Mets Head Into September as Spoilers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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