Thursday, January 28, 2010

Another Garden Embarrassment


Last night, I was in attendance at Madison Square Garden to watch the Rangers fumble away a must-win game against the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was the Rangers' fourth consecutive loss in regulation and dropped their record at home to a dismal 12-13-4.

The thing that stood out the most to me during the game was hearing Rangers fans chanting "We Suck!" in their own arena. The Canes scored twice within the first 4 minutes of the game, and immediately after, the "Fire Sather!" chants began. At the end of the third period, the Garden faithful were dueling over their favorite baseball teams!! BASEBALL IN JANUARY?!?!

That's how bad things have gotten at the world's most famous arena. Overall, the Rangers are still 24-23-7 and in 8th place, worthy of the final playoff spot in the East. While that may be, the Rangers are clearly spiraling in the wrong direction. If there's one word to describe this team, it's Inconsistent.

Merely a week ago, the Rangers scored 14 goals in 5 periods while dismantling the Canadiens and Lightning at MSG. Since that game, the Rangers have scored three times in 12 periods. They beat Montreal 6-2 at the Garden then lost to the same team 6-0 up north a week later. That's inconsistent.

With the Olympic break coming up and the trade deadline on March 3rd, it's safe to say the Rangers need to make some changes. They need another scorer if they want to compete in the East with teams like Washington and Pittsburgh. The Rangers are extremely soft and often show a lack of desire to finish checks and forecheck the whole game. They need to obtain a guy who checks all game long and can also create some offense (Dustin Brown anyone?).

A friend of mine and I had a chat the other day about who the Rangers need to keep and who needs to go. Out of the list of keepers, we came up with Marion Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Sean Avery, Marc Staal, Michael Del Zotto, and Henrik Lundqvist for sure. After watching last night, I might even consider taking of Del Zotto for the right deal. However, if the Rangers are going to trade for a big scorer, they'll likely have to give up Dubinsky or Callahan.

In the end, the Rangers have a few key forwards, two to four young defensemen, and a solid goaltender (who actually looked pretty bad last night). If the Rangers want to be successful, they have to re-tool and get some key role players. The first guy that needs to go though, is probably Glen Sather. Until that happens, I don't see the Rangers getting deep into the playoffs.

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Damon Situation


Over this past weekend, there were multiple reports on Johnny Damon and his situation with the Yankees. As of now, the teams have not agreed on anything, but it seems there may be a decision approaching very soon.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has said that the Yankees have given Damon a deadline to accept an offer (likely a low-base salary plus incentives deal), or the Yankees will move on to other opportunities. Brian Cashman later denied that rumor. Then, Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger tweeted that Damon texted him saying he should have a team within a week.

So here's where it all seems to stand:
Damon either accepts a low offer from the Yankees or declines to go elsewhere for slightly more money and the Yankees choose from one of the following to fill the roster spot:
Xavier Nady
Reed Johnson
Randy Winn
Jermaine Dye and Jim Edmonds have been mentioned, but Brian Cashman basically said neither are on the Yanks' radar.

Here's my opinion and take on the situation:
Damon isn't going to get the kind of money he was seeking from any team. He's going to take a paycut no matter where he goes. So, if he wants to play for the Yankees bad enough, he'll take the low deal with incentives to play with the Yanks again. If money is the bigger concern, he'll decline and go elsewhere.

If Damon does go elsewhere, the Yanks will choose from Nady, Johnson, and Winn. So which of the three is the best? In order:

Reed Johnson

He can play all three outfield positions, has great numbers against lefties, not terrible against righties, and has the experience of playing the AL East. I definitely think he does a good job of getting on base. Johnson seems like someone who gives the Yanks versatility, no one expects amazing things out of, and can provide great upside.

Xavier Nady

When healthy, he has the best bat of anyone in contention for the spot. He can play both corner OF positions, which is where help is needed since Granderson will control CF and play almost every day. The big problem is the second elbow surgery he just had that forced him to miss almost all of 2009. He has risk, and it would be a major blow if he can't hit well or throw the ball from the outfield. If he's healthy, he'd be a steal at the bargain price he'd get.

Randy Winn

He's the oldest of the group at 35 and might command a higher salary out of the three. He has a decent bat but was bad against lefties last year. He's played a lot at each outfield spot, which is a plus. However, I think he'd want a starting job guaranteed, and the Yankees won't want to give him that promise. Could be good, but I don't see him coming to the Yanks, who want to stay relatively young.

Let me know who you think should fill the Yankees' outfield spot and vote in the poll on the right.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

When Lost on Revis Island...


...What would you bring?

There have been a plethora of receivers this year who have gotten lost on Revis Island. You may have heard of a few. The way Darrelle Revis has played this year, I am still in absolute shock he did not get Defensive Player of the Year honors. I think Charles Woodson's a great player but don't tell me his veteran status did not win him that award.

Regardless, as the Jets get set for their match-up with the Colts to decide the AFC Championship and a spot in the Super Bowl, I thought I would take a look back at some of the receivers Revis shut down, and the one thing they would most likely bring if they were to get lost on Revis Island again.

Chad Ochocinco

2009 vs. Revis (2 games): 2 catches, 28 yards
What he'd bring: Himself...because Chad Ochocinco loves to entertain Chad Ochocinco, and only Chad Ochocinco can keep Chad Ochocinco from eating his own words...twice (translation: he loves himself)



Reggie Wayne

2009 vs. Revis: 3 catches, 33 yards
What he'd bring: Marvin Harrison, pre-gun incident...That way, Revis will have to choose which high-profile playmaker to shut down




Terrell Owens

2009 vs. Revis (2 games): 6 catches, 44 yards
What he'd bring: Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick...BECAUSE THOSE ARE HIS QUARTERBACKS!!








Randy Moss

2009 vs. Revis (2 games): 9 catches, 58 yards, 1 TD
What he'd bring: Another slow receiver...to make him look like less of a "slouch"





Steve Smith

2009 vs. Revis: 1 catch, 5 yards
What he'd bring: A quarterback, any quarterback, that throws the ball more often to players wearing the same jersey as him rather than a different one







Andre Johnson

2009 vs. Revis: 4 catches, 35 yards
What he'd bring: A team that is either really good or really bad for him to play on, not one that's always stuck in between








Marques Colston

2009 vs. Revis: 2 catches, 33 yards
What he'd bring: The Hofstra University Football program...because with enough practice against a top-flight cornerback, maybe Hofstra football can play well again and the school will bring the program back



Roddy White

2009 vs. Revis: 4 catches, 33 yards
What he'd bring: A big gift for Mark Sanchez...for allowing the Falcons to stay in that game and eventually win it




Vincent Jackson

2009 vs. Revis: 7 catches, 111 yards
What he'd bring: A congratulatory certificate...honoring him for putting up the best numbers against Revis and the Jets, but he still couldn't help his team pull out a win

Monday, January 18, 2010

I'm Back

Hey Everyone,

So after the long lay-off for my semester in Los Angeles, I am back here running New York Sports Buff and am excited to contribute my thoughts and feelings regarding all the latest happenings in the New York sports world! I had an absolute blast in LA getting to see what another major sports city was like, and I must say, Los Angelinos are crazy about their sports. I'll definitely post an article on my experiences in LA, but if you don't want to wait, check out the blog I kept: Michael in Los Angeles


Ok, moving on, I figured my first post would be about the hottest topic on the NY sports scene right now, and of course, that would be the New York Jets. After a hot start, the team plummeted to 4-6 and then were written off by their own Head Coach, Rex Ryan, after a terrible loss to the Falcons with 2 weeks left in the season.


My how the tables have turned!

The Jets beat the Colts and Bengals to clinch a spot in the playoffs, upended Cincy, on the road, on Wild Card weekend, and then shocked the Chargers, in San Diego, in the Divisional Round. And now sure enough, here are the Jets, about to face the Colts in the AFC Championship Game, 60 minutes from the Super Bowl for just the 2nd time in team history.


And one question still remains: Do they deserve to be here?

Frankly, I'm sick of hearing everyone claiming the Jets "backed their way in." Did they get a gift from the Colts when they removed Peyton Manning and Co. in the 3rd quarter of their Week 16 game? Sure. Did they benefit from Cedric Benson not playing in the season finale? Perhaps. Will we ever know how the games would have played out otherwise? NO! So stop trying to look back into the past.

No matter how the Jets got to the postseason, they got there by playing well enough to win games. Would the Rams or Lions have beaten the Colts second-string? I don't think so, and they are off golfing somewhere. The Jets did their job, and they have proven the last two weeks they could beat Division Champions who played their starters the whole game.

The Jets ended the year with the best defense and best running game in the entire NFL. Sure, they have a rookie quarterback who has struggled, but had their defense and running game not been as top-notch as they were this year, they wouldn't have come close to making the playoffs. Credit the Jets' talent and their ability to take care of business late in the season (they did win 5 of 6 to close out the season) for the reason they are playing in January. Not the decisions of other teams to rest some starters.