Around New York on a Wednesday in February

Hey Everyone. So today I figured I'd cover a whole mess of New York sports news considering there were so many teams in action and other news today. So, here we go:

Yankees:
Beat the Blue Jays 6-1 in their first spring training game of the season. A-Rod was booed and responded with a homer. Brett Gardner hit one as well. Very impressive to see the little guy show he has some power and on the second pitch of the game no less. I think this guy desperately wants to make the team and will have a monster spring to prove he deserves the center field spot. Pitchers threw fairly well so that's a good sign. Overall, solid start for the Yanks.

Mets:
Also started off the spring well with a 9-3 rout of the Orioles. Biggest surprises were four RBI's for Luis Castillo and three for Ryan Church. It would be huge for the Mets to have a good campaign from Castillo after a mediocre start with the team. It's also important that Church shows he can still play well after his concussion problems last year. Pitching was alright but no one very important threw. Again, good beginning.

Rangers:
In their first game under new Head Coach John Tortorella, the Rangers showed more of the same and lost in a shootout 2-1 in Toronto. The team is just incapable of scoring. They had a ton of opportunities and got more shots on net but failed to capitalize. Nice to see Wade Redden get in the goal column for the first time since the home opener on October 10th. The team looked a little more lively but continues to struggle scoring goals every game.

Knicks:
Another game that looked close at the end, but a lackluster effort at the beginning did them in. Mike D'Antoni was as irate as I've ever seen in the first half when his team failed to shoot well from the field and lacked communication on defense. It was like the Knicks just came out half asleep. The second half was much better, and I was impressed with Danilo Gallinari's shooting. However, Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox failed to impress, and the team as a whole will need to play well for 48 minutes every night if they want to get in the playoffs.

Jets:
The long relationship with Laveranues Coles is over after the Jets and the receiver parted ways. Now, he can still come back as a free agent, but I think the Jets might go after a guy like Marvin Harrison or someone else to help boost a struggling Jets offense. Coles is a great receiver, but he was never part of the Jets' prime plans last year. It would be smarter for the Jets to get someone who can be more of a primary option.

Giants:
Brandon Jacobs was locked up for four years in a deal that was important to keep the Giants running game as superb as it's been. Jacobs has had to deal with injuries, but he provides a power running game that not too many have in the NFL. Not much to say about this, but the Giants made the right move by keeping him in a blue jersey.

Ithaca Bombers Basketball Caps Off Great Regular Season

I decided today to focus more on colleges again and this time, I'm turning my attention to the place I call home for a good part of the year: Ithaca College. This winter has been one of the most memorable for the men's and women's basketball teams. Now with the regular season over, both teams are getting set for big playoff runs after a tremendously successful year.

The men have gotten the most attention, ranking 9th in the country as of today and likely on the way up to 7th or 6th after the final regular season poll is released tomorrow. Their record: 24-1 with their only loss being a very controversial one at RIT. A last second buzzer-beater was the only Bomber blemish, but replays clearly showed the ball did not leave the hand of Nate Korinchak before the buzzer sounded. Either way, Ithaca exacted revenge with a 101-74 blowout of RIT today to end the season.

The Bombers' run and gun offense, led by senior Sean Burton, the defending Empire 8 Player of the Year, has averaged 90 points a game and the team has an assist to turnover ratio of +1.5. Six players are averaging 10 or more points a game as well. There is no question the Bombers have been the best team in the East Region this year. They are hosting the conference tournament, likely the first round of the NCAA tourney as well, and could very well make it to the Division III Final Four this year.

As for the women, the Bombers shook off a rough start out of conference and have finished the year 17-8 overall and 13-3 in the Empire 8. The Bombers have done well against most of their conference foes, with St. John Fisher being the only team to beat them twice this year. The one problem: St. John Fisher is their first round opponent in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament.

Tracy Bradley and Katherine Bixby are both averaging close to 12 points a game and have had a lot of depth off the bench. Junior Jeanine Burke and sophomore Jordan Confessore along with freshmen Jessica Farley and Riley Dunn have filled in when needed and held down the fort when starters have run into foul trouble or injuries. The Bombers have the chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, as they've done several times under Head Coach Dan Raymond, but they'll need to at least get past the first round of the conference tournament.

Overall, Ithaca Bombers fans have to be happy with how their teams have played this year, especially the men's team. It has no doubt been one of the best winters for the Ithaca basketball teams. Fans are excited at how far these teams can go and at the chance to see a lot of playoff basketball at Ben Light Gymnasium. We'll see if Ithaca can make some noise during March Madness.

Knicks Make Splash at Deadline

Maybe a ripple instead of a splash, but they did go out and make a couple decent moves. First, they traded a bunch of players who really had no role on the team for a pair of guys who could be instrumental in getting the Knicks to a playoff spot. The Knicks sent the trio of Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson for Larry Hughes, then traded Malik Rose and cash for Chris Wilcox.

Now, neither of these players the Knicks obtained have done much of anything this year. However, now in a new system, they have the chance to thrive again. The Knicks have not had a player that can function well enough as a 2-guard since they traded Jamal Crawford to Golden State. Hughes can fill that role and create a strong backcourt with Chris Duhon. He's had success, averaging 12 points per game this season and the previous two. Chris Wilcox can help add another big man and has the potential to be another factor off a solid Knicks bench.

Overall, these aren't any jaw-dropping moves. However, Knicks fans are happy over this and they should be. The team got two improvements over the crop they gave up and did not trade Nate Robinson, David Lee, or Wilson Chandler to do so. I feel like the Knicks rely so much on how these three have been playing that giving up any of them would've been stupid. Take a look:

Robinson (off the bench): 17 points, 4 rebounds a game, 45% shooter
Lee: 17 points, 12 rebounds a game, 56% shooter, Tied for 1st in the league in double-doubles.
Chandler: 14 points, 5 rebounds a game, 43% shooter

Each of these players brings so much energy and talent to the team each night that losing them at this point would not be smart. Mike D'Antoni is a head coach who wants to win now. Even if they're not the best team in the league, they will be led to give their best effort every night. The Knicks kept this version of the "Big Three" and got two players who can give an added boost in their attempt to return to the playoffs.

Another Fun Rangers-Islanders Match-Up

I always enjoy watching the Rangers and Islanders do battle. On Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, fans got to witness another nail-biter between these two teams. This was a game the Rangers needed to win to keep fighting for a playoff spot and one the Islanders wanted to help put a knife deeper into the Rangers' wound. The Rangers ended up with a 3-1 win, but the game featured a lot of good fight between both sides.

On the Rangers side, Nigel Dawes got to return to the line-up with Lauri Korpikoski out with an injury and didn't miss a beat. He scored the first goal of the game, burying a great feed from Chris Drury to put the Rangers in front. Getting the first goal was key for the Rangers. They were able to get a power play goal in the second via Scott Gomez, who was in desperate need of a goal and some life. And you gotta love Petr Prucha's fight with the much bigger Sean Bergenheim. Prucha brings energy and grit each time he's out there. Defensively, they still had some holes, and the Islanders ended up with several great chances that Henrik Lundqvist thwarted with a great game in net. Against a better scoring team, the Rangers would probably have lost, but a win is a win and the Rangers won't complain.

As for the Isles, scoring was an issue again. They were given many chances by the Rangers sloppiness in the defensive zone but failed to capitalize. Their lone bright spot came when Mark Streit knocked home a one-timer off a nice pass from Blake Comeau for their only goal of the game. The Islanders have some skill without question, but they lack consistency and a true leader. Rick DiPietro is the face of that team, and without him, they are nothing. The Isles played alright defensively but were also benefits of the post. The Rangers rang the puck of the pipe twice in one shift during the first period. If those go in, this game's a clear blowout. However, give the Isles credit for playing tough, matching the Rangers for most of the game, and not rolling over against their hated rivals.

With the win, the Rangers won the season series from the Isles and they have one more game together on March 5th at the Nassau Coliseum. For the Islanders, the season is obviously lost. They should focus on finding some talent at the trade deadline as a building block toward next season. As for the Rangers, they have so much to play for with a playoff spot nearly slipping away. While they too need talent at the deadline, they must focus on building off this win and getting a streak going to get back higher in the standings. They also should focus on those two games left with the Sabres, one with the Panthers, and four with the Flyers!

A-Rod Speaks

So Alex Rodriguez sat in front of a ward of media today in Tampa and finally gave the speech everyone wanted to hear. Well, while he said might not have been the most believable thing, he did say what he wanted to and now reporters and fans can all take this entire issue, put it in the rear-view mirror, and worry about baseball in 2009.

There will surely be talk over the next few days regarding some of the things Alex said. He noted that his cousin introduced him to the stuff and that he did not know what he was injecting. I can buy that someone like his cousin got it from the Dominican Republic, but I am still skeptical on him not knowing what he put in. He had to have had some inkling, and definitely did by saying "We knew we weren't taking tic-tacs." The extent of knowledge he had on the steroids will only be known by him, so everyone else should just forget about finding it out.

It's also hard to believe him when he says he was "young and foolish." At that point in his career, he was no longer young. Foolish? Probably. But he knew better. The problem with all of his bashers is that they don't realize how baseball was all about steroids at this point. Most players probably didn't take any, but there was no doubt a good portion who did. In a society where everyone wants to be better at what they do, people will do whatever they can to get to that level. Ballplayers were willing to take the risk of health problems to get that extra edge. A-Rod wanted to prove he was worth all that money Texas threw at him, and did whatever he felt was necessary.

Rodriguez made a mistake, and now it is time to move on. Is he wrong for taking steroids? Yes. Has he placed another black mark on the game? Probably. Should he be punished, criticized, and have this hanging over his head the entire season? No. The guy screwed up, he apologized, and he admitted to the mistake. People need to focus on what this guy is going to do on the field this upcoming season rather than worrying about what happened back from 2001-2003. It's over, it's done with, it's time to move on!

Is The End Here for Tom Renney?

I'm sure all Rangers fans are starting to think that his time has come. It certainly sound that way yesterday at MSG when the Rangers were embarrassed by the rival-Flyers and the entire crowd was calling for Tom Renney and Glen Sather's heads. While it's hard to blame front office personnel for poor play on the ice, I think some of this blame needs to go their way.

Sather deserves a lot of the fault for this past off-season. He went out and spent a ton of money and made trades to bring in players like Wade Redden, Dmitri Kalinin, and Nikolai Zherdev along with Scott Gomez and Chris Drury the year before. While getting talent is nice, he didn't get someone who has a nose for the net like Jaromir Jagr did. None of the guys on the team right now are willing to shoot the puck, as evidenced by poor power play after poor power play. Redden was given a ton of money and doesn't move the puck well-enough except when he turns it over. He got talent, but not scoring talent really.

Renney told reporters after yesterday's game that he takes the blame for everything that has happened and said it was he who has to be the one to turn the team around. Renney has made several questionable moves this year. He finally puts in Petr Prucha, not a physical player for the most part and sits Aaron Voros, a physical player, against a team that is traditionally very physical in their game. Renney also doesn't seem like he has a lot of fire in him to yell at players and hold them accountable for mistakes on the ice. If he wants to stick around, he needs to infuse some sort of energy and life into what seems like a completely dead team.

However, with everything that has gone on, the players still deserve a ton of blame for the way they have played. Chris Drury is supposed to be the captain, but he is far from it right now. He doesn't seem to play with the energy and drive for the net like he had in Buffalo. Scott Gomez hasn't provided much and seems almost invisible on the ice at times. I've already mentioned the problems with Redden and Kalinin.

Bottom line is: when you give up a goal while on a 5-on-3 power play, something is clearly wrong. This team doesn't have a will to win or any energy at all. If that doesn't change anytime soon, like with wins against the Blues and Islanders, it's gonna be time for some changes.

A Trophy Comes to New York...

...and it comes courtesy of Nate Robinson who on Saturday night topped Dwight Howard to become the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk Champion. Robinson's winner came when he jumped clean over Howard (who was dressed in a Superman cape) and slammed it home. Tremendous performance by the little man to top Howard.

Robinson silenced critics who claimed he did not deserve his championship in 2006 when his final try took too many takes. However, this year, he had a couple beauties that all came within the time limit.

One of my favorites was when Nate jumped on top of Wilson Chandler and dunked it. Yes, he did get a vault-like affect by using Chandler, but it's not like he has springs in his back. Nate is also 5'8'' at best so his jump was still remarkable. Nate switching to a green outfit was also a funny point for me as he sported his "kryptonite" look to Dwight Howard's "superman."

His other two dunks featured a nice run up and slam after tossing it up and then another where he tossed up, lept up and grabbed it facing away from the hoop, and dunked it behind him over his head. Very nice performance by Mr. Robinson for sure.

Dwight Howard had a couple of beauties too including a slam after bouncing it off the side of the backboard and windmilling it as well as one when he easily soared up and jammed the ball home on a 12-foot hoop. He made it look so easy while the rim was a whole 2 FEET higher!! That's impressive.

So Knicks fans, celebrate while you can!! A trophy was brought back to Madison Square Garden by one of the biggest factors on this year's team. Now, let's see if he can lead his team to the real reward during the second half of the season!

Looking at the New York Rotations

So with today being a fairly slow news day among the New York sports teams, and with pitchers and catchers reporting this week, I figured I'd take a look at the Yankees and Mets in terms of their pitchers. I will try over the course of the next week or two to look at both teams and compare where they stand as a whole.


The Yankees Projected Rotation (in my projected order):
1. C.C. Sabathia
2. Chien Ming Wang
3. A.J. Burnett
4. Andy Pettitte
5. Joba Chamberlain


Analysis: The Yankees have one of the top rotations in baseball after spending an absolute fortune to get Sabathia and Burnett. With two power arms like that, I think it would be in the Yankees' best interest to split them up and stick Wang in between. Wang can throw the ball hard, but his heavy pitch is a sinker, not a fastball. Bringing Pettitte back (finally) was a good decision to slot him into your number four spot. He will give you a lot of innings, barring injury, and can still get you about as many wins as he will losses. Who knows what can happen with him? Mike Mussina won 20 games last year when many said he was washed up. The move also allows Joba to slide down to the number five spot. The Yankees can watch his innings by easily skipping over his turn if need be and throwing Sabathia out there on short rest. He certainly had enough experience with that in Milwaukee last year.

Big Key: AVOID THE INJURY BUG! The Yankee rotation spent last season without their ace for half the season when Wang was hurt running the bases. Joba went down toward the end of the season with a shoulder problem. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy also suffered injuries early in the season and weren't really seen at all the rest of the year. If the Yankee rotation is going to be as dominant as it looks now, they are going to need to stay healthy.

The Mets Projected Rotation:
1. Johan Santana
2. John Maine
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. Oliver Perez
5. Freddy Garcia/Tim Redding/Livan Hernandez


Analysis: The Mets come in with another solid rotation, especially in the NL East for 2009. Santana is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and would have had 20 wins or more if not for his team scoring few runs or his bullpen blowing games. He'll be splendid again. John Maine and Mike Pelfrey both have shown flashes of great pitching but both are very inconsistent. Same can be said for Oliver Perez. They all have the ability to be very dominant at times. However, Maine has seemed to lose a lot of his brilliance after suffering through injuries last year. Pelfrey is still very young and inexperienced to be a number three starter in New York. Perez seems to do well in big situations but struggles against teams he should be able to beat. Garcia and Redding will compete for the number five spot. I think Garcia gets it unless he struggles coming back from shoulder surgery. Redding is just not that good. Overall, nothing amazing, but certainly solid enough in the NL East to compete with the Phillies.

Big Key: Develop consistency among starters. There is no question the Mets have the guys that can perform and have in the past. The problem is, aside from Santana, neither of the other starters have shown any consistency. For the Mets to be successful, they need to have John Maine pitch fairly well each start, keeping his team in the game or have Oliver Perez find more consistency after getting signed to a fairly large contract. If the Mets starters continue to pitch like they did last year, it will be another disappointing season for the "other" New York team.

So Long Brett

News reports say Brett Favre has told the Jets he plans to retire. Cue the celebration in New York! Jets fans today should be rejoicing over the fact that Favre will not, at least as of now, be coming back at his old age and with his old arm to help lead the Jets to great mid-season success only to follow it with another catastrophic failure.

Favre was brought in as the final piece to help lead the Jets not only into the playoffs but deep into it. A veteran presence in a talented line-up was exactly what appeared to be a great decision by the Jets. However, we all now how much bad luck has surrounded the Jets throughout their history, and this past season was no different. After moving to 8-3, first place in the AFC East, by handing the Titans their first loss of the season in blowout fashion, the Jets finished the year a dismal 1-4 and found a way to miss not only the division title but the playoffs as a whole. And a lot of that responsibility rested on Favre and his less-than-stellar performances.

I was saying throughout the last few games that the Jets needed to put in Kellen Clemens when Favre was at his peak struggling point. Sure Clemens has barely played in the NFL and Favre is arguably the greatest of all-time, but shouldn't the goal be to win and secure a playoff spot? I'm not saying Clemens would have definitely performed better, but at that point, when Favre was throwing interceptions left and right, a change had to be made. Look what happened with Donovan McNabb! He was playing terrible, got benched for a half, then came back and led his team to the NFC Championship game.

For this coming season, unless the Jets can find another solid QB, I say give Kellen a chance. He has yet to play a full season in the league and has been learning from the likes of Chad Pennington and now Brett Favre for years. Put him out there, see what he can do, and take it from there. He's got a great arm but just needs work on his accuracy. I'd say that's something Favre could have taught him with his laser-like passes, but after the amount of interceptions Favre threw last year, I can pretty safely say that didn't happen!

A-Rod Admits Taking Steroids

Well, I think it's safe to say that I'm more surprised Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs just days after the story broke than I was about the report that he had a positive test. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I really was not shocked to hear he had tested positive for PEDs. In this generation with many big-time athletes getting caught for steroid use, I could never say I felt he was clean.

To see him go out there and tell Peter Gammons straight up that he took them, and for three years as well, was shocking to me. We look at guys like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire deny steroid use time and time again when it is so clear that they have and evidence is pointing against them. To me, A-Rod seemed like the type of person who would try and deny it and not go right out and admit his use and apologize.

Him doing that was clearly the right thing to do. It hasn't helped Clemens, Bonds, or McGwire that they refuse to admit it. A-Rod is following what Giambi and Pettitte did and getting it out of the way now. All of them recognized their mistake and how it was part of the culture back then, apologized for it, realized how foolish they were, and moved on. That was the best possible way to handle the situation.

Now, it doesn't help that he'll still face scrutiny and questions all through spring training and the season, especially if he performs poorly. He lied on CBS in the past when he said he never took any PEDs. However, he told the truth to Peter Gammons and will do his best to move on. Him coming clean gained back a little bit of respect I had lost.

At this point, telling the truth was all he really could do. When it comes time to play ball, he better bring his best game. If he doesn't, the NY fans will surely boo him...Loudly!

Can Sean Avery Help the Rangers?

In recent days, reports have surfaced that the Rangers are thinking about reacquiring forward Sean Avery from the Dallas Stars. Avery was not re-signed by the Rangers this past off-season and ended up signing in Dallas for a good wad of money. Only a few months into his new job, he made an inappropriate sexual remark about his past girlfriends and never saw the ice again with the Stars. The team waived Avery on Friday after he completed the league's behavioral modification program.

So the question becomes: Would the Rangers really benefit from bringing Avery back? In his year and a half on Broadway, Avery won over the good majority of the fans. He had a knack for bringing a physical, though sometimes overboard, presence each game and found a way to score big goals in the process. Who could forget how much he frustrated Marty Brodeur in last year's playoffs to the point where the veteran goalie refused to shake Avery's hand after the Rangers took the series in five.

Avery had some problems though. Ownership wasn't really convinced he meant that much to the team. He took a lot of unnecessary penalties that put the team in tough spots. In Dallas, the Stars started the season miserably but are a solid 17-7-3 since he left the team. Avery brings a gritty and feisty presence to the team but can also be a distraction.

I'm not sure he is what the Rangers need at this point. Their biggest problem is scoring, especially on the power play. Avery will not really provide the scoring, but could provide a body in front of the net that is more frustrating for opposing goalies than Aaron Voros. The Rangers really need a guy like Jaromir Jagr who will just set up and blast shots on net and is not afraid to shoot. Avery is not that guy, although I do think he could inject a little more life into this team. So if you ask me, I say no, unless the Rangers don't have to pay that much for him. He's not worth the investment. Just look at Wade Redden.

A-Rod is A-Idiot

I never could've imagined writing this blog entry, expressing my opinions over a report that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroid use in 2003. However, here I sit, on a warm Saturday night, trying to comprehend how a player as talented as A-Rod doing something so stupid. But now, once again, a big-time Yankee is confronted with yet another steroid controversy and baseball turns again toward A-Rod and the Bronx.

First and foremost, I personally don't care that much. I've been bombarded all day by Red Sox fans telling me that A-Rod is a cheat and that this will get to his head, he's going to suck, and it's going to destroy the Yankees season. Give it a rest everyone! Is Rodriguez a cheat? Yes. Did he destroy his career? Yes. But come on, barely anyone's reported for Spring Training yet. The story's less than 24 hours old. How about we wait a few weeks when teams are getting ready to start the season or even wait until the season starts before saying A-Rod and the Yankees are done for.

Why don't I care? I've never been a fan of him. While he's a tremendous all-around athlete and one of the best ballplayers of all-time, he has failed time and time again in the clutch. That's one of my biggest factors in determining my appreciation and identification with an athlete. A-Rod, since coming to the Yankees, has done poorly with runners in scoring position and in the playoffs and has yet to obtain the respect of Yankees fans.

Now, it's hard to write a lot and give a firm opinion on everything since there haven't been many details released. I want to wait and see everything related to the situation and how nothing was said until now almost 6 years later. A-Rod has damaged his career, and honestly, probably doesn't have any reason to play if this is all true. I highly doubt he'll be voted to the Hall-of-Fame if he was in fact a steroid user. Whatever happens, he's damaged his career and brought unnecessary attention to the Yankees.

Garden Greatness

I know, I'm focusing a lot on Madison Square Garden this week, but that's what happens when a Rangers great has his number retired and the Knicks play host to the Lakers, Cavaliers, and Celtics all in the same week. However, I will give my take on the tremendous performances we saw on the hardwood from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on Monday and Wednesday nights.

19,763 fans packed the Garden on Monday night and proceeded to watch Bryant drop 61 points on their hometown team, breaking the record for most points scored at the current version of the World's Most Famous Arena. Two nights later, another sell-out crowd, another brilliant display of talent, as James put up 52 points of his own, finishing with a triple-double as well (10 rebounds, 11 assists). It was two of the best performances the building has ever seen.

What stood out to me was the love the fans showed for both of them. On Monday, fans chanted "M-V-P!" for Kobe when he was taken out of the game, and he saluted the crowd in appreciation. Wednesday's game was much closer, so the fans were still cheering the Knicks' effort, but you could tell there were several spectators who were applauding every shot made by LeBron. It was a site that you will rarely see anywhere else other than the mecca of basketball, MSG.

With the "Boston Three Party" coming to the Garden on Friday, can we expect another dominating performance by one player? If so, by who? KG? Ray? The Truth? Whatever the case, I don't think you'll see the types of games KB and LJ had. They make their teams, they are the focus, and they control the tempo. With Boston, it can be any of the three.

It's a shame the Knicks lack the type of talented player like these guys. David Lee, Nate Robinson, and Wilson Chandler are all talented, but neither of them come near these guys. For a team with history like the Knicks, you would think they'd have one. Well, 2010 isn't too far off is it? Pretty soon, LeBron will put on the orange and blue, and if not him, Chris Bosh or another big name basketball star will. It would be shocking and damaging if the franchise didn't nab one of them.

Wrapping Up an Emotional Night at The Garden

Adam Graves was bestowed with the New York Rangers' highest honor on Tuesday night as his #9 was raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters, joining Rod Gilbert, Ed Giacomin, Mike Richter, Mark Messier, and Brian Leetch as the only Rangers with their numbers retired. While some question whether his numbers are good enough to warrant his number being retired, I think there is no doubt that his play on the ice along with his contributions off it make him one of if not the most worthy candidate. He truly is a very admirable person for his work while playing and his extra effort in the community.

Last night, the Rangers put together another stirring ceremony, theming the evening "Heart of a Ranger." They had some of the trophies he had won on display: The King Clancy and Bill Masterson Memorial Trophies along with the Stanley Cup, which he famously helped win the Blueshirts back in 1994. They introduced Graves, and showed him walking in, in what was one of the first emotional moments of the night. Several fans lined the hallway to the arena, and he shook many of their hands, stopping to give a big hug to several handicapped children there. That was the first tear-jerker of the evening.

He walked out to a thunderous ovation, and was soon flanked by several teammates of his (Tie Domi was an fun one to see along with Darren Langdon, Stephane Matteau and Jeff Beukeboom also got loud applause, and a nice ovation for the cast of the Sopranos and Police Offer Steven McDonald as well). He was then joined by the other Rangers with retired jerseys and then his family. Then came a wide variety of gifts, from a mosaic made by fans, to a Bruce Springsteen guitar, to a collage by the Sopranos cast.

Messier spoke after the gifts, and his emotions got to him once again and made the fans tear up as well. It's amazing how emotional Mess is, but it just shows how he always wore his heart on his sleeve. His speech was beautiful and spoke a lot about how Graves really was a true leader on the team and was someone who everyone should try to emulate.

After that was the man of the hour. Graves was applauded loudly throughout and all the fans screamed their praise. He spoke about how great it was to play in front of the fans in New York, how much they meant to him, and how much his teammates helped him become the man he is. He was overwhelmed by "the weight" of the honor being bestowed on him that night. Graves spoke beautifully as well and was visibly emotional but never let it stop him from saying what he wanted.

Then, the Banner Raising. This was the most emotional of all in my mind. I have never seen a banner get raised to the rafters before, and getting to see it live was unbelievable. The applause and cheering was so loud and seeing Graves and even his son crying made even the toughest of men shed some tears. Seeing him in a Rangers jersey one more time as he took pics with the other retired Blueshirts and then with Richter, Messier, and Leetch was another great capper on the evening that could never be duplicated.

Graves then walked off to thunderous applause, and tapped his heart, letting all the Garden Faithful know how much he loved them and how much he appreciated their love for him. It was heart-warming for sure.

Although the current version of the Rangers was fairly unimpressive in a 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Thrashers, the night's main focus was that of Adam Graves and all he has meant to the Rangers organization, Madison Square Garden, and Rangers fans everywhere. He truly has the "Heart of a Ranger" and is someone who I admire tremendously. I wish there were more people like him, who go out every day and strive to make a difference in someone's life.

YAY Football!!

So here it is. Super Bowl XLIII. It comes as a dud seeing the Cardinals and Steelers. Not only is there much less hype about it considering the lack of big market teams, but I personally could not care about it at all except to hope that we see a good game. Here's to great commercials and a great half-time show by Bruce.

For me, I take the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner has the experience and seems like a man on a mission as does the entire team. They look a lot like the Giants of last season. Larry Fitzgerald is having a great postseason, and I see that continuing. I think it'll be close, very close, but they eek it out. I'm just hoping I get money from one of my boxes.

Enjoy the Game! I'll be off until Tuesday as I return home for Adam Graves night but will write about the evening on Wednesday most likely.
----------
Check out a new poll asking which Super Bowl was the better of the bunch------------------------------------------->