Yankees Hit the Newstands with Force

When is this not the case?

However, the Yankees had a lot of headlines in the media this afternoon that are all very pertinent. First of all, Joe Girardi named CC Sabathia the official starter for both the regular season opener on April 6th at Baltimore and the Yankee Stadium home opener on April 16th. I think it was obvious he was gonna start opening day, but I like the idea of him starting the home opener. In a new stadium, the Yankees will be starting a new era for the team. CC's long-term contract makes him one of those player sof the new era, so to have him start the game is appropriate. The Yankee fans will surely cheer him loudly.

The next bit of news is that the Yankees will have a new-look line-up when they open the season...most likely. When Jorge Posada had to bat clean-up, the team moved Johnny Damon into the second hole, and he did a great job of hitting and advancing runners. Therefore, when Derek Jeter came back from the World Baseball Classic, Girardi decided to lead him off and bat Damon second.

I like this idea to start the season. While the team will tell you differently, the first few games do not matter in a 162-game season. Start off with this line-up and see if it works for you. I think both Jeter and Damon do a great job of getting on base. Damon can bunt the ball better at this point I think and could even pull of a drag bunt here and there. Jeter has a good eye to work walks and clean up the bases if the bottom of the order starts off an inning. Start the season with this new look and see where it takes you. If both struggle, switch it back.

Unfortunately, there was some sadder news. Bob Sheppard, long-time public address announcer for the Yankees, will most likely not be at the new Yankee Stadium for opening day. While he would love to be there, his stamina apparently is not at the point it needs to be yet to muster up a trip to the ballpark. Sheppard is 97 years old, and it seems like he just might not be able to continue doing what he does best. It is sad to see, but at the same time, Sheppard was Yankee Stadium. Now that the team is moving to a new park, maybe it's time for a new voice.

Finally, George Steinbrenner is planning on attending the home opener. The 78-year old Yankee owner is still struggling health-wise and is not in the best of shape for the trip up to New York. However, he does want to be there and is planning on doing so. I am glad to hear this. The new stadium was Steinbrenner's gift to the fans, and he wnated to make a place that was supreme to all others. I really think this place will be so to have him be there when it officially opens for regular season baseball is great to hear.

Let me know your thoughts on any of these pieces of news. Are you glad CC is starting both openers? Do you like the line-up change? Will Bob Sheppard ever return to the PA Booth? And are you glad George will be at the opener? Also, vote in the new poll over to the right!

Brodeur Stands Alone

Congratulations to Marty Brodeur on winning his 552nd NHL game on Tuesday night against the Blackhawks! The win moved him past Patrick Roy for 1st place all-time among NHL goaltenders in history. This truly cements his place as the best goaltender in the history of the game. Throughout his career, he has proven to be the straw that stirs the Devils' drink.

It's scary to think where the Devils would be this year if Brodeur wasn't injured. I didn't think they'd play very well without him, but they did and having him back has only certified their place as one of the elite teams in the East. In 9 games since coming back from injury, Brodeur has only lost once. He has been phenomenal since his surgery and has found a way to keep performing despite getting older. It's been impressive to watch.

Since his first full season in 1993-94, Brodeur has always had a goals against average below 3. His highest was 2.57 in 2005-06, but he still picked up 43 wins and swept the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. Since then, his GAA has dropped each year. That's just a statement to how Marty keeps playing better and better while he gets older.

He's only four shutouts away from being first all-time on that list as well. That would 100% cement him as the best netminder of all-time. While he may not get that this year, I certainly doubt this will be his last considering the way he's playing. He will get those four, and he will be celebrated again.

The New York-area has had its share of solid goaltenders recently (Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist, a healthy Rick DiPietro), but Marty Brodeur has been the one consistent member of the bunch. He's been the face of the Devils for years and for good reason. Now, he stands alone above all the others, and he deserves all the accolades!

He's Back...

...from a very eventful (not really) spring break. I was fortunate enough to spend the first part of it with the famed cold that was traveling around the Northeast. Therefore, I was confined to my bed with a big box of tissues and various medication. The second part was much better. I got the chance to see a couple of Big East Tournament games, including the awesome Marquette-Villanova match-up. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the 6-OT thriller between Syracuse and UCONN live but watched the end on TV. Amazing game!

So for my first post back, I suppose it's only fitting to talk about March Madness. Anyone see how many New York schools got into the tournament? Well, if you didn't, here's a list of them:
Binghamton Bearcats - America East Champs
Cornell Big Red - Ivy League Champs
Siena Saints - MAAC Champs
Syracuse Orange - At-Large Bid

Ok, so it's only four, but that's not too shabby. For Binghamton, they draw Duke in the first round with the chance to pull off a performance like Belmont did against the Dukies but actually get the win. Cornell and Siena win their conference titles for the second straight year. The Big Red have a tough draw again with Missouri but Siena can certainly top Ohio State in the first round in a good 8-9 game. Syracuse came oh-so-close to winning the Big East title, but gets a 3 seed and a favorable first round match-up with Stephen F. Austin. I personally think Syracuse and Siena move on, but no one ever knows in March Madness.

Let me know what you think of the New York teams' performances this season and how far you think they can go. Leave comments or see the poll to the right. I'll have a more extensive look at some first round games later this week.

Spring Break

Hey Everyone. So spring break is officially upon Ithaca College, and I will be engaging in some much needed relaxation. This especially after Ithaca's embarrassing loss in the 2nd round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to DeSales on Saturday night. I will be around though, so if something big happens that deserves some recognition, I will do my absolute best to post. Enjoy the week off...I certainly will!

Trade Deadline Happenings

So the trade deadline came and went on Wednesday afternoon with all of the New York teams getting involved some how. I'll list the trades made and give some analysis:

New York Rangers:
-Acquired C Nik Antropov from the Maple Leafs for a 2nd round pick and a conditional pick.
-Acquired D Derek Morris from the Coyotes for Dmitri Kalinin, Petr Prucha, and Nigel Dawes.
Analysis: The Rangers gave up a lot, especially for Morris, but they were all expendable parts, at least in the eyes of John Tortorella and Glen Sather. Antropov and Morris both bring physicality and should help boost the league's 2nd-worst power play. Kalinin was pretty weak and wouldn't be a Ranger much longer. Prucha and Dawes were not going to get much playing time and were seen as not having a real future in New York. Good luck to them elsewhere! The Rangers got what they needed, which is what's important.

New York Islanders:
-Traded RW Bill Guerin to the Penguins for a conditional draft pick
Analysis: Really Garth Snow? Really? You trade away an aging veteran, get a draft pick, and don't try to get rid of any other garbage for a decent player or more draft picks? This is why the Islanders struggle year after year. They rely on using draft picks to help the team get better, but the picks never seem to pan out, and no one wants to come play on Long Island. The Islanders did basically nothing again on deadline day and now will have to hope they get the draft picks they want come the summer and hopefully a decent free agent or two.

New Jersey Devils:
-Acquired D Niclas Havelid and F Myles Stoesz for Anssi Salmela
Analysis: The Devils really did not need to improve too much as they have been playing great without and now with Marty Brodeur in net. This team helped fortify the blue line a little bit which certainly helps and brings some more veteran experience to the team. The Devils are set to make a strong playoff run if Brodeur keeps playing well in net and the forwards keeping scoring like they are.

Buffalo Sabres:
-Traded RW Ales Kotalik to the Oilers for a 2nd round draft pick
-Acquired C Dominic Moore from the Maple Leafs for a 2nd round pick
-Acquired G Mikael Tellqvist from the Coyotes for a 2010 4th round pick
Analysis: It doesn't seem like the Sabres did only a little to help improve themselves tremendously to make a big playoff push. Getting rid of Kotalik loses 32 points of production in exchange for what could be a good draft pick next year. Moore is having a great season and can certainly help, but I'm not sure he's the type of player who can carry give the team that extra spark to get ot the playoffs. Tellqvist could help in the goaltending as Ryan Miller is still hurt. He was having a solid year with and will split time with Patrick Lalime. However, I still don't think this is a big move. I think the Sabres could've done a little better.

Jets Stacking Up on Defense

It has been a pretty tremendous couple of days if you are a New York Jets fan. The team, which clearly had huge holes on the defensive end all of last season, has bolstered their roster since signing former-Ravens Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan. After nabbing former-Raven Bart Scott and trading for former-Eagle Lito Sheppard, the Jets added Jim Leonhard, another Raven from last season, to their secondary today. All-in-all, Jets fans have to be happy with all three signings.

Leonhard agreed to a three-year deal on Tuesday. He has the tools to be a good safety and will start alongside Kerry Rhodes. That's a pretty good safety combo. Leonhard hasn't been the most consistent starter, but last year was a big player late in the season for the Ravens. He is familiar with Ryan's defense and that will likely help him in his transition to New York.

The Jets traded for Sheppard and only gave up a couple draft picks. Sheppard is a very good cornerback and will slot in nicely with rising star Darrelle Revis in the secondary. Sheppard wanted out of Philly for a while, and now he gets the chance for a fresh start. The Jets corners and safeties had big problems last year, especially in the second half, covering receivers and making big plays. Sheppard is the type of playmaking corner that can improve these problems.

Finally, Bart Scott was brought in to help the linebacking core with a 6-year, $48 million deal. While his numbers have decreased slightly over the last two seasons, he is a solid blitzer and will be the true fixture in the center of the Jets' defense. He'll likely start as a middle-linebacker with David Harris to give the Jets another solid combo at that position. He has the familiarity with Rex Ryan which is another added bonus and will no doubt be the go-to guy on the Jets defense.

Jets fans should celebrate these signings, but there are still a few question marks with the team. Is Kellen Clemens really going to be the quarterback? Can Leon Washington be a solid enough back behind Thomas Jones or do the Jets relegate him to the kick returner role and get another RB? Another wide receiver to replace Laveranues Coles? And is the defensive line good enough to put pressure on the opposing QB? They certainly weren't last year.

My predictions: Clemens is the QB, Jets get another RB but Leon starts the season as the #2, They absolutely get another wide-out, and I think the D-Line stays the same as the linebackers and even safeties will do a lot of blitzing this season. But then again, that's just my take. Let me know what you think!!

Tough Weekend for Bombers Basketball **UPDATED**

**UPDATE** The Men's team has been awarded an at-large bid and a first round bye in the tournament. They will play on Saturday, March 7th against the winner of DeSales/St. Joseph's (L.I.). Guess they only need five wins and not six to get the national championship. The women's team did not get into the tournament. However, they did get a spot in the ECAC Upstate NY Championship Tournament at SUNY Cobleskill. They received the #2 seed and will play #3 Potsdam Friday night. If they win, they face the winner of the St. John Fisher/SUNY Cobleskill game from Friday on Saturday afternoon.I return to focus on Ithaca Bombers basketball today after what was a disappointing weekend for both the men's and women's teams in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. The men, who had lost just one game all season and had obviously earned the right to host the tournament, were upset by Nazareth 82-76 on Saturday. RIT ended up going on to win the conference title over Naz. The women beat St. John Fisher in the semifinals 73-59 but couldn't complete their championship run, losing to Stevens 59-57 in the finals.

The loss for the men was very unexpected. The Bombers had beaten Naz 122-90 and 113-86 this season but managed just 76 points as the Golden Flyers completely threw the Bombers off their game with a slow-paced offense. Nazareth would take the shot clock down under ten seconds every offensive possession, limiting the Bombers chances on offense. This worked well as IC shot just 16% from behind the arc. It was without a doubt the worst shooting display for Ithaca's men this season.

As for the women, an impressive win over St. John Fisher in the first game. They had lost two games to the Cardinals during the regular season, showing little to no life. On Friday, they played much better, and it showed. However, the Bombers fell behind early and struggled to rebound in their championship game loss on Saturday night. Ithaca kept it close, as was expected, but just couldn't seem to get over the hump. Both teams struggled shooting from downtown, and it came down to who could sustain a lead. Obviously, Stevens was victorious and deserved it.

For the men's team, they will still get into the NCAA Tournament and will likely be a #1 seed. No team in the East Region is anywhere close to the Bombers right now. d3hoops.com projects Ithaca to be the top seed in Bracket #2 and would face SUNYIT, who won the NEAC with a victory of Wells College today. Here are the men's projections for this year.

It originally didn't look like the women had a shot at making the NCAA's unless they won the E8 title and got the automatic bid. However, the Division 3 bubble this year seems to be very weak as d3hoops.com has projected the Bombers to sneak in with an at-large bid as the #5 seed in Bracket 2, facing Eastern Connecticut in the first round. It would be shocking if the Ithaca women got in, but at this point, the weak bracket is helping them out. Click here for a look at the women's projections. If they don't get in, they will almost certainly get an ECAC Tournament bid.

Should be interesting to see how far the men's team can go. They won 12 games and lost to RIT, won 12 more then lost to Nazareth. Now they only need 6 wins and they are National Champs. If they women do get in, they will have a long, tough road to the championship. While I doubt they will get past the first or second round, anything is possible during March Madness!!