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.

DP Done...Again! And Yanks/Mets Signings

Sorry to share the news Islander fans, but goaltender Rick DiPietro, the face of the franchise, will miss the remainder of the 2008-09 season due to continuing problems with his left knee. DiPietro had surgery on the knee in June, but swelling has continued throughout the season.

According to the team, they felt it was the best decision for him considering the team is not in playoff contention. General Manager Garth Snow commented, "This will allow Rick ample time to make a full recovery for next year." With the problems he's had recovering from other injuries, the Islanders are smart to let him take all the time needed to get fully healthy.

DP was signed to a 15-year contract in 2006 and since that point has had to have four surgeries. His hip was repaired once, along with his right knee as well as left knee twice. With all these problems, even DiPietro himself knew this was the right move. "This has been one of the most frustrating situations I have ever had to deal with, but this is the right decision for me and the team," said the 27-year old goalie in a statement on Tuesday.

For the sake of Islander fans everywhere, DP and the team definitely made the right choice. The team is going nowhere higher than the bottom five teams in the league. Rather than risk further injury, let him rest and recover as best as he can and be ready for next season. Then again, who knows with DP?
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Briefly just wanted to note some contract signings the Yankees and Mets made today. The Bronx team agreed on a one year $6.65 million deal with Outfielder Xavier Nady, avoiding arbitration. This allows the Yanks to move him a bit easier now that he has a set salary. However, I wouldn't be shocked if both he and Swisher went to camp as Yankees. Melky Cabrera also signed late today. Not sure how much the deal was for. Report is that he asked for $1.7 million while the team offered $1.2 million. Shocking considering he made just $461,200 last year and was flat out awful. The other Yankee who went to arbitration was Brian Bruney. He apparently request $1.55 million while the team offered $1.1 million. No deal was done as of yet.

As for the Mets, they avoided arbitration with Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. Church got a one year $2.8 million deal while Pagan got $575,000 for a year. Both players suffered from injuries last year. Church played just 90 games due to a pair of concussions while Pagan appeared in only 31 before having surgery to fix a torn labrum in his left shoulder.