NY Sports Check - 10/25

New week, same shit. It's almost like the sports world is under a dark spell cast by the Red Sox Nation. We gotta watch them beat the inferior Rockies, amidst the crappy announcing of Tim McCarver. Once they win it will be all over and we can concentrate on the NFL, and hot stove baseball. Whatever...the good thing about being a NY sports fan is that there is always something to talk about. So without further hesistation, NY Sports Check:

1. New York Giants

Why the Giants are number one: The Giants are dominating, and guess what? They have the best shot at winning a championship, out of all the NY teams, at this moment. The reason? Not the improved play of Eli. Not the revamped offensive line. Not the three-headed running attack. And, not the big play capabilities of Plexiglass Buress. It is the defense, but not the talent (even though they are very talented). It's Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator. Let's be real, these are the Giants, and they play in North Jersey. Do they want a defensive coach named Johnnie Lynn, or Tim Lewis? NO!!!! The Giants should have a defensive coordinator who is a "Pisan". With a name like Spagnuolo, he is a shoe in to be the next Giant coach. He is lauded for his blitz schemes (he refers to them as "hits"). And he is knows how to get his players motivated. I asked Coach Spag on how he keeps his players motivated. He said, "I tell those moulies that they better play or then my cut, of their pay, will go from 10 points to 40 points, and if they don't like that they can go fuck themselves. Forgetaboutit. I'm just a capo right now, but one day I'll be boss of this organization. Coughlin is getting lazy, and we know how those micks like their liquor." Okay, so he didn't say that. But he is the reason why the Giants can win the NFC.

2. New York Yankees

Why the Yanks are number two: The ownership is changing, and for the worse. I hope people realize that George Steinbrenner has no control on what is going on with the Yankees. If he did, then Joe Torre would still be around. He might have some medical condition (like Alzheimer's), and is being used like a pawn by the real controlling owners. The Dolan's are also putting in a bid to buy the YES Network, which means they want the team eventually (Forbes values the Yankees at 1.5 billion, and the YES Network at 3.5 billion). If the Dolan's get control, Suzyn Waldman will file a sexual harrasment suit, and will win. That's how inept and unprofessional the sports side of the Dolan empire has been so far (anybody accused of sexually harrasing Suzyn Waldman should be castrated). Oh yeah, they're looking for a manager who will take the worst job in baseball, the replacement of Joe Torre. Ha!! I feel a lost decade on the horizon.

3. New York Jets

Why the Jets are number three: Because they are in the middle of a quarterback controversy. Pennington is good, but they know Pennington already. They should play Kellen Clemens at QB and tank the season. With a high draft pick, they can get a player who is a gamebreaker, and they have zero of those right now. This is a classic example of the downs a team experiences after a year where they had an easy schedule.

4. New York Knicks

A lot of publications are picking the Knicks to miss the playoffs. I think it's more of an attack on the character of Isaiah Thomas than an attack on the actual talent of the roster. This is a team that is hard to match-up with and they are all 25 through 28 years old (with some exceptions), and they're maturing to the point where they can win 8 to 10 more games this year. They play hard for Isaiah. Oh yeah, if David Stern takes action against Isaiah, he has to take action against Kobe Bryant. Bryant settled with a "rape" victim and it's not like he didn't have sex with that girl (ho). I hope the Knicks do their thing this year and prove everybody (except me) wrong.

5. The Hockey Teams

Why are they number five: Last week I suggest that the NHL melt the ice and have brothas shoot from the stands at the players, just to make the sport interesting. I know that this will never happen, but last time I checked, there were no metal detectors in NHL arenas.

6. New York Mets

Why they are number six: I know the Yanks are in trade talks with anybody, and everybody. We better be doing the same thing. We also need to hire Wally Backman to be on our coaching staff. A lot of what the Mets were missing last year, is instilled in Backman. He is a Mets great who should get more respect within the organization, and I think he could be a great first base coach.

7. New Jersey Nets

Why they are number seven: They have a great backcourt, and I like a couple of their young players. Their front line is definatly underrated as well. But, still, they're boring. Their stars are not likeable (except Richard Jefferson), and they play in a dead arena. This will be their best team since they went to the finals, but whodafuckcares.

That's it...Go GIANTS!!!!

What kind of Blog Junkie am I? West Coast Edition

Sorry for the hiatus, but there this weekend was a busy one...really, I was hungover on Sunday morning, and I wasn't intending on posting on Saturday (due to two events unfolding on Sunday, the U.S. Open, and Mets-Yankees)...this weekend was a classic sports weekend, one of the best, and even included an appearance from our boy, Pacman...

So...where do I start? It's gotta be Mets-Yankees, and yes I am a huge Met fan (i had baseballs autographed by Kelvin Torve, Pat Howell, Shawn Hare, and Chris Donnells, even though I lost 'em, by playing with 'em)...i hate the Yankees, but there is no franchise, in the world, that compares, and I want my franchise to be just like the Yankees (I love the history of baseball, it fills up probably half of my head, which means that a quarter of my brain has Yankee history in it)...going into game 1, I realized that there is a good chance that the Mets could be humbled this weekend...the first game was a beauty with Roger Clemens locking up with Oliver Perez in a good pitchers duel...a decent amount of baserunners, and action, with the game ending up 2-0 Mets...the second game was a mess with the Yankees winning 11 to 8, and they won on Sunday night as well 8 to 2...I don't want harp on these games, because they were predictable... a hot team ran into a cold team and took two outta three, just like their first series...but there are a couple of things the Mets must do:

(1) Get rid of Heilman

For an eighth-inning setup man...he doesn't miss as many bats as I would like...he has a good sinker that gets ground balls, as long as he keeps it down, and has a good change..but these aren't working on a regular basis, which means he is a good seventh-inning guy...Rick Peterson has done a good job with him, but before Rick Peterson, he was absolutely meat...trade him now while his stock is high enough to get something of value...

(2) Do Not Trade Carlos Gomez

So Peter Gammons comes on ESPN and says that there are talks about the Mets trading for Mark Buherle, or Brad Lidge (to steal a line from one of my favorite radio personalities, Joe Beningo: "By the way, when has Peter Gammons ever been right.") ... the thing is, as a big market team, we shouldn't have to trade to get guys like these two...we can get them in free agency, when we need to...i would like to get guys like this, but not a the cost of a guy who looks like he's gonna be 20-45 for years to come...

(3) Mets fans, don't panic

We've been here before, and this team is too good to finish second...we can be spoiled by last year's cake walk...a little adversity will tell us what we have for the long haul, and Omar will have a better idea how to make his melting pot better...




U.S. Open

The other great watch of the weekend was Tiger Woods, and the U.S. Open...i enjoyed this event not only because we had a chance to see Tiger come from behind, and win for the first time ever, but I was so hung over, and there is nothing more relaxing than watching (listening) to golf, on a beanbag chair...the only thing I will say is that the courses in the U.S. Open shouldn't play so rigid (that 17 was brutal), and congrats to the guy who won....whatever his name was....

The Stephen Jackson Awards UPDATE!!!!!

Stephen Jackson pleaded guilty to whatever he did last...he's avoiding one year of jail, if the judge accepts the plea bargain...which means that (1) its good to have a good lawyer, and (2) he's going to need the lawyer again, soon...

Pacman is going to steal the show this summer, as he was involved with another shooting at a strip club...and again, he wasn't the trigger man, etc...it seems somebody from his crew fired shots at somebody else and the cops are looking for him to ask him some questions...some scenario it seems from last time... but if he gets himself banned for life from the NFL, we are going to name this award after him, kind of a lifetime achievement award...Good Luck, Pacman!!!

It's kind of a sad story, but J.R. Smith, of the New Orleans Hornets, might have lock up the SJA based on the fact that he may be tried for vehicular homicide in the accident that claimed the life of his best friend, in N.J.... Both were thrown out of Smith's Yukon after Smith ran a stop sign...I'm not going to make light of this situation but let me call in Andrew Bogut, of the Milwaukee Bucks, to tell you how it is in the N.B.A., and why the league still has a bunch of knuckle heads in it:

"The public's image of NBA players is true," he says. "A lot of them get caught up in the hype and do video clips with rappers and all that crap. They want bling bling all over themselves and drive fast cars. But that's just the way the culture is in America - if you've got it flaunt it and if you don't, you can't."

There are guys who drop a hundred grand for a chain. The public's got it right - a lot of NBA stars are arrogant and like to spend lots of money and have lots of girlfriends and all that.(Sydney Morning Herald)

Bogut is quickly becoming one of my favorite (favourite) players...he seems to get it, and is a rugged center who doesn't get much press...he does everything asked of him, and will be a problem for a lot of teams in the future...I'll assign points for J.R. Smith's mishap in the next update, which if you ask Bogut, will probably be tomorrow...

Bud and the Giambino

I Can't Put My Finger On It, But These Guys Just Don't Look Natural Anymore


It's amazing how the course of Major League Baseball has changed the outlook we have towards competition...I'm not playing baseball currently (even though I should be, I just don't listen as well as my Latino counterparts), but if I were, I would feel I have the licence to cheat as much as I want...Load bats, sandpaper, KY Jelly on the ball, I would try it all...Baseball will reward you for cheating...I think people want to see the product of cheating...example A: "Eight Men Out" is a good movie, about cheating in baseball, that made money at the box office, and later on video (do they even have VHS in Iran?)..."The Kid From Left Field" is a cute baseball movie, that went directly to T.V., and it made jack (Even though it may have had the best formula of any movie, EVER... Arnold Jackson is playing a kid named J.R., who has a hunch regarding baseball, and gets to be manager of the Padres...oughta happen)...So steroids are front and center now...people use them, but if they don't admit it, there is always a shred of doubt that they are innocent...Barry Bonds is "O.J. Innocent", he sure as hell did it, but until he admits it, there is nothing Bud Selig can do...so here comes Jason Giambi, who has realized during his time in New York with the New York media, that it doesn't pay to tell half-truths when interviewed...He said: "I was wrong for doing that stuff. What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said: 'We made a mistake.' Steroids and all of that was a part of history." So he basically told the truth...So does Bud Selig address these obvious problems, does he poll his owners to figure out if they knew their players were doing steroids? Does he threaten franchises, like the King of the NFL, Mr. Goodell? No... he threatens to suspend Giambi (for not participating in Sen. George Mitchell's probe, which is another joke)...Selig must have been embarrassed...He was embarrassed on Capitol Hill, he was embarrassed by Jose Canseco, and he's afraid of getting embarrassed by Barry Bonds (which happened already)...the commish is afraid of certain players, and people...Wait until this newer steroid case outs some names, and then the case after that, which is inevitable...the lesson is simple, try it at work: If you cheat, don't say anything...unless they think you're crazy, like Gary Sheffield, then you can say what you want, due to the fear you'll deliver an asswhoopin'...