The Sherman Avenue Block Party

Manning’s Greatness

2010-02-09T10:20:00.002-05:00

If you know me, you know that nobody totes the Manning bag more than I do, for both brothers. Heck, Cooper is awesome too, at whatever it is he does. This Super Bowl was about Peyton Manning and his ascending the list of great quarterbacks of all time. For most people they thought it was going to be a coronation, and while many thought the Colts would win they weren’t as big a favorite as everyone thinks. Most of the Vegas sports books had the line at 4.5. I thought before he even made this Super Bowl that he was somewhere in the top 5, so this whole article is going to come from that biased viewpoint.

Now, I know several of the people who read this blog are very anti Manning, both Peyton and Eli. We also live in the media over hype era so I can see how people can be sick of Peyton being shoved down their throats. But that facts are the guy is great and this loss doesn’t do that much to diminish his place in history.

I believe Super Bowls can enhance your legacy more than it can damage your legacy. Yes Manning made a critical error at a critical juncture, but its not like he played bad. He completed 69% of his passes, threw for over 300 yards, had the same yards per attempt as his counter part, and an 88.5 QB rating. All of those numbers are better than his MVP performance three years ago. Had his team won he was the MVP. Also, most experts agree the interception was broken into thirds; 1/3 bad decision by Manning, 1/3 terrible route and job coming to the ball by Wayne (who looked as if he was upstaged by the magnitude of the game all night) and 1/3 great play by Tracey Porter. His big Interception wasn’t Neil O’Donnell-esque or even Favreian. He didn’t play his best game, by his lofty standards or anyone else’s, but he certainly wasn’t tragically awful in the big game like many a hall of fame QB have been, even some all time greats (see stats below).

Losing the big game has never permanently damaged anyone’s reputation, especially if you already have a ring. Take Favre for example, his place in history is no further down the rung of great QB’s because he lost Super Bowl XVI to the Broncos. Most people forget the Packers were almost a two touchdown favorite in that game, but the game enhanced Elway’s legacy but didn’t do irreparable damage to Favre’s. I think most people have Favre in the top 10 area somewhere but nobody says, boy he lost that Super Bowl I think he is only 12th all time. Nope, they say, hey he won a Super Bowl so he is in the discussion. The only guy who gets a pass on any of this is Dan Marino, why, because most people who watched him play knew he was great, regardless off Super Bowls. Well to me Manning passes that same eye test. You watch him and you know you are seeing unbridled greatness.

Lastly, this is nowhere near the final act. Peyton just finished year 12 of his career and is only 33 years old. Now that used to be old in QB terms, but not for a guy who has had no major injuries, doesn’t get sacked (24 times over the past 2 seasons), and including the playoff has started 210 consecutive games. This was supposed to be an off year for the Colts, dare say rebuilding. A new coach with no NFL head coaching experience, the loss of a hall of fame receiver and all Peyton did was win all but one game, won his fourth MVP trophy and had statistically perhaps his best season; completing a career best 391 passes at a 68.8% clip and his second best overall yardage and yardage per game season.

I truly believe he will play in at least one more Super Bowl, there is no reason not to think so. He wins 2 out of every 3 games throughout his career. Remember Elway capped off his career by winning back to back Super Bowls in years 15 and 16 (although one of those was against the Falcons, so does it really count?). As far as regular seasons numbers are concerned he will soon have no equal. His greatness cannot be overlooked and to me one pass in yesterdays game doesn’t damage that.

Four of the all time greats, Montana, Favre, Bradshaw and Starr have all had better than average performances in all their Super Bowls. But a host of all time greats have had at least one pedestrian performance including Brady, Staubach, Tarkenton, Elway and Aikman.

SUPER BOWL STATS (Combining all games)

Johnny Unitas- 42% cpt. 99 ypg. 1-2 td-int 55.5 rating

Dan Marino- 60% cpt. 318 ypg. 1-2 td-int 60.9 rating

Jim Kelley- 55% cpt. 225 ypg. 3-7 td-int. 63.4 rating

John Elway- 50% cpt. 226 ypg. 3-8 td-int 65.9 rating

Fran Trakenton- 51% cpt. 162 ypg. 1- td-int. 44.9 rating

Peyton Manning- 67% cpt. 290 ypg. 2-2 td-int. 85.2 rating

Here Come The Warm Jets: Playoffs (!!) 2009

2010-01-19T20:10:00.002-05:00

Well, damn.

It's a couple of days later and I'm still not really sure that game really happened.

This Jets team? The AFC Championship game? Sure. Why not?

It wasn't the prettiest game, by any means. The offense looked kind of bad in the first half. The defense didn't look perfect, and it seemed like it should have been more than 7-0.

But I'm sure I had the same thought as most Jets fans - hey, if we played that imperfectly in the first half and are only down 7? There's a chance.

And sure enough, the team came through in the second half. Big plays by the offense and the defense. Ballsy coaching from Rex Ryan.

A little bit of luck, too.

I've said this before here, but luck plays more of a factor in sports than we care to admit. Kickers missing easy kicks. Punts a fingertip away from being blocked. Balls bouncing one way vs another.

For so many years, though, it always seemed like the Jets were on the wrong side of that luck equation. Every time.

This year? They've been on the right side of it ever since week 16, when every team that they needed to lose lost and the Colts decided to pull their starters in the middle of a close game.

Was there some luck in this game? Sure. Revis' interception where the ball hit off the reciever's foot and landed in his lap was lucky. That punt the Chargers almost blocked in the second half, the fact that he missed by just a touch was lucky.

Does being on the right side of luck mean they didn't "earn" their success? Of course not. The Jets did a lot things well in this game, and they weren't handed a game by fate. They stopped the run. They confused Phillip Rivers. They only turned the ball over once on offense, and were able run effectively, especially as the game wore on.

This has been a fun playoff run, for sure. It's so much easier with our expectations lower. Again, there would have been no shame in losing to San Diego, as long as they didn't roll over and die (like, say, Dallas.) The Chargers are a really good team. The Jets are a new team, still figuring things out.

Same deal with the Colts. That team is really damn good, and has been for some time. At home, with relatively good health, they should beat the Jets. I don't think it'll be a blowout, but the Colts were 14-0 for a reason.

That said, is it possible? Sure. The way this team has been playing, the way Rex Ryan has them believing, the way the luck has been favoring them? If they keep things close, it's entirely possible to pull off yet another upset.

Another fun travel note - I'm going to be in Krakow, Poland on the day of the game. Obviously I made my January travel plans not expecting a Jets playoff run. Will I be able to find somewhere to watch the game there? I have no idea. If I can't, I'll have to use my phone (with unlimited data services internationally, thankfully) and hit refresh on Yahoo Sports.

No matter what happens on Sunday, though, it's nice to be this late in the season feeling this good about the Jets. It's been a long time since it's been this much fun to be a fan.

Now, please, don't get embarrassed by Peyton fucking Manning. Thanks.

All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930

2010-01-12T16:06:00.001-05:00

This is second film in my quest to watch all the Academy Award Best Picture winners. I knew going into this that some films I would just have to tolerate and get through because the just don’t stand the test of time. This film was not one of those, this was a daring and brilliant adaptation of the novel of the same name. Director Lewis Milestone created what can be called the first masterpiece of American cinema.

I had never read the novel itself, but I know what it’s about. For those of you who don’t, here is a quick synopsis of the novel which the film takes directly. It is 1914 and World War I is just underway and a group of German teenagers, encouraged by their teacher, enlist in the army. They are green and ambitious, believing they are doing their patriotic duty serving the fatherland. They are sent immediately to the western front to fight the French and English in the trench’s of WWI. Over the course of 5 years each of them suffers the horrors of war, all dying. Some go crazy, others have legs amputated and one almost survives all while experiencing the atrocities of war.

The movies cinematography, sound and editing was way ahead of its time, heck in today’s world it would still be considered excellent. The opening of the film is gripping with the use of what is now known as a tracking shot. Following German soldiers as they march through town then pulling back into a classroom where an impassioned patriotic teacher encourage the young men of his class to enlist. He preaches to the young men about loyalty to ones country, the fatherland, and the romances of war.

Six of the young men enlist and are shipped off to boot camp. Early on they realize that the army isn’t all the glory and romance that their teacher made it out to be. After they get shipped out to the western front the begin to get picked off one by one. The mood in the fill turns from one joy and patriotism to anger and disillusionment. The films underlying themes could easily work in today’s climate with the Irag/Afghan war.

The movies mood shifts to a somber war film. As the men wait in the trench’s the bombs explode around the, starvation is around every corner and if it cant get any worse they have to fight off rats in order to sleep. Paul, the most central character, tries to hold his friends together. One of them goes insane because of the noise. Another is injured and taken away toa hospital. When the boys get some leave the go to check on their friend who has had his leg amputated but refuses to admit his leg is gone. The destruction of war continues to affect Paul.

The climax of the movie begins when Paul, hiding in a fox hole, is force to stab a French soldier who jumps in the hole with him. Throughout the night as the French soldier slowly dies Paul begs for his forgiveness and questions why God has put him in such a predicament. Paul gets leave and decided to return home to try and reconnect with his youth. However, its been 4 years in the trench’s and while the town is the same he has changed.

He spends time with his father and his friends who lecture Paul on how the Germans can win the war. The men argue over how this is all for the glory of Germany. Paul disgusted by their misguided views walks out and goes to visit his teacher who encouraged him to enlist in the first place. He finds that the teacher is preaching the same message to his students and ask if Paul wants to say something. Paul, ravaged by the thoughts of what has happened to him and his friends, tells the boy of the horrors of the war and the uselessness of it all. The teacher cannot believe Paul’s change in attitude. Paul now realizes that the only place his belongs is back with his company on the front lines. When he returns he is waiting in a trench when he see’s a butterfly. As he reaches for the butterfly he comes out of the trench and is picked off by a sniper. The final shot is just that of his hand reaching for the butterfly and going limp.

The movie is a gripping realistic portrayal of war. I would say no such film until Saving Private Ryan again showed people that war is no Hollywood movie. Upon the release of the movie, Variety magazine wrote the following: “The League of Nations could make no better investment than to buy up the master-print, reproduce it in every language, to be shown in all the nations until the word "war" is taken out of the dictionaries.”

Here Come The Warm Jets: Playoffs (!) 2009

2010-01-11T23:00:00.002-05:00

I was in Cancun for a wedding this past Wednesday through Sunday.

Was I going to try and find a way to watch the Jets-Bengals playoff game on Saturday? You know I was.

Did I find it? I did, at a bar in the resort I was staying at. They showed it on a large projection screen, and only the commercials were in Spanish (though I think I'd rather have heard the game in Spanish than having to listen to Gibbs and Theismann.)

Did I feel guilty about watching football while in the tropics? Nope. Especially because it rained in Cancun on Saturday. A perfect excuse to sit inside drinking beers with lime in it and taking celebratory shots of tequila.

Was this the type of game we were hoping the Jets would consistently play all year? Yes, yes it was. Run the ball effectively. Just enough good play out of the QB. No turnovers. Stifling defense. Solid special teams.

Are we Jets fans feeling good about our team? You better believe it. Love the way they're playing now, and love what it means for the next couple of years, what with all the young players and the favorable system that Rex Ryan brings. There's no reason besides bad luck with injuries that the defense and run game won't continue to be good.

Can they beat the Chargers? Sure. It's not a terrible matchup for the Jets. The Chargers can't run the ball and don't have a particularly great defense. If the pass rush gets to Rivers and the offense doesn't turn it over, it's a winnable game.

Are we being set up for a horrible letdown? Of course we are. This is still the Jets. We'll talk ourselves into being able to beat the Chargers. Then we'll go out and lose 42-10.

Does that matter? Not really. This is about as good an end to the year as we can hope for. In fact, getting blown out of the playoffs might be a good thing for the team - more motivation and less overconfidence going into next year.

Will I remember that during the inevitable letdown so I won't be cursing and yelling and saying things most vile? What do you think?

A tale of two halves

2010-01-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

In the words of Les Grossman, a nutless monkey could do my current position. The "Man" tells me I'm an IC Specialist. The eye tells me I pick up boxes and files and move them from point A to point B. Needless to say, I have tons of free time and have used it to listen to countless books on my mp3/iPod.

As Kris tackles the greatest films of all time, I've started to tackle some of the literary classics. Recently I listened to Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" with the famous first chapter that has been paraphrased by countless people since...

Needless to say, Saturday's #12 Georgetown vs. #13 Connecticut was a tale of two halves and I saw it as such thanks to the magic that is the Digital Video Recorder.

After letting the youngest watch three hours of educational TV, or whatever kept her from making the most noise and running me up a wall, I took over the tube for the 12 noon start for an early jump on the Big East title.

I've seen as much of the Hoyas this year as possible and it's clear to me that Greg Monroe will be a quality NBA pro. He won't be a superstar, but I can see him doing what another recent G'Town big is doing. Last year, Jeff Green averaged 16 ppg, 6 rbns and 2 assists. His numbers are down this year, but that's about where I see Monroe.

The problem the Hoyas have is Chris Wright is a junior leader, yet plays like a stupid freshman for at least 5 minutes of every game. Even when he's scoring 30 against Harvard or putting up 20+ to take down a scrappy St. John's team, he makes too many dumb plays to be a positive difference maker. Early on against the Huskies, he took a couple of stupid shots and made a silly pass and UConn will make you pay.

Watching UConn for the first time reminds me of a typical well-recruited but young team. Jim Calhoun has a ton of talent that wants to play a structured street ball game. They want to press, run after every change of possession and attack the glass. They're a poor shooting team, whether it's from behind the arc or from the stripe. Nevertheless, if you get caught up trying to run with them you'll fall behind quickly.

That's what happened to the Hoyas. There are no seniors on this team, so no one to explain that while we can run with teams, to run with the Huskies falls into their game plan. I was waiting for my wife to finish getting dressed and saw my boys fall down by 15 at the break. I then set it to record and left to go shopping and eat a lot of meat at Golden Corral.

I returned to listen to Dick Vitale stop slurping UConn and start marveling the breakout performance of Austin Freeman. The 6-4 junior guard supposedly slimmed down this year and it's helped his shooting. On this afternoon, he was left open on Town's basic screen hand-off at the wing. It's a shot that's always there in this modified Princeton offense and for some reason, UConn never closed out on the shooter.

Maybe they got comfortable with such a big lead (They led by as many as 19 in the first half). Maybe they didn't think Freeman would hit the shot (which is silly after he had nailed the first two). Maybe, despite the fact they block a lot of shots, UConn is just not a great defensive team (that's my opinion). Either way, Freeman got hot and for a long portion of the second half was outscoring the entire Husky squad.

With the Hoyas hanging onto a 1-point lead, the final 40 seconds should just be it's own highlight. Probably cut it down to the final 20 cuz UConn had a couple of chances but couldn't hit either open look. End result was a quality win, the Hoyas' third victory over a Top 20 team this year and likely enough to stay in the Top 15 when the polls come out on Monday.

An ideal movie night

2010-01-09T06:16:00.002-05:00

While our fat friend has started an admirable journey through classic films with pedigree, I have my own little aside into the business that is show. At least for one evening.

With two little girls running around and a wife who works an overnight weekend shift, you can imagine just how much time I have. Yet alone the time to watch what I want when I want to watch it. My current situation has allowed me to see films like the first two Cheetah Girls movies (Remember Raven Symone from the final years of the Cosby Show? Combine her with the girls from 3LW, a short-lived R&B group and you have proof that Whitney Houston didn't blow all her money away since she was a producer).

Houston was also a producer on both film adaptations of The Princess Diaries, the vehicle that got Anne Hathaway's career moving and reminded America that Julie Andrews is still kicking ad vital.

And sadly, I've seen all three High School Musicals. I can only say this — if you want a quick laugh, watch any of the basketball scenes from any of the films. The fictional high school in New Mexico wins back-to-back state championships with the dreamy Zak Efron as the star. Only Efron can't play a lick of basketball. I mean he looks bad just shooting unguarded...

But I digress...

Needless to say, the opportunities I get to watch a film I actually like are few and far between. So on Friday night when I was able to get my 2-year old asleep and looked up, I was shocked to see that there were three films on my expansive list of films I love.

I'll start with the selection from Starz - The Count of Monte Cristo starring Jim Caviezel and a standout performance by one of the most underrated actors of our time, Guy Pearce. First the film, an adaptation of the book by Alexande Dumas. The fat Frenchman also wrote The Man in the Iron Mask and The Three Musketeers, but this is the best story of the three in my opinion. When I was working at the University of South Carolina, I went on a book splurge.

While sleeping behind the couch on the floor, I read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy (in 2000 before the films came out) and The Count. The movie takes a slightly different but well conceived path than the book. It's a tale of a decent guy who gets railroaded and betrayed by a "friend" and ends up doing 13 years in a French prison. He escapes with a treasure map to countless cash and revenge on his mind.

The director, Kevin Reynolds, has a hit or miss resume but he did a really good job with this unlike Waterworld. It helps when you have a great story, quality actors and Pearce doing what he does like in LA Confidential, Memento and The Hurt Locker.

Bravo was showing Fight Club and that's one of my all-time favorites. I just finished that book and David Fincher, who also gave up Se7en, The Game (with Sean Penn and Michael Douglas) and Panic Room, really hit a home run. Going in reverse-order (film to book), I now see what they were working with and admire the ability to bring such a complex story to the screen and do it so well. It's the little touches, like the splices of Tyler (Brad Pitt) before he's introduced. An absolute classic.

Finally, TV Land was showing Groundhog Day, the tour de force of Bill Murray's career. Harold Ramis, who according to IMDb.com has talked everyone into doing Ghostbusters III, directed this absolutely perfect film. You get all sides of Murray. You get Andie McDowell, who is a classic beauty. You get an absolutely perfect film from start to finish.

So there you have it, all three films on one night and both kids asleep so I can flip without having to stop on Nick Jr. or PBS Sprout.

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Now playing: ESPN 980 - January 7 2010 The Tony Kornheiser Show Part 2
via FoxyTunes

My New Journey

2010-01-06T12:04:00.001-05:00

No this isn’t some big new years resolution or anything, just me trying to accomplish something. Well this isn’t even accomplishing, just doing something fun. As some of you know I am a big fan of movie making. In some respects I can be considered a bit of a movie snob, not so much of an art house goon like my friend Dan. But I wouldn’t be caught dead seeing a Transformer movie, or anything else starring Megan Fox.

Okay, I know you are saying to yourself what is this fat man talking about. I have always been a fan of old time movies as well. Television channels like Fox Movie and Turner Movie classics have helped me watch some of these great old time movies but not enough. I have always wanted to go back and watch the movies that won the Academy Award for best picture, but its hard to always find when these movies can be on these channels.

This Christmas not really wanting or needing anything I decided to get a Netflix subscription. With that subscription I have decided to embark on that journey of watching every Academy Award winning film. Now I have seen in full and more than once 29 of the 81 films so I have a bunch to see, most of which are from the 20s-60s. I have decided to try and go in order as best as Netflix could fulfill that request for me.

Be sure to check in early and often this year as I will be giving a full review of each movie. Now some of the first few reviews may boar some because some of the movies may not be that interesting. However there are some real intriguing movies early on like; All Quiet on the Western Front, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Gone with the Wind. Then there are also movies like How Green was my Valley which famously beat out Citizen Kane for best picture in 1941 (these two movies I will watch together). And then there are some absolute classics; Cassablanca, From Here to Eternity, On the Waterfront, Ben-Hur, Westside Story and Lawrence of Arabia.

The first two movies up are the 2nd and 3rd winners. From 1929 the first musical to win, The Broadway Melody and next will be an adaptation from the great novel 1930’s All Quiet on the Western Front.

Broadway Melody

The first musical, and only second picture, to win the Academy Award for best film, this tells the story of two sisters who come to New York to star on Broadway. They come at the behest of a singer/songwriter who wants to marry the older more talented sister but winds up vying for the affection of the younger taller, blonder, more beautiful sister.

It is so interesting to watch movies from the older era because of the lack of camera movement and shots. There were probably only 3 types of camera shots in the entire movie. This makes editing more important, you cant stick with a shot too long otherwise it gets boring. This makes long scenes in one set location somewhat difficult. However the director in this movie helps that a long by having a lot of character movement throughout the scenes.

The movie seems really provocative for its time. There is a lot of men and women together, dancing and kissing and obvious sexual innuendo of women sleeping with different men. Also there are several scenes in Broadway dressing rooms and bathrooms of women changing and wearing very little clothing.

The movie has a decent story, one that could likely be told in a movie today. There isn’t much action, it is more song and dialogue driven but in its era I can see how it works. Overall I would give it a 6 of 10. It is worth watching if you are really into old movies but isn’t something that you would re-watch or use to teach anyone about filmmaking.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 17 2009

2010-01-05T05:00:00.002-05:00

Well, that was an ass-whoopin' if I ever saw one.

The Bengals definitely did not want to play this game. As soon as Brad Smith broke off that long run to set up the first TD and the defense smacked them around early, the Bengals packed it in, if any of them bothered to get up for it all.

And now the rematch next week in the playoffs.

It's definitely been an unlikely path to the playoffs for this Jets team. Looked good, looked horrible, looked okay, blew a couple, and looked good again.

I don't want to hear about how they somehow don't "deserve" to make it over teams like Pittsburgh or Houston or Denver. All those teams were just as inconsistent and lost just as many games they shouldn't have as the Jets did. It's not like the Steelers were a "better" 9-7 than the Jets - they lost to Oakland and Cleveland in consecutive weeks, as well as losing to the Bears and Chiefs, who stunk this year.

Yeah, the Jets got a little lucky to play Indy and Cincy when those teams didn't have much to play for. But they got unlucky against Atlanta in that the field goal unit kept f'ing things up. And against Buffalo where Sanchez threw 75 interceptions.

The AFC wasn't all that good this year below Indy and SD and occasionally the Pats. The Jets were just okay enough to get in. I'm okay with it.

Will they beat the Bengals again next week? It's possible, especially with all the injuries Cincinnati has. And a team like the Jets that relies on defense and the run game always has a chance to win playoff games on the road.

If they manage to beat the Bengals, will they beat the Chargers or Colts on the road the following week? Not bloody likely. But they can give either of those teams a good game, and even making it that far with a rookie head coach and QB is about as good an outcome as we could hope for.

You want a team like this to get a taste of the playoffs. Because this is a team that appears to be gearing up to make a serious run over the next two years or so. It's good to get all the principals, especially Ryan and Sanchez, some playoff experience, so if they make it next year with a better, more consistent team, the pressure/hype/etc. won't be new.

For now, though, I'll enjoy a 37-0 prime time decimation of any team. The Jets don't get too many games like that, kicking that much ass when it counts, so I'll enjoy it regardless of circumstances.

Oh, and I'll also be in Cancun next Saturday. So there's a good chance I'll enjoy that game regardless of the outcome. If the Jets win, I'll be really happy. If they lose, I'll go back to my all inclusive resort and keep drinking.

Either way, I win (well, except for my liver.)

The Aughts have Ended

2010-01-03T20:00:00.002-05:00

I want to say I had a dumb debate with Josh over the summer if this really is the end of this decade, it may have been someone else. Well, it is. The decade goes from 00-09, just like the 90’s went from 90-99. Whomever I had the argument with was saying that 2000 didn’t belong in the aught or some shit, because there was no year 0 so the decade went from 1-10, then 11-20 and so on. Well, that stupidity aside, as this decade comes to a close you are bound to see many lists and things to help define a decade which so far has yet to be defined by cynics.

We have already addressed movies of the decade in a post a few months ago. The other day a friend of mine brought up the query, what is the song of this decade? Well like any of these sorts of questions you cant necessarily say just one song defined a decade. Looking back as long as commercial music has been in the mainstream (1950’s-present) each decade has a myriad of songs that mark the time. I can only think of one decade where the defining song is fairly inarguable and that is the 90’s with Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit.” (Of course that statement will now spawn massive arguments)

This decade feels so segmented to me. People claim to have eclectic taste in music, but they really don’t. Part of that is because the music isn’t all that different. This is the “American Idol”/boy band generation; manufactured musical artists who have no creativity or artistic talent made to sound good through advance recording techniques and packaged marketing. They are like the Frankenstein’s of music world.

To quote my favorite artist in a poignant song written in 2007, Radio Nowhere:

I was spinnin' 'round a dead dial
Just another lost number in a file
Dancin' down a dark hole
Just searchin' for a world with some soul

This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?
This is radio nowhere, is there anybody alive out there?
Is there anybody alive out there?

I just want to hear some rhythm
I just want to hear some rhythm
I just want to hear some rhythm
I just want to hear some rhythm

I know there are quality artists out there, but you do really have to dig nowadays. And I mean come on people, I am a busy person. I got emails to send, text messages to receive, Bret Michaels dating shows to watch and internet porn to download.

However, there are still some songs that have resonated through this decade of decadence, ipods, octomoms, terrorism, Omorosa, war and of course “Change we can Believe in.”

I decided to do more of an informal poll of friends and acquaintances and see what they said. The thing that kept coming up the most were certain artists but not necessarily a certain song. So maybe this is the decade of artists and not songs, who knows. Those artists that came up repeatedly were Eminem, Outkast, Coldplay, Jay-Z and Foo Fighters. I was left to my own devices to decide which songs would be placed as the quintessential songs of this decade though most of them were the most popular of these artists.

“Lose Yourself” Eminem- The top selling artist of the decade was clearly more popular on the front end than the back end. He went through as swoon of personal problems which limited his artistry in the middle part of the decade. In 2004 he released a semi autobiographical movie, “8 Mile”, which featured Lose Yourself. A song about the characters inner conflict about rising up and performing to the best of his ability rather than giving into his fears. It is a rap ballad of a personal nature and is Eminem to the core.

“Hey Ya” Oukast- One of the most intriguing and experimental mainstream hip hop artists. The duel album SpeakerBox and the Love Below was a daring experiment by a group who didn’t need to take the chance. The bombastic outrageous personality of Big Boi and the classic styling and flow of Andre 3000 make this song a certain type of classic hip hop party anthem of a generation.

“Clocks” Coldplay- I think this is a no talent song by a group of no talent ass clowns. But is seems to resonate as the pop/rock song of this decade which I guess says a lot about popular music of this era. Maybe this is the most defining song of this decade, a sad terrible definition.

“99 Problems” or “Empire State of Mind” Jay-Z- While Eminem was the best selling rap artist (and overall artist) of the decade, Jay-Z may be its most important. 99 Problems was a creative production using the combination of the era’s foremost artist and the genre and generations best producer Rik Rubin. It a classic rock rif with a new school flow. The latter song was released right near then end of the decade but is proving to may be his biggest hit yet, and this during a decade in which he retired. Empire has became a new wave anthem for the City that never sleeps and was featured prominently during the Yankees world series championship and subsequent parade.

Foo Fighters- I couldn’t come up with a Foo Fighters song to put here but they are clearly the best rock and roll band of the decade which makes them essential to this list. While most other bands will fade into the ether, 30 years from now people will still be listening to the Foo Fighters. What’s amazing is the fact that Dave Grohl has been in the most important rock group of back to back decades, yet doesn’t always get the credit he so richly deserves.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 16 2009

2009-12-29T00:16:00.002-05:00

This is the time of year where we're thankful for the good people, friends and family, in our lives.

I was taking a train from northern Illinois back to Chicago while the Jets-Colts game was on. I didn't have to worry about knowing what was going on, though, since I was getting regular updates from Matt, Greg, and my brother Eric, who all knew I was on a train.

Sometimes it's the little things. This story won't make it on an Oprah special, but it was heartwarming to me nonetheless. All my people taking care of me, making sure I knew what was going on with the Jets game I couldn't watch. Aaaaw.

Anyway, for once the Jets got lucky all the way around. Everyone they needed to lose lost. The Colts pulled the starters, and the Jets had played well enough up to that point that they were able to take advantage and win the game.

And now it's simple: win against the Bengals and make the playoffs. Lose and they don't make it.

The game's at home. Last game in the Meadowlands ever. Last game of this entire NFL regular season. Prime time Sunday night. The Bengals don't have anything really to play for. The Jets have a good enough defense to beat good teams, let alone a team with not much to play for.

This is one of those games where it helps to have a great run game and great defense. Don't turn the ball over. Grind the win out. Figure the Bengals stop giving a crap around the 3rd quarter, if not earlier.

Or, you know, do what the Cowboys did last year and get walloped by 35 points or whatever.

Either way, all things considered, it's fitting that the season comes down like this. Maybe it shouldn't have had to, considering the 3 or 4 games the team should have won if the QB wasn't such a turnover machine. But the QB is a rookie. The head coach is a rookie.

It won't be a losing season. The defense is great, and just about every important piece will be back next year. The offensive line has been pretty good, and they'll all be back. Between Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, and Leon Washington, the run game should be good again next year. G-d willing, Sanchez improves next year.

So this is where my mind is at - of course I want them to win. Of course it will suck if they lose, especially if they do that classic lose-in-the-last-minute Jets special.

But it won't be the end of the world. This isn't the last shot for this group. It's just the beginning.

Anyone buying that? No? Yeah, me neither. Never mind. I'm going to go prepare my liver for the drinking and crying on Sunday.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 15 2009

2009-12-22T19:55:00.001-05:00

Told you so.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 14 2009

2009-12-14T23:36:00.002-05:00

I'll be honest - it was cold in Chicago. I was out late on Saturday. The Jets were starting Kellen Clemens. And playing the miserable Bucs.

I didn't leave my apartment so I could watch this game at a bar.

I stayed home and watched the Red Zone Channel (still the awesomest thing in home NFL viewing.)

I'm not sorry about that decision.

The Jets did what they were supposed to do - rely on the defense and the run game and conservative play calling. Make no big mistakes and beat a bad team physically.

That's what they were supposed to do. They did it. Good.

I'm of two minds about the team at this point in the year. I am happy that the team has the number one rush offense and the number one defense. That is what the team set out to do before the season started, and they achieved it. However, that makes it all the more frustrating that they are 7-6 instead of 9-4 or so (I figure the Buffalo and Jacksonville games both should have been wins.)

Anyway, the last three games aren't particularly easy. Atlanta next week. They're banged up, but just played a pretty good game against the Saints. Then the Colts, and then the Bengals.

Best case for the Jets in order to win out would be for the Colts to lose their next game so they wouldn't be trying for a perfect season anymore, and for the Bengals to have locked up their playoff seed prior to the last game, so they don't play their starters the full game.

Not that likely that they'll win out - it's hard to win 6 games in a row in the NFL. Still possible, though. It's also still possible that they can go 10-6 and miss the playoffs (that's what they get for losing to the goddamn Dolphins twice.)

I think when it's all said and done this year, I'll be okay with it if they finish 8-8 or better. Rookie coach, rookie QB, a couple of tough injuires, and something to build on for next year.

I think I'll even be okay if they finish 10-6 and end up missing the playoffs. It'd be annoying, but not devastating. Mostly because I'm already resigned to the idea that they're not making it.

Which, by the way, is what Jets fans never seem to learn - you can't get your expectations crushed if you don't have any in the first place. That's where we always get in trouble - allowing a couple of good games early in the year to raise expectations.

Right now, I'm in the right place. I expect the Jets to miss the playoffs. I expect they will lose at least one of the last three, if not more. If they do, whatever. If they win out, then, hey, lucky me, I get to be unexpectedly happy.

A little unexpected happiness this time of year never hurt anyone, right?

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 13 2009

2009-12-08T01:05:00.002-05:00

We all know where this is going, right?

Of course the Jets beat the Bills on Thursday night, to get the team back to 6-6.

Of course the Pats, Steelers, and Ravens all lost.

Of course the Jets are going to find a way to get really close to making the playoffs and then blow it spectacularly.

Maybe it'll be by losing to Tampa next week. Maybe it'll be losing to a banged up Falcons team at home in a couple of weeks. Maybe it'll be winning the next three and blowing the last game against Cincinnati's backups to fall just short.

We know this is coming. This is how this always works. There is no other way for this to play out. These are the Jets. They're not going to just lose the last four, go 6-10 and make the last couple of weeks easy, if a bit sad, for the fans.

No. We are going to get simultaneously kicked in the stomach and punched in the balls. Or vice versa. Or both.

Anyway, until then, it was a decent win against the Bills. Should have been bigger, but Sanchez missed Cotchery in the end zone once, and Braylon Edwards let a perfect bomb hit him in the face.

The defense was outstanding, except for the one drive where Marshawn Lynch had two big runs in a row. Sanchez played better. The running game was unstoppable. The offensive play calling was only occasionally retarded. The kick coverage was good (no small thing against the Bills, who always seem to kill us on kicks one game a year.)

If there's any real positivity to take out of this season, it's that the defense has been pretty consistently good (last drive in the Miami and Jacksonville games aside.) That means that Rex Ryan's system isn't a fluke. Get a few more of "his" guys in there, especially in the secondary (Kerry Rhodes and Lito Sheppard aren't playing very well) and it can be even better next year.

Also, despite some bumpy games early on, the offensive line has played generally well. I'd be somewhat concerned about Faneca and Woody's age, but other than that you have to be pleased.

And, if Sanchez gets a bit better next year, too, then this turns into an interesting, possibly contending, team.

But this is optimism for next year. And this isn't August. So for now we have to embrace the approaching doom.

And embrace it we shall. Do your worst.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 12 2009

2009-12-02T21:02:00.002-05:00

So I realize that I didn't write anything after the week 11 loss to the Patriots. I guess it just didn't seem worth it. Didn't really have another "man, this team sucks and why do I bother rooting for them" post in me. Another "Mark Sanchez is a turnover machine" game. Fine, whatever.

As for the win against Carolina, the best thing about it was that I was there. In terms of a football game, it was sloppy, and probably the least inspiring win I can think of. The Jets tried to give it to Carolina, turning the ball over often. Luckily, Carolina turned it over even more, and the defense managed to play a really stellar game (for the most part.)

But let's talk about being there, since it will be my final game at Giants Stadium. They move to the new building next year, and I won't be in Jersey for either of the last two home games. So this was it for me.

Many of the games I've gone to have been on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, since that is the Sunday during the season when I am always home.

Never, though, has the weather been this perfect. Unseasonably perfect. It was in the low 50s, and sunny. It was actually pleasant to be outside.

Also, major props to my friend Jared, who has a great tailgating setup. A highlight were the sliders and the breakfast sausage that had marinated overnight in maple syrup (off the charcoal grill, and even better than you think.)

The atmosphere was relaxed. I was with friends I've known forever. We ate, had a few drinks, threw a football around, and made fun of people (particularly each other.)

The seats were great. 50 yard line, 2 rows from the top of the stadium. You can see every thing that happens from up there, see plays as they develop, see the open receivers that your rookie QB inevitably missed.

The game wasn't particularly tense. The Jets were more or less in control the whole game, despite the turnovers keeping it closer than it should have been. So we were relaxed in the seats, cracking a few jokes, complaining about our team, and throwing paper airplanes.

It was a perfect cap to my week back home. It was a perfect personal send-off to seeing the Jets at Giants Stadium - a win, but not one I could feel all that good about.

The team is 5-6. The next two games are Buffalo and Tampa Bay, which are winnable, even for a majorly flawed team like the Jets. At 7-6 they'd be in the mix for the playoffs. Then, of course, they'll blow it, but that's how this team always is. Give you a bit of hope, snatch it away so that you promise you'll never get roped in again, win a bit so you get roped in again, and then be left ultimately and in retrospect inevitably disappointed.

It's a lifetime of frustrating mediocrity, being a Jets fan. But at least it's a comfortable frustration.

G-Men are nothing to be thankful for

2009-11-25T22:17:00.002-05:00

I meant to write this Sunday night, when I realized exactly what had happened.

That the team I have loved for more than two decades, longer than I've respected my sister and with more passion than I feel for most of my so-called friends...they are a shell of what they were.

And the sad thing is I still expect them to finish this season at 10-6, which means a likely playoff spot and I have no desire for either of those things to happen. I'm not opening rooting for Denver on Turkey Day(Night), but I'm not cheering as loudly for the Boys in Blue.

And that's cuz I don't know who they are anymore.

It's pretty simple. I've lived all my life with a Giants team that does two things well, year in and year out. Whether good or bad, they run the ball and they play defense. That's been the staple, even with Ray Handley era.

(OK, looking back it wasn't like that during the Handley era. But they did have Rodney Hampton and the year after they fired the bum, Dan Reeves coached the top-ranked defense in the league and made the playoffs with an 11-5 record.)

The point is the staple was still founded in running the ball and playing killer defense. So this year should have been more of the same. Needless to say, it's not. We're suddenly a pass-first team that can't stop full backs off tackle.

It's a disturbing feeling and frustrating beyond belief. I write this with a lot less anger than before, but it could rise up easily. Thinking about the fact that a playoff spot could save the jobs of both coordinators...

OK, here's the problem with Kevin B. Gilbride. He's been our offensive coordinator for long enough that he should have figured out a way TO SCORE IN THE RED ZONE!!! I mean, it took him 27 games to realize that Kevin Boss is 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, catches passes and plays on the same team as your quarterback, Elisha Manning.

Seriously, if I see another run up the middle on a 2nd-and-goal from the 4-yard line I might beat up one of my daughters. This team made it's bread and butter going off-tackle, to the edges with pulling guards and counter plays. They are not and have never been a true power-football team. As big as Brandon Jacobs is, he's not great running in a straight line. Bradshaw is the better back for that straight bull-rush crap, but despite fans being able to see that live Gilbride can't see that on film.

The things that Dan Sheridan doesn't seem to see on film are mounting by the day. How long did it take to realize that C.C. Brown was not the answer at safety once Kenny Phillips went down? How many times is he going to blitz quick-release quarterbacks and leave his depleted and young secondary in confusing coverages? How many zone blitz packages with Justin Tuck guarding some back out of the backfield instead of rushing the passer, like it wasn't Kiwanuka who trained to play OLB? When does he realize that run blitzing without making sure the A and B gaps are covered ARE CRAZY? How many sad state running backs are going to gash us up the middle in between the tackles for huge yards, meaning not only were our linebackers out of position but the secondary was either in overpursuit or out of position due to poor planning? How many times are teams going to come out of halftime and drive right down the field on us?

Since the Saints debacle, the Giants have allowed all of their opponents to score in third quarter. That means that teams are going into the locker room, coming back with adjustments and finding the end zone. Why come we're not making adjustments to prevent that from happening?

I won't continue to harp on Sheridan, who clearly is overmatched as a coordinator and should be replaced. I won't take GM Jerry Reese to task on that because that's an internal decision. You should want to promote from within and keep it in the family. But the one thing I can get on him about is the kicking game.

(Are you serious? Are you really upset about that?)
To quote The Devil in "Bill & Ted's, Part II" - DAMN RIGHT!!!

Jeff Feagles is a Hall of Fame punter. He was a great directional punter and was great at pinning teams deep within their own 20 yard line for a long time. It seems that time has past. Either Tom Coughlin has little to no faith in our special teams coverage (with good reason) or Feagles has lost his touch but there are too many punts going out of bounds near midfield. That's why the Giants defense is 2nd in the league in yards allowed and 23rd in points. The old Giant teams under Parcells relied on field position and Feagles is not helping that cause.

And I think I need not mention Mr. Tynes. Yes, he was the kicker on the Super Bowl team. Yes, he was injured last year and probably shouldn't lose his job due to injury. Yes, Art Carney, he of Honeymooners fame, was a great kicker for us last year until we needed him in the playoffs and I wasn't critical of taking Tynes back this year. HOWEVER, he wasn't a great kicker in the Super Bowl season. Let's not forget how many kicks it took to beat Green Bay to reach Glendale, AZ. He's erratic on kickoffs with some flying out of the endzone and others barely reaching the 15-yard line. All of that leads to field position and teams starting drives on the 40 instead of the 20. It might not seem like much, but it's 2 first downs that an offense doesn't have to worry about...

My frustration level with this team has subsided immensely since the win over Atlanta. I'm sure those feeling will surface tonight and as the season progresses. Looking at the schedule, it's hard not to see 10-6. It's also pretty easy to see a complete breakdown and end up 7-9 or 8-8, which would be completely frustrating. It would also be par for the course for this season.

Here Come the Warm Jets: Week 10 2009

2009-11-18T00:50:00.002-05:00

I just had a really enjoyable weekend.

On Friday night, we had a surprise party for my friend Gabe's 30th birthday. He was actually surprised! Then, later, some of our friends decided to race for some reason. As you might expect when inebriated 30+ guys start running in the street, someone took a spill and cut up his palms. That was hilarious. And bloody. And hilarious.

On Saturday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous in Chicago. It was 65 degrees or so. In November! I spent a large part of the day wandering around the Logan Square and Palmer Square neighborhood with a friend of mine and her dog, looking at interesting old houses. Later that night, I was in an improv show that went really well - good crowd, funny show, fun all around. After the show I went drinking with friends well into the wee hours of the morning. We closed down a 3am bar, and kept on going. And I even remember how I got home! Awesome.

So am I going to let another painfully awful Jets loss ruin it for me?

Nope.

Not even going to worry about it. Didn't expect them to win. Didn't expect them to hold on to the lead after they scored the late TD and missed the two pointer. Didn't expect them to play a complete game in all phases even after a bye week.

I expect good things out of the rest of my life. I tried to expect good things out of the Jets - but where does that ever get me? No more expectations.

It's supposed to be kind of a wash of a year anyway. Rookie head coach. Rookie QB. New defense. And, despite some signs to the contrary in the first few games, that is what we got. 7-9 or 8-8 is now likely. Fine. Whatever.

Just like I didn't let the Jags loss ruin last weekend, I'm not going to let the inevitable Pats ass stomp ruin my Thanksgiving week back home.

Go ahead, Jets, lose. Lose all the rest of the games this year. See if I care.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 8 2009

2009-11-03T00:34:00.002-05:00

Warning - if you are sensitive to profanity, you're going to want to stop reading now.

I'm not kidding. There's going to be a lot of it. A lot.

I'll wait until you all leave.

(waits. pours drink. stirs slowly. takes sip. looks around. takes off glasses. cleans glasses. puts glasses back on. take another sip.)

Okay, now that all our fucking nancy readers have left:

Are you fucking kidding me? Did the Jets just fucking lose to Ted motherfucking Ginn motherfucking Jr.?

Ted fucking Ginn? Really? Fuck me. Fuck me in the face with a fucking giant fucking turkey leg. Fuck me in the ear with a fucking allen wrench. Fuck me sideways with a spiked bat.

I mean, come the fuck on.

The fucking defense plays out of their fucking minds. Fucked the Wildcat in it's Wildcat ass. The fucking offense played good enough to win. Not fucking great, mind you, but good the fuck enough.

But no, they have to go let motherfucking Ted Ginn run two kicks back for fucking scores. Not one, but fucking TWO.

This fucking team makes me fucking sick. I'm fucking glad they're going on a bye. They need to go the fuck away for a while and figure some shit out. And the whole team needs to shut the fuck up. Stop talking shit and start fucking winning.

While they figure out what the fuck they need to do start winning winnable fucking games, they need to leave me the fuck alone. My fucking stomach can't take much fucking more of this shit.

Fuck.

For The Love Of The Game

2009-10-28T22:11:00.002-04:00

When you are growing up, people (and by people I mean adults) always ask you want you want to be when you grow up. Kids give kid answers like starting second baseman for the New York Mets or a lawyer or whatever it takes to quiet that adult who's decided to feign interest in the life of a youth.

Seriously, it's a stupid question in its premise. Adults should ask and encourage kids to do what they love to do. What you want, what you need and what you love rarely link and sync up. But when they do, it's a beautiful thing.

I've wanted to be involved in sports all my life. At some time when I was at Boston University, I found a need to express myself on the written page and soon found that I loved writing about sports as much as I loved watching and playing them.

When I was walking around the second semester of my senior year at BU, people (and my people I mean any and everyone from well-minded adults to random classmates that you barely spoke with but happened to be by the keg when you walked up for your next drink) would find a way to ask "What are you going to do when you graduate?"

This question is about as dumb as the first one I mentioned. Just because I was able to get through this stage of my life, why should I know exactly what I'm doing next? Why should I tell you? Do you really care or are you just trying to fill "dead air" by feigning interest in someone you barely know?

Well, those were the questions tha raced through my mind and just to help fill the space and end the conversation, I told people I was moving to Portland, Oregon. You would be surprised how many people that shut up.

Looking back, this is one of those life-changing moments that I didn't take full realization of at the time. But don't get me wrong. To quote the great bard Curtis Jackson...

If I die today, I'm happy the way my life turned out.
All the shootouts, I done been in them by myself
Locked up, I was in the box by myself
I done made myself a millionaire by myself
Now s**t changed muthaf***a, I can hire some help

OK, so maybe I'm just talking about the first couple of lines of that, but it tastes so good once it hits your mouth...

Through the power of Facebook, an ex-girlfriend from a long time ago, long long time ago, befriended me and asked what I had been doing for the past decade. I was a big fan of my response so I'll reprint it here, mostly cuz it's all true.

So how things are going? Let's see...I once tried and failed to eat a 12-egg omelet in New Hampshire. Hung out on Fisher Island in the middle of Miami for a week. Watched the sun rise in the middle of Montana. Put my cat on a leash to see Mt. Rushmore. Was left by a state university employee in a Cancun airport with $300. Partied at a Daytona Beach club, hit a Waffle House and drove half-asleep across the state. Went from Kansas City to Raliegh, NC and back to pick up two cats. Cut my shoulder-length dreadlocks before my best friend's mother's wedding on a whim. Was offered a job to eventually work at the New York Times and turned it down to move sight unseen to Mississippi. Secretly regretted that decision for five years. Visited New Orleans weeks before Hurricane Katrina hit and haven't been back since and will celebrate two years of Naomi Jessica Kester on September 21.

Throughout all that mess, I was happy with my life because I my employment was based around a passion, around something I loved whether it be sports, writing or a combination of the two. And yes, I secretly did regret not taking a job that would have kept me in Florida, but then I would have never met my wife...

So what's the point behind all this babble? Similar to Kris' point from long ago, I'm at a crossroads. Only difference is I've been at this crossroads for more than a year, I'm still standing in the middle of the road and the paths in any direction seem to be taking me away from familiar ground, from things I love and enjoy to things to just help pay the bills.

I'm proud to say that I haven't worked a job that was just to help pay the bills since college, since I was a lackey in the Admissions Office, a cook/counter person for caf's Late Night menu, a paid peer advisor coordinator working as a secretary for the summer. I mean, even when I was waiting tables, it was at the best sports bar in the city so that didn't really count as work.

Now I'm looking at a mindless grunt moving an filing medical records or applying to try to become a police officer or a teacher. The final one has the most potential, the most appeal but the hoops necessary to leap through is silly. One would think a qualified black man trying to teach would be snatched up right away in this politically correct climate as someone "who could relate to the urban population", but I guess I'm not the only one...

Now what or what now, either way I don't know what to do next. What I want to do next, I'll relate next time which will be sooner than later.

Heisman Watch, Week 9

2009-10-28T08:29:00.000-04:00

Each week I will give you my top 5 candidates and now just guys who are falling by the wayside, to late for many guys to rise up except for those who are already in the running:

Case Keenum, QB Houston- Maybe his worst performance of the year against SMU this weekend, and it wasn’t all that bad. He threw for just under 300 yards and only 1 TD. Keenum still has impressive overall numbers completing 70% of his passes and 20/4 TD/INT.

Jimmy Clausen, QB Notre Dame- He has been a consistent performer all year long and this week was no different. Clausen threw for 250 yards and 2 TD. Like Keenum his overall numbers are impressive, especially the 27/3 TD/INT number.

Mark Ingram, RB Alabama- He failed to find the end zone this week against Tennessee but had a solid game hitting the century mark on the dot and averaging 5.5 a carry. Missing the end zone is going to cost him when it comes time to evaluate his body of work

Tim Tebow, QB Florida- His numbers were unimpressive in another unimpressive Florida win. Tebow has 2 years of goodwill stored up which will keep him among the Heisman elite, which is unfortunate because this year he has been anything but elite.

CJ Spiller, RB Clemson- His teams has been mediocre but Spiller continues to shine. In an upset versus Miami this weekend he was all over the field. 100 yards receiving, 75 yards rushing and almost 150 on returns including 2 TD’s. He is electrifying when he gets the ball in his hands and he can make a strong late season push with his play making ability.

FALLING
Jake Locker, QB Washington- A poor outing in a loss to Oregon drops him back down.
Joe McKnight, RB Southern Cal- Back to back poor performances has me looking toward next year for McKnight.
AJ Green, WR Georgia- Had a bye, looking for a big game in Jacksonville versus Florida

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 7 2009

2009-10-26T05:00:00.002-04:00

Beating up on Oakland only proves one thing about your team:

That you don't actually stink.

That's pretty much it. Playing Oakland is like playing a minor league team. There isn't a phase of the game they're any good at, so even a halfway decent team is supposed to beat Oakland badly.

So, yeah, the running game was great again, going over 300 yards (for the second week in a row, which only has been done once ever in NFL history, apparently.) But that's what you're supposed to do against Oakland, who stinks against the run.

Sanchez didn't turn the ball over. Good. That's what he's supposed to do. Like Chris Rock said, "What you want, a cookie?"

If you're going to feel good about any stat, it's that the Jets only had two penalties. That's a trend that needs to continue.

The general Jets fan feeling about a game like this is: I'm glad they won, but I'm not going to get happy about it yet. Beat Miami next week, then maybe I can start forgetting the turd of a Buffalo game from last week.

Also, Leon Washington is out for the season, and possibly career, after badly breaking his leg. That certainly takes away from any possible warm feelings about the game. Leon is a fun player to watch, and one of the few guys on the Jets that could be called a "playmaker." It'll hurt not to have him, and I'm really hoping it's just this year and not any worse than that.

By the way, I hope all of you get the Red Zone Channel wherever you live. It is a really awesome way to spend a day at home watching football. Six and a half hours, going from game to game as teams cross midfield or as close games go into the fourth quarter. They show you every touchdown. They tell you every important thing going on in every game, pretty much as it happens. There are no commercials. None. Not a single commercial for six and a half hours.

I can't even express how much having this channel pleases me. I mean, if I didn't have it, I would have been stuck at home today watching that dreadful Bears-Bengals game, and trying to see what's going on with the Jets on my computer. That's no fun.

Instead, my Sunday was like watching TV with someone who has every game and is the most incredible remote-control operator in the history of man. Without the annoyance of actually having to watch it with that guy, who would probably be an arrogant prick about being so good with a remote.

The only downside is trying to figure out when to go to the bathroom or to fix something to eat, because, again, there are no commercials. If that's the worst thing about it, well, sign me up.

The summary for this point in the season: 4-3, playing Miami next week at home, then the bye. Miami is kind of a must-win, since they've already lost two division games. Also they should be embarrassed by the way they blew all those fourth quarter leads from the Monday night game.

The bottom line: Could be better, could be worse. Leaning more on the better side. Slightly. Just slightly.

Heisman Watch, WEEK 8

2009-10-21T08:56:00.001-04:00

Each week I will give you my top 5 candidates and some other guys who are rising and falling:

Case Keenum, QB Houston- On the road this past week threw for a season low 334 yards and 2 TD’s. Continues to have impressive overall totals though, throwing for over 400 yards per game with 19 TD’s and only 4 picks.

Jimmy Clausen, QB Notre Dame- Had a chance to sh9ine on the national stage this week against Southern Cal and while he didn’t play spectacularly he also didn’t play his way out of the race; throwing for over 250 yards and 2 TD’s without turning the ball over let people know he is a legit candidate.

Jake Locker, QB Washington- Threw for 270 yards against a good ASU defense, but also threw 2 picks. Wasn’t overly effective with his legs either, but he is still a top candidate in an ever shrinking race.

Mark Ingram, RB Alabama- Controlled the entire game this past weekend versus the vaunted Gamecocks defense. He rushed for a Bryant-Denney Stadium record of 246 yards, averaging over 10 yards per carry. Needs to get his TD total up if he wants to win this thing.

Tim Tebow, QB Florida- Steadily rising up the board and even in a close call last week Tebow threw for 255 yards and tallied over 300 yards of total offense. As his team continues to win he may move closer to his second trophy.

FALLING
Eric Norwood, LB South Carolina- Hasn’t been spectacular the last few weeks.
Colt McCoy, QB Texas- Another so-so performance in a big game sees him slipping down the board
AJ Green, WR Georgia- Only had 3 catches, but one was for a TD and had almost 100 yards

RISING
Joe McKnight, RB Southern Cal- Had a solid 80 yard, 1 TD performance on the road versus Notre Dame
Tony Pike, QB Cincinnati- Finally ready to put him up here, but an injury may sit him out this week.
Matt Barkley, QB Southern Cal- After missing a game earlier for a shoulder injury he has had 3 solid weeks.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 6 2009

2009-10-20T20:10:00.002-04:00

One word sums this up:

Rookies.

The rookie QB threw 5 picks. He couldn't have looked worse. The wind impacted him horribly. So did his bad play - by the end he seemed completely lost and demoralized.

The rookie head coach made some rookie moves (two weeks in a row now.) Bad use of time outs. Questionable challenge on the Bills punt return. Not benching Sanchez after it was clear he was a mess. Becoming too predictable on defense.

The good start to the year obscured the fact that when you have a rookie head coach and rookie QB, you're likely to struggle. We should have seen this coming.

That doesn't change the fact that it's another Jets season with another dispiriting and demoralizing loss to the Bills. Seems like we have one of those every year, no matter who is coach or QB.

And now, a debate between my rational self and my irrational self:

IRRATIONAL DAN
That's it. The season's over. Losing to this Bills team at home means we officially suck.

RATIONAL DAN
Hold on. Take a step back. They're 3-3. They play Oakland next week, and have a revenge game at home vs Miami after that. Winnable games.

IRRATIONAL DAN
How are they going to win any games with Sanchez playing like this?

RATIONAL DAN
He's not going to play like that all the time. He's a rookie - every rookie has games like this. And a couple of the picks weren't entirely his fault.

IRRATIONAL DAN
Didn't you hear Kris Jenkins is out for the year? That's it - the defense is never going to be good, if they ever were in the first place.

RATIONAL DAN
Losing Jenkins hurts. But they played decently without him - it's not like the Bills couldn't be stopped in the second half after Jenkins went out. Remember, the Bills scored mostly because the Sanchez picks gave them good field position.

IRRATIONAL DAN
The coaching has been atrocious. They're still calling shotgun passes on third and short - even on a day where Thomas Jones could not be stopped. Ryan looks clueless at the end of games. It's pathetic.

RATIONAL DAN
Didn't you listen to my thing earlier about rookies? I believe Ryan can figure it out - he's no Herm. But, yeah, I'm a bit concerned about the play calling on offense. I don't like those pass plays on third and short when they go shotgun so the defense knows it's a pass.

IRRATIONAL DAN
After these last two games, how can you think they'll win another game all year?

RATIONAL DAN
Even in the losses there are positives. The offense looked good against Miami. The running game was outstanding against Buffalo. The defense didn't give up a lot of points to Buffalo. Leon finally had a good game. I can't see this team losing both of the next two games. Say they split, that means 4-4 going into the bye. Again, with a rookie coach and rookie QB, that ain't so bad.

IRRATIONAL DAN
I don't want to talk to you anymore. I prefer to stay angry and full of hate. What's the point of being a Jets fan if you're going to be all level-headed about it? That's gay.

RATIONAL DAN
Don't worry. If they lose to Oakland, I'll cease to exist.

Heisman Watch, Week 7

2009-10-14T08:59:00.002-04:00

Each week I will give you my top 5 candidates and some other guys who are rising and falling:

Eric Norwood, OLB/DE South Carolina- Didn’t do anything spectacular against the Wildcats this past weekend, but he did have 8 ½ tackles. Big game against the Tide this weekend, national audience will see him for the first time, we will see if he can make an impact and really put his name in the national consciousness.

Case Keenum, QB Houston- Continued his stellar play against top tier opponents on the road in Starkvile this week. He completed 75% of his passes for over 400 yards and 4 TD’s, leading the Cougars to their third win against a BCS opponent. Keenum has over 2100 yards and 17 TD’s, while only throwing 4 interceptions.

Jimmy Clausen, QB Notre Dame- Was Idle this past week. Has Southern Cal coming up this week, this is his Heisman campaign game

Jake Locker, QB Washington- Didn’t throw for a lot of yards this week against Arizona but had four TD’s (3 passing & 1 rushing) along with 92 yards on the ground. Still the best combo QB in the country.

Mark Ingram, RB Alabama- The bruising tailback just had his first back to back 100 yard games. He ran for 172, averaging over 6 yards per carry. Ingram only has 7 TD’s on the ground but most impressively he is yet to fumble a ball this season.

FALLING
Tate Forcier, QB Michigan- Was benched in the 4th quarter this week.
Joe McKnight, RB Southern Cal- Idle last week and others are racing past him
AJ Green, WR Georgia- Failed to make a TD catch again this week.

RISING
Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma- Healthy and looked sharp in his first game back.
Colt McCoy, QB Texas- Solid but not yet spectacular.
Tim Tebow, QB Florida- Always in the discussion, but statistically not great.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 5 2009

2009-10-13T00:59:00.002-04:00

I don't want to talk about it.

Maybe the defense read their own press all week? What a pathetic no-show of a game they had. I mean, they knew the Wildcat was coming, right?

I'll be honest, I only saw about half the game, bouncing back and forth from seeing bands to the bar. I was getting updates throughout from my brother and Greg.

For the parts I saw, the tackling was terrible, and there was too much over-pursuit on the edges that led to big plays.

Bottom line, though, is if you take the lead with around 5 minutes left and you're supposed to be a good defense, you don't give up that final TD drive. You just don't.

God damn it I hate losing to the god damned Dolphins. Any time. Especially on prime time.

The other bottom line, the real bottom line:

If they lose to the shitty Bills next week, at home, then you can without question say that this team peaked in Week 2 against the Pats, and it's all down hill from now on.

The offensive line hasn't played one good game yet. The defense needs to answer this crap week with a good one against a team that just scored 3 points against the freakin' Browns. Rex Ryan needs to bounce back.

If I felt like being rational, I could point out a few positives (Braylon Edwards looked good, Sanchez didn't turn the ball over, the fake punts) but I don't really feel like being rational. I have to think about losing to the Dolphins all week. So rational can go sit in the corner and chill for a while.

This was a blown opportunity. To put the Dolphins in a huge hole. To take a one game lead over the Patriots. To solidify this team as a force in the AFC.

Now we're left with that sickeningly familiar feeling - that this is still a team you can't trust, and that is bound to leave us frustrated and heartbroken when it's all said and done.

I told you I didn't want to talk about it.

Here Come The Warm Jets: The Braylon Edwards Trade

2009-10-09T08:30:00.003-04:00

Let's evaluate the trade that brough Braylon Edwards to the Jets.

What did the Jets get?

A tall, talented, mercurial, and still relatively young receiver.

Braylon Edwards has top-tier talent. 3rd overall pick in the 2005 draft. 80 catches, 1,289 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, 16 TDs in 2007. Had an off year in 2008 where he dropped 16 passes, but still caught 55 for 873 yards and 3TDs.

His quarterbacks have been Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn (so not exactly Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.) His teams have mostly been terrible, except in 2007 (his best year.)

He is 6'3" and 26 years old.

What did the Jets give up?

Chanci Stuckey, a nice receiver, but best suited to be a #3 guy in the slot.

Jason Trusnick, a very good special teams player, but not used for much else (a backup backup tight end.)

A couple of draft picks next year, one of which is a conditional 3rd rounder that could go to a 2nd rounder depending on, um, conditions.

What else is there to talk about?

Edwards has had some off the field issues, mostly attitude problems and a recent supposed altercation with one of LeBron James' friends.

Did you get what you need?

For the Jets, absolutely. They needed a guy to be the #1 receiver. Jerricho Cotchery is better than average, but he's best suited to be a #2 receiver. Dustin Keller can be even more of a threat if there are two WRs for the defense to cover, meaning it's more likely he'll have a linebacker on him.

Did you give up a lot to get it?

Not really. I don't love that there's a second or third round pick involved, especially if Edwards is unable to recapture something resembling his 2007 form. But other than that it's two decent role players and a 5th round pick.

All else being equal I would have liked to keep Stuckey, since he was a 7th round pick that did well, which is always nice to root for. But to get a big-time talent, you have to give up something of value.

What do I think of the trade?

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm in favor of it. Even if Edwards doesn't really work out, it's worth the risk. The ceiling for this deal is much higher than the floor is low.

Worst case scenario Edwards lasts only this year, stinks, and is let go. The Jets are out a couple of replaceable players and a relatively high draft pick. Best case is that with Sanchez throwing to the Edwards-Cotchery-Keller combo the Jets have a balanced offense with talent in both the running and receiving game, to go along with the top-level defense.

So, my early take is that this makes a lot of sense. And, as an added bonus, if the Sanchez to Edwards battery becomes productive, it will make Mangini look even more like a dope, since he facilitated the trades to get both those guys to the Jets. That would be a nice cherry on top, huh?

WEEK 6, Saturday Oct.10

2009-10-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

5 Games to See
#17 Auburn vs. Arkansas- Under the previous Arkansas coach Houston Nutt this was the type of game he would always win. Bobby Petrino’s Razorbacks have shown dramatic improvement over last years team and they are always tough in Fayettenam. This has all the makings for a letdown for the undefeated Auburn Tigers. The Tigers won convincingly on the road in Rocky Top last week and vaulted from unranked to #17, veteran QB Chris Todd will have to keep his team from suffering a letdown in this one.

Houston vs. Mississippi State- New coach Dan Mullen has State fans believing, in what I am not sure yet, but believing. Houston might be the best team in the Big 12, except they play in C-USA. They suffered a huge letdown last week in El Paso losing to conference foe UTEP and giving up 59 points in the process. We all know the Cougars can score with Case Keenum at the helm but can they stop anyone? As crazy as this sounds this is a bigger game for the SEC team, they need a win to continue the good vibes under their first year coach.

#22 Georgia Tech vs. Florida State- All this week the news in the college football world has been Bobby Bowden’s future in Tallahassee. I think it speaks to the larger fact of why the Noles have been so inconsistent this year, who is really in control on that team? The Yellow Jackets are not a team you want to go in and play unprepared because of their unique option offense. Mickey Andrews has said this is his fastest defense ever, we will find out because they will be tested by the speed of Tech’s offense.

Maryland vs. Wake Forest- I highlighted this game because I want to say it is important right now in the ACC race, but with this shitty conference, who the hell knows. The Terps did get a big win last week against the always choking Clemson Tigers, and it got them off to a 1-0 start in conference, despite having a loss to MTSU under their belt. Wake has a young team but a veteran QB so who knows what they bring. it’s a typical I have no freaking clue what is going to happen ACC game, but it could be important to the Atlantic Division race.

Wisconsin vs. #9 Ohio State- This is always one of the most physical football games of the year. Both teams like a solid ground game and controlled passing attack. The Badgers always seem to pull off a win like this each year even when they aren’t that good. The Buckeyes talent-wise are the class of the Big 10 but strange things are afoot in this conference this year and wouldn’t be surprised to see a big time upset in the horseshoe.

4 Players to Watch
Eric Norwood, LB South Carolina- Two seasons ago in Williams Brice the Kentucky Wildcats and Gamecocks faced off in a top 10 match-up (imagine that) and the undoubted star of that game was a fairly unknown sophomore LB named Eric Norwood. He scored two TD’s on fumble and wreaked havoc on Wildcats QB Andre Woodson all evening long. Norwood is now perhaps the best defensive player in the country. Look for him to have another strong game against a Cats offense which is struggling to find an identity.

Jaquizz Rodgers, RB Oregon State- The diminutive (5’7 190) Beavers running back is still one of the nations best kept secrets. Recruiting coordinators all over the state of Texas are probably still trying to figure out how they all missed on this kid, but he was only offered by Oregon State and handful of smaller schools. Quizz runs as hard as anyone in the country and is averaging 5.3 a carry this season. He has also become a threat to catch the ball already with 33 receptions on the season.

Aaron Hernandez, TE Florida- The Gators have all kinds of weapons on offense but Tebow’s go to guy is always Aaron Hernandez. He has great hands and catch’s his customary 3-4 balls a game, most for first downs. He is also a good blocker on the edge allowing the Florida running backs to get to the second level. He is a future NFL tight end.

Nathan Enderle, QB Idaho- Yes I am talking Vandals football baby, I am prolific. Enderle is a big kid (6’5 230) with an accurate and strong right arm. Completing 65% of his passes at almost 9 yards per attempt he is as good a passer as anyone in the country. He takes his Vandals on the road to San Jose and will need a big game to lead his team to victory.

Heisman Watch, Week 6

2009-10-06T20:30:00.002-04:00

Each week I will give you my top 5 candidates and some other guys who are rising and falling. I waited until this week to unveil my first list because I didn’t want to jump to conclusions too soon. Again, I don’t subscribe to any preconceived notions on what school or what position a person has to play in order to win, the trophy belongs to the player who has played the best this season. All that being said here are my top 5 candidates (in no particular order):

Eric Norwood, OLB/DE South Carolina- If you haven’s seen this young man play you are missing something special. He is a weird player, he really isn’t a LB or and End but his motor runs 100% on every single play. Defensive statistics don’t always tell a story but Norwood has 6.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 passes defended, a forced fumble, 2 blocked kicks and leads his team in tackle through 5 games. He is truly a special college player and right now there isn’t a better defensive player in the country.

Case Keenum, QB Houston- He has been the most accurate and explosive QB in the country so far. Keenum’s worst game os the season this year was in week 1 against Northwestern State when he through for 359 yards. Each week his yardage numbers have gone up, this week throwing for over 500 yards and 5 TD’s in a road loss at UTEP. He is completing over 66% of his passes and has good legs rushing for over 100 yards and 2 TD’s this season.

AJ Green, WR Georgia- If you haven’t yet, just watch one quarter of Bulldog football and Green will do something spectacular. If you get the ball near him he will snag it. He has great size, speed, athleticism and the best hands in the country. His number aren’t huge (30 rec. 527 yards, 5 TD) but he makes his most spectacular plays in the end zone. Two catches that come to mind are one against the Gamecocks were he went up against a double team and snagged the ball out of the air and this week against LSU on a fade route, he leaped and reached right over the defenders head (who had perfect position on him) and snagged the ball away for a TD.

Jimmy Clausen, QB Notre Dame- He is the highest rated passer in the country, and for a reason, right now he is the best. Clausen has been the star for the Irish this year with his pinpoint accuracy and his ability to make dramatic comebacks. Even without his best WR this week he found ways to complete balls even under relentless pressure from Washington. He is completing 68% of his passes for over 10 yards per attempt and has 12/2 TD/INT.

Tate Forcier, QB Michigan- I am what you call a paradox, sometimes in sports obsessed with numbers and other times think they are overrated. In the case of Tate Forcier I have few numbers to back up his candidacy. As true freshman he is the unquestioned leader of his team and its best player, especially in the crunch. As a true freshman he has lead three game tying/go ahead drives in 5 games. Though his team lost in overtime this week his drive was legendary, running for 2 first downs and throwing for 2 others before tossing the game winning TD, exhausted because his team had no timeouts, Forcier couldn’t even stand up in the huddles.

FALLING
Greg McElroy, QB Alabama- Rough game at Kentucky this week
Eric Berry, S Tennessee- Hasn’t made the game changing plays the past two weeks
Jahvid Best, RB California- Struggled in 2 blowout losses to Pac-10 opponents
RISING
Golden Tate, WR Notre Dame- Emerging as a big play threat
Jake Locker, QB Washington- Best Dual threat QB in the country
Joe McKnight, RB Southern Cal- Becoming the go to guy on Southern Cal’s
offense

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 4 2009

2009-10-06T05:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the real score of the game:

Saints 10
Jets 10
Mark Sanchez -14

Which when you add it all together means the Jets lost 24-10.

Let's do the rationalizing first:

- If you're going to lose a game, losing to a good NFC team on the road is as good a game to lose as any. It's not like the Jets were going to be 16-0.

- The rookie QB was going to have games like this one. It was inevitable.

- If you told us we'd be 3-1 this year @Houston, vs Pats, vs Tennessee, and @Saints, we'd have first said you were dumb and second said "we'll take it!"

Now let's call out why the team lost:

- Sanchez played terribly. The first pick was abominable. The Jets were in scoring position, in the red zone. You can't turn it over there. Can't do it. And it wasn't even close - everyone in the stadium including Darren Sharper knew where he was throwing it.

The fumble in the end zone was worse. If you're throwing out of the end zone, you have about 3-Mississippi to get rid of the ball. Sanchez hesitated, and thus the strip-sack. That it happened two plays after a huge 4th-and-short goal-line stand by the defense made it that much worse in terms of momentum.

Sanchez still needs to work on protecting the ball. He fumbles too much. Every time he runs with it, the ball looks ready to be knocked out or dropped at any minute.

- The offensive line played poorly. Again. The running game didn't do much. Sanchez was under pressure most of the game. This was supposed to be the strength of the team. It hasn't been yet, by any means. They need to seriously step it up for the Jets to do any real damage this year.

- Brian Schottenheimer had a bad game. Not every media outlet talks about this, but coaches can have bad games just like players can. This was one of those for Schottenheimer. In particular, the following decisions:

* Throwing more than running early in the game.
* Shotgun formations on third and short.
* Having Sanchez throw from his own end zone.

Schottenheimer has that Mangini-esque tendency to outsmart himself. He's a bright coordinator and usually does well in terms of game-planning. But sometimes he thinks three or four steps ahead when the simplest and most logical choice would be the correct one.

Rookie quarterback. Loud stadium. Lack of big-time receivers. Yes, the Saints are probably expecting run. But so what? Run until they stop you.

And now let's talk about attending the game in person:

- New Orleans is an incredible city. I fell in love with it the first time I visited about 15 years ago, and love it still. There is no place in the US quite like it, from the architecture to the food to the people. I can't wait to go back - there was a lot I didn't get to do, even in three days.

- New Orleans fans were very gracious. Since the city depends very heavily on tourism, this isn't so surprising (they do want us to come back, after all.) But even after the loss there were mostly handshake exchanges and "good games" or at worst lighthearted teasing.

- There were a lot of Jets fans in the city. On Saturday a bunch of them gathered on the corner of Decatur and Bienville in the Quarter to drink at a bar and do a bunch of J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets chants. A lot of those chants. That was fun.

- On Sunday we were at that same bar watching the early games. We met some older Italian NYC homicide detectives that were right out of central casting. There was a guy named Dominic who made fun of his friends (one of them is on his phone writing a text message and asks us 'how do you spell money?') and then told us cop stories. I haven't laughed like that in a long time.

- At the game, there was this really drunk young guy in front of us. He spent most of the first half looking at us instead of the game, and making us shake his hand. At one point, my brother Eric says to the guy, "You're like the ultimate cheerleader - you should have brought your skirt and pom-poms."

Later, this guy puked on the two Saints fans in front of him. One of those standing spit-ups, so when the people turned around to see what happened they couldn't be sure who did it. But they were informed. Those people left. Drunk guy puked again. He didn't make it for the second half.

- After the game, we ate at a place called Deanie's (awesome seafood - we had a plate of fried catfish, oysters, shrimp, and soft shell crab that made me forget all about that game.) There was a Saints radio broadcast from the restaurant, with Bobby Hebert. Yes, THAT Bobby Hebert.

Matt got on the radio with Bobby Hebert, though he didn't know who it was until after and we told him. Matt first said how great the Saints fans were and how nice everyone was. That got a cheer. Then one of the radio guys said something about how great the Saints D was. Matt said, "well, was it really your defense or playing against a rookie QB?" That got a loud groan. And a laugh from me.

And now what's next:

- The defense proved they are for real. Drew Brees didn't throw a TD, in a home game. He only had around 200 yards. Revis held Colston to basically nothing. If Sanchez played only average, the Jets win the game. This bodes well for the rest of the year.

- It will be interesting to see how Rex Ryan handles losing. I think he'll be fine, but this is New York, and the pressure has gotten to people.

- It will also be interesting to see how the offense bounces back after a particularly crap game. More than Sanchez coming back to play well, I'm looking to see how the run game does. It's the offensive line I'm more worried about at this point than Sanchez. They need a statement game against the Dolphins.

Next game is Monday night in Miami. Organized chaos defense vs Wildcat offense.

I have a dilemma for this game: I also have tickets to see a pretty kick-ass band that night (Kylesa, get up on it). I don't know if there's a TV at the place they're playing. I'll let you know how it goes.

Confessions of a...

2009-10-06T01:19:00.003-04:00

I think it's safe now. I think it's OK to say this out loud...

My name is Martin Kester and I'm a Mets fan.
(HI MARTIN)
I've been a fan since 1985-86 and have a memory of my mom taking me out of Lowell School in Teaneck, then driving me to Manhattan to watch a parade from a sign post.

I remember my mom taking me to Shea Stadium for Mother's Day and scoring seats right behind home plate with the player's wife. Then in the ninth inning, I sneaked down as close as possible to watch the Mets win it in the 9th.

But those happy memories are few and far between. I have more memories of cringing as Armando "Smoke" Benitez or Bradon Looper or Aaron Heilman was called from the bullpen. I have distinct memories of sitting on the floor of a somewhat empty apartment in Portland, Oregon and watching Kenny Rodgers throw ball four in the NLCS. Standing in a slightly more furnished apartment in Columbia, South Carolina and wondering about the answer to this Jeopardy question - (Drafted by the California Angels in 1992, his unmemorable six-year career was highlighted by starting in left field in the 2000 World Series.)

Then 2006 and the Timo Perez catch that sadly is forgotten because Adam Wainwright made his name known with a curve ball that is still buckling Beltran's knees right now...

But this was supposed to be just the beginning. I mean, we had a young core (Reyes, Wright) with a star in his prime (Beltran) and some young pitchers (Maine, Perez, Pelfrey) all under 30 with potential...

I can't continue. Mostly cause everyone knows what would happen the following two seasons.
This year, of course, was supposed to be different and at the end of May, they were seven games over .500 and in first place.

Then the walls crumbled down.

Whether it was injury, poor upper management, poor field management, crappy minor league system, horrible players and their horrible play, sad mistakes at the wrong time or a really long stretch against top teams...

Point is the wheels came off and instead of stopping to change the tires, it seemed like someone decided to ride on the rims, then the axle and then getting out to push the three-wheel vehicle to the side of a cliff and push it over, tossing a Moltov's cocktail at the gas tank with precise accuracy that causes everything to explode.

I stopped paying attention six to eight weeks ago and it was hard. I purchased an XM Radio with the main purpose being the ability to listen to Howie Rose call Mets games. Needless to say, I stopped listening to that thing. In fact, I would have canceled the service but they continue to give me three months for free.

So it's there and if the game is on, it's hard to not turn by and listen to a few innings...

But then I hear something like this that sent me over the edge...
"The Mets will send 2-3-4 to the plate. Angel Pagan, Cory Sullivan and Jeff Francour."

I nearly threw the device out the window of my car. And it was then that I realized I should pay attention to other things. Things like Entourage and the bravado to make Turtle the most interesting character in Season 6, similar to running a successful offense through Leon Powe or Ben Wallace.

I figured out that I can listen to Giants football games on my cell phone, something very useful living in Atlanta and getting Falcons games instead of the best and most boring team going.

I've worked at getting The Terminal Podcast off the ground. Check the link to listen to previous episodes (and remember we're still in the early stages) and all the while tried to ignore my family and find time for myself. One would be surprised how much time three women of various ages and stages can take from a man.

Well, I guess you wouldn't.

Either way, I will host another episode of The Terminal tomorrow and post it ASAP. We'll be previewing the MLB Playoffs and I'll make sure not to mention the Mess in the Citi. Be sure to give a listen and download it each week and tell your friends.
----------------
Now playing: Martin Kester - Terminal 9/29
via FoxyTunes

WEEK 5, Saturday Oct. 2

2009-10-01T23:24:00.000-04:00

5 Games to See
Washington vs. Notre Dame- The battle of the QB’s who are fast climbing the NFL draft boards. Jake Locker of Washington has exploded into the national scene (but if you search back you will see this Blogger was talking about Jake Locker 2 years ago). Obviously the Huskies had a huge letdown against Stanford, but that was expected (again, called by yours truly). Notre Dame has been less than impressive the last 3 times out (loss to Michigan and close losses to MSU and Purdue) and needs to prove themselves this week. If Washington pulls off the upset the Charlie Weis hotseat will hear up.

#8 Oklahoma vs. #17 Miami (FL)- Supposedly Sam Bradford is possibly ready to play, but Stoops has decided not to dress him. Landry Jones will be at the helm for the Sooner offense. Miami is coming off a butt whooping at the hands of conference foe Virginia Tech and now we will see how good they are on the rebound. If the Canes come out of this first month gauntlet 2-2 that is still not bad, though after winning the first two people expected more. The Sooner defense has allowed only 2 TD’s in three games. This offense lead by Jacory Harris will be their toughest test. It think the Canes win a close one.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas- The Aggies are off to a 3-0 start but haven’t played the toughest competition. They have solid running game with two very good backs. Arkansas hasn’t shown the ability to play good defense but they can light it up on offense. QB Ryan Mallet is big and has a huge arm to match. Arkansas would like to get into a shootout but A&M has a ground game that control the clock and that will be there best way to win the game.

#22 Michigan vs. Michigan State- We all now know about the legend that is Tate Forcier, well there is a little chink in the armor. Forcier struggled a little in what should have been a loss to Indiana. The Spartans may be the best 1-3 team in the country. They have lost three tight games in a row. Sophomore QB Kirk Cousins is proving to be one of the better QB’s in the Big 10 throwing for 7 TD’s and only 2 picks. Michigan fans better not expect a walk in this one.

#25 Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State- An interesting intra-conference match-up between the ACC and SEC. Georgia Tech has been as enigmatic as anyone in the country. Everyone knows they can run the football under Paul Johnsons’s triple option system. New Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen has them playing much better football and they had a chance to knock off LSU last week. If Mullen can pull off this upset it will be a great win in his first year in Starkville.

4 Players to Watch
Greg McElroy, QB Alabama- In my opinion McElroy has been one of the two most impressive QB’s in the country this year (Case Keenum of Houston the other). McElroy has an impressive arm, both on the deep ball and on the out routes where you need zip on your passes. He has a multitude of weapons who he isn’t afraid to use and he is averaging over 10 yards per pass completion which is ridiculous.

Jahvid Best, RB California- Explosive is the one word that encapsulates Mr. Best. Last season he average over 8 yards a carry while rushing for 1500+ yards. This season he already has 8 TD’s more than half his total form last season, including 5 in a win at Minnesota a few weeks ago. We all know Southern Cal has a fast defense and this will be Bests biggest test.

BJ Daniels, QB South Florida- Daniels is replacing the best player in the short history of USF football Matt Grothe who suffered a season ending injury two weeks ago. Daniels is a phenomenal athlete at the QB position. Last week back in his hometown of Tallahassee and lead the Bulls to a huge win by throwing for over 200 yards and rushing for over 100. Look for him to continue that dynamic play at Syracuse this weekend.

Kellen Moore, QB Boise State- The signal caller for the BCS busting Broncos is as steady as the come. He completes almost 70% of his passes and has 10/1 TD/INT ratio. Moore is a good athlete and a smart player who will always keep his team in games, he strikes me as a surprise NFL prospect.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 3 2009

2009-09-29T05:00:00.001-04:00

The Jets won a game where they didn't play their best, against a decent team (I don't think the Titans are a bad 0-3. They have talent, unlike, say, the Browns or the Chiefs, and could finish somewhere around 9-7 if they get it together.)

Of anything that happened on Sunday, that is probably the most important. Teams that can manage to win while not playing their best are ones that tend to be playing important games after New Year's.

And make no mistake, besides the special teams, Kris Jenkins, David Harris, and a quarter and a half for Mark Sanchez, the Jets didn't play all that well against the Titans.

The offensive line was particularly bad in this game. There was no room to run for Jones or Washington, and Sanchez was under a lot of pressure. There were also several penalties.

The only good thing to say is that we know this line can play better - it's the same line as last year, and we've seen them play much better than this on more than one occasion.

Next week against the Saints would be a good time to start for them. One way to neutralize a powerful offense is to keep the ball out of their hands. You do that by running the football. You need the offensive line to play well to do that.

Let's talk about Sanchez for a second. Rationally, if we can (and if we can, we'll be in the minority.)

Is he a good quarterback? Yes. He moves well in the pocket and is decently accurate with his throws. He also seems to have a good head on his shoulders - in two games in a row he's been able to bounce back after a stretch of bad play.

Is he flawless? Obviously not. One problem we've seen so far is that he fumbles a bit too often. I think in the Titans game it had less to do with the wet ball and more to do with a combination of relatively small hands and bad mechanics in terms of protecting the ball under pressure.

It stood out in particular because there was one play where Kerry Collins got hit in a similar way that Sanchez did when he fumbled. In Collins' case, he was able to hold on to the ball tightly with one hand while being hit, so it was just a sack, and not something worse.

This will bear watching over the course of the year - ask a Panthers fan if you can win games with a turnover-prone QB.

Other than that, special teams won the game. Two fumbles by the Titans on special teams, two recoveries by the Jets, two TDs. Thanks, Titans return guy.

Next week, I will be in New Orleans with Matt, Greg, and my brother Eric. We will be at the Superdome for the game.

I will report back next week on what transpires.

Game-wise, here's what I'll be looking for:

- What will this defense do against the best offense in football? Do they go with the blitz-heavy style they used against Houston and New England to try and confuse and rattle Drew Brees? Do they play the more conservative style they used against Tennessee? Something none of us have seen yet?

- Can the offensive line bounce back? If the Jets can rush for more than 150 yards, and Sanchez is sacked no more than once, they will be able to win.

- Can I get a po' boy at the stadium? If I can, should I?

- If the Jets win and go 4-0, can anything keep every Jets fan's head from exploding? Because trying to not get overly confident or overly optimistic gets harder and harder with each quality win.

Jets fans have too much history of heartbreak to just buy in completely after only three games. We want to be blindly optimistic, but we know better. We have to keep it in check. But, man, I've got a "f it, this team is f'ing great, I don't care about history, it's different this time" post that's dying to get out.

A Football Review

2009-09-27T23:03:00.001-04:00

Now we are a few weeks into the NFL season and there have been plenty of interesting things that have happened. I don’t like to analyze stuff after the first two weeks, but I think as you get to weeks three and four you can start to see trends and really begin to see who the bad teams are. It is easier to figure out the bad teams and harder to separate the good teams form the mediocre. But anyway, here are some observations:

- Yes Mark Sanchez has played very well but the storyline for the Jets has to be their defense. What Rex Ryan is doing with that D is simply spectacular. I would say under Herm Edwards and Eric Mangini it was hard to figure out what the Jets identity was and I think that’s when coach’s fail. Well under Sexy Rexy it is aggressive, hard hitting defense with bravado. And that is what is leading this team right now.

- Speaking of New York teams, the Giants are a good team with tons of room for improvement, which should probably scare the rest of the NFC. The defense is still banged up, with our best CB not having played a down yet and a running game that has been inconsistent, never mind the fact that we are the worst red zone team in the NFL. All that being said, our QB has been sharp, we are 2-0 in our division, 2-0 on the road and 3-0 overall. Oh yeah, and Steve Smith is fast developing into a big time WR.

- You know who is a really good coach, Andy Reid. He will always have the Eagles in the hunt. He just won a game with Kevin Kolb as his QB, and handily I might add.

- The two most fun Division races to watch this season are going to be the NFC South (Falcons, Saints) and the NFC North (Packers, Bears, Vikings). The Saints are like a video game team on Offense and the Falcons are a very solid team. The Packers are explosive, the Bears are improving and the Vikings are a veteran team with a Hall of Fame QB and the best RB in the game

DAN, DO NOT READ THIS NEX PART

- As the famous song Frosty the Snowman goes: There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found…
Well Brad Childress found an old purple hat and he put it on Favres head. There was still some magic in that thing yesterday. On their own 20, 1:29 to go and no timeouts, that’s the stuff legend is made off. The guy is great, still. Now, he may not be able to do it as consistently as he once did but that situation is exactly why they went out and got him. As good as AD is, he wasn’t on the field for most of that drive, but Favre was and he made the winning play.

DAN, YOU CAN START READING AGAIN

- While we are on the subject of GREAT Quarterback’s fucking Peyton Manning is re-god-damn-diculous!!!!!!! He should have to play with one arm tied behind his back or something. Nobody wins a Super Bowl on their own, so Peyton needs his defense to help, but if he wins another title or two he will go down as the greatest to ever play the position. Superlatives and statistics barely do him justice, just watch him play.

- The AFC South is so bad the Colts could have the Division wrapped up by Halloween.

- Here are the teams with little or no talent: Raiders, Chiefs, Rams, Buccaneers, Redskins and Browns. All those teams are jus awful, bad, terrible awful. The first coaching casualty of the season could be Jim Zorn of the Redskins.

- Congrats to the Detroit Lions. They aren’t all that bad, especially on offense, they do have some weapons. I like Matt Stafford in college and I think he is going to make a solid pro QB.

- The Bungles may be a little better than I gave them credit for, but I still struggle to wrap my mind around that concept because they are the Bungles.

- The QB in my opinion who is fast moving up the chart toward elite is Joe Flacco. That boy can play!

The Terminal Podcast

2009-09-26T19:57:00.002-04:00

So I've been away from this site for some time, not that I was missed...

But I was busy. Moving my family to Atlanta, finding employment and thinking up a master plan with nothing but sweat inside my hand...

Anyway, the result is a post that may have made it out with little to nothing to it except confusion.

Point is, here is a link to a podcast featuring yours truly in my new job, bartender at the Terminal, the newest addition to Hartsfield International and the only place where knowledgeable sports fans can gather and not only discuss sports but be quizzed at the same time.

So if you're in between flights and looking to kill some time, check out The Terminal Podcast and let us know what you think. It's still a work in progress.

MAK

----------------
Now playing: Martin Kester - Terminal podcast 9-09
via FoxyTunes

WEEK 4, Saturday Sept. 26

2009-09-25T00:12:00.001-04:00

5 Games to Watch

South Florida vs. #18 Florida State- The Noles come off a very impressive win last week at BYU. QB Christian Ponder has limited his turnovers so far this year. South Florida is reeling after the loss of 3 year starter Matt Grothe, the signal calling duties now belong to Frosh BJ Daniels. Coach Levitts Bulls program has leveled off after an impressive 2007 campaign. In order to regain some of that glory they could use a big win in Tallahassee.

#15 TCU vs. Clemson- Keep the clicker handy, oh wait, this game isn’t on television in an egregious error. Well watch the highlight shows because this could be an explosive offensive game. The Horned Frogs are averaging over 40 ppg and running back Joseph Turner has explosive ability. On the other side Clemson is so steady but they have two guys who can score on every touch in offense and special teams in Jacoby Ford and CJ Spiller. Ridiculous stat of the year, CJ Spiller has 15 TD’s of 50+ yards in his career.

#25 Washington vs. Stanford- The ultimate hangover game. Go down in a weird place to play with not a huge fan base coming off the best win the school has had in 15 years and try and keep the momentum going. Stanford has an excellent coach and a ball control offense with tailback Toby Gerhart. I do love Washington’s QB Jake Locker who Pete Carroll called the best QB he has ever faced.

Iowa vs. #5 Penn State- Last year Penn State flying high went into Iowa City and came away with a last second loss to Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes. Penn State has an inside track to the national title game because most of their tough contests, like this one, come in Happy Valley. QB Daryll Clark is the playmaker for the Nittany Lions and he faces a staunch Hawkeye defense, if he continue to be a playmaker then I think PSU may win this game handily.

Illinois vs. #13 Ohio State- Coach Zook’s Illini came into this season with high expectations, but they have gotten off to a slow start. The Buckeyes are not the same team they have been over the last 3 or 4 years so this is sort of a make or brake game for both teams. The winner here will put themselves in position to contend for th Big 10 title, whereas the loser is going to have to circle the wagons to make a successful season. Terrell Pryor and Juice Williams are two of the most explosive QB’s in the country, whomever is more dynamic will lead his team to victory.

4 Players to See

Golden Tate, WR Notre Dame- With Michael Floyd out for a few weeks Tate becomes the go to guy for Jimmy Clausen. Tate ahs 3 TD’s so far this season and is averaging around 15 yards a pass. His continuing improvement is paramount to Notre Dames future success.

Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor- Of all the dual threat QB’s in the country Griffin is perhaps the most spectacular athlete. He was an All-American track star in high school, but has learned to become more of a passer than runner in his time at Baylor. This season he is completing over 60% of his passes. Good accuracy combined with his athleticism makes him a threat on every single play.

Case Keenum, QB Houston- Unknown to most of the country, Keenam threw for over 5000 yards and 44 TD’s last season. He has already upset one Big 12 team and looks to do the same to Texas Tech this week. He is off to another hot start, averaging over 350 yards passing and 7 TD’s in two games. Keenum will be the difference again this week in another big win for the Cougars.

Mark Ingram, RB Alabama- All the pub goes to WR Julio Jones but Ingram is the engine that runs the Tide offense. He is listed at 212 pounds but is a punishing runner who takes on tacklers like he is 240. He is gaining over 6 yards a carry this year and he is going to need to chew up time and yards to keep the Razorback high octane offense off the field

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 2 2009

2009-09-22T05:00:00.002-04:00

I come here not to overpraise the Jets.

We will not speak of whether or not it is wise to speak so brashly in the week leading up to the game. That is not for us to speak of, and has been spoken of too much already.

We will not use the word "poise" in a sentence describing Mark Sanchez (except for this sentence, which doesn't count.)

We will not engage in foolish premature chatter about how this one win following the other one win will project to other games many weeks from now.

Let us only speak of what we just saw:

Some wins feel more real than others. For example, do you think Broncos fans felt particularly good about their week one win against the Bengals? Without a lucky bounce, they lose that game. You take the win, but you don't feel solid about it. The Jets had many of those types of wins last year (e.g. the opener against Miami, the Kansas City game, the second Buffalo game.)

This Jets win, though, was because of stellar defense for four quarters. You don't hold the Patriots without a touchdown and keep Tom Brady (even less-than-100%-and-still-a-bit-rusty-and-playing-after-a-short-week Tom Brady) to under 50% in completion percentage on a sunny, good-weather day because you got lucky.

Great defense cannot be faked.

This Jets team has played great defense for two weeks in a row. No touchdowns allowed, not allowing much of a running game, keeping QBs nervous and confused since they don't know where the rush is coming from and if they don't get rid of the ball quickly, they're going to get hit, hard.

Can they keep it up for a whole season? Not impossible - it will depend on a bit of luck in the health department. Possible because Rex Ryan gives the team a swagger, and Bart Scott helps carry it over to the rest of the players. The coach alone can't give the team an attitude - that's why smart coaches, like Parcells for example, always bring some of 'their guys' with them wherever they go. Ryan brought Scott and Jim Leonhard with him. Yes, those guys are both talented, but they also are the embodiment of what Rex Ryan is trying to get the team to do, and the rest of the defense feeds as much off of those two as they do off the coach.

What else did we see this week?

We saw that the Patriots are not quite The Patriots this year, at least not yet. Brady's not 100%, losing Mayo on defense really hurt, and even with Mayo there's a lot of personnel turnover on that side of the ball, and it hasn't quite jelled to play as well as the Pats defense played during their best years this decade. I won't count the Patriots out by any means, but so far they look much more beatable than they have in a long time.

We saw that Darrelle Revis is one of the best, if not the best, cornerback in the league. He has shut down (with some help, true, but still) two of the best receivers in football two weeks in a row. To whit: Week 1 against Buffalo Randy Moss had 12 catches for 141 yards. Against the Jets, 4 for 24. Week 1 against the Jets, Andre Johnson had 4 catches for 35 yards. In Week 2 against Tennessee, he had 10 for 149 and 2 TDs. I can't wait to see what Revis does against New Orleans in two weeks.

We saw that the Jets can win a game on a day when the offense wasn't particularly great. Leon Washington had an awful first half (even if that fumble didn't really look like a fumble - it was so close and unclear on the replay that whatever was called on the field couldn't be overturned.) So did the offensive line, which couldn't open up running lanes and didn't give Sanchez time to throw (the strip sack on the first play was Faneca's fault, not Sanchez's.)

We saw that all Mark Sanchez has to do is not look retarded for the media to fall over themselves to praise him. This isn't to say that I haven't been highly encouraged by the way he's played so far - I like his pocket presence, his mobility, and his arm. But let's not lose our collective minds - it's been two games, and he's been pretty good, at best.

We saw Bill Belichick look really ill after the loss. That was about as enjoyable as anything else I saw the whole weekend, besides my friend Gabe getting married and Brett Favre getting sacked hard a few times.

And, mostly, we saw the Jets win a game that had "typical Jets huge letdown game" written all over it. That was nice, wasn't it?

Tennessee comes to Jersey next. They're 0-2, so they'll be playing like their season is on the line. Plus, they'll remember that the Jets went to Tennessee and gave them their first loss last year (i.e. possibly looking for some revenge.) Meanwhile, the Jets will have a week where they'll be overpraised by everyone (except me, of course.) Yet another game that has a "huge pin in our balloon" feeling about it.

Am I saying I expect them to lose to Tennessee? No. That's the best thing to come out of the first two games - with this defense, I don't expect this team to lose to anyone.

Will I be surprised if they lose to Tennessee? No. That's a good team, an experienced team used to winning and used to dealing with adversity. This Jets team hasn't had to deal with bad times yet.

What I do know for sure is this - just as I am resisting the urge to overpraise them after this Pats win, if they do lose to the Titans, I will try to resist the urge to over-criticize them.

Unless, of course, Sanchez throws four picks and they let Kerry Collins throw for 400 yards. Then the whole thing is off.

The Giants Two Weeks In

2009-09-21T19:14:00.003-04:00

I had wanted to share my thoughts on the Giants anyway, but after reading the preceeding post I was compelled to do so in short order.

With two weeks in the books certain trends are definitely developing. Most alarmingly is the lack of touchdown conversions in the red zone. Also of somewhat glaring concern are the gashing off tackle runs given up to Portis, Jones and Barber.

There is certainly no reason to panic as this 2-0 start is not a mirage but two hard fought divisional victories. The Giants will be a better team by the end of October so any division wins are the proverbial money in the bank.

Quarterback: Eli is certainly unique, he lulls you to sleep with his inaccuracies and seemingly emotionless play but fosters fervor with his ferocity in the clutch moments. Failing to cash in "green zone" opportunities is cause for concern. A stronger running game and more creative play calls would help but he needs to find Boss and look to attack the end zone. It is really difficult to tell if his check downs are warranted without the game film but there are an inordinate number of passes to backs and crossing receivers well short of the goal line. Another thing to watch for is that Manningham and Smith are quicker in and out of their breaks than Plax or Toomer were which requires an adjustment period for Eli. You gotta believe that Eli will be able to adjust to his receivers getting open quicker, the one thing to watch for is he has less room to be wild high than he did with Plax and Toomer.

Bottom Line: While maddening at times, there are few Quarterbacks in the league who deliver as regularly in the clutch and even fewer who could do it under the hot lights of New York. For the Giants to win the division and have a shot to play into February he needs to be more productive in the green zone and adjust to his smaller, quicker receivers.

Running Backs: Not much to say other than Jacobs is as fearsome a weapon as there is in football and he continues to improve. Both he and Bradshaw should be able to put up better numbers as teams adjust to respect the growing pass game and can't put 8 in the box on the early downs. Madison Hedgecock needs to continue to pave the way and provide the lead as he's done in the past. Wouldn't hurt for him to hold on to a pass in the flat once in a while.

Receivers: Great start in general. Steve Smith is a premier 3rd down receiver with sneaky speed. Probably as close to a young Amani Toomer as you could hope for but with a better knack for getting downfield between the numbers. Manningham is electric combining great hands, precision and a burst. He was the number 1 at Michigan and is starting to prove that faith will be rewarded. The little I saw of Nicks is impressive, as the season progresses I believe he will pass Hixon for playing time. Hixon's effectiveness as a deep threat is less important with the emergence of Manningham. Hixon has demonstrated game breaking speed but his hands have not always been up to par. What was once considered a big question mark is presenting itself as an asset.

O Line/TE: Simply the best offensive line in the game. Speed of the Cowboys front 7 provided some problems in the run game last night but they kept Eli upright and play with a versatility and precision that drives the offense. Certainly you would like more run production near the goal line in the first two games but improvement will come and they played against two excellent defensive lines. For the team to fully realize its potential Kevin Boss needs to become a more viable option in the pass game.

Defensive Line: Has to be the strength of the team. Somewhat disappointing in the Dallas game with the lack of pressure on Romo leading to sacks and hurries. The losses of Canty and Tuck clearly hurt in the run defense. I dont think teams will succeed running the football against the Giants the way the Cowboys did last night. I also attribute much of the difficulty to the linebackers. While Osi needs to hold the point of attack better on each of the big runs to his side, Michael Boley got sucked inside and walled off. Robbins and Cofield have done a good job getting inside push.

Linebackers: Quite certainly the biggest cause for concern on the team. The Giants went out and got Boley to fill the role that was vacated by Kawika Mitchell. A backer who could equally play the run game and cover. Based on last night I hope he covers better than he plays the run. Iam willing to give him the benefit of the doubt since he missed most of training camp and it was apparently very hot and humid on the field last night. Danny Clark is a little past his prime and I would look for Ryan Kehl, Chase Blackburn and Gerris Wilkerson to start to transition into that spot as the year goes on. Anthony Pierce clearly has limitations but he is the defensive leader and does an excellent job in recognition and audible calls. You can win with Pierce at MLB. This group will go a long way in determining how far the Giants go.

Secondary: Without perhaps its best corner in Aaron Ross and its nickel back Dockery the Secondary has performed above expectation. Other than some tackling issues in one on one situations there is little to complain about. The group lead by prototypical Miami safety Phillips has become opportunistic, holding onto the sure intercepts. Probably the second most pleasant surprise of the season thus far behind the receivers. The lack of depth and growing list of injuries is a substantial cause for concern.

The kicking game is excellent, Feagles is the best directional punter in the history of the NFL and Tynes makes you feel confident every time he lines up a big kick.

You also have to feel good about the Coaching. Coughlin has built a team in his own image, tough, relentless, disciplined and precise. These characteristics, as mujch as any, were the difference between the Giants and Cowboys.

The Continuing Evolution of Eli

2009-09-21T10:07:00.001-04:00

As everyone who read this blog knows I am a continual defender of Eli, he is my man crush. Eli is a work in progress, as are all careers. Yes there are flashier QB’s (Peyton, Brees, Rivers) there are QB’s who the chicks fawn all over (Big Ben, Brady) but non of that is what Eli is about. He is about leadership and winning as a team, and not to say those other guys arent and I am not saying Eli is the best in the league. I have argued that since his playoff run he is in the upper echelon of QB’s and he keeps making improvements every year.

Last night midway through the 2nd quarter I was embroiled in a text-a-thon with my good friend Mr. Reinitz and all he was doing was complaining about Eli. This throw was bad, and that throw was bad, he needs to play better blah blah blah. I tried to calm him down and tell him to wait until the end of the game to completely analyze his performance. He complained about the Giants red zone inefficiency (which is a concern), and as always blamed everything on Eli. Not to say anything of the offensive line who for some reason cant block inside the 20 or some of the most uncreative play calling in the world by Kevin Gilbride. All that, along with Eli’s pkay inside the 20 has contributed to a heavy dose of Lawrence Tynes FG’s, but it is not Eli exclusively. The people who hate Eli always make him the blame for everything. Damn him for interrupting Taylor Swifts speech.

Again, what we all forget is the harder the spot, the more hectic the situation the type of guy you want in the pocket is a guy like Manning. Calm, cool, collected, trusting in his line, backs, receivers, all of them. He threw a ball last night after scrambling to a guy I have never heard of. His overall numbers were excellent, 25/38 65% 330 yards and 2 TD’s. His fourth quarter numbers were even more ridiculous, 10-12 83% 140 yards and 1 TD and the game winning drive with under 4 minutes to go.

Below are his numbers from 2005-2009, his totals, his 3rd down numbers and his 4th quarter numbers. They are completion %, INT’s, and QB Rating
As you see he just continues to improve (obviously this year is a small sample size).

Totals
52.8---17---75.9
57.7---18---77.0
56.1---20---73.9
60.3---10---86.4
67.2---1---103.2

3rd down
51.2---7---71.5
47.6---7---64.9
58.3---7---73.3
62.0---2---93.1
73.9---0---146.9

4th quarter
57.2---4---85.7
61.2---8---72.1
55.7---6---74.3
63.6---2---93.8
77.3---0---123.3

The Continuing Evolution of Eli

2009-09-21T10:07:00.000-04:00

WEEK 3, Saturday Sept. 19

2009-09-18T09:16:00.000-04:00

5 Games to Watch

#8 Cal vs. Minnesota- The Cal Bears think they can challenge the Trojans for Pac-10 supremacy. This interesting road game against a fast improving Minnesota team. The Gophers had a good road win at Syracuse and home win against Air Force. Third year QB Adam Weber has been impressive and a lackluster Cal defense may struggle with him. Cal, like most Pac-10 teams, wants to air it out and on the turf in Minneapolis this could be a high scoring affair.

Florida State vs. #7 BYU- We all know about the Cougars big upset to start off the season. They followed that up by drubbing Tulane and now they invite the big bad Seminoles into Provo. Really, the Noles in Provo? Ten years ago this would have never happened. The Seminoles searching for glory’s past opened with a thrilling loss to the Miami Hurricanes. Unfortunately they had Jacksonville State next on the schedule, who lead the game with under 5 minutes to go. The Noles escaped with a 19-9 victory and now better be ready for the strong right arm Max Hall.

Connecticut vs. Baylor- Baylor has perhaps the most spectacular playmaking athlete in the country in QB Robert Griffin; in a game last season as a true Frosh he ran for over 200 yards and 2 TD‘s. He helped lead the Bears to a victory in Winston-Salem in the opening game of the season. Now Randy Edsall’s Huskies come calling. Uconn may be down a little this year, but it is still a stern test for the Bears allowing another BCS team into their house.

Kansas State vs. UCLA- K-State has found some renwed enthusiasm behind their program with the unretirement of legendary coach Bill Snyder. Though he lost his signal caller to the 1st round of the NFL Draft the fans in the little apple still think they can be a bowl team. UCLA come off an impressive road win in Neyland Stadium, however they lost the services of their starting QB Kevin Prince. Should be an interesting game for two teams fighting for some national relevance.

Navy vs. Pittsburgh- The Pitt Panthers have a shot to win the Big Least, which isn’t saying much. As we saw Navy is for real after hanging with the Buckeyes in the horseshoe during week one. We know Navy is going to run, run and then run some more. The want to play ball control and try and keep the score down. Pitt held Buffalo to only 67 yards rushing last week, and they are a team that likes to keep it on the ground. Pitt itself has a stud running back in Dion Lewis who is averaging over 7 yards a carry.

4 Players to See

Mike Hartline, QB Kentucky- Wildcat fans are expecting big things form Hartline this season. He came in with a big reputation and solidified the starting job midway through his Sophomore season, last year. The Cats want to stay relevant in the SEC East and to do so Hartline needs to improve on his 9/8 TD/INT ration and his 55.3% completions. This week he takes on a weak Louisville team in preperation for the Gators next week.

Marshwan Gilyard, WR Cincinnati- Other receivers may get more press, but Marshwan Gilyard is as good as anyone in the country. Last year he caught 81 balls for 1200 yards and 11 TD’s. He has picked up where he left off last season with 14 catches and 3 TD’s in two games. This week he and QB Tony Pike take the show on the road to Corvallis to take on the Beavers in an intriguing match-up.

T.J. Yates, QB North Carolina - Yates, like Hartline above, was brought in with a big reputation and has finally wrapped his arms around the starting job as a Junior. His career to this point has been unspectacular to say the least. Last week in a nice win over Uconn he showed some that potential, completing 71% of his passes but threw 2 interceptions. This week the Heels have their last tune-up before ACC play starts so he needs to get his act together.

Taylor Mayes, S Southern Cal- The Trojans travel up to Washington to take on one of their own in head coach Steve Sarkisian. Mays is as good a safety as there is in the country in both run and pass defense. Huskies QB Jake Locker has thrown the ball well this year but with Mayes lurking it may be harder.

A Voice of Change

2009-09-17T09:27:00.000-04:00

As most of my loyal readers of my two blogs know I don’t often do obituaries, I don’t think everyone deserves to be remembered and then there are some that I am not qualified to write a remembrance of, like Michael Jackson. Last night in a Connecticut hospital one of the pivotal voices of the most important musical generation passed away due to complications with chemotherapy. The voice was that of Mary Travers of the famed folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary.

Mary performed during the early 50’s as a backup singer to folk legend Pete Seeger. In 1961 in Greenwich Village the group Peter, Paul and Mary was formed. The became an instant success and helped revive the genre of folk music. Their first album was released in early ‘62 with the Seeger classic “If I had a Hammer.” They shot up the charts and in early 1963 all three of their albums were in the top six selling LP’s on the billboard charts. Their most timeless song was the tale of a little boy’s innocence lost in “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

They also where instrumental in the career of musical pioneer Bob Dylan and supported his music. On their third studio album the released their version of two Dylan written songs, “Blowin in the Wind” and “Don’t Think Twice its Alright.” Peter Yarrow claims that it was Mary Travers who was the political champion of the group. She was a fierce defender of civil rights and one of the original voices of the anti war generation. During the famed March on Washington the trio performed Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind.”

The group split in 1971 to pursue solo careers. Mary released 5 solo albums that never resonated with critics or fans like the trio had. In 1978 the group got back together and over the past 30 years released 17 albums and toured extensively. Their new incarnation was known a lot more for recording progressive children’s music as education and racism among children became major causes for the group.

Travers and her partners were the unmistakable harmonious voices of a generation. Their music and activism helped shape the time they lived in and touched the music world forever. The death of Travers reminds us all that the generation that helped bring us so much social change and reform is getting older and they will be missed.

“If you miss the train I’m on, you will know that I am gone,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles”

MARY ALLIN TRAVERS
NOV. 9, 1936 - SEPT. 16, 2009

Jeter’s Quest…for 4,000

2009-09-16T08:01:00.000-04:00

Now all you Yankee haters are going to not want to read this thinking this is just the incoherent ramblings of an overzealous Yankees fan. But Jeter’s most recent accomplishment, becoming the all time Yankees leader in hits, allows for us to start think about his place in the history. He is the all time leader in hits for a shortstop, passing Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio earlier this year, and now he has surpassed Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Joe Dimaggio among others to be the most prolific hitter in the history of the sports most famous and accomplished franchise.

The next milestone is the 3,000 hit mark. A mark that 27 players in the history of the game have reached, and one milestone that has not been marred by the “steroid era” (Rafael Palmeiro being the only player who has tested positive to reach that mark). Jeter is probably going to the next to reach that mark, though Ken Griffey Jr. is 30 hits closer than Jeter. The only other current player likely to reach 3,000 hits is Alex Rodriguez who is two years younger than Jeter and already has over 2,500 hits.

During the game the other night Steve Phillips was the one to mention that Jeter has an outside shot at 4,000 hits, which when you first hear that number seems so mind numbingly impossible. The only two people with 4,000 hits are Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, the next closest is Hank Aaron with 3,771. Jeter is in his 15th season at age 35 and will reach the 3,000 hit plateau early in 2011, his 17th season, so on the surface it seems unlikely for Jeter to get 4,000, but just follow me for a minute.

Jeter has played in an average of 154 games per season, not taking into account the 2003 season where he played in only 119 games. That season he missed 6 weeks because of a freak shoulder injury he suffered in a collision at third base. That was the only major injury of his career and he has shown no ill effects from it, two years later playing in a career high 159 games. So health shouldn’t be much of a concern, now lets look at production.

Jeter averages 197 hits per season, and there is no reason to think that production will take a sharp decline anytime soon. In fact, over the past 4 seasons he has averaged 202 hits per year. If Jeter were to have 3 more seasons at his current production (197) that will put him at 3,337 hits. Now lets say as he approach’s 40 he starts to take on a decline, not playing as many games and his hits declining to 155 for another 3 seasons, that leaves him at 3,802 hits.

I think those are conservative estimates, and if Jeter is still producing at a decent clip I don’t see why he wont try and go for this mark. Normally I agree that Jeter doesn’t care about individual accolades, highlighted the other night when he said he wasn’t thinking about the hits record because his team was losing 2-0 at the time.

It will be very interesting to see if will go for that mark. Some people have said he is still behind the Yankee greats Ruth, Gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle, Berra etc. However, if he were to make a run at 4,000 or even reach that mark he would be among the 2 or 3 greatest Yankees of all time.

Here Come The Warm Jets: Week 1 2009

2009-09-15T01:32:00.002-04:00

Anyone else see that coming?

I mean, sure, it wasn't unreasonable to pick the Jets to win this game. Houston is improving, but they're not an elite team by any means.

But did anyone see the Jets just flat-out dominating them like that?

Make no mistake, this was about as dominating a win as the Jets have ever had. I could even tell that trying to watch the game while there were forty of my relatives at my parents' house.

How dominating? All you need to know are these numbers:

# of points scored by the Houston offense: 0
Yards gained by the Jets offense vs gained by the Houston offense: 462 - 183
Turnovers by Mark Sanchez: 1
Sacks of Mark Sanchez: 0

The defense was outstanding. They were aggressive, they were mean, and they stole the will of the Texans early on. In the first series, Bart Scott hit Matt Schaub really hard right as he threw it. That set the tone. David Harris was terrorizing anyone on Houston that thought about trying to gain some yards. Kris Jenkins owned the middle. Darrelle Revis completely eliminated Andre Johnson from the game, and he's one of the top receivers in football.

This is what we hoped the defense would look like under Rex Ryan. Hard hitting, aggressive, intimidating, and fun to watch.

The offense was solid if unspectacular. The running game wasn't great in the early part of the game, but by the second half they wore the Texans down (see: Thomas Jones' 38-yard TD late in the game.) Cotchery and Stuckey did some great things, especially after the catch. Dustin Keller was a potent threat.

And Sanchez looked good. Nothing really to complain about, given he's a young rookie starting his first NFL game, on the road.

So, yeah, this win feels good. Really good. Startlingly good.

That said: one game does not a season make.

We don't have to go back too far in Jets history to know that. Just think about the difference last year between the Tennessee game (dominating win - are we the best team in the AFC?) and the Denver game (holy crap this team blows) which were only one week apart.

Which means there is no need to get too far ahead of ourselves. This game was very promising. Now let's see if it can continue.

The questions to ponder going into next weekend's game against the Pats:

- Can Darrelle Revis do to Randy Moss what he did to Andre Johnson?
- Can the linebackers disrupt Tom Brady's rhythm?
- Can Kris Jenkins dominate the middle every game as he did in this one?
- Will the Jets be able to run the ball consistently against a better defense like the Pats have?
- Can they reduce the number of third and longs? (they had too many of them in this game, and while Sanchez was excellent on these in this game, you can't count on that happening all the time.)
- Can they reduce the number of penalties (10 for 80 yards in this game = not good at all, also, see above about third and longs)?
- Can Sanchez continue to not turn the ball over very much?
- Can Rex Ryan fire the team up every week as well as he did this week, or, how do teams that use emotion like this handle the dog days of the schedule?

Ah, you know, what? Let's stop with all the questions, and just savor the moment. We can fire up the pessimism-mobile after the Pats game, if we have to.

The Jets, for one day, looked as good as any team in the NFL. That's good enough for the early part of the first week of the season.

The Week in Review, 9/7-9/13

2009-09-14T09:30:00.001-04:00

(And why we love Sports)

During this week I listened to interviews, saw news stories, or heard extensive talk on these negative sports subject: Pete Rose gambling, Donta Stallworth manslaughter, Michael Vick dog fighting, six Toledo players gambling on their own games, possible labor strife in the NFL and the always dreaded PED’s in baseball. All that stuff just wears me out when listening to talk radio, watching television or just discussing sports with my friends. But, like that one golf shot you hit every round, something always brings us back, and that is the great games and performances.

This week college and pro football (maybe the two most popular sports in America) started, the baseball season is winding down and looking toward another season of great playoff action, and some of the individual sports are coming to exciting conclusions of their seasons. Tennis is in the heart of the US Open, to me the two best weeks in all of tennis, golf’s newly tweaked Fed Ex cup system with Tiger Woods in the thick of things is coming to a conclusion and even if you are an Auto Racing fan the Race for the Chase came to head this weekend in Richmond.

MONDAY

Florida State and Miami capped off the opening weekend of college football with an instant classic. Miami drove down the field with under 5 minutes for the go ahead touchdown. FSU then marched right down inside the 10 yard line with less than :30 seconds to go. Miami got 4 straight stops to win the game, in heartbreaking fashion for the Noles.

In Flushing, American teen sensation Melanie Oudin continued her miracle run at the US Open, by defeating the #13 see Nadia Petrova.

TUESDAY

One of the slower days of the week. Just action at the US Open, where recently unretired Kim Clijsters continued her march toward winning the US Open as an unseeded player. Also, Rafael Nadal and Frenchman Gael Monfils played a brilliant 4 set match.

WEDNESDAY

Up in the Bronx just across the street from where so much baseball history was made, this night the new Yankee Stadium experienced its first night that will live in Yankee lore. Derek Jeter, the consummate professional, had a three hit night (not out of the ordinary) tying him for the all time hits record by a New York Yankee. Jeter has quietly climbed the list of all time greats for the greatest franchise in sports, and on this night he tied the immortal Lou Gehrig; in typical Jeter fashion with a hit to the opposite field. The crowd gave him a rousing ovation, including the visiting Rays, but Jeter was reluctant to accept the applause because his team was trailing at the time. What else would you expect?

In another borough the magical run of Melanie Oudin came to an end. As always the appreciative New York crowd gave her a well deserved ovation. There is nothing quite like tennis in Flushing, Queens on a cool summer evening in September.

THURSDAY

The NFL season got kicked off between the two best teams in the AFC from last season. The Steelers and Titans had a typical hard fought defensive battle which came down to overtime. As expected, Ben Roethlisberger lead his team down the field for a game winning field goal, much like last years Super Bowl game winning drive. No matter what has happened in the game Big Ben can always have a great drive at the end, its simply amazing.

College football had a wacky and wild Thursday night ACC match-up. Down in Atlanta the Clemson Tigers took on the Rambling Wreck. In the first half this game was all Georgia Tech. They scored on an 80 yard option play, a fake field goal and then Clemson lined up for a long FG but instead tried to pooch punt the ball and a Tech return man was waiting on it and took it 90 yards for a TD. Down 24-0 it looked as if Clemson would just get their doors blown off……not so fast my friend. Something clicked in the Clemson offense and they began to git big plays to CJ Spiller and Jacoby Ford en route to scoring 27 straight points. But Georgia Tech came back and kicked a game winning FG with under a minute to go, just a wild college football game

FRIDAY

Nothing too significant happened, no major college or pro football, tennis was rained out. Derek Jeter officially broke Gehrig’s record and his teammates stormed out of the dugout to congratulate him, a very classy move. All of what happened was just prelude to an unbelievable weekend to come.

SATURDAY

First we will talk about the lesser sports or individual sports if you will. Tiger Woods who started the week in second place in the Fed Ex cup standing decided enough was enough and shot a course record 62 to pull ahead at the BMW championship. In Flushing Kim Clijsters was in the process of owning Serena Williams when Williams flipped her lid. She repeatedly threatened a lines woman who called her for a foot fault and then was docked a point which happened to be match point. To me this was total bush league and just a way for her to end the match because she knew she was beaten.

Now to college football. Where to start? Houston rousing 21 point 4th quarter performance to beat #5 Oklahoma State (I’M A MAN). Georgia and South Carolina playing another classic as the usually do, ending when Stephen Garcia couldn’t put the Cock in the end zone on 4 consecutive plays inside the ten. The Clash in Columbus where true Frosh Matt Barkley calmly lead his team down the field in front of 100,000+ hostile fans scoring another victory for Southern Cal over Ohio State. Or the two former college powers Michigan and Notre Dame trying to recapture their glory. Looking like a Notre Dame victory most of the evening until the legend of Tate Forcier was born. Scrambling around like a mad man and hitting receivers on the run Forcier took his team right down the field throwing the game winning TD with 11 seconds to go. The best part of the game was Forcier celebrating with Coach Rodriguez and saying, “I told you so! I fucking told you so.”

SUNDAY

The first day of the NFL season provided us with plenty of storylines.

- Mark Sanchez and the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS, which I am sure you will read more about tomorrow in Dan’s weekly segment

- Obviously the Vikings, and how little they need Favre to do most games. Just hand the ball to AD (yes AD, his nickname AD, All Day).

- The unspectacular debut of Jay Cutler.

- The spectacular start of the season for Drew Brees. The Saints are like a video game. Now they have to figure out how to play defense, because they gave up 27 points to the Lions

- The calm cool easy victory for the NY Giants. They just win games. Why, because they have the best offensive and defensive lines in the entire game.

- The McNabb injury coupled with the falling of Jake Delhomme, will he or the Panthers recover?

- Matty Ice and the Falcons with new addition Tony Gonzalez

- And of course, the Bungles. Only the Bungles could lose that game in that fashion

Should be another great season of NFL football.

But again with all that negativity swirling around the sports world we have a week like this past one, that brings fans so much chance for joy.

WEEK 2, Saturday Sept. 12

2009-09-11T10:27:00.001-04:00

5 Games to Watch

Stanford vs. Wake Forest- This game may be a little off the radar for most, but the Cardinal travel cross country in an interesting early season match-up. Wake is on the verge of starting 0-2 at home against two BCS conference teams (losing to Baylor last week). Signal caller Riley Skinner is a an experienced 3 year starter but this is probably the weakest Deacon squad. Stanford under coach Jim Harbaugh has steadily improved and have a dynamic running back in Toby Gerhart and a superb Frosh QB. It should be a real competitive game that Wake needs desperately to win

UCLA vs. Tennessee- Last year this game really signified the end for Phillip Fulmer as the Bruins beat Tennessee last year. New coach Lane Kiffin has brought his share of problems to Knoxville but has always brought a swagger back to the Vols. They look impressive in week 1, albeit against Western Kentucky, but the rolled up nearly 400 yards on the ground. To most people this is a match-up of maybe to two biggest douche bag coach’s, but it is also an early season test for both to see if they can compete in their respective leagues.

#17 TCU vs. Virginia- This game is important for one reason and one reason only. It could signify the end for Coach Al Groh. He was hanging on to his job by a very thin thread coming into this season and a home loss in week one to FCS opponent William & Mary certainly put him on a seat hotter than Lucifer’s throne. The Horned Frogs bring in an outstanding football team and have the chance of blowing out the Hoo’s in their own building. If this is a loss by anymore than 15 points I think Groh will be fired before “The Sports Reporters” airs Sunday morning.

Oregon State vs. UNLV- The Beavers want to become a Pac-10 title contender and nationally recognized. They are taking a calculated risk by going on the road to play UNLV. The Reb’s have one of the best dual threat QB’s in the country in Junior Omar Clayton. The Beavers need to rely heavily on their running game which features one of the toughest runners in the country in Jaquizz Rodgers. The Beavers need to use this as a statement game that they are for real.

Duke vs. Army- Is Kris really telling us this is a game to watch? Yes, yes I am. Okay it is not a sexy match-up, but I am a geek for the service academies. They are completely outmanned in today’s world of 350 lb. college lineman so whenever they do well I like it. Duke sputtered out of the gate under second year coach David Cutcliffe losing to Richmond. Now he has to go to Michie Stadium on the banks of the Hudson, no more beautiful place to be on a fall afternoon. New Army Coach Rich Ellerson could lead his team to a 2-0 start for the first time in over 20 years which is why this game is important.

4 Players to See

AJ Green, WR Georgia- Green was the SEC freshman of the year last season and is poised to have another big year. Green struggled in the opener at Oklahoma State as did most of the Georgia offense. Green is a South Carolina native and was involved in a major recruiting battle between Georgia and South Carolina. Last year Green caught three balls for 61 yards against the Gamecocks, look for him to have a bigger game this year against a young South Carolina secondary.

Todd Reesing, QB Kansas- Reesing has been one of the most prolific QB’s in the country over the past 2 seasons, throwing for 3,000+ yards and 30+ touchdowns. Reesing now has an opportunity to move up the ranks in the Big 12 and get some recognition with Sam Bradford being hurt last week. The UTEP Miners had one of the worst pass defenses on the country last year so Reesing should have a big game this week.

Tim Hiller, QB Western Michigan- Hiller is seen as an NFL prospect after throwing for 3700 yards and 36 TD’s last season. He is a big guy, 6’5 234 lbs, with one of the strongest arms in the country, last season he threw for over 300 yards each and 4 TD’s against two BCS opponents (Nebraska, Illinois). He has a chance to take his team into Big 10 Country for the second year in a row and get a victory.

George Selvie, DE South Florida- Perhaps the best pass rushing End in the country, Selvie has been a star since the day he set foot on campus. He is the active career leader in tackles for a loss in the country with 61 and second in sacks with 26.5. Selvie has increased his weigh tto about 260 lbs. this year to add strength to his already blinding speed off the edge. Look for Selvie to have another big season, more like his sophmore year were he had 14.5 sacks.

2009 QB Rankings, Preseason

2009-09-08T14:35:00.002-04:00

We did this twice last year and it is back. We will do a preseason, midseason and end of the season ranking for all QB’s who start a game in the league. We have both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson on this list because Eric Mangini doesn’t want to name a starter. Again, these are Ron DeBlasio’s rankings exclusively and are his intellectual property. Before people start screaming about the first name you will see, remember the Favre pick is career based. The guy is a no doubt, first ballot hall of famer, all time great and even if he played until he was 90 (which he might) he would always be in the highest category. Two interesting things to note, he is buying the Aaoron Rodgers kool aid, but is down on Matt Schaub, interesting!

ELITE- Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger

ABOVE AVERAGE- Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees

AVERAGE- Tony Romo, Byron Leftwich, Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselback, Chad Pennington, Kerry Collins, Carson Palmer

TERRIBLE- Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, Mark Bulger, Matt Cassel

THIGPEN- Shaun Hill, Trent Edwards, David Garrard, Matt Schaub, Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, JaMarcus Russel, Kyle Orton

Here Come The Warm Jets: 2009 Season Preview

2009-09-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

And so it begins.

The days get shorter, the air cooler, women's clothing less revealing.

The 2009 NFL season approaches.

With another NFL season, you'll get another season of Jets blogging by me here at the Block Party. If you've followed us here for a while, you know what that means: reasonably intelligent football analysis mixed with shocking amounts of cynicism, bitterness and spewed invective.

As I enter my 23rd year of Jets fandom, I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank my 9-year-old self, who decided that long passes were more fun to watch than all-time-great defense, and thus chose to like the 1986 Ken O'Brien-Al Toon-Wesley Walker Jets instead of the LT-et al Giants. Instead of 3 Super Bowls and myriad playoff appearances, I got to live through the Rich Kotite, Bruce Coslet, Pete Carroll, Herm Edwards, and Eric Mangini eras. Nice job, 9-year-old me - apparently you decided then that you didn't want there to be an 80-year-old me, since no dedicated Jets fan can possibly have a heart and intestinal system that will last that long.

Well, hey, let's not get depressed about this year's team before it's necessary. Instead, let's take a look at the team as it looks now before the season starts.

The Coach

A good a place as any to start looking at this year's team, as we begin the Rex Ryan era. I have to say, I'm really psyched about this particular coach, as much as I've been since Bill Parcells came in 1997.

First of all, Rex Ryan is funny. Funny people go a long way with me - I'm much quicker to forgive your flaws if you can make me laugh. Now, let's be real - I don't want to have the funniest guy ever to lead my team to three 8-8 years in a row or anything. But I would like to have fun being a fan. This is supposed to be entertainment; if I wanted something really serious, I'd read articles about Afghanistan or Darfur.

If one thing could definitely be said about the Eric Mangini era, it's that it wasn't fun. He is a Bellichick disciple who likes to keep everything so secretive and cryptic that you'd think he was working in the Cold-War-era CIA and not for a football team. It was frustrating for us as fans, and it was ultimately frustrating for the players, too (they quit on him terribly the end of last year.)

And it's not like he's learned his lesson, by the way. What headline do I see on ESPN.com today? "Browns starting QB's ID hush-hush." Really? "Hush-hush?" What are you, naming an envoy to a secret meeting between the Syrians and the Israelis?

Anyway, Rex Ryan doesn't do it that way. He cracks jokes. He is self deprecating, and doesn't take himself so seriously. At the same time, he's a football guy through and through, which will give him credibility with the players. Also, he's a defense-first guy, and has the pedigree to back it up. If he can get the Jets defense anywhere near what the Ravens defense has been these last several years, there will be some very, very happy Jets fans (yes, Jets fans can be happy. It happened, once, around 1998 I think.)

Bringing his defensive philosophy? Great. Keeping the same offensive coordinator, so the team doesn't have to learn yet another new system? Very smart, considering the relative age and talent of the offensive players, and that Brian Schottenheimer, while not without flaws, is still a pretty creative and talented offensive coordinator. Bringing on the guy who the "46" defense was named after as a defensive backs coach? Awesome.

The Defense

As mentioned above, along with Rex Ryan comes his defensive philosophy, which consists of creating confusion for the opposing team's quarterback and offensive line, in terms of not knowing where pressure may come from on any given play. It also encourages speedy attacks as opposed to the 'read and react' style Mangini favored the last three years.

Do the Jets have all the pieces in place this year to run this defense as effectively as the Ravens did the past several years? Probably not, but it may not be as far off as it could be. Bringing on Bart Scott and Jim Leonhardt from the Ravens will help, since they're both familiar with the system and still young enough to play it (I'm so glad they got Scott instead of Ray Lewis, who only has so many good games left in him.)

It will also depend on how good David Harris, Kerry Rhodes, and Darrelle Revis really are. So far, these guys all look like they could be all-pro level for many years. This system should suit their talents well. Now they have to deliver.

The most worrisome part of the defense are the health of Kris Jenkins and lack of depth on the defensive line, as well as some big questions at the other cornerback spot (i.e. can Lito Sheppard be good again? If not, is there anyone else that can be at least average there?) There's also still the issue that the linebackers aren't great in coverage, which was a huge problem last year particularly exploited once Jenkins wore down towards the end of the year.

All that said, there's a lot of reason to be optimistic about the defense. There's no reason not to have faith that Rex Ryan can't recreate his defense with the Jets. At least not yet.

The Offense

This is what we know about the offense:

The offensive line is the same as last year. As are the running backs, with the addition of a talented rookie in Shonn Greene.

With this offensive line, Thomas Jones led the AFC in rushing last year, and Leon Washington averaged 5.9 yards per carry. They also allowed a sack on 5.4% of pass attempts, which was a bit better than the league average of 5.9%.

So we know the team is going to run plenty, and presumably pretty effectively.

We also know that Mark Sanchez, a rookie who only played one year of college ball, is the starting QB.

In preseason, Sanchez looked pretty good. It looked like he has a decent pocket presence and a strong enough arm. He's also a rookie, and bound to make mistakes.

So, basically, we have no idea what he'll be like.

He'll be asked to be a credible enough passing threat so that teams can't stack the line to stop the run. He'll also be asked to protect the ball, and keep turnovers to an absolute minimum.

He also has to do this without a lot of proven talent in the receiving corps. Jerricho Cotchery is very good, Dustin Keller looks ready to break out, but after that it's all unproven young guys like Chanci Stuckey and David Clowney.

What does this mean? If the Jets are lucky, it means an average offense to go along with what they hope to be a better-than-average defense. Teams have done very well with that formula. If the Jets aren't lucky, it'll mean a team like some of those Ravens teams where the atrociousness of the offense couldn't be overcome by their superior defense.

The Schedule

It's a much harder schedule than last year. Period.

Looking through it, you can only point to maybe two 'easy' games: the Raiders on October 25 in Oakland and the Bengals at home the last weekend of the year.

Otherwise, there's games against Tennessee, the Colts, Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, Tampa, and Jacksonville, along with the two annual games with the Pats.

I'm not sure how good Carolina, Tampa, or Jacksonville are going to be, but no matter what, it's not going to be easy, certainly not compared to last year when they played certifiably awful teams like the Rams and Kansas City.

Basically, Rex Ryan isn't going to get to ease into it. If he's going to do well his first year, he's going to have to earn it.

The Outlook

Between the new coach, the rookie QB, and the schedule, I'd say we're looking at 9-7 and just missing the playoffs as a best case scenario for the year. More likely is something around 7-9.

Either way, this year isn't about winning it all this year (though it'd be nice, don't get me wrong.) This year is about getting Sanchez a year of experience, getting the team playing in this defensive system for a year, and figuring out who can play in it and who can't.

It'll be about building a brand new culture for the team. Rex Ryan will be most successful in this job if he can make this team match his fiery and fun personality. In a press conference recently, he said the following:

I think that’s been the key for when I’ve been successful as a coach. We’ve always had that sense of pride in that room. That’s what I’m trying to do for the whole football team to really have that pride in each other and have that pride in being a jet. That’s something that I always talked in Baltimore was “play like a Raven.” I should’ve patented that bad boy [laughter]. That was something that I strived to do when I was there for many years. I sensed it and I think our guys really bought into that.

That’s what we’re trying to have here, to “play like a Jet.” It’s going to mean something. It’s going to mean that we care about each other. It’s going to mean that you’re going to get everything we’ve got and they’re not doing that for selfish reasons, they’re doing it to take care of each other. And when you play this year, you’re playing against a football team, not a group just of individuals. We’re going to play as a football team.

"Play like a Jet" used to mean something entirely different, and not necessarily positive. If all he does this year is get that to fundamentally change, I think I'll find a way to be much less bitter as a fan.

Of course, if they go 3-13 and look like a mess doing it, I'll be the same as I ever was.

Either way, you should have fun watching it happen each week here. So keep coming back!

WEEK 1, Saturday Sept. 5

2009-09-04T09:33:00.002-04:00

5 Games to Watch

Missouri vs. Illinois- Mizzou is coming off its best 4 year stretch in football but doesn’t have a dynamic QB like Brad Smith or Chase Daniels anymore, so it will be interesting to see how good Gary Pinkle’s team is. A lot of people are picking the Illini to have a huge year. We know Ron Zook can assemble talent; Senior QB Juice Williams and Junior WR Arrelius Benn figure to be one of the best tandems in all of college footbal

5 Alabama vs. 7 Virginia Tech- Clearly the premier matchup of the weekend. Some are touting the Hokies for a national title shot and this game could ruin that before we get to Labor Day. The Hokies are playing for conference pride also. For the second year in a row the NC State Wolfpack looked miserable against a middle tier South Carolina team to lead off the season, and last year in this game the Clemson Tigers fumbled on the opening play and got embarrassed. Alabama may have the best defense in the country and just found out that their starting receivers will be eligible for te game.

11 LSU vs. Washington- Les Miles takes his bayou bengals across the country to face new coach Steve Sarkisian’s Huskie squad. Sarkisian was a successful assistant at Southern Cal and has a big time talent at QB in JakeLocker. Locker is big and strong and can run the ball as well as throw it. The Huskies will find out a lot about their team going against a speedy SEC opponent. Coach Miles needs to find a steady QB and testing it out on the road will give him a good idea if he has a good one.

Cincinnati vs. Rutgers- The Big East isn’t as good as the Pac-10, Big 12 or SEC but it will be one of the most competitive conferences in the land. Two of the leading candidates to win it all this year are Cincy and Rutgers who meet to start the season here. Many experts think Greg Schiano’s team could go undefeated because of a favorable schedule including getting this game at home. Both teams are replacing starting QB’s so it will probably be a low scoring contest.

8 Ole Miss vs. Memphis- Ole Miss is the darling pick of the season with top flight QB Jevon Snead and the fact that they were the only team to beat the invincible Florida Gators last year. The Reb’s always start the season off playing regional rival Memphis and some times the game is a whole lot closer than people expect. Memphis has a decent squad but the opportunity to knock of the darlings of college football could provide for an exciting early season game. I think we will see if Ole Miss is for real right off the bat.

4 Players to See

Josh Nesbitt, QB Georgia Tech- Nesbitt took like a duck to water under first years coach hkjjhjhj option offense last season. The Rambling Wreck bring back most of their team from last year and Nesbitt could be the most dynamic player in the ACC with his dual threat ability. The one thing he needs to work on is completing a higher percentage of passes this year.

Paki O’Meara, RB Iowa- Okay, so who is Paki O’Meara and why would you be talking about him? Well Shonn Greene was the best RB in the country last year rushing for 1800 yards and propelled Iowa to an Outback Bowl route of South Carolina.. The Hawkeyes are ranked in the preseason for the first in a few years and they usually have a proven ground attack. Jewel Hampton was supposed to replace Greene but hurt his knee and out for the year, so that duty falls to O’Meara who in two seasons has accumulated 62 yards and 2 TD’s.

Joe Cox, QB Georgia- A fifth year senior who will finally get his crack at running the Dawgs offense. He is replacing one of the best QB’s in school history and #1 NFL Draft Pick Mathew Stafford. Cox has only thrown for 400+ yards in limited duty in his time in Athens but Coach Richt is confident in his knowledge of the offense and leadership ability. Starting off on the road in Stillwater Cox will be tested early.

Gerald McCoy, DT Oklahoma- Perhaps the best defensive player in the country, McCoy controls the line of scrimmage. This years Sooner defense is much stronger than the last few years and that is due to McCoy staying for his junior season. McCoy isn’t a stat hog but a complete disruptive force in the middle of the field

Another Season, Another Reason To Despise Brett Favre

2009-08-19T11:46:00.004-04:00

Oh, my, can you believe it? Brett Favre lied to everyone again when he said he was really retired for good this time. Personally, I'm shocked. My whole world is turned upside down. I don't even know...

Wait, scratch that, this is Brett Favre.

Of course he was going to sign with the Vikings this year. We've known that since right after the draft when he asked the Jets for his release and the Vikings didn't take a QB. We probably could have guessed it right after he "retired" again after last season.

Many Vikings fans are excited about this. They shouldn't be. Brett Favre is washed up. Brett Favre has been washed up for the last 6 years.

Let me once again remind everyone that before the Jets signed him last year, I was against it.

A quote:

In his prime, Brett Favre by himself wins you an extra two to four games in a season. Now? You're lucky to break even, given how many bad interceptions he throws (see: the NFC Championship game against the Giants last year.) Old QBs can get really old really fast. Does he even have one more good year in him? I'm not totally convinced.

That was before last year. Did he do anything during the Jets season to change that? Absolutely not.

He had one very good game against a good team - the Pats game. He had a couple good games against bad teams, in particular the Rams game.

He had one of the worst Decembers I've ever seen, including the Seattle game that I saw in person.

In the last four Decembers, he's been awful. 13 touchdowns, 31 interceptions over the last four Decembers.

He's old. He throws too many bad picks. He doesn't throw enough good TDs anymore to overcome them. He can't last a full year. He can't do well in the cold weather anymore.

So, first of all, he's not a particularly good QB anymore.

Second, all of that 'great leader' stuff is in the past, too. He's now seen exactly for what he is - a prima donna, a diva, someone who gets too much of the credit and not enough of the blame. A guy who gets special treatment from the coaches that no one else gets.

Jets players saw through him last year. Vikings players will see through it this year.

The national media won't. Not yet. They are still to in love with the Brett Favre of the past, the guy who 'just loves to play football' and all that nonsense.

I'm sure I'm not the only Jets fan that has this response:

I was never happy to see you come to the team. I was glad to see you retire after you fucked us the last half of the year. I am tired of your act, tired of the fawning media coverage, tired of people looking the other way while you throw bad pick after bad pick. I will be rooting for your embarrassment and failure in Minnesota, and hope both will be spectacular.

In closing, Brett Favre, the only balls you should get to play with are mine, with your tongue. May you only spend the money you earn from this contract on doctors.

The Vick Debate and the Deal or No Deal Paradox

2009-08-14T13:35:00.001-04:00

I love 24, I love Jack Bauer I despise torture. Whether it is for a vital purpose or for sport, I detest torture. I owe my inability to watch any of the dog fighting footage in the wake of the Vick arrest to my disaffection for torture and suffering. Consequently, I could never justify the actions of Michael Vick, they were not sport, they were not entertainment, they were pure torture.

When Vick was arrested there was an outcry from the inner cities and the rural south that dogfighting was a widely practiced acceptable part of the culture. The Vick case was instantly polarizing as it brought to the fore issues of race and class and the justice system as applied to celebrities, topics too tantalizing for the media to allow to pass without comment and exploitation. This lead to “shocking” exposes by many news organizations, usually during sweeps, outlining the atrocities and horrors visited upon these animals. Vick became the symbol of the evils visited upon the defenseless animals and was soon swept up in a wave of protesters, police and prosecutors all the while serving as fodder for mindless talk radio callers who posited that people who hurt people don’t go to jail, why should someone who injures an animal? That wave carried him from the Tobacco Roads of Virginia through the United States District Court to the Federal Penn in Leavenworth.

Upon finishing his sentence in Kansas and coming home to Virginia the Vick debate has raged. It is uncontroverted that he deserves a second chance because as we all know; America is all about second chances and comebacks. Just don’t tell that to Pee Wee Herman. The interesting debate is not whether he deserves a chance to play but rather if you were a team would you sign him.

It essentially boils down to the Deal or No Deal paradox, is the risk worth the reward. Certainly when he is healthy and fit three time Pro Bowler Vick will be able to contribute on the field at a high level. His skills are undeniable and unique, an elusive running quarterback with a rocket arm who has been successful in the playoffs. Don’t forget, he went into Lambeau and beat the Pack in the playoffs. He may even be that piece that can put a team over the top. But will the accompanying side show drain too much from the team to outweigh the talent surge?

Franchises are businesses; the NFL runs a successful business model when compared to other sports which is largely dependent on central, national television contracts to drive revenue. Each team, however, relies on sponsorships and advertising to augment the television money. Since 9/11 and Katrina each team has learned the importance of weaving themselves within the fabric of the community and made a more significant push by performing outreach activities and partnering with local charities. Teams legitimately worried that signing Vick would both detract from the bottom line and fray the ties woven by their community efforts. Protestors surely would line up, sponsors may drop out and there is no adequate method of measuring the potential negative impact the signing may have.

Regardless of the potential for disaster if you are a team that is a move or so away from being in contention for the Super Bowl you have to pull the trigger on the deal, the risk of negative publicity is clearly trumped by the athletic rewards. The Eagles are a perfect landing spot for Vick and he is the perfect addition for them. They will provide structure, leadership and an opportunity to prove himself under the glare of bright, hot lights. He provides the Eagles with a dynamic athlete who they can use in a multitude of ways and who could be the difference in close games.

He makes sense for the Eagles and vice versa because they don’t need him. They will most likely have to play at least a quarter of the season without him and when he returns he will be used in targeted packages designed to maximize his abilities. Had he gone to a team like Minnesota or the 49ers, while he would have had the structural integrity from the organization, the pressure to play right away and battle for the starting quarterback job would not have imbued benefits to Vick or the team. Allow him to reacclimate without pressure and unleash him on the league in manageable doses. Meanwhile he will have time to begin to repair his standing in the community through credible, targeted actions.

Most of Vick’s dogs have gotten their second chance and been rescued either into new homes or at dog sanctuaries where they can live out the rest of their lives without revisiting the pain and horrors inflicted on them and their brethren. Micheal Vick now embarks on his second chance, he must take heed because there won’t be a third.

10 Definitive Movies of the 1970’s

2009-08-10T11:35:00.001-04:00

To me this was the hardest decade to do, I feel the 70’s was the most outstanding decade when it came to quality movies.

Woodstock- Thank god someone decided to make a film about one of the seminal events of the century. This documentary takes you inside the event without any pretense or political commentary. Few documentaries can do that, especially about a politically motivated event and that is what makes it so brilliant.

MASH- Director Robert Altman’s irreverent look at war. Set during the Korean War, but made during the wildly unpopular Vietnam War this look at Army surgeons and how they used humor in order to deal with the war around them. A strong cast (Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Donald Sutherland and Robert Duvall) help make this movie entertaining and it spawned the most award winning sitcom of all time which cant be understated.

The Godfather I & II- Widely regarded as the best movie(s) ever made, Francis Fords Coppola’s look at mob boss and his family. Once again the cast helps make this movie what it was, Marlon Brando in his virtuoso performance as Don Vito Corleone. The second Godfather is easily the greatest sequel in movie history. Only Robert DeNiro could pull off the young Vito Corleone and match the performance of Brando.

Dog Day Afternoon- During this decade of gritty dramatic films set in big cities, based on a true story Sidney Lumet’s tale of a bank robbery gone wrong is a masterpiece. I still think to this day it is Al Pacino’s best performance as the confused bi-sexual bank robber who needs money for his boyfriends sex change operation. John Cazale lends heart and warmth to the movie as Pacino’s inept partner.

Rocky- The true underdog story, and while this concept has been explored in many movies, especially sports movies none did so as well as Rocky. Written by Stallone himself after witnessing the Chuck Wepner/Muhammed Ali fight and directed by John G. Alvidsen the movie brings you into the world of a down on his luck boxer turned small time thug. His million to one shot becomes a chance for him to prove himself, that chance the resonates in all of us.

Star Wars- As for the story and some of the acting this movie doesn’t really stand up, especially compared to Empire, but for what it did for film making it has to be on any list. George Lucas completely remade cinema with the amount of work and detail he spent on set design, sound, special effects and merchandising; the last of which he was a complete visionary in when he negotiated to have the sole merchandising rights for the movie.

Halloween- One of the great original slasher films. It has everything: a diabolical madman, a scream queen, little kids being spooked and a maniac chasing the killer. Halloween still to this day scares the pants off of me and many others. The eerie music and that slow methodical pace that Michael Myers walks with make the movie so creepy.

Jaws- Mistakenly this turned into one of the scariest movies ever made. Many people still get spooked about swimming in the ocean because of this movie. Steven Spielberg had to use all his cinematic tricks to make you a believe a man eating shark was there, even though the mechanical shark on set barely worked. The trick of not showing the shark but using the music to represent him was brilliant. Combine that with a legendary performance from the great Robert Shaw and you have the invention of the summer blockbuster, a staple in the movie industry now.

Animal House- The classic comedy. One of the original movies from the people of National Lampoon it still stand today as the start of the gonzo typr comedies. The biggest comedic star of the decade along with a cast and crew that would all go on to become highly successful in television and movies including guys like Kevin Baco, Tim Matheson, Bruce McGill and John Landis.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- In my opinion Jack Nicholson’s best performance, and that is saying something. I think this film really epitomizes the entire decade and the real gritty film making and story telling that made this the best decade for movies. The interaction between all the inmates and the Nicholson and Nurse Ratchet’s tension make this one of my favorite movies to watch over and over.

Other Considerations- Midnight Express, The Buddy Holly Story, Saturday Night Fever, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstien, Murder on the Orient Express, Save the Tiger, The Sting, Deliverance, Apocoplypse Now, Breaking Away, The Deer Hunter, Annie Hall, All the Presidents Men, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Taxi Driver, Nashville, Mean Streets, Chinatown, The Exorcist, American Graffiti, Last Tango in Paris, The French Connection, The Last picture Show, Five Easy Pieces, Dirty Harry, High Plains Drifter, Patton.

Wow, what a fucking decade

10 Defining Movies of the 1980’s

2009-08-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

The Empire Strikes Back- The second of 6 installments of this franchise and still the best. Conceptualized by George Lucas but directed by veteran Irvin Kershner, Empire stands as the quintessential sci-fi movies of its generation. Much darker than the original and much better acted in as the movie provides more depth than the first Star Wars.

Raiders of the Lost Ark- Again a Lucas concept but directed by the more skillful eye of Steven Spielberg. A great action adventure with a throwback swashbuckling hero in Indiana Jones this movie brought to life the seriel comics of the 50’s. A movie that spawned four sequels its detail to history with its fictional search for the ark provides for the best action movie of the decade.

Raging Bull- Martin Scorsese took a sports movie and turned it into a work of art. His masterful skill to see things unlike any other director takes us through the up and down life journey of a self destructive boxer. He takes this unreeling character of Jake Lamotta and makes him almost sympathetic.

E.T.- Steven Spielberg’s summer blockbuster about a lonely alien who finds his spaceship crashed on earth. A series of unforgettable scenes and one unforgettable line make this a rewatchable classic. Seen mostly through the eyes of children was a brilliant move in direction for Spielberg.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior- Coming from the land down under, not particularly known for its outstanding filmmaking, this action/drama introduced Mel Gibson to mainstream audiences. A wonderfully shot and edited movie in the post apocalyptic Australia is an action movie with style and substance which makes it a classic.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?- Clearly the most revolutionary movie in terms of direction/art direction of its time. The seamlessness of real actors and cartoon characters make this a visually stunning movie, plus the story works on so many level. Robert Zemeckis did a wonderful job directing this comedy/adventure in the style only he can.

Do the Right Thing- I guess this would be the “indy” movie of this decade. Spike Lee brought us this tale of boiled over racism in a mixed community in Brooklyn. Written and directed by Lee with precision in highlighting the differences between the races but that our prejudices are all the same, and perhaps the best cast in an independent movie (Ossie Davis, Danny Aeillo, Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, John Tuturro, Robin Harris, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence and Frank Vincent).

Roger & Me- Much like the “indy” series, one documentary defines a decade of movies. This first ever of this type of documentary by Moore I still believe is his most powerful. He does a great job of highlighting the corruption and greed that helped cripple the auto industry in Flint, his hometown. A definite in any film class on how to make powerful documentary subject.

Back to the Future- One of the most re-watchable movies of any decade. An unforgettable performance by Christopher Lloyd, a creative concept and the one of the 80’s biggest stars come together in this wonderfully written and directed comedy by Robert Zemeckis. It was the typical mid 80’s feel good movie.

Bull Durham- Still one of the best sports movies ever. A interesting concept written semi-autobiographically by Ron Shelton about his time as a minor leaguer. Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner have great chemistry and Susan Saradon is “the straw that stirs the drink”(thanks Reggie). A loveable and re-watchable classic.

Das Boot, Risky Business, This is Spinal Tap, The Color Purple, Stand By Me, Platoon, Broadcast News, Caddyshack, Say Anything, Born on the 4th of July, Field of Dreams, Chariots of Fire, The Big Chill, The Karate Kid, Rain Man.

10 Defining Movies of the 1990’s

2009-08-04T08:47:00.001-04:00

American History X- One of the most provocative movies of the decade and one of the most well acted in by Edward Norton. The use of black and white footage during the flashback scenes to accentuate the racism that is the movies main theme heightened the intensity. A movie of redemption that doesn’t end in the typical Hollywood fashion.

Boy’s Don’t Cry- Hilary Swanks performance in this low budget film resonated with audiences. This was a tough movie to make, even at a time where gay/lesbian/transgendered rights were beginning to be more accepted. This film broke down barriers which allowed for movies like Brokeback Mountain and Trans-America to be made.

Saving Private Ryan- The summer blockbuster brought to life World War II in a way no other film has been able to capture. Spielberg combined all his best filmmaking elements in this, his opus. This was also the height of Tom Hanks career capturing the everyman soldier (as only he could), while holding together this obtuse story of a squad sent to save one soldier and questioning the orders they receive.

The Shawshank Redemption- Perhaps the most rewatchable movie of all time. Don’t say you know the ending either; when the warden ripped away that poster it turned into maybe the best 15-20 minutes of a movie ever. At the end it is a tale of enduring friendship and that connected with audiences.

Pulp Fiction- Quentin Tarantino’s sorted tale of two gangsters and the intertwined lives of other unforgettable characters leads to plenty of violence, cursing and surprising comedy. Written with the same razor sharp wit as Reservoir Dogs, (which I am more partial too) Pulp Fiction has stood the test of time because of its great quotes and unique (at the time) music.

Philadelphia- Again at a time when AIDS seemed to be everywhere and we as a nation were fairly uneducated about it, the story of Andrew Beckett being fired for having the disease humanized for it everyone. Powerhouse performances by Hanks and Denzel Washington as well as Hanks memorable Oscar speech make this a definitive movie for any era.

Though I didn’t want to put numbers on these movies, I feel these last four are a notch above the other 6 in this decade.

Hoop Dreams- A moving tale of two young men who dreamed of stardom on the hardwood. Having all the advantages on the court with talent, off the court the lives of the families is what brings this documentary to life. It shows life in the inner city as never really portrayed on film, especially in a non fiction fashion.

Boyz in the Hood- What Hoop Dreams did in the non fiction realm, Boyz did in the dramatic realm. The story of gangs and violence in inner city Los Angeles spawned and entire genre of films, that correlated socially with the rise and popularity of rap music and the hip hop culture, not many movies can claim that.

Schindler’s List- The most open look at the Holocaust ever put on film. Spielberg throughout all the rules in filmmaking when tackling this enormously difficult topic. The images in this film are so visually and emotionally powerful. Also a trio or performances rarely seen by Ben Kingsley, Liam Neeson, and Ralph Fiennes.

Goodfellas- Ummmm…..there really isn’t much to be said here. Martin Scorsese continually tops himself, and with this film its no different. Classic lines, scenes, performances, and soundtrack make this the most definitive film of its era.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS- The Hunt for Red October, Silence of the Lambs, JFK, Unforgiven, The Fugitive, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Leaving La Vegas, The Usual Suspects, Boogie Nights, Titanic, When We Were Kings, Three Kings, Good Will Hunting, The Sixth Sense, The Insider, Clerks

10 Definitive Movies of the 00’s

2009-08-03T09:07:00.001-04:00

Okay so after listening to a podcast the other day it got me thinking about the definitive movie of the decade. The two hosts debated back and forth about “Almost Famous” and “The Dark Knight.” While I don’t necessarily agree I can see the points they were making. Again the films must contain three main qualities; Excellence, Originality and the most important Rewatchability. I think when people mention great movies they don’t take into account true ability to rewatch something over and over (which is my problem with most of the seminal comedies of this decade, but that’s another debate).

Again I think the word definitive is slightly different than “best.” I am not sure how to define it, but I think there is a quality in a movie that makes it definitive and think most of that is the originality portion.

So here is the top 10, in no particular order:

GLADIATOR- The sweeping epic that opened the decade with a Russell Crowe roar. Everything about this movie was classic, a story only to be matched by the extraordinary sets and acting, combined with an action packed moving soundtrack. This movie redefined the blockbuster genre and has yet to be matched this decade.

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?- The quintessential Coen brothers project. Taking the classic poem “The Odyssey” and turning it into a period piece is a source of originality never before broached, and done with terrific precision. The performances help bring this movie to life and make it a great comedy.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR- One of the most original film of all time, and clearly the best “indy” of the decade. The wonderous story of comic book writer Harvey Pekar this film weaves an intricate series of real life and fictionalized scenes with an ease that never confuses the story or the viewer.

KILL BILL- Just when Tarantino was getting stale he reinvented himself with this series. An ode to the martial arts movies of the 70’s genre with a twist of modern film making. Tarantino combined these elements through a terrific story make this one of the best and definitive movie of the 00’s.

HOTEL RWANDA- In a politically sensitive time this filmed dared to tell the story of a heroic Rwandan hotel manager who housed refugees during the height of the conflict in Rwanda. This gripping true story wraps its arms around the conflict and brings us inside the horrors of the war that most of the world ignored. A film that certainly opened the eyes of viewers as much as any in the decade

PAN’S LABYRINTH- Visionary directing by Guillermo Del Toro brings us inside fascist Spain through the eyes of a little girl. The girl escapes the realties into a strange fantasy land filled with fascinating characters. Easily the directors best work and a film where I discover new things every time I watch it

THE DEPARTED- Yes the plot and story was taken from a fine Japanese movie called “Infernal Affairs”, however Scorsese expanded on that story and used his masterful skill as a director to make this an unforgettable classic. A wonderful ensemble cast, a great story and the unforgettable eye of Scorsese landed him his first ever best directing Oscar (long overdue).

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA- Clint Eastwood has become the most consistent director of the decade. Iwo Jima brought to life the Japanese struggle during the fight for the Pacific. Using series of letters written by Japanese soldiers to their families Eastwood turned this into a heartfelt tale of defeat and remorse unlike many war films.

THE DARK KNIGHT- This is the second film in the new incarnation of the caped crusader (I don’t understand this reinterpretation at all but) is a dark brooding masterpiece by Christopher Nolan. This summer blockbuster lived up to the hype mainly due to the performances of the vastly underrated Christian Bale and the final performance of the now late Heath Ledger.

WALL-E- During this time where animated movies have become the norm, Pixar the mainstay in this genre out did themselves with WALL-E. Not just a cartoonish movie this brings to life character and themes that could be in any science fiction movie which make it a viable movie for parents and children alike.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS- Almost Famous, The Contender, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Black Hawk Down, Minority Report, Y Tu Mama Tambian, Frida, Lost in Translation, Million Dollar Baby, Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Murderball, Batman Begins, Juno, The Kite Runner, Frost/Nixon.

Check back all week; Tuesday the 90’s, Wednesday the 80’s, Thursday the 70’s and Friday the top 10 decades by a single actor of the same era 70’s-00’s,

Game 73 - Yankees 4, Mets 2

2009-06-28T23:11:00.003-04:00

This day started with me headed south to my sister's place to meet my friend Dru, driving up from Sarasota for the briefest of stays. In fact, he was in the city of Atlanta for about a total of 5 hours.

Fortunately for him, 3.5 of that was spent in Turner Field. Well, fortunately if you are a Braves fan since that's who eventually won the game.

Let's run through the highlights.

- Pretty good peanuts, but not worth $6.25.

- Pretty good seats for the upper deck, especially since they were shaded from the outset on a very sunny day that would reach about 94 degrees in the sun.

- Walked around the the patio/bar in center field, had a Sam Adams and watched an inning with a decent view, but the sun beating down.

- Walked behind home plate in the concourse, next to a guy that paid $20 to stand while we paid two dollars less to sit and then walk to where he was and stand next to him.

- With the Sox down to their last out and Mike Gonzalez with two strikes on the batter, some idiot decided that was the time to run onto the field. The problem was, however, that instead of heading for center field and prolonging his 15 seconds of fame, he decided he was a SEC running back and tried to cut back between the two security guards that followed him on the field from the left-field line.

Idiot.

As for the Mets, I'm not even gonna dignify that horrible monstrosity with a response. Sloppy play in the first inning to allow three runs. Horrible at-bats against a struggling Wang and didn't take advantage of the few opportunities they had.

Let's not even get on nine walks in the final four innings, including Frankie walking Mo Riveria with the bases loaded.

To quote the immortal Jay-Z, what more can I say?

Game 72 - Yankees 5, Mets 0

2009-06-27T22:16:00.002-04:00

The way this team is playing, the Mets management should hire Harry Doyle.

No, not Bob Uecker, but the fictional character from one of the greatest sports movies of all time.

BTW, Slumdog Millionaire was amazing and Taken is cool cuz Liam is wiling to shoot a man's wife at her dinner table for information.

I'll be at Turner Field tomorrow to watch Brad Penny (I think) vs. Tommy Hanson, then come home and prey my wife lets me watch Livan Hernandez vs. C-Ming Wang.

Game 71 - Yankees 9, Mets 1

2009-06-27T10:16:00.002-04:00

I've got nothing to say about this game.

Call it a result of morning Michael Jackson.

Or that CC vs. Pelfrey isn't a fair fight, so to speak.

Or that this was a close game and then the Yanks pulled away late and after warming up with taking two out of three from the Braves, their offense is on point right now.

Add to that the fact that Ryan Church started in center because Manuel didn't trust putting two lefties in the lineup against a lefty pitcher and you've got the formula for a loss.

Did I mention three errors?

Can't do that today with Tim Redding on the mound. He'll need all the help he can get.

Game 70 - Mets 3, Cardinals 2

2009-06-25T22:42:00.003-04:00

So much has happened since I kept track of this game on my cell phone with 15 second refreshers on the box score ESPN page and then sent off my last text to Josh, my Cards fan friend to rub in taking 3 of 4 from the NL Central leaders with a completed depleted roster, including a shutout led by an Astros retread making only his third major league start...

First, I found out that Farrah Fawcett died and thinking back, the only thing about her career that makes a blip on the radar would be this photo.
Must have been cold that day at the shoot, huh?

Then I watched some of the draft and looked quizically at the screen when I noticed that the T-wolves took Ricky Rubio, Jonny Glynn and Ty Lawson. How did they get three, actually four first round picks? Why would they spend three of them on point guards? They can't imagine going that small with Rubio and Glynn, can they? I will say this - It certainly opened my eyes and got me to start talking about Minnesota.

Then I heard the news that Michael Jackson died at the age of 50.

I understand as news media outlets, they must talk about the last five to ten years and the legal cases, to which the man was never found guilty. But to do that takes away from the 30 years of Jackson being a musical genius and world icon.

Michael Jackson. Dead.

Pelfrey vs. somebody in The Citi Friday night, I don't really know what else to say.

Game 69 - Mets 11, Cardinals 0

2009-06-24T22:04:00.002-04:00

I could talk about Fernando Nieve moving to 3-0 with another quality performance, even though they took him out after six innings...

Then again, they were up 7-0 at the time.

How about the big bats showing up for a blowout win? Granted, they were facing Bobby Thompson or someone like that. Point being, it wasn't Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright...

The bigger point is without our resident college basketball expert, Mr. Kris, this site won't be able to give its readers (all two of you and Thanks Mom for your support) a quality 2009 NBA Draft coverage.

I can direct all you NBA fans to Disciples of Cylde for their thoughts on it. Only problem with that is the fact that most everyone that pods that cast hates college basketball.

Let's start at the top with the Clippers and Blake Griffin. As someone who actually watches and loves college basketball, I can say that I actually never watched Oklahoma play. I heard about Griffin during the year and it only led to my belief that big men from the Big 12 are usually highly overrated. Biggest case in point is Marcus Fizer, an Iowa State product who led his team to the Elite 8 with Teaneck's own Mike "Boogeyman" Nurse and completely fizzed out at the next level.

However, when I talked to Kris about Griffin, he said "He's got the athletic ability of Amare (of the Suns) with another 25 pounds of muscle. He's an athletic freak."

I hear all that and watched a brief draft preview on ESPN and the thing they said is Griffin needs to work on his post game and defense. When I hear that, I hear he'll prosper in a quality team environment. That is not the Clippers, so I'll stand by this statement - Tyler Hansborough will have a better career than Griffin.

Tyler may be 24 and not have a lot of "upside", but he's also gonna hit a 15-foot jumper, he's gonna get to the foul line, can defend his position and will give you nothing but effort every time you call his number.

In my opinion, this draft will fill rosters with rotation guys and average players deep on the bench. I don't see any breakthrough players here. Hasheem Thabeet is tall and that's about it. He'll block shots and grab tall person rebounds, but is that worth a top 5 pick?

Stephen Curry is gonna be a great player in the right system. Kris said he reminds him of Hersey Hawkins. A quality guard you can't leave alone behind the line that won't hurt you with stupid moves on or off the court.

I'm the wrong person to ask about Jonny Flynn, mostly because he went to Syracuse. But he is a scorer and can push the ball from the point. Drawback is he's barely 6-1 and hasn't been asked to play man to man defense from that 2-3 zone. But a reported 40-inch vertical makes him an interesting pick wherever he goes.

I'm not sold on Jreu Holliday, Gerald Henderson or DeJuan Blair, mostly because the Pitt power forward is 6-7 and won't be able to push around players in the post as easily as he did in the Big East.

I keep hearing how Ty Lawson is gonna drop down to the middle of the first round. I'm curious why. Was he too good leading the Tar Heels to the national championship? Was it too obvious that UNC struggled without him at the point? Did he not show a great ability to get to the hole, push the ball and distribute? If Flynn's height isn't an issue, why would Lawson's?

As I said before, this draft will be full of players that will fill roster spots for years but I don't think anyone here will be a All-Star game lock. Maybe a couple in the Slam Dunk contest or 3-point shootout, but the actual game? I think not.

I think I would like to find a bar or television set with Extra Innings Thursday afternoon when the Mets-Cards series ends with Carpenter vs. Santana. Can't wait to watch the highlights on the 6 p.m. ScoreCenter.

More importantly, it seems that will be the time to hear about all the trades as NBA GM's realize there's nothing much to gain from this draft and move pieces around with what they already have...

Wow. I almost got through an entire post about the draft and didn't mention Ricky Rubio. Here's the main thing about him, regardless of where he goes - HE'S 18 YEARS OLD AND HAS BEEN PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS.

While Brandon Jennings went to Italy for the money and because he wouldn't have qualified to attend Arizone, Rubio has been playing against grown men for the past four years.

He may be thin, but he's still got time to grow and work out. The biggest thing will be getting out of his current contract, but someone will get it done and he'll be lighting up highlight reels in the fall.

Game 68 - Cardinals 3, Mets 0

2009-06-24T00:14:00.002-04:00

Actually, the score for this game could have read:

Joel Pinero 1, Mets 0

Or how about?

Joel Pinero's hits 2, Mets hits 2

I guess this is the type of stuff I should get used to, but that Joel guy has our number, at least lately. Anytime he faces us, he seems to dominate for a average guy on a good team.

Either way, I could use a Harry Doyle line here, but a ninth inning single throws off teh "One hit. All we got was one God damn hit?!"

I'm going to sleep like the Mets' bats did tonight. Maybe they'll wake up for Fernando Nieve and he'll improve to 3-0. Then again, I wouldn't anticipate it.

Game 67 - Mets 6, Cardinals 4

2009-06-22T22:37:00.002-04:00

Able to get a big win tonight before a national crowd...

Add to that, got to hear proof of how much of a moron Steve Phillips is. The fact he still gets credit for David Wright, like noticing a gap-hitting third baseman with a good glove was hard...

He was talking about how Redding didn't have anything to worry about after Pujos cracked a laser past David Wright for a double. How Redding should throw a curve to Ludwig and then we all watched when he crushed that same pitch, the one that Phillips called for, for a 2-run homer to get the Red birds within one...

But what was even better was the Mets getting another run in the next frame. Did you know the Mets as a team, without Delgado and Reyes and now Beltran (who didn't see this coing?), are second in the NL in batting and on-base percentage?

They pounded out 14 hits, four by Omir Santos himself, but I was most impressed with Daniel Murphy. He's up to .254 now, but it's clear that he's a bit more comfortable about everything. The kid can hit and I just hope he's able to stay in the lineup...

On a completely separate note, I was tricked into a Facebook page. I can see why the world is on it, what with the ability to see pictures of people you haven't thought about in years and send a short message about whatever you just did (Or is that Twitter?).

I really shouldn't say anything bad about it because I was on for a lot longer than I wanted to be...but I also pay way too much attention to Mets baseball and I don't see this battling with that.

Anyway, good win. Gotta go back out tomorrow and get another one with Livan Hernandez on the hill.

Game 66 - Rays 10, Mets 6

2009-06-21T21:04:00.002-04:00

This is the fourth straight series loss for the Amazing and amazingly, they are actually closer to first place then they were when this down streak started...

It's been a strange season and it's only gonna get worse before it shows any signs of getting better.

I mean, David Wright is batting .349, but there's not a Met fan alive who really looks forward to him at the plate late in a game with a runner on second base...And he's batting about .330 in those situations.

Carlos Beltran leads us in homers with EIGHT, but is slugging .527 and will be taking an MRI on Monday for a knee that if it goes out, you might as well call it a season...

Then again, you would think with all the injuries and the failed experiments like Daniel Murphy (I still think the kid can hit, but they didn't just leave him in the lineup. Instead making sure to get Fernando Tatis some at-bats...Huh?) and the whole corner outfield platoon (Cuz for as great at Sheffield has been, he's batting the same as Ryan Church (.276) although with significantly more RBIs)...

Did I fail to mention Luis Castillo, who's hot start has allowed him to cool off at .270 with a .365 OBP. The 34 runs are decent for a top of the lineup guy, and it's just enough to make us forget that we could have had Orlando Hudson (.315 BA, .388 OBP, 43 runs scored) as late at Valentine's Day for as little as 4 million a year.

But that's revisionist history because that would have meant either finding a taker for Castillo, coming off his worst year ever, or eating the rest of his amazingly lucrative contract for being a slap No. 2 hitter with a pretty good glove at 2B. If you make the move five years ago, no one blinks an eye. Then again, that's when Luis was hitting .296, five points higher than his career average...

Sit on that for a second and then think about the fact that right now, the best three pitchers on the team are Johan Santana, Livan Hernandez and Fernando Nieve...

And the bullpen, which has been top of the heap all year, has gone into the tank with Bobby Parnell hitting the first major rough patch of his young career. The kid was untouchable for a while, but in 2/3 of an inning against the Rays (he pitched in all three games) the flame-thrower allowed six runs (all earned) on seven hits with just one strike out.

He also got roughed up by Baltimore, so it's either the American League can hit the fastball or he's hit his first wall. Either way, his struggles have made the loss of J.J. Putz visiable. Parnell was supposed to pitch the eighth, but now who do you turn to? Sean Green? Feliciano? It's a tough question to answer with anything that breeds confidence...

And with all that negativity, with all the problems and interesting numbers like Wright has 88 hits and 69 strikeouts in 252 at bats. Do the math people, that's 157 over 252, so I can say with certainty that D-Wright will either get a hit or strikeout 3/5 of the time.

Those aren't great numbers and yet, that's what they are and the numbers don't lie. We're still only two games back of first place. Then again, we're going into a series against the Cardinals with Tim Redding starting on Monday Night Baseball on ESPN.

That's the best face for a national showcase, your No. 5B starter.

Game 65 - Rays 3, Mets 1

2009-06-21T07:09:00.002-04:00

Hate to lose a Santana start, especially when he pitches well.

Hate to miss a game on national TV, especially when I don't have MLB Network right now and the ace is on the mound.

It was the type of baseball game I love, but I was with people I "love" more.

Either way, it's clear this team is just trying to tread water until something happens. Whether that is Reyes coming back, Perez returning as a dominant force in the rotation or Minaya making a trade is still to be determined.

The schedule and rotation determines that Mike Pelfrey goes today in hopes of capturing a series for the first time in over a week. That's important to me on Father's Day.

Game 64 - Mets 5, Rays 3

2009-06-19T23:12:00.002-04:00

A good solid win, simple and plain.

Another quality start from Fernando Nieve. It's still early, but we might have found a replacement until John Maine and/or Oliver Perez get healthy. Just like Livan, I'm not looking for Satchel Paige every time out, but six innings plus with less than three runs will get to the pen, which is another story...

With the injury to Putz and the revelation that Bobby Parnell and his 98 MPH fastball are actually human has put this pen into flux, to say the least.

Tonight, Parnell allowed two runners in the seventh, then Feliciano allowed a two-run double to allow Tampa to get close. Sean Green allowed runners in the eighth, but with two on, he struck out the next two to get out of the jam.

Frankie returned to Hollywood in the ninth and I almost forgot about Ryan Church's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to plate the extra run. Similar to David Wright's double in the third to plate another run. It's the ones like that that win ball games and get teams within two games of first.

This division is wide open right now. The Flithies are struggling because their lack of starting pitching is finally catching up to them. The Marlins will probably turn it on come August, but right now they are barely treading water. And I'm not even going to respect the Braves enough to finish...

This is our chance to jump up and get some right now. Which means the Saturday start by Johan on Fox Saturday baseball is a big one. It's a game that I would really like to see us win for more than just the win. It would give us the series, it would put the pressure on the Flithies and with just 98 games left you can't give away anything.

Game 63 - Orioles 5, Mets 4

2009-06-18T22:55:00.002-04:00

Frankie finally blew one.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Just a shame it had to take place today with the Flithies getting swept by the Jays and a chance to move just two games back...

Nevertheless, couple of good things. Ryan Church with a big hit and Daniel Murphy with a clutch double to score a run late and give them the lead.

Shame to see David Wright struggle like he did, but he was also white-hot for about two weeks so there was eventually gonna be a cooling off period.

Another quality start from Livan, who reached the seventh inning and is giving nothing but innings from the bottom of the rotation...

I haven't mentioned anything about Sammy Sosa cuz I'm still trying to formulate my thoughts, but I do know that I'm sick and tired of "leaked" information. It's just annoying and that's coming from a journalist.

I don't fault them. I fault the lawyers that gave up the goods and I hope they all get disbarred and outcast from the profession. But something tells me that's not gonna happen.

Something tells me that Fernando Nieve won't pitch as well as he did last time out against the Yankees, but you never know and I can only hope for the best...

Game 62 - Orioles 6, Mets 4

2009-06-17T22:13:00.002-04:00

I don't like putting the blame on the manager for any one loss, not with 25 guys that are actually between the lines playing the game...

However...

This one, and I hope at least the beat writers beat on this point for the Thursday edition, should fall completely at the feet of Jerry Manuel.

Let me start by saying that he seems to have this team on his side and deals with the media well, both very important things when coaching in New York.

Howevr, he's been harped on about being a bad game manager and tonight was proof positive.

The Mets were down 4-2 when they loaded the bases with one out. Alex Cora walked to force in a run and due up was rookie Fernando Martinez.

I don't care what he's done in the past game, past couple of weeks, none of that matters. With one out and the bases loaded, what's the one thing that can kill a rally dead?

Martinez is a young hitter and he might have struck out in that spot, but with his speed it was gonna be tough to double him up. Plus, if he does K, Beltran is behind him in the lineup and you have one more shot.

Needless to say, Manuel turned to a different Fernando. Tatis, that is who promptly grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Now, you have killed your rally AND weakened your defense by putting a career infielder into left field, replacing a guy who if he's up for anything it's for speed and outfield defense.

All in all, it's a crappy move. I'm sure you could argue that Tatis is better equipped to make contact or drive the ball to the outfield to plate at least one run, but he's also prone to get doubled up. All in all, it was just a real stupid move and it backfired.

And with Scott Richmond (on my fantasy team, by the way) shutting down the Flithies, we squandered an opportunity to move within two games of the top of the division.

Now I've got to pin my hopes on Livan Hernandez (5-1, 4.33 ERA) to make sure we don't lose our third straight series.

Game 61 - Mets 6, Orioles 4

2009-06-17T06:34:00.002-04:00

Did you know that David Wright is leading the league in hitting, batting about .360?

Did you also know that he's adjusted his swing to aim towards the gaps due to the depth of Citi Field?

How about the fact that Fernando Martinez is likely gonna stay up with the big club for the rest of the year?

That would mean that between Martinez and Bobby Parnell, we've pretty much drained our minor league system of any big-league ready talent...

That's a sad state, but I've got to hope that the lower levels are stacked. But then again, the majority of those players are a crap shoot anyway. Just like anyone that not in the big leagues...

As for the game, gotta love Frankie in the ninth, that Pelfrey (there's another young prospect up and playing right now) was able to pick up a win despite not getting out of the sixth and with the Flithies loss to the Blue Jays, we're only three games out...

But if you want to listen to reports that the sky is falling, be my guest.

Me, I'll just hope that Tim Redding, who did go seven strong last time out, can outpitch the O's Japanese import.

Game 60 - Yankees 15, Mets 0

2009-06-15T00:15:00.002-04:00

Believe what you want to, but I tuned out of this game in about the fourth inning...

That was after Johan Santana proved to be mortal, or remembered that it wasn't the second half of the season so he couldn't spot his fastball well enough to set up the change...

It was 4-0 and the Mets, to their credit, came right back and loaded the bases against an erratic A.J. Burnett, who also couldn't spot his fastball. Then Alex Cora got up and held his swing on a wicked slider, but the third base ump punched him out.

I screamed and my wife came to comfort me, but I knew that was the beginning of the end. Burnett remembered that his slider was absolutely disgusting today and used it to strike out Castillo, then Beltran lined out to short and the inning was over.

An inning where they should have scored at least once, if not twice, ended with another blank slate and I was done.

It reminded me what I wrote after Friday night's game, that I can't wait for the NFL season to begin if I'm gonna have to go through this for the rest of the summer...

I could look on the bright side - the fact that despite a 2-4 week against two of the best teams in all of baseball we're only four games behind the Flithies, but there's not much to hold onto there...

How about it's another year of woulda, coulda, shoulda...We shoulda won two of three from the Flithies, we coulda taken two of three from the Yankess, we woulda been about a game out headed into an offday and a trip to Baltimore...

But that's the problem, dealing every year with all these things that didn't and don't happen. And this just isn't the past two seasons. You could go back to 2006, when they did win the NL East and went through the dramatics of that NLCS...

I could go back a decade to the Bobby Valentine years and missing the playoffs by a couple of games in 1998 by losing five straight to close the season including a three-game sweep in the ATL...

Wow, I had totally forgot that.

I'm gonna go to bed now, a little more sad that I really needed to be.

Game 59 - Mets 6, Yankees 2

2009-06-13T20:56:00.002-04:00

This is the standard this season, huh?

They have a horrible loss, one that would decimate any other team, is washed away. David Wright has a couple of clutch hits, adding to his league-leading batting average. Gary Sheffield proves his bat speed is still there with a no-doubt blast...

And we ride three Fernando's to a gut-check win in the Table Tennis field in the Bronx.

And if Johan Santana goes out tomorrow, like he is Johan Santana, and we pull out a victory over the Bombers...

Well, that would be a 3-3 split against the Flithies and the Yanks with a decimated roster. That would be a good sign since they're headed for rougher waters and would be something for Mets fans nationwide to hold their head up high about...

Then again, if the Yanks pound Santana into the dirt like a punk, I;lll be left to cry myself to sleep.

Game 58 - Yankees 9, Mets 7

2009-06-12T23:05:00.002-04:00

I thought I was bad after yesterday's loss. Now I'm just sick to my stomach.

I sent out a text moments after watching the high (or low) lights on ESPN, the same one I'll see replayed over and over on Fox for Saturday's game and on TBS for Sunday's game and mentioned in every columnists article in tomorrow's papers across the Tri-State area and probably brought back up in a couple of weeks when they're either close to the Phillies after this long stretch of tough games or when they're 12 back after facing this gauntlet of a schedule...

It's losses like this that make me want to forget about the baseball season entirely and just wait for NFL training camps to open up. That make me look forward to serving as a freelancer covering high school football games and tossing my Friday nights out the window for $75 a shot.

It's pathetic and there's very little that can be said. Frankie did his job, the team did their job and David Wright, who's batting over .360 right now by the way, came through in a clutch situation against one of the best closers in the game, in a tight spot like the same one Met fans like myself have been critiquing him about for the past two seasons...

Note: Mo Riveria is the greatest closer of all time, but right now in 2009 he's just one of the best. No longer the hands down best and there's really no argument about this.

As for the ninth, you had to know that Derek Jeter would get a hit. That was without question cuz that's what he does against us. But the intentional walk to Tex was surprising. Then again, all the hate all you Yankee fans have for A-Rod only helped any Met fans resolve about the final outcome.

See, if Castillo catches the ball, the columns would remind the reader how much of a choke A-Rod is in big games and how the Yankees are slipping right now. They might have even remembered that Joba didn't make it to the fifth inning on a night when the bullpen really needed a rest.

Instead, they'll all write about how the Mets are finding new ways to lose and with Fernando Nieve on the mound, on national television no less, how Omar needs to go and find a new starter. How this team was horribly made up and what is this guy doing on the mound in such a pressure situation.

I'm sure someone will mention how they needed rookies like Johnathon Niese and Brandon Knight down the stretch last year and what's the problem with the team's minor leagues that the best they could come up with is a former relief pitcher they picked up for nothing after the Astros decided they didn't need him to help them be four games under .500...

I don't even know if I'll try to make the time to watch tomorrow's game after this. And even as I type this, I know I'll be looking for an empty TV set around 4 p.m. because I love the pain.

Maybe my wife should find a paddle and one of those straps with the ball for my mouth.

Game 57 - Phillies 6, Mets 3 (10 innings)

2009-06-12T00:17:00.003-04:00

I'm just disappointed right now.

Mets found a way to lose. In extra innings, no doubt. Even with Tim Redding going seven strong innings no less...

Then I stayed up and instead of reading my library book, The Watchmen, I watched the Magic figure out a way to give up another game and end the NBA Finals with another overtime loss.

At least I can hang my happy hat on the fact that today, I used a company vehicle to complete a task that was just for me...

So maybe this was my punishment. Maybe I had to suffer, that the worry the rest of the trip about me losing my job wasn't enough.

Life sucks that way and something tells me that the Yankees are gonna make life suck for John Maine in that matchbox of a stadium in the Bronx.

Game 56 - Phillies 5, Mets 4 (11 innings)

2009-06-10T23:36:00.002-04:00

First and foremost, what a game...

I really felt I could start again with that, especially since I feel about the opposite. They managed to leave 15 men on base, including 88 in the final four innings.

OK, it felt like 88 but it was just eight.

Painful to listen to, but I did.

And now I'm tired. And scared I have to depend on Tim Redding in the rubber game of this series.

Jeez, Tim Redding.

Game 55 - Mets 6, Phillies 5

2009-06-09T21:58:00.002-04:00

First and foremost, what a game.

I was lucky enough to get a clear signal on my XM and listened to a large majority of it and all I can say is, what a game.

The scary thing is the amount of runs the Mets left on the board. Ryan Church failed to bring home a runner from third with one out. There were others who had similar at-bats and it took a RBI double from Johan Santana to put them back up...

Granted, that was after Santana had given up a couple of home runs to give up the lead, the killer was a two-run bomb by Jimmy Rollins.

There were seven home runs in the game, a new Citi Field record. What that really says is when you pull the ball, you can hit it out. It's the gappers that will hold. what that says about Church's homer in the seventh, I'll soon see on Baseball Tonight...

After I put Naomi down...

And now, I've sat down in front of a Magic lead in the fourth quarter of game three, so I'll leave it with this - In this series, we have to win at least two of the three games.

One down, Pelfrey has to pitch better today and we'll go from there.

Game 54 - Mets 7, Nationals 0

2009-06-07T19:14:00.002-04:00

So the Mets end a 12-game run against the "lower end" of the National League with a 7-5 record. After winning 5-of-6 at home, the Pirates swept them at PNC and they took 2-of-3 from the gNats...

Speaking of which, with a 5-1 record and a 3.88 ERA to date with 67 innings pitched in the No. 5 hole, how great of a signing for next to nothing was Livan Hernandez? He's not the next coming of Tom Terrific (Mr. Seaver to the rest of you) but he's doing nothing but getting the job done and providing innings, especially when he's against the "lower end"...

They socred five in the first against the immortal John Stammen and just held on. Could have increased the lead a couple of times, but what's done is done and now they get an off-day before the mid-season stretch that will likely determine how much of a player Omar will need to be before the trade deadline.

The biggest thing is not the Subway Series. In fact, I think with that Wiffle Ball Bronx home, it means even less. No, the biggest series to date will start Tuesday when Johan Santana defends the Citi against JA Happ (4-0, 2.66 ERA). The 26-year old has pitched well, but this is a must-win for the Boys in Blue and Orange.

On Wednesday night, everybody's All-American soft tosser Cole Hamels will face Mike Pelfrey, who was lit up like a Christmas tree last time out. Before that, he was throwing lights out.

The series finale will pit the ageless Jamie Moyer, who we've seen twice and tagged for a total of 12 runs in 12 innings, against the great Tim Redding, who can't be expected to last through the fifth inning as far as I'm concerned...

Sad to say, but we really could have used Oli here. He usually picked up his game when the spotlight was turned on.

Then at the Broxn, then to Camden Yards and back home to face the AL champion Rays. Maybe they'll throw Kazmir and we Met fans can all imagine what he would have looked like wearing white.

St. Louis, Yankees again, to Brewersville for three before facing the Flithies again, then the Dodgers come to their home away from home and Cincinati to close out the first half of the season.

While it could be argued that we don't need starting pitching, I don't know where you put another bat in the lineup. I mean, I know you would likely send Church to whoever to clear a corner outfield spot but what does that do to Gary Sheffield's playing time?

I know, I know, I'm leaving out first base as an open trade option for a bat but that's because it just doesn't make sense. You leave Murphy there for two reasons: 1) to see if the kid can hit and field at this position for next year and B) what do you do if you trade for Nick Johnson and Delgado returns in the final two months of the season? With Murphy, at least, you could sit him down, platoon him or send him down. Now you can't do that with an Aubrey Huff, can you?

OK, since we started this with a schedule discussion, let's close it with a similar one. The looks of the cooks is that this roster will be loaded for August and September with all the healthy bodies back and don't let Billy Wagner come around for the final 45 games...

Imagine this: John Maine struggles early, but grits his way through 5.2 innings against the Flithies on Friday, Sept. 11. (Just a date I picked at random). Pedro Feliciano comes on to strike out Ryan Howard to get out of the sixth and there's nine outs left. Jerry Manuel thinks "Do I go with Bobby Parnell now or use Wagner for this frame, then Parnell and then Frankie?"

It's something to rest happily on, Mets fans, I can say that with pride. I just hope it's a decision made with the team still in contention.

Game 53 - Nationals 7, Mets 1

2009-06-06T22:40:00.002-04:00

I just don't know what to say.

I was eating dinner and didn't get to my XM and when I did, the score was already 7-0.

I checked out GameCast and saw they hit into four double plays in the first five innings. That's call a rally killer folks, no need for any funny words to add to the facts...

So, what else is in the news?

Red Wings are up 3-2 after blowing out the Pens before a packed house and 17 people watching at home.

Thanks to the Dodgers, we're only three games back of the first-place Flithies, who head to Shea to start next week and will see a rested Johan Santana on the hill. Can't wait for that...

I'm watching one of the final episodes of Pushing Daises, a great show that was asked to put up great ratings. I really don't know what it was losing to, but clearly intelligence isn't important on network TV...

I've got to hope that the Magic show up tomorrow night against the Lakers. They can't go to Orlando down 2-0 and expect to head back to LA, yet alone head back up 3-2...

OK, I'm gonna watch "The Wrestler" now, with hopes that Livan Hernandez gives another come from nowhere performance like Mickey Rourke supposedly did.

Game 52 - Mets 3, Nationals 1 (10 innings)

2009-06-05T23:51:00.002-04:00

I just knew that Tim Redding would pick it up against his old team.

I just knew that this team would find ways to put numerous runners on base, most in scoring position and only score one run early on a groundout by Fernando Tatis.

But good to see Wright win the game, especially after a couple of balls dropped in for a very productive 4-for-5 evening and any blast to right center field usually means he's seeing the ball and being patient at the plate.

OK, I don't have much more and the dose of NyQuil (see Walmart version) is starting to kick in. I was happy to see that the rainout forces Santan to get an early start against them and still have something for the Yankees in that band box next weekend.

If I've got it right, he'll pitch the first game against the Flithies next week and the finale in the Bronx.

Needless to say, John Maine goes tonight and has been pitching well as of late. let's hope that trend continues...

Game 51 - Pirates 11, Mets 6

2009-06-04T23:26:00.002-04:00

It's raining frogs.

It's raining frogs.

What can I say? Back to you.

I could change that to...

Mets get blown out.

Magic get blown out.

What can I say? Back to you.

It would be even better if I complained about no flying cars, but wha to think about when I've got little to deal with on this day, the day of your daughter's first funeral or wedding.

OK, what can I really say? I missed this game outright. I was watching the NBA Finals and the Magic were up, I turned away and when I came back they were down. Each time I went back to the game, they trailed by more.

At least Jameer Nelson came back and played well. I wish I could say the same about a lot of other things...

I wish I didn't have to look to Tim Redding to stop the bleeding. Jeez, at least he should have some motivation going against his former mates.

Game 50 - Pirates 3, Mets 1

2009-06-02T23:09:00.002-04:00

This could hurt a lot since it's a huge waste to ever lose a Johan Santana start, but...

It was bound to catch up with us sometime. I mean, even in this game Ramon Martinez, over-37 year old infielder supreme Ramon Martinez, went down...

Maybe the team was thinking about the upcoming NBA Finals and how the world will pick the Lakers, despite the Magic winning twice in the regular season (doesn't count), that LA has little to no answer for Dwight Howard (Has no post game and can be neutralized) or the fact that Jamir Nelson in uniform on the bench will be a big help (the Lakers are the better team).

Clearly, my general hatred for Kobe will have me rooting for the Magic, but what can I do besides wonder if the team will push back Santana's next start so he faces the Flithies early next week...

Meanwhile, I've got to look to Mike Pelfrey to end this losing streak.

Game 49 - Pirates 8, Mets 5

2009-06-01T22:13:00.002-04:00

So I'm gonna blame this loss on J.J. Putz and my wife.

Putz will take the brunt of it since he seems to lack the motivation to perform at top quality as an 8th inning man. It means that Omar is gonna have to act fact, ship him somewhere as a closer and promote Bobby Parnell into the 8th inning role.

Simple solution to a possible problem down the line. And you might as well make the move now, although it will be hard to determine exactly what the team needs. One could argue that they need a 1st baseman but we should give Murphy a chance there to see what we'll need in the offseason. I mean, I think Murph is the answer and we should be good with him and Tatis over there for the season but...

I guess then you could say we need a corner outfielder, but when everyone gets healthy we would have too many with Beltran, Sheffield (who's earn a place to at least platoon with his carrying of the team lately) and Church.

Which leaves me with the need for a starter and the best one out there than might be available would be...

(Drum roll please)

Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Yes, he's on the DL now but I'll take a Brandon Webb down the stretch to pair with Santana and the first chance to sign him long term for Putz and whatever else.

My wife takes the blame cuz I was listening to the game (and watching on Gamecast) and she decided she wanted to take a bath but was waiting for the game to end. I turned off the game and just like that, the piRats score five in the eighth to take the lead.

That's OK. With the stomach bug going around the clubhouse, it's good to know that losing streak killer Santana goes tonight.

Game 48 - Mets 3, Marlins 2

2009-05-31T23:59:00.002-04:00

You can look at this win in two lights. One, yet another injury with Angel Pagan going down with a bum groin after hitting a double to score the game's first run. Beltran missed the game with a stomach bug that sat him out last night and John Maine pitched six strong innings but left due to a similar stomach bug.

At least Alex Cora is close to coming back, adding some much needed depth to a team that is losing people daily.

You could also look at it from the fact they went 5-of-6 on this past homestand, that we're only .5 back of the Flithies and we've got games at Pittsburgh and the gNats coming up before the season takes a turn towards difficult.

Speaking of which, I think we may have solved one of the most difficult things to deal with when moving to a new city. Yes, I know I moved to the ATL last summer but I wasn't planning on staying in an apartment for the rest of my life.

Maybe after my wife leaves me for a doctor, I start growing my dreads again and spend more weekends just 'veggin out'. But even then, I would still want a house so I wouldn't have anyone bothering me about that consistent crying noise, only occasionally blocked out by random musical selections...

But I digress. That and I won't jinx a good thing until someone signs on the dotted line and the movers are driving away, meaning the Mexicans we hired at the U-Haul hop back into their pick up and drive away with the 12-pack of Modelo and $40 for a day's work well done.

Anyway, Elton John's song goes tomorrow against Ian Snell. Wasn't he gonna be the next big thing? They said the same thing about Zach Grenkie and were wrong for years before now...

Game 47 - Marlins 7, Mets 3

2009-05-30T23:02:00.002-04:00

I could feel bad about this, but it was our No. 5 (Redding) vs. the biggest Fish (Johnson) and Jerry Manuel decided to give David Wright and Gary Sheffield the day off.

Needless to say, it was almost like he was giving it away before it even began. I understand, especially since you need to give guys a break, so...

So let's take joy in the fact that T.I.'s dumb ass is safely locked away in prison tonight.

Let's take joy in the fact that the NBA Finals are set and they don't include the Kobe vs. LeBron matchup that so many business execs where expecting. Anticipating. Nah, let me just say it outright - pushing all their chips to the table and going all in on.

I don't think the Magic will hold a candle, but now I can fully root for Rashard Lewis to go nuts on Lamar Odom, seeing how both players are carbon copies of the other. Except for the fact that Lewis isn't as good as Odom could have been.

Let's take joy in the fact that both New York teams are in first place heading into June. That in a couple of weeks, they'll meet at the Bronx Launch Pad...

And speaking of which, I read an article by Bob Klapish of the Record that truly upset me. Basically, he was saying how the Mets regret making their field a pitcher's park and how their lack of home run numbers could prove fatal. To which I say, shut the hell up.

There was a time when teams put together strings of hits and scored runs. Back then, it would just be another big inning but to do that today would push a pitcher's pitch count up. It would lead to a manager turning to his bullpen early and since the Mets have the best bullpen ERA, that can only be a good thing.

I've always said that I'd prefer back-to-back doubles an a home run anyday. In Citi, if one of those doubles heads to the gap, it's a three-bagger. I hope they don't do a thing, but if enough columnists complain and convince enough rubes without their own minds to complain on WFAN and ESPN New York and any other outlet that would influence the public relations department in Flushing...

I just hope they don't listen. I like the large Citi just the way it is. It will help fly-ball pitchers like John Maine, who can make it a 5-out-of-6 homestand with a quality start today.

Game 46 - Mets 2, Marlins 1 (11 innings)

2009-05-29T10:57:00.006-04:00

This is a hoops head conversation had on FreeDarko Presents: The Disciples of Clyde website that I thought I would bring here for a slight change of pace.

I made this point (or a similar one) to Mr. Filo a few months back - That the NBA had become a pick-and-roll league with little else. Let's see what you NBA-heads think when it comes from one of your own, namely Page 2's Bill Simmons...

"Today's games should be easier to call because they're more predictable. Teams run the same play five or six straight times down the stretch. For Cleveland, it's the high screen with Ilguaskas and James. For Boston, it's the high post play with Pierce. For the Lakers, it's the "Let's run the triangle for 42 minutes, then we'll just clear out for Kobe for the last six" offense. For Denver, it's either a high screen for Chauncey or a clear-out for Carmelo. Only the Magic (God bless them) seem interested in playing a style that doesn't revolve around the same guy hoisting3s or barrelling toward the basket again and again."

In response, my resident NBA expert Dan-O said:

The NBA plays a lot of pick and roll. But it’s not the same exact pick and roll. It’s multiple variations of the pick and roll.
It doesn’t make it any less watchable for me. You?

To which I replied...

It makes it predictable and leads me to wonder how teams seem to play like they don't know what's coming. And it's also a likely result of players coming from various places, whether that's straight from high school, only one year of college or Europe.
It seems unless you have a core of a team together for a couple of years, the coaches can't teach these players an offense that doesn't eventually become pick and roll. Was it like this in the 80s? Early to mid 90s with Riley's Knicks and Rudy's Rockets?
Maybe that's in part because NBA coaches are at the whim of the players paid millions by the owners. In college, the coach is king and therefore can institute different offenses sets.
I'll always watch the playoffs because I'm a sports fan, but it's gonna take something really special for me to pay attention to the regular season.

As for the Mets, someone please tell Brian Schinder to stay in Buffalo or accept his outright release. Omir Santos is my catcher, plain and simple.

That's exactly what Mr. David Wright needs to do, keep things plain and simple. AND MAKE CONTACT WITH THE BASES LOADED AND ONLY ONE OUT.

Maybe he's nervous, realizing the full magnitude of the NYC pressure. Almost like he was getting a pass early on and now, it's showed up full force. I mean, I can't knock the guy really cuz he's batting over .300 with RISP. But it's the increased strikeouts and coming up young in the big, clutch situations.

If I really wanted to research, I could check out his numbers this year in Late and Close at-bats but I don't have a connect at the Elias Sports Bureau.

Yet.

Maybe after Tim Redding outduels somebody this afternoon, coming off the heels of Pelfrey going 7.1 strong tonight, someone will give me the link inside.

Game 45 - Mets 7, Nationals 3

2009-05-28T08:05:00.002-04:00

Another quick blast cuz I'm at work...

Well, we're finally winning Santana starts despite his performance. After going all out against the Red Sox in the last start, it stands to reason he would be a little off on this one. Thankfully the offense bailed him out and he gutted through...

The minute I finally drop Daniel Murphy from my fantasy team (Don't ask. I really, really really needed a left fielder and he was the best one available), of course that's the day he wakes up and knocks in 5 RBIs.

This is the big series before we face Philly in June. The Fish always leave their stink on this team and this time must be different. They'll get 2-3-4, but it's gotta start with Mike Pelfrey tonight.

Game 44 - Mets 6, Nationals 1

2009-05-26T23:32:00.002-04:00

Of course, since I thought we would lose with Livan on the mound, he goes out and throws a complete game...

Picture that.

So the walking wounded that is the Mets has forced the hand of Omar to add Fernando Martinez to the roster. It's funny, they talked about it on Baseball Tonight. They sub-slugged the segment "The ReplaceMets" and were talking about Martinez while they showed Ramon Martinez and Angel Pagan. Ha!

It's like Nike and Vitamin Water placing all their money on a Kobe vs. LeBron Final, not hedging their bet with something for Dwight Howard or Carmelo.

You would think after Reebok's Dan vs. Dave diaster in 1992, advertisers would think twice before doing something like that again. How funny are those puppet commercials gonna be if the Pepsi Center is rocking after Rashard Lewis misses another three?

I was gonna talk about the death of hip hop, how it's a musical genre that actually alienates its listener as they get older. I've spoke with two of my friends in the past 48 hours. Both got on the bus early, listening to classics like Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Ice Cube pre-Hollywood and A Tribe Called Quest. Yes, the golden era of the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Like the nation, they stayed with it through the 1990s but have faded and there's no one to bring them back. Each have basically stated that they see no need to search out/listen to or look for new hip hop.

Example - LX called and said "Did you know there's a new Method Man/Redman - Blackout 2 album out." My answer - "Yeah and even if it came out a year after the first one, it would have sounded tired. There's no need to listen to it."

Example 2 - Sini called and said "Have you heard the new Eminem?" My answer - "Yeah and even if you enjoy his lyrical skill, its not enough. He's talking about the same things and still has jokes on Christopher Reeve."

I'm in Atlanta, so I don't know what it's like nationwide but was I the only one celebrating the fact that T.I. went to jail today? I mean, the guy threw a concert on Friday as "His Last Show".

Maybe if he didn't feel the need to live the same "money, guns and drugs" life that raps about and acted like any "boss", meaning he let his underlings handle his light work and keep his name out of the feds mouth, he wouldn't have to worry about spending a year and a day in the pen.

I feel no sympathy for him at all and yet, this is the top voice in the game right now. If not him, think about the fact that Jay-Z (who left Def Jam for whatever reason), Nas and Busta Rhymes are still considered the best in the game, (along with Little Wayne). That's a similar list from a decade ago (except for Little Wayne). There's no new blood, no new sound worth listening to and it's the same crap you heard before.

Rock doesn't do that to its faithful, does it? If you liked Aerosmith in the 70s with Dream On and Walk This Way, Janie's Got A Gun wasn't that far of a reach. Early Metallica fans still listen to and like their new stuff. Same can't be said for Dave Matthews Band, but all my examples can't be perfect.

Well, that's my musical rant for the day. Santana goes tomorrow for the series sweep against the gNats and then the Fish come to town. That's the big series to really worry about with all these injuries.

Game 43 - Mets 5, Nationals 2

2009-05-26T08:01:00.003-04:00

I'll make this quick since I fell asleep with the baby on the couch and couldn't write this last night...

Biggest thing is Frankie coming on and getting the save, showing that the back spasm scare from the weekend was much ado about nothing...Hopefully.

Nice to see Putz enter in the seventh and get the ball to Frankie.

Also happy to see this offense do something with all the pieces missing. I expect Carlos Beltran to slide off his pace a touch since he wasn't even supposed to play yesterday but clearly can't take a day off.

Livan Hernandez must be going tonight because I feel like we might lose...

Game 42 - Red Sox 12, Mets 5

2009-05-25T01:07:00.002-04:00

I'll speak nothing of this game, chalking it up to the law of order correcting itself. To Tim Redding making his second start of the year and running out of gas in the fifth inning and to asking too much of an offense to battle back two games in a row.

Speaking of which, the main concern should be in the trainer's room and what will become of it. The Reyes injury is the biggest blow, clearly seen by the fact Ramon Martinez is the starting short stop for the forseeable future.

Now the fact that we don't have anyone better ready to fill in a short is a touch scary. Then again, Reyes is 25/26 and your backup, Alex Cora, wasn't supposed to go out at the same time. Reese Havens (A), Jose Coronado and Ruben Tejada (AA) is what's next at the position...

But despite the injury, you have to believe the team is planning on either moving them to another position (2B) or moving them in a deal for a much-needed arm for the postseason run. While Tejada (he was the name I was trying to remember the other day who showed a little something in spring training) may be able to field at the major league level, he's a .250 batter in AA. I'd hate to see what he would do at the Big League level.

So Martinez must be the answer and I don't know if you really want to trade. Rather grin and bear it, put Reyes on the DL and hope that the offense can thrive on the fact we'll face Washington and Florida at home before heading to Pittsburgh and DC.

In fact, if they put Reyes on the DL retro to yesterday, he'll be off in time for the series in Philly before we haed to the launch pad in the Bronx.

Church is likely headed to the DL with a hammy, which is whatever since we need Sheffield's bat in the lineup and Jeremy Reed can patrol decent enough. Daniel Murphy is the answer at 1st base, not because he's a better infielder than outfielder, although that's the easy answer. It's because the organization made a commitment and I hope they see it through.

The kid can hit at the major league level. That's clear to me and while he's not skilled or wearing a helmet in the field like Jon Olerud, he could be a contact 1st baseman with a good enough glove.

As for K-Rod, I just hope his back is feeling much, much better. It's a blessing that Omar got two closers, but I want Frankie back in his role and healthy.

We're 1.5 games back of the Flithies in the East. We just finished about as tough a road trip as this team will have until...

Well, looking at it now this might be about as tough is it's gonna get. They're might be tougher stretches with teams like Philly, Atlanta and the Cubs bunched in at the same time. But in each case, one of those series will be at Citi.

Hope the good times start rolling tonight with John Maine against the gNats.

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Now playing: Ken Drews and Dan Filowitz - Episode #56: The Tarence Kinsey Report
via FoxyTunes

Game 41 - Mets 3, Red Sox 2

2009-05-23T23:52:00.002-04:00

I'm going to have a lasting memory of this game for months to come.

My friend Sini actually attended this game, thanks to the fact he has a share of season tickets at Fenway Park with him family. He called me beforehand to rub in the fact he would be attending, knowing that the best I would do is watch on my computer or listen on my XM.

Needless to say, I'm sure he and Rizzo (Not from the Jerky Boys, but our friend's last name) were three sheets to the wind and having a blast watching a pitcher's duel between Beckett and Pelfrey that started 2-1 after a frame and stayed that way.

I was having a tough time checking up on GameCast, watching the Mets give away scoring opportunities like a 1st and 3rd with one out and the great Ramon Martinez unable to put the bat on the ball.

The same could be said for the top of the ninth when Sheffield walks. It's the responsibility of the next batter to get that tying run up one base. Whether it's with a sac bunt or fly or whatever, that's your job.

So Wright striking out and Jemery Reed following suit had me feeling the game was in the tank. A feeling I'm sure Sini had as well. So when Omir Santos went long ball on the first pitch he saw...

Needless to say, I had asked him to take a picture for me. He did after that blast with a big thumbs down and I think you can guess that's the pic that will pop up anytime he calls so I'll have visual evidence of this come-from-behind win.

10-game road trip in 11 days. I think if you 5-5 and win two of the three series, that's a decent trip. Of course, if Redding can be lights out and we sweep on Sunday that's all the better.

Game 40 - Mets 5, Red Sox 3

2009-05-23T06:38:00.002-04:00

I'm not one for excuses, but when you're down to Ramon Martinez, a 37-year old journeyman infielder to play shortstop because your organization is fresh out of anything else worth a damn...

And he comes up with an RBI single because when you're out two of your five core players, you're gonna need a lot of singles bunched together to get it done.

Can't say much about Johan, this is what we come to expect and Parnell and K-Rod closing the door to end a four-game losing streak. By the way, that was three losses against the best team in the league in their park, where they happen to have the best home record in the league. But I don't like to make excuses.

As for my team not having a better backup SS in the minors than Martinez, I think we do but they're not major league ready. The same can't be said for 1st base with Delgado out until August. Our best backup is probably Daniel Murphy and if he can't pick it, Nick Evans is playing the position in either Buffalo or Binginton right now.

And I'll say this - If we can steal another game at Fenway and finish this road trip with a 5-5 record, it would be a great thing. It's not like we were playing Colorado, Pittsburgh and the Washington Generals, I mean Nationals.

On a lighter note, I took Friday off and took my 8-year old daughter to see Hannah Montana The Movie. It was as bad as to be expected, but as an old man leering at the screen I know a lot of guys who would be drooling over her if her name was 17-year old Jill Maine. Not me, however, cuz I've got a thing against bad teeth. Regardless how white Disney money makes them (and she pulled in 25 million last year), they're crooked enough to keep her out of my fantasies at night.

My real fantasy, sadly, is getting a chance to somehow enjoy tonight's matchup between Mike Pelfrey and Josh Beckett at 7:10 pm. Just don't see it happening, but we'll see. Fairy tales do come true, it could happen to you...

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Now playing: Ken Drews and Dan Filowitz - Episode #56: The Tarence Kinsey Report
via FoxyTunes

Fusing on a cross-country flight

2009-05-21T20:25:00.002-04:00

While my Mets travel from a three-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, where they scored the mighty total of SIX runs, to the eventual raping at the hands of the Red Sox, meaning there is a long list of old college friends ready to call and rub it in...

I will take this time to comment on a couple of entertainment issues at hand.

For starters, I illegally downloaded Eminem's newest album, Relaspe. I have always believed that the white boy from Detroit is an extremely talented rapper. Lyrically speaking, he is easily in a top 25 all-time conversation and in an era where Solider Boy Tell Em' is considered a top artist in his field, Em is like Bob Gibson vs. Bob The Builder...

But the problem with Relaspe is just that. He's already rapped about pretty much everything he can rap about. He's done his childhood, him mom and her drug problems, the price of fame ("Say I Am" is one of my favorite tracks) and of course making up randomness about whatever MTV and the pop scene considers hot at the time.

The big thing with this album is one track "Bagpipes from Bagdad" where he talks about Mariah Carey. I was excited to listen to this, just to see what he said. Not anything he hasn't said before about somebody else. In fact, I would be more outraged about the track he's got that talks about kidnapping and raping/killing Lindsey Lohan or Brittney Spears. And the fact that I just said those two should let you know the deal with this album.

I've listened to it. I laughed at some of the references. I don't want to hear the track about someone being raped by their stepfather, not that it was distrubing but it just wasn't that good. I mean, it's funny. The ongoing skit with Interscope Records exec say it best. The first one has Paul upset that he took four years to come out with something, then makes fun of the fact the album is likely about drugs and his sad rich pathetic life, then he pulls a gun and tells him to get out of his office. The next is a phone call questioning the album's content, like the stepfather rape song. It's about the same way the listener feels.

The production doesn't help much. Whether the beat is bumping is lost, at least to me. Looking back, maybe Em peaked with his second album, The Marshall Mathers Album. The third album is OK too, but then there's 8 Mile and while the movie is average at best, his freestyles in it are crazy. After that, it's a downhill spiral.

Needless to say, I won't be listening to this album again.

Unfortunately, I won't be watching a couple of TV shows that I actually like in the fall...

I'll preface this by saying that as a father to two kids under 10, I'm at home on weeknights pretty much seven nights a week. That means my wife and I watch a lot of TV. On Mondays, we both watch The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Heroes. Tuesday nights, she watches American Idol and I would go in our bedroom and watch Reaper.

It was a show about a guy who learns he's the son of the Devil and now must become the collector of lost souls. It was funny, it was interesting and original and since it's on a backward network that expects too much from a show against one of the top rated shows in the nation, it will air it's final episode on Tuesday.

On Wednesdays, Faye would watch the Idol recap and I would watch Life. It was a basic cop series with a twist. The main character was a street cop who was arrested for a crime he didn't commit. After 12 years, he was released and given a huge amount of money and his wish - to become a detective. This was the backdrop behind your basic hour-long cop show.

I used to watch My Name Is Earl on Thursdays and NBC canceled them, however it seems they may have a second life as Fox and ABC are looking to pick it up according to my wife who looks into this a lot more than I do.

On Fridays I would be home because it's hard to find someone to watch an 8-year old and a 20 month old, so we would watch TV. This is a television grave yard, so for anyone to expect any rating from a Friday slot is just stupid. Sad to say the CW expected Everybody Hates Chris and The Game to produce here and since it didn't, they're now gone.

For any Buffy fans, the creator Joss Weadon has a new show called The Dollhouse. It's very interesting and I can't really explain it so look it up.
Long story short, Fox originally bought 13 episodes and instead of buying a full season (22 episodes), they just kept it alive with another 13 episode purchase.

Oh by the way, they didn't even air all 13 that they bought of the first season, but that's another story. So the point of all this is I'm looking at this as a blessing. It means that I'll be watching less TV in the fall and hopefully spend more time with my kids and their education.

I'm getting a great education about the college basketball world listening to your new Clyde podcast. Take a listen if you can.

I'm gonna take a listen to the Mets/Red Sox game tomorrow cuz it's the best game you'll see from this crappy team. Santana vs. Dice-K in Fenway. Doesn't get much better than that.

Kris Joins Dan On FreeDarko Presents: The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast

2009-05-21T15:51:00.003-04:00

Yes, Kris DeBlasio joins Dan Filowitz for a Teaneck-heavy episode of the podcast.

Check it out:

On The Disciples of Clyde site

On the FreeDarko site

In iTunes

Enjoy!

Game 39 - Dodgers 5, Mets 3

2009-05-20T06:48:00.003-04:00

The bats have gone back to sleep. When I looked at the schedule and saw this long West Coast trip, this is what I thought would happen. Not necessary the bats going dead, but finding ways to lose games that could be won.

Then again, I would love to say John Maine had a good start but then he gave up a three-run homer to Casey Blake. Number 8 hitter Casey Blake...

I'm going to fix my girls breakfast and hope that Livan Hernandez can outduel Jeff Weaver in a battle of old pitchers whose best days are long behind them.

Game 38 - Dodgers 3, Mets 2 (11 innings)

2009-05-19T08:06:00.004-04:00

I don't have much time since I'm doing this at work and unlike most Americans, I don't have a terminal in front of me...

I won't even speak about the five errors. FIVE ERRORS, what in blue blazes is going on when a pro team makes five errors and still only loses by one in extra innings?

Good start by Tim Redding. If he can pitch this well, it would really solidify the back end of the rotation. With Maine and Pelfrey pitching well, it would give Oliver Perez as much time as needed to get healthy.

FIVE ERRORS. Really? Five.

It was good to see (on Gamecast) that Sheffield came up with a clutch hit in the eighth to tie the game at 2-2. With Delgado out indefinetely (See until we feel we need him after the 6 to 8 weeks it takes to come back. I figure 10 to 12 is more realistic), that preseason signing doesnt' seem that bad. He can fill that role and worse case scenario, he moves to play first. He's done that at one point in his career, hasn't he?

I would need to check, something I'll do when I get home from work, but this team hasn't had an offday in a long time. Meaning Carlos Beltran and David Wright have pretty much been busting thier asses for a bit. As much as Jerry Manuel gets beaten up for rotating the outfield, catcher and second base, he's pretty much left Wright and Beltran alone. Maybe they need a break.

To hit the west coast and play seven games straight, I would be happy with a 3-4 trip. 4-3 would be nice and all that will take is one win in the next two games. I'll worry about the final three games of this trip, to my old stomping grounds in Boston, when we get to them.

I think we've got Maine tonight. I stayed up with the computer in my lap, wasting time and checking the score. I don't know if I'll want to do that 2 nights in a row but we'll see.

Game 37 - Giants 2, Mets 0

2009-05-17T23:26:00.002-04:00

I don't have much time for this since I'm in the middle of writing a story that I'll actually get paid for...

You can't load the bases twice with less than two outs and get nothing from it, especially when the first time you do it it's because the pitcher walked the bases loaded.

But three out of four ain't bad, especially when your losing starter allowed just two runs in six-plus innings with THREE BALKS that should have been four.

Who didn't know the Rockets were going to get smoked like a pack of Kools?

It was sad to see the Celtics go down, but this wasn't the defending champs. Not without Garnett and the great Leon Powe. It may sound like I'm joking, but he's a big part coming off the bench that they didn't have.

Had an interesting text convo with Kris about the Western Conference finals. He's taking the Lakers and I've got the Rich and Creamies. It seems his main reason would be Kobe, a great reason. I'm going to take the team with a far better point guard with something to prove and to root against Kobe. So we've got that going for us...

Tim Redding will make his long awaited debut against the Dodgers Monday night. I'll be lucky if I'm up to listen/watch two innings, so we'll see what I write about tomorrow...

Game 36 - Mets 9, Giants 6

2009-05-16T23:40:00.003-04:00

This is why they don't give Santana any support. You score three for him in the first and he gives it right back. Then you give him three more and he hands that right over as well...

You have to keep primadonna pricey pitchers like that guy under your thumb, make him always think he's pitching for his job otherwise he'll take it for granted and blow your whole season...

OK all jokes aside, it's a good thing they decided to score when the best pitcher in the league decided to have an off-day. He allowed four earned runs in seven innings, upping his ERA to a completely unworthy 1.36. That just won't do...

On a different note, I saw the Wolverine picture tonight. Actually the theatre started to play Hannah Montana and we got a free pass, so I was gonna be OK with the movie regardless since I already used a coupon to knock down that $10 ticket.

I'm not gonna spoil it, but it was closer to X3 than X1 or X2 which is slightly disappointing. But overall I enjoyed the time away from the children.

As for the plot, and I'll try not to give anything away, I must begin with this disclaimer. All the X-Men knowledge I possess is based on the Marvel cartoons taken straight from the comics that were broadcast in the late 80s/early 90s. I watched most to all the reincarations that have come on the airwaves since and will waste a moment or two on Wikapedia to research a fact or two.

I must also give credit to The Boy, who sent me a digital copy of a Wolverine Origins comic years ago and the first five minutes of the film were likely taken from that text. After that...

OK, I can understand one critique I've heard, that there are too many characters and they're not really fleshed out enough for you to get to know them. To Marvel's credit, they don't seem to care. The movie is called Wolverine and that's all you need to know or care about.

The one thing that got to me, however, was the same feeling I had in Spiderman 3. It seemed like they planned that film with the final battle scene in mind. They wanted Spidey and Hobgoblin (or Harry Osborne played by James Franco) to face The Sandman and Venom. Then they worked their way back to get to that scene.

In Wolverine, they seemingly knew they wanted a lot of fight scenes, they knew how they had to make the movie end otherwise the first X-Men movie makes no sense and after that...

I don't really know if there was much thought after that. Let me finish with this. You will be entertained and my best comparison is to Indiana Jones last summer. It was a must-see movie for any Indy fan, but afterwards you were kind of sad. This is the same, but at least you leave with a slightly better feeling.

Hopefully Mike Pelfrey continues to give Mets fans a slightly better feeling with a quality start on National Television tonight against Matt Cain.

Game 35 - Mets 8, Giants 6

2009-05-16T06:20:00.002-04:00

OK, I'll be completely honest.

When this game started, I was with Faye on the couch. By the time I got to Gamecast, Livan had allowed 5 early runs and Lincecum was on the other side.

I thought nothing of not paying attention.

Luckily enough, when I got up a couple hours later and awoke my sleeping computer the score was suddenly tied at 6-6. Looking over the play by play, Mr. Wright might have finally decided to show up for work.

The 8-6 final score says a couple of things. But I'll wait for this afternoon's FOX Saturday matchup to really decide if we're gonna stay as the hottest team in the league.

Oh, did I just say that? It's games like this that make me worry about those who love to hop on and off the bandwagon. You don't get Yankee fans like that, but more often than not Mets fans love to love the team when they're playing well and bash them to pieces when they struggle.

I read a column by the Daily News' John Harper about how if they miss the playoffs again, they should trade Jose Reyes cuz he'll bring back the most and we won't have to see his bad base running moves.

Why not just trade him to the Padres for Peavy, bring up whoever to finish the season and see if the kid who they drooled over this spring is ready. If not, you can find a serviceable short stop anywhere. Heck, Alex Cora can start there until the kid's ready.

Then, every time you turn on Sportscenter and watch Reyes race around the bases with another triple to the gap, every Mets fan can remember what that was like. It's not like we don't have people to fill that leadoff spot in the lineup.

You know, I was joking at first but now that I say it, it doesn't sound that bad...

OK, Santana vs. Randy Johnson today. Historically, we've raked Randy, especially when he was in Arizona. Wonder what will happen now.

Game 34 - Mets 7, Giants 4

2009-05-15T07:11:00.002-04:00

This will be quick since I couldn't stay up late enough to do this after the game finished. In fact, I went to sleep after Maine pitched his way into the seventh and Stokes got the final out to end the frame.

That means the Mets were up 4-2 when I closed my eyes.

I woke up to see that Bobby Parnell, a rookie who might have pushed his young arm too much with three straight appearances, gave up a couple of runs in the bottom of the eighth but lo and behold...

David Wright's third hit of the game, to go with four stolen bases, put the Mets up and Frankie closed the door with a 7-4 win.

I did run out to "get gas" at 10 pm and heard the first inning, but I don't think I'll be able to do that tonight. And I would love to hear Jon Miller call Livan Hernandez (3-1) vs. reigning Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum (3-1).

Shows you exactly what a pitcher's win-loss record can mean. Absolutely nothing.

Game 33 - Braves 8, Mets 7 (12 innings)

2009-05-14T07:09:00.002-04:00

Although this was a 1 p.m. start and I didn't have to go to work until 2 p.m., I still forgot the game was on. When I turned it on, they were down 4-2.

Moments later, Tatis' grand slam gave them a 6-4 lead. I then pretty much heard the bullpen give the game back and had to work, so I didn't catch Sheffield's game-tying homer.

I did get a chance to tune in in the 12th and saw just how close Jose Reyes came to tying the game and then watched as Beltran chased high heat and Shef watched a wicked curve after seeing nothing but fastballs and a rolling changeup.

Now, after a damn good homestand, we head out west. I can't stand this trip and hope that this is the last time we'll do the SF-LA swing with no off day inbetween.

I'll see what I can do about staying up till 1 p.m. to check a score. I wonder if John Maine caught a flight out to San Fran early Wednesday morning instead of the 6-7 p.m. team flight after the game.

Game 32 - Mets 4, Braves 3 (10 innings)

2009-05-12T23:29:00.002-04:00

OK, while yesterday's game was one they should have won Tuesday's matchup was one they totally should have lost.

In fact, if my wife was home I would have likely given up hope of a comeback after the Braves go up 3-0. Not that I don't believe, but the way they were swinging the bats was so pathetic that I turned my interest to the Boston-Orlando game and the jumping 20-month old near my legs.

OK, here's a couple of points from the final frames:

- While Citi Field is a pitcher's park and a speedy hitters dream, you can't hit a triple to left-center field. Simple as that and I could have told you that before Jose Reyes was thrown out by "a mile" according to Don Sutton. It's something that he had to learn by getting thrown out, but now that he knows I bet you he'll hold up at second base next time out.

- The best part of the comeback was getting Mike Pelfrey off the hook for the loss. He pitched well and his off-speed pitch (I guess it's a slider) looked a lot better. I was saddened to see him leave on the losing end.

- Bottom of the ninth, Carlos Beltran leads off with a double down the line. David Wright should have only one goal in mind - GET THE RUNNER TO THIRD AT ALL COSTS.
This was the only thing he had to do. As a hitter, you get one swing for yourself and he took it on the first pitch, an uppercut swing that looked like he was aiming for a 5-run homer. Then he worked the count to 3-1 and I'm thinking, "This is a spot where you are either looking for a specific pitch like fastball middle out to drive to right field OR YOU DON'T SWING.

Instead Wright hacks at an inside fastball with an inside out swing that pops the ball to the right side near the tarp and Casey Kotchman makes a good catch to keep Beltran at third. At this point, I didn't really care about the rest of the inning. It's at-bats like this that infuriate me to no ends.

- As for Beltran stealing third base, I go back to the second inning. Wright walked and took off for second base. McCann made a good throw but the reply clearly showed that David got his hand on the base before the tag.

Then Wright tripled and tried to score on a short fly ball to center field. McCann made another great play and Wright made a great slide. The ump got the right call, but that's one that could have gone either way. So needless to say, I'm going to view this as they got two calls and the Mets got one. The biggest one of the game, yes, but just one call.

- Bottom of the 10th with two runners on and the pitcher's spot due up, when Ramon Castro got a bat I resigned to the inning being over. I have no faith in that man with a game in doubt, regardless what he's done. I'm always expecting him to pop up lazily to second base, swinging at a bad pitch on a 2-0 count.

But once he got on and the game was in Beltran's hands, I kind of figured he would finish the job. Granted, there was part of me that expected the game to continue but once he took the first two pitches for balls, it was just about a done deal.

OK, I finally figured out what I'm rooting for in the NBA playoffs - Cleveland vs. Denver in the Finals. I don't want to see the Magic cuz for all 17 of his rebounds, Dwight Howard couldn't grab one in the last 1:25 when his team needed it the most. As great as he is, the only play they have for him is a high screen pick-and-roll. He's still young, but right now he's got no post game and Rashard Lewis and Turkolu aren't that good.

I don't want to see an undermanned, outnumbered Celtics team there although I'm sure they'll give the Cavs all they can handle in the Eastern Conference Finals.

As cute as the Rockets are, I think they know their season is basically over. I mean they had a chance with Yao Ming. But without him, I wouldn't want to see them move on.

And hasn't Kobe and the Lakers basically moved into the role of the team you love to hate. I mean, granted, they are a bunch of pansies. They have no true presence in the post. If you want to argue about Bynum, I'll say that while he can defend due to height and block from the weak side, him and Gasol are neutralized by Nene and Birdman Anderson.

The Lakers have no one to match the intensity of Kenyon Martin, who's been to the Finals with the Nets by the way, and while the Creamy Nougats can't defend against Kobe, the Lake Show has no answer for Chauncey, who's got an NBA Finals MVP trophy sitting of a shelf somewhere.

I would much rather see stories about the 2003 NBA Draft with King James, Melo, D-Wade, Chris Bosh (can you say overrated?), Josh "I'll smoke a dude for $400 Alex" Howard, the legendary Kendrick Perkins, Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa, America's favorite white point guard on an all-black team Steve Blake, Mo Williams with the 47th pick and local favorite Matt Bonner two picks before him.

I would rather see the ongoing argument on PTI when Tony reminds Wilbon that he liked Melo more early on and who's bandwagon is he on now. And the series itself would be more entertaining cuz The Big Z can score in the post and James makes others better unlike Kobe most of the time.

Yeah, it's a nice dream. One that will be ruined when Lamar Odom remembers he's a 6-10 freak of nature with skills beyond compare. That he too was a lottery pick (#4) and was good enough to be seen as the central piece in the trade that sent Shaq to Miami. There's very little on the court that he can't do, like Derrick Coleman but about 25 pounds lighter. If he gets a fire under his ass, it's over man.

If the Mets and John Neise get a fire under their collective ass tomorrow afternoon and put away the Braves, they could end a lot of stupid talk around here. That and stem some of the bad feelings before a long road trip out west with no off days in sight.

Game 31 - Braves 8, Mets 3

2009-05-12T08:04:00.002-04:00

All good things must come to an end and for certain, all the praise and "Ship is righted" columns and sentiments in the local tabloids will now cease...

But the fact of the matter is a) the bats go to sleep with Santana on the mound, b) his ERA went down despite the loss and c) if David Wright plants his feet and Jose Reyes takes his time, this is a game they likely win...

I would post more, but I'm already late after a long work night and I've got to go to work this morning. I'll have more after tonight's game, which could be the biggest of the homestand.

Mike Pelfrey has pitched well, but Jurgins is a tough lefty who's given us problems before. I really don't want to drop two of three to this Braves team so it makes this game a must-win...

Game 30 - Mets 8, Pirates 4

2009-05-11T00:16:00.002-04:00

I'm not gonna say much, but they have won seven straight.

OK, so I'll make a couple of quick points:

- Six innings and less than three runs is all you can ask for and expect from Livan every fifth day. But if he does it every time out, he'll be well worth whatever they're paying him.

- Who told Big Baby Davis he could drain 18-foot jumpers with ease? I mean, total confidence with his skills and it's not like the Magic didn't have a chance to see film of him doing this against the Bulls in the first round...

- Almost don't want to see Carlos Beltran stay hot. I mean, you can't expect him to stay this hot for the whole season, but then again it's not like he doesn't have the talent...

- OK, so Schnider is down but should be back soon. Castro is out with a bad quad and we're using Omar Santos, who I'm sure that 98 percent of Mets fans couldn't pick out of a lineup on April 15, yet alone three weeks ago when he first put on a major league uniform.
Delgado is hitting for power, but he's still at about .250. Jose Reyes had dropped below .300 and David Wright is striking out like he's been imitating Ryan Howard's swing. While Daniel Murphy is batting over. 300, he's not hitting for power and despite a torrid start, Ryan Church has cooled off considerably.

What's my point? I know it's just the Pirates, but it was the Braves and Flithies before that. My point is no one is peaking right now except for Beltran, so maybe there is reason for hope for this team.

But all I need to remember is after this Braves series, we get a seven-game reality check on the West Coast. I'm not looking past Atlanta, but if we can go 3-4 on the Left Coast I'll be happy.

I'll be happy to tell you that I'm gonna search for a way to listen to Monday's game with Santana vs. Lowe. I won't be able to watch it cuz I'll be at work on a 2 pm to 11 pm shift.

Sucks to be me.

Game 29 - Mets 10, Pirates 1

2009-05-09T20:01:00.003-04:00

Let me start with this word of advice. No matter what anyone tells you, don't get married.

I'll paraphrase one of my favorite jokes from Louis C.K.

Now we have a kid and I realize that I could have left whenever I wanted. I could have just packed my bags and walked out before the kid.

I'm in that same boat and it's like the Perfect Storm every 28 days.

OK, back to baseball.

I guess there's not much to say. What's that? I could talk about the fact that John Maine has allowed just seven hits in his last three starts. Those were against Florida, Atlanta and Pittsburgh, but lets not forget that two of those three opponents are in division games.

This will always marvel me because he's really only got two pitches and they're both the same thing - fastball. I haven't talked with him, but he throws a two seam that tops out at 94-95 MPH and a four-seam that rises at about the same speed.

It's not like he's got great control with either pitch. I mean, he's much better than Oli Perez, but he did just walk six men and he's always seemed to struggle at times with his location.

Lately, like in the last 365 days, he's tried to add a changeup (thanks, Johan) and a slider but neither pitch is anything to write home about. I've said this before, but if it was a video game his two fast balls would be B-B+ pitches and his offspeed stuff would be closer to a D...

And that's being really kind with the D.

As for the offense, they pounded out 17 hits which would fill me with pride if we hadn't led the league in batting average since the season began. I guess I should be pleased with David Wright and Jose Reyes each having two-out RBIs, but I saved the best for last...

With the Braves' win this afternoon, I'm now writing about the first place New York Mets. Let's hope that Livan Hernandez can pitch with that knowledge Sunday afternoon.