New York Sports Fan Blog

This Saturday, January 7th, 2012 the Giants will take on the Falcons in the first NFC wildcard matchup. Since 2001 the Giants and Falcons have played six times while splitting the series 3-3. While the Giants have taken the last three from the Falcons. Offensively both teams are similar in yards per game with a slight edge going to the Giants but defensively the Falcons are better in yards allowed per game. I believe the main key to victory for the Giants will be there offensive passing game. Looking at the match up between the Giants receivers and the Falcons defensive backs, the Giants have a huge advantage in exploiting the Falcons. Falcons defensive backs are looking suspect and Eli has the weapons and tools to take them down. Once the open up the field with the passing game, the running game will be there for them to mix it up. Now defensively it is going to be a little struggle for the Giants. The Falcons are very talented offensively with one of the best in the league in Tony Gonzalez. If the Giants can put pressure on Matt Ryan and limit Michael Turner then they will have the game in the bag. The Giants are an underestimated team that had a couple of screw ups during the season but now they are entering the second season where its win or go home and after the last game against the Cowboys, the Giants do not look like they are ready to pack up and end their season.

Even though they exited in the first round playoffs, the 2011 has to be viewed as a successful campaign for the New York Yankees. Prior to the season, everyone and their mother had the Boston Red Sox winning the AL East. The Yankees were not even a lock to secure a Wild Card bid. Armed with a makeshift starting rotation (C.C. Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, rookie Ivan Nova, and the erratic A.J. Burnett) a few slumping players (Jeter, Swisher, Teixera), and injuries (A-Rod, Jeter, Soriano), the Yankees managed to overcome the odds to win the division.

The 2011 season was special for reasons other than the division crown. Two of the franchise’s most celebrated players recorded signature moments over the course of the year. Derek Jeter went 5-5 in a game in which he hit a home run for his 3,000^th career hit. Mariano Rivera converted his 600^th save as well as the career mark for saves with 603. All players that endured lengthy slumps managed to right the ship. Mark Teixera’s batting average was a far cry below his career average, but he managed to tie his second highest mark for home runs with 39 and was a run producing machine. Jeter broke out of his slow start in a big way to finish just shy of a .300 batting average. Nick Swisher also bounced back in a big way after seeing his average sit in the low .200’s in June. Curtis Granderson rebounded strongly from a disappointing 2010 season with MVP caliber numbers. Granderson lead the AL with 41 home runs on the year. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia delivered very impressive years disproving the critics who said they were done. Ivan Nova burst onto the scene going 16-4 and is a top candidate for AL Rookie of the Year.

The 2012 season could be the beginning of a transitional period for the New York Yankees. Jorge Posada was slowly phased out during the course of the year and Jesus Montero appears to be the future at catcher. Despite the revivals of Garcia and Colon, they are not at all long-term answers in the rotation. Pitching is definitely a necessity this off-season. Nova should not be counted on to deliver the same performance in his second year and Phil Hughes has a history of injury concerns. The Yankees appear to be set with their current roster of positional players, but someone to spell Alex Rodriguez in the field should be brought in as he moves closer and closer to a full-time designated hitter.

Bright Spots: Curtis Granderson, Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, Mariano Rivera, Nate Robertsom

Disappointments: Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Rafael Soriano, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain

Despite missing the postseason for the fifth consecutive season, 2011 was a success for the New York Mets. A change in club culture has set the Mets on the right path to have success in the near future. Entering the season, the club’s pitching staff was in complete disarray and there were question marks all around the diamond outside of David Wright and Jose Reyes. Even they weren’t rock solid with their injury history in recent years. The Mets managed to hang around .500 for a majority of the year despite not having Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Jose Reyes for stretches. The result was optimism  at the end of the year when they finished 77-85. The emergence of some young players on the team shows signs of a new beginning. New General Manager Sandy Alderson and Manager Terry Collins definitely put their stamp on this Mets team. Alderson made some crafty moves in acquiring Chris Capuano be an innings eater and prized young arm Zack Wheeler from San Francisco in a trade for Carlos Beltran. Collins managed wonderfully, getting the Mets to play hard and focused throughout the season, something not associated with the organization in recent years.

With Collins at the helm, Jose Reyes enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. Reyes had over 10 triples by July and was lead the league in batting. He may have finished with better numbers had a reoccurring hamstring injury not forced him to miss extended time. Several young players had breakout seasons for the Mets. Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy were tearing the cover off the ball, but both had their seasons end prematurely with injuries. A position must be found though for Murphy as he continues to struggle wherever they put him on the field. Also providing a spark were middle infielders Ruben Tejada and Justin Turner. They often worked counts, got on base at the top of the lineup, played sound defense, and filled in for Reyes admirably when he was on the shelf. Lucas Duda also found his stroke, but it remains to be seen where he projects in the field (outfield seems most likely). David Wright missed a prolonged period of time due to a stress fracture in his back, but came back strongly at the plate when he finally returned.

The main focus for the 2012 Mets is ensuring that the dynamic Jose Reyes is penciled in at shortstop and leading off for the foreseeable future. Tejada is a decent replacement, but he is no Reyes by any means. The Mets are strapped for cash because of owner Fred Wilpon’s involvement with ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, but Reyes should be brought back by any means. Returning some injured players to health coupled with further development of young players could make this lineup a very potent one (especially with the fences at Citi Field being brought in). Upgrades in the starting rotation and bullpen are a necessity if this team really wants to compete, but financial limitations may postpone that for another year or two.

Bright Spots: Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Jose Reyes, Ruben Tejada, Justin Turner, Chris Capuano, Ike Davis

Disappointments: David Wright, Jason Bay, Angel Pagan, Josh Thole, Bullpen, R.A. Dickey

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New York Jets Head coach Rex Ryan has been spotted with a new tattoo on his right calf. Now just because the guy gets a tattoo, does it really need to get the attention the media is giving it. Since day one, the media has giving Rex Ryan the most unneeded and undeserving attention. Who really cares about the guy getting a tattoo. Its his body and he can do what he pleases. Just like the nonsense video about him recording his wife’s feet last year. If the guy has a foot fetish then let him be. The media needs to focus more on the team and stop worrying about the little things. Show more about how practice went and how the team is getting along with their new additions. All I really have to say is stop wasting time on nonsense and give the fans the real information that want.

Donnie Walsh, the man responsible for almost single-handedly bringing the New York Knicks back from a decade of irrelevance and the nightmare that was Isiah Thomas’ tenure as team president and then head coach, is leaving the team, and will vacate his position as president and general manager shortly after this month’s 2011 NBA Draft. Team owner James Dolan called the decision to not renew Walsh’s contract — scheduled to end in one month — as “mutual,” although suspicions are strong that Dolan and Walsh did not see eye-to-eye on a number of key issues and decisions, including the future of head coach Mike D’Antoni.

Walsh was instrumental in freeing the cap space that allowed the Knicks to pursue Amare Stoudemire and later sign Carmelo Anthony, qualifying the Knicks for the post-season for the first time since 2004 and leading the team to their first winning season since 2000. Walsh’s departure leaves some very big, and important shoes to fill, especially with what should be a busy summer of free agency coming up in 2012. Alan Houston’s name has been already thrown around as a possible replacement, as has newly retired head coach Phil Jackson’s (not happening), but it is highly unlikely for a decision to be made anytime soon. It is also highly unlikely — let us all pray — that Isiah Thomas will be in the running for the position, again. I say this in the hopes that this hiring will not only be made with player personnel (and coaching) decisions in mind, but also with the best interests of the team’s fan base and the direction the franchise is trying to go in. In other words, and now that the Knicks are finally relevant again and have (somewhat) regained the loyalty and trust of their fans, owner James Dolan should be very careful in who he hires to replace Walsh, and hopefully is able to put his personal biases and friendships aside.

Personally, I would like to see Alan Houston take Walsh’s place. He doesn’t have a ton of experience, but clearly knows the Knicks franchise and strikes me as an extremely smart guy. Most importantly, I would love to see Walsh stick around the team as a consultant (it has been reported that he will do so next season, although how much he stays involved in the day-to-day team affairs is very unclear) for the next couple of years. The worst things Knicks management can do right now is take a complete U-turn and undo all the good work Walsh has done in the last couple of years. Despite the fact that the Knicks had their first successful season in quite a while this year, there is no doubt that they are in an extremely vulnerable situation in terms of cap space and player options. They gave up what seems like 20 draft picks to get Carmelo, so they will have to be extremely smart if they hope to attract players in the next couple of years to build around Stoudemire and Anthony.

No matter what happens, Knicks fans should do one thing: buckle their seat-belts. But then again, I probably don’t have to remind anyone to do that. This is the Knicks we are talking about after all. If Isiah Thomas doesn’t get hired in the next 2 weeks that will be a huge victory in itself…

With the 2011 NBA Draft only three weeks away (June 23rd in Newark, NJ), New York Knicks management is hard at work conducting individual workouts and weighing their options as to who they will select with the 17th overall pick. The Knicks needs as draft day approaches are very clear: size, size, and more size. It is well known that Amare Stoudemire is most effective when playing the power-forward position, and he has repeatedly expressed a desire to play alongside a true big-man in order to keep him out of foul trouble and allow him roam around defensively and help from the weak side.

Unfortunately, the Knicks have little to no cap space to put towards a center this summer, as the top young centers on the market — the best probably being the Sacramento King’s Samuel Dalembert — will be looking for big money and long-term contracts. The other piece of bad news is that this year’s draft is somewhat thin on centers (aren’t they all). 6-11 Turkish center Enes Kanter and 6-11 Lithuanian big-man Jonas Valanciunas have gotten great reviews from team owners and draft experts, but it will be almost impossible for the Knicks to make a pass at either of them, as they are both predicted to be picked in the top 8. What will most likely have to happen if the Knicks do in fact draft with the goal of improving their size and length (it is always a possibility that they go with a guard, possibly Kansas’ Josh Selby — scratch that, when you’re talking about the Knicks, anything is a possibility), is that the team will select the best 6-9 to 6-10 player available when the 17th pick rolls around (Klay Thompson, Marcus Morris, Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton) and hope Ronny Turiaf can provide enough minutes to keep Stoudemire at the 4 for the majority of games. So in the end, and as much as it hurts me to say this, how well the Knicks do next year will in large part (too large) be determined by the play of Ronny Turiaf, or whoever New York decides to start at center alongside Amare.

Now for some good news — the first piece being that I am almost positive that Knicks fans will not allow for Jared Jeffries to ever step on a basketball court wearing a Knicks jersey ever again. Don’t get me wrong, Ronny Turiaf is no Dwight Howard, but he’s also no Jared Jeffries, which means he’s not one of the top-5 worst players to ever play in the NBA. The other good news is that the 17th pick in the NBA Draft has produced some fine players in the recent past, which, although it doesn’t really mean anything substantial, can’t be a bad thing. Right? Well here are a few of them anyway. Call it wishful thinking…

2009. Jrue Holliday (UCLA) – Philadelphia 76ers
2008. Roy Hibbert (Georgetown) – Toronto Raptors (Traded to Indiana)
2006. Shawne Williams (Memphis) – Indiana Pacers
2005. Danny Granger (New Mexico) – Indiana Pacers
2004. Josh Smith (Oak Hill Academy, VA) – Atlanta Hawks
2000.Desmond Mason (Oklahoma State) – Seattle SuperSonics
1996. Jermaine O’Neal (Eau Claire HS) – Portland Trail Blazers
1992. Doug Christie (Pepperdine) – Seattle SuperSonics
1989. Shawn Kemp (Trinity Valley CC) – Seattle SuperSonics

Serious question. I just want to know where we stand right now. I also don’t want to be the first to throw in the towel if we still think a miracle is possible and we can finish above .500 this year. On the other hand, I’m slowly starting to lose track of how many players we have on the disabled list, and I’m recognizing less and less of the players that are taking the field for us every week. As a side-note, the Mets would absolutely dominate the all-injured MLB Playoffs if they started today. No question. David Wright? Ike Davis? Chris Young? You might as well throw Carlos Beltran in there — he’ll be back there any day now. There’s also that pretty decent pitcher you might have forgotten about. Johan Santana? I think that’s his name. Now that’s a dominant team. They’d probably sweep every series on their way to the DL Championship. I don’t know about you but all I’m hearing right now is parade.

On a more serious note, whether the Mets (and their fans) are still hoping the team can right the ship and at least contend with the Marlins and Braves or stay within 10 games of the Phils, the truth remains that some significant changes will be made to the team in the very near future. Or at least they should be made.

For starters, why Jason Bay is scheduled to make $16 million next year is completely beyond me. If it wasn’t for the ridiculous amounts of injuries we’ve had, and the bad luck that has made it so that Bay hasn’t been one of those injuries, he probably wouldn’t have played in half of the games he has so far this season. In fact, nothing would make me happier than to see Bay get sent down to the minors. And not Triple-A; I’m talking Class-A Short Season. Aberdeen Ironbirds if possible. That’s how hard it is to watch this guy play right now. While I’m at it I’m going to encourage you to buy this Jason Bay bobblehead. It’ll be worth a ton in a few years when Bay is out of the majors, and I’ve been told $2 of each sale goes directly to him, which he’ll probably need after he has to give back his salary from the last few years after failing to hit 20 total home-runs in 3 seasons. Please help him out.

Sadly, nothing I have said above about Jason Bay will actually happen. What is going to happen, however, is that the Mets will trade one of their key pieces, if not a few of them. It seems like the favorite to be traded, whether mid-season or in the off-season, is shortstop Jose Reyes. Reyes has been the only bright light in what has been a bottomless pit of darkness of a season so far (okay maybe not. Justin Turner has definitely been a nice surprise), and could even be in the early MVP discussion if he was on a better team. He also represents the player New York would probably get the best value for, as a handle full of teams would be interested in his speed, defense, and hitting. Even David Wright, the Mets poster boy and management’s very favorite has been rumored to be on the trading block, as it’s believed that Wright’s poor hitting would significantly improve in another ballpark (not too convinced about that one…) and on a team where he wouldn’t be expected to be “the guy.”

Personally, I’d rather see Wright go, as I think (and think that most would agree) that what Reyes offers at the plate and in the field is irreplaceable. Wright on the other hand — a talented hitter who seems to go through more slumps than your average “star” player and isn’t terribly clutch — can be replaced. It goes without saying that I would also like to see Beltran go. We could even package him in with Wright as a free giveaway. With a “please take this off our hands before it crumbles in a heap of dust” sign attached to him. Unfortunately, I think Reyes will in fact be the one to be traded. Which is why I just ordered this signed baseball that I plan on keeping in my pocket for the rest of my life, no matter how weird it makes my pants look. Most importantly, what I hope the Mets do is make up their mind about what direction the team is going in. If management wants to rebuild, I am all for that. We have some good young players to build around, and obviously a few pieces we could trade for more prospects and young talent.

What I’m most tired of is this team giving huge amounts of money to injury-prone, washed-up, or underachieving players while our “star” players sit on the bench injured all year while a bunch of no-names run around losing to the Pirates and making me the laughing stock of my Yankee-fan friends. Can you feel the frustration yet?

The New York Knicks had their most successful season in over a decade. In addition to this, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was once again electrifying. It is definitely a good time to get Knicks tickets. So heading into next season, the Knicks have needs. Depending on the new salary cap, they should save money for 2012 to see if they could land Chris Paul. But before this happens, they have one huge (pun intended need: a center.

There will be a good amount of centers available, but most are restricted. One guy to look at is Greg Oden, who would be a great center to gamble on for one year. The talent is there, but so are the injuries. However, in all likelihood, Portland is thinking the same thing, and would not let him go. Another option is Sam Dalembert. While he is a headache, he can block shots and rebound better than anyone currently on the Knicks. And if they don’t want to save up for 2012, Deandre Jordan is a good, young center that could benefit the Knicks.

They are going in the right direction, and now they need a man in the middle.

Albeit a small sample with the newly acquired Carmello Anthony and Chauncy Billups the New York Knicks have had mixed reviews to say the least. The New York Knicks have only played four games with their new studs going a disappointing 2-2. Yes I said disappointing! I know what your going to say, “its only been four games,” ‘they beat the Heat in Miami,” “they are still learning how to play with each other,” all that good stuff a fan wants to believe. But the fact is that they may have better players but they are still wildly inconsistent. Yes I know they won in Miami with there defense, but they lost in Cleveland while giving up 115 points to the leagues worst team and most recently blew a big lead against the Orlando Magic because of there lack of willingness to play defense.
Coach Mike D’Antoni does not preach defense and Anthony and fellow superstar Amare Stoudemire do not like to play defense. It’s a well-known fact that you cannot win championships in the NBA without a center and without playing defense. So while Madison Square Garden is alive again and the Knicks appear to be headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, I don’t see how they could make a serious playoff run. I ask you Knick fans, do you truly believe the Knicks are being taken seriously because of their team or because of Anthony? If your answer is Anthony, which is the truth the Knicks and their fan base are destined to be disappointed