice contract after he becomes a restricted free agent in three years, and will live up to it. His numbers in the Ontario Hockey League show that he has a chance to become a franchise player, an annual All-Star, and even one of the greatest players in the world.