Rangers Come Closer to Finalizing Roster

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

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

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

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

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

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)