When you’re a Mets fan, the off-season is like your World Series.  Signing a big-time free agent is similar to winning a ring.  There is no question that these next few months are huge for Omar Minaya and that there is a lot of work to do.  In a recent report for ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick surveyed 20 general managers, assistant GMs, personnel people and scouts, regarding eight off-season topics.

According to Crasnick, eight of the 20 insiders believe the Yankees will sign free-agent RHP John Lackey, while four believe he will sign with the Mets.

According to Crasnick, “Estimates on Lackey’s deal ranged from a low of three years, $36 million to highs of five years, $95 million and six years, $100 million,” and, “Most people figure he’s bound for the big stage in New York.” 

I think it is critical for the Mets to sign Lackey.  The rumblings out of Camp Wilpon is that the team covets Matt Holliday at the top of their list, but pairing Santana with another “Ace in the hole” will immediately bring the Mets back into contention. 

This year, Crasnick also surveys the group on whether Matt Holliday is better than Jason Bay; where will Aroldis Chapman sign; where will Roy Halladay or Adrian Gonzalez be traded; and whether MLB should expand the use of Instant Replay.  The full report can be found here.

Former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor Arrested

This pic was way better than the mugshot

As the Giants dropped another tough one yesterday, former DE Lawrence Taylor was getting arrested. Taylor, who is famous for his hard hits on the field and his twinkle toes on Dancing with the Stars, was booked on charges of leaving the scene of an accident in Dade County, Florida.

Police said he was coherent when he was taken into custody and said that a sobriety test wasn’t necessary. He was later released on a $500 bond. Taylor advised the officers that he though he hit a guardrail.

Knicks Vs. Jazz

@ Madison Square Garden 7:30

TV- MSG

Radio- 1050AM

Utah Jazz (2-4)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG- Deron Williams

SG- Ronnie Brewer

SF- Andre Kirelenko

PF- Carlos Boozer

C- Mehmet Okur

 

New York Knicks (1-6)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG- Chris Duhon

SG- Larry Hughes

SF- Danilo Gallinari

PF- Wilson Chandler

C- David Lee

Philip Rivers Brings Misery to Giants….and Jets?

 

As a die-hard Jets fan, I sometimes don’t mind when I watch a QB dice up the Giants on way to a game-winning drive.  I guess it is a natural inclination to root against the other team in NY.  Nevertheless, for all you other Jets fans who smiled when Philip Rivers hit Vincent Jackson for six points yesterday, your rooting interests were misplaced. 

Philip Rivers and that victory could come back to bite us in the arse. 

For me, it’s never too early to start looking at the playoff picture.  I mean, when the Jets and Giants were both 3-0 this season, I began to wonder how both teams would be able to host Conference Championship games on the same day. LOL….what an idiot I look like now!  After doing some research (thanks Tim Graham, ESPN), I thought I’d let other Jets fans in on who we should be rooting for the rest of the season.  At 4-4, the Jets will likely need to go 6-2 (at minimum) to secure a wild-card berth.  The remaining schedule has both winnable games, and frightening ones (@ NE, @ Indy), but I think it is do-able. 

Below are the AFC standings heading into tonight’s matchup between the Steel Curtain and the Broncos.  They are listed by overall record (with division and conference records.)

None of the teams that are tied has played the other head-to-head, which is the first tiebreaker, with division record the second tiebreaker. Next is record against common opponents. Conference record comes fourth.

The Jets still have a shot at the division.  We play Jacksonville at home next weekend, while New England travels to undefeated Indy.  Assuming we win (yeah right) and the Patriots lose, the November 22 game against the Pats will be for the division lead.  Nonetheless, let’s just assume New England wins the division because honestly….would Jets fans expect anything to go their way?

So, tonight Jets fans:  root for the Broncos.  You don’t want another potential wild-card team to get cozy up there.

 

1. Indianapolis Colts 8-0 (3-0, 4-0)
2. Denver Broncos 6-1 (2-0, 5-1)
3. Cincinnati Bengals 6-2 (4-0, 4-2)
4. New England Patriots 6-2 (2-1, 4-2)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2 (1-1, 3-1)
6. San Diego Chargers 5-3 (3-1, 4-3)
7. Houston Texans 5-3 (1-2, 4-3)
8. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-4 (2-2, 3-2)
9. Baltimore Ravens 4-4 (1-2, 4-3)
10. New York Jets 4-4 (1-3, 4-3)
11. Miami Dolphins 3-5 (3-1, 3-3)
12. Buffalo Bills 3-5 (2-2, 1-4)

 

-Ill Will

In the words of Marv Albert: “Yesssss!!!!”

Kelly Brook. The Cure for the Case of the Mondays....

The Life of a New York Sports Fan

What a difference a week makes….

Last Wednesday, I was celebrating a Yankees World Series victory.  The first championship in nine years.  To other sports fans, that’s not a long time, but to a Yankee fan, it’s an eternity.  Last Friday’s victory parade was the culmination of a great season, a thrilling postseason run, and the hoisting of the World Series trophy at the new Yankee Stadium.  You couldn’t have asked for a better story.

On this same Friday however,  we also got to see a crowning. But we weren’t celebrating a New York team, we were celebrating King James, Lebron James, as he put on a show at MSG that left many Knick fans salivating at the prospects of #23 wearing orange and blue.  I never thought I would live to see the day when fans at the Garden were cheering for an opposing player more so than their own team.  The site of “Knick fans” wearing ficticious Lebron James Knick jersey’s and going ga-ga at the site of him was disgusting.  But what can I expect?  It’s already seven games into the season and the 1-6 Knicks are pretty much toast.  So on to  2010 it is…..

But wait there’s more.  Sunday at the Meadowlands, the Giants were in a must win battle with their season on the brink of collapse. Instead of rising to the occasion, the Giants stumbled to the finish line, and fell flat on their face.  After an astonishing 5-0 start, little blue has now been humbled with four straight losses.  Now, instead of looking at the #2 seed in the NFC, the g-men will be lucky if they cling on to the final wild-card spot.

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in four days…..only in NY.

Lost in Translation

Meadowlands Meltdown

Mission: Failure

This was supposed to be the “Superbow.” The biggest game of the year. It was put up or shut up time for the g-men (lower case “g” because they’ve come up short). But instead of leaving the game with the “season still alive”  trophy, little blue limped out with nothing but the possibility of a season lost.

What changed?  Not much.  104 yds of penalties.  Terrible play calling on both sides of the ball. Running away from Giant’s football (literally). And the inability to make a stop when it was most needed.

When Terrell Thomas intercepted Philip Rivers  pass midway through the fourth quarter and brought the ball to inside the San Diego 5-yard line, you would think the Giants would wrap the game up.  However, the fact that the Giants are in the bottom rung in converting red zone opportunities into 7 points; a trend they have failed to buck since last season, it’s not suprising that they ended up with a FG.

Phillip Rivers celebrates the battle of the '04 QB's, with an easy game winning drive.

A holding penalty on Chris Snee, a dinky pass here, and two poorly-timed run plays later, and Lawrence Tynes is out for three points, to the  Chargers delight. To the dismay of Big Blue nation, the Giants failed to attack the endzone. Coach Tom Couglin explained, “We didn’t want a turnover there”.

If that’s not an indication that this team has completely lost its identity, I’m not sure what is. The rest is history. The Chargers marched down the field slicing through shabby coverage and mismatches (Thanks Bill Sheridan) and further diminish the Giants playoff hopes with a dagger-like touchdown with 20 seconds left.

Season over?  Not sure.  But the g-men have completely lost their identity.  Thank god for bye weeks.

The Time is Now for Norm and the Storm

 

 

As one of the elite programs in college basketball history, it has been both depressing and strange to see St. John’s struggle near the bottom of the Big East over the past several seasons.  Gone are the days of Lou Carnesecca and his sweater.  There are no more Chris Mullin’s, Mark Jackson’s, Ron Artest’s, or even Top JUCO transfers such as Bootsy Thornton and Marcus Hatten.  Now, a SJU-Syracuse ticket on a Saturday night at the Garden can be had for a mere $20. The Red Storm are on an up-hill climb back to the top of the Big East and the College Basketball world.  Despite past transgressions, the time is now for Coach Norm Roberts and his veteran Red Storm team as the Johnnies are well equipped to make some noise.  

Since Norm Roberts took over the program over five years ago, the Redmen, I mean Red Storm (Ugh!) have yet to qualify for the NCAA tournament.  In NYC, a sub-.500 record or a berth in the meaningless NIT tournament will not cut it.   While Mike Jarvis did leave the program in shambles, Norm has yet to show why he was regarded as the top recruiter in the country while serving as Bill Self’s assistant in Kansas.  However, with all the major contributors from last years squad returning, and a heralded recruiting class coming in, the Johnnies are poised to make a run at the Big Dance this season. 

Working in the Red Storm’s favor is undoubtedly their depth.  An 18-game Big East season is not for the weak of heart, and few teams in the conference will be able to match the athletic bodies SJU will be able to throw on the court.  Anthony Mason Jr., the Red Storm’s most talented and most experienced player, returns from a right foot tendon injury that sidelined him for almost the entire 08-09 season.  Although Mason Jr. suffered a minor setback in October with a hamstring injury, he is clearly the key to the Red Storm’s season.  The fifth year senior has averaged 12.43 PPG during his time at St. John’s and will be looked upon as the leader of the team, both on and off the court.

 “We’re obviously very happy and excited to get Anthony back. He is such a versatile scorer, and his ability to be our main scorer on any given night makes our team that much deeper.  We just want him to get fully healthy, and hopefully he’ll be ready by the end of November”

I think late November is a slight reach by Norm.  I’ll say he’ll be back by the Holiday Festival in late December. 

 

Also returning is a very formidable front court that has both size and athleticism.   Junior forwards Sean Evans (10.30 PPG, 7.50 RPG) and Justin Burrell (9.00 PPG, 4.5 RPG) wreaked havoc on teams last season both offensively and on the boards, but must be more consistent if the Red Storm want to compete with the upper echelon teams in the Big East.  Joining them this season will be JUCO transfer Justin Brownlee who is a versatile forward with the ability to face up or play his back to the basket.  Red Shirt Junior Rob Thomas rounds out the impressive front court that will be tough for any team to handle.

 

Whereas the fight and toughness resides with the forwards, the scoring and most talent live in the St. John’s backcourt.  Junior Shooting Guard, and last year’s leading scorer (14.6 PPG) Paris Horne returns and looks to continue his impressive maturation process.  Seldomlly used as a freshman, Paris lit it up his Sophomore season increasing his PPG by 9.5.  Joining him will be Junior DJ Kennedy (13.0 PPG), a combo Guard who at 6’6 can shoot the three and post up smaller guards.  The point guard duties will mostly be handled by 5’8 Junior Malik Boothe who will have to improve his assist/turnover ratio for the Storm to succeed.  Joining this explosive backcourt will be the highly touted Freshman Omari Lawrence out of St. Raymond’s who passed up Kentucky and UCONN to play for Norm Roberts.  Lawrence is a swingman that has been rated a top 25 prospect with the ability to play the Shooting Guard, Small Forward, or Power Forward position.  With the injury to Mason, Omari will most likely start at the Forward position and will make an immediate impact in the Big East this season.   Also joining the team this year will be JUCO-transfer Dwight Hardy.  A 6’2 Shooting Guard out of the Bronx, Hardy is a tremendous outside shooter that averaged 39.0 PPG in High School.  He will likely come off the bench for the Red Storm. 

There is no place to go but up for this talented and experienced Red Storm team.  While the Big East coaches think St. John’s will finish in the lower half of the conference (picked 11 out of 16 teams pre-season), I believe this team has enough talent, toughness, and experience to contend for a trip to the NCAA Tournament in March.  Norm Roberts has never had this much athleticism and experience in his five years with the program and it is do-or-die for the head coach.  Another disappointing season, and Norm will be packing his bags. 

 

Projected Starting Lineup:

F- Sean Evans (Jr., 6’8)

F- Omari Lawrence (Fr., 6’5)

F/G- DJ Kennedy (Jr., 6’6)

G- Paris Horne (Jr., 6’4)

G- Malik Boothe (Jr., 5’8)

 

2009-2010 Marquee Matchups

11/27 @ Siena (Palestra, Philadelphia- Philly Hoops Classic)

12/05 @ Duke

12/06 vs. Georgia (SEC-Big East Challenge)

12/31 @ Georgetown

1/09 @ Louisville

1/20 @ UCONN

1/23 vs. Villanova

1/28 @ Pittsburgh

2/06  vs. West Virginia

2/11 vs. Louisville

2/14 @ Notre Dame

2/27 vs. Pittsburgh

3/02 @ Syracuse

3/09 Big East Tournament Begins

 

1st Game:  11/13 vs. Long Island University (Carnesecca Arena)

 

Projected Big East Standings:

1. Villanova

2. UCONN

3. West Virginia

4. Louisville

5. Georgetown

6. Cincinnati

7. Notre Dame

8. Syracuse

9. St. John’s

10. Seton Hall

11. Pittsburgh

12. Marquette

13. Providence

14. South Florida

15. Rutgers

16. Depaul

 

– Ill Will