Yankees closing in before the break

Rick here giving you my opinion on some tidbits of New York Sports.

First and fore most i hope everyone has a safe and pleasant 4th of July. NOW ON TO THE SPORTS!

Yankees have had an interesting couple of weeks and the Mets are floundering with an offense that is anything but that. The jets will lose a large cog in the new supposedly vaunted Rex Ryan defense. The Giants are still hearing how they will go to training camp lack a number 1 receiver and if it will be enough to win another superbowl or even a division. One thing at a time now.

Leading off is the Yankees. The Yanks have started to get on a roll recently and are currently the owners of the 3rd best record in baseball. They are also 1 game out of first in the division. Considering the horrendous 0-8 against the division leaders many may be surprised at this. The Yanks have some issues that are just starting to resurface. The issue as with many teams is depth. Most teams do not have it but when you are the New York Yankees you can get a person like Eric Hinske for clip board and no one thinks twice about it; in fact many fans call up talk radio and ask “is that it?” I tend not to be so greedy however i can tell outfield help is a need and of course the (insert sarcasm) terrible bullpen that the yankees have. Phil Hughes has turned into the return of Joba. Phil Coke has been pitching very solid and brian bruney should eventually turn it around, even though there is little evidence to prove other wise. With Chien-Ming Wang going down with a shoulder injury and being placed on the Disabled List i would think that the apparent move is Phil Hughes.

Phil Hughes should be in the rotation

However, Hughes has been lights out that in the ‘pen that moving him back to the rotation is not what the Yankee Brass wants by evidence of having Alfredo Aceves pitching 4 1/3 innings today it seems the Yankees would like to stretch him out and leave Hughes in the bullpen. However the bullpen has been fine with out Joba and it will be fine with out Hughes. The Yankees needing this 8th inning set up man and now baseballs constant baby-ing of pitchers that has gone on too long we are leaving organization number 1 prospects to pitch 7th and 8th innings? Hughes is the main reason why Johan Santana is not in pinstripes and i was fine with that but did the Yankees lose Johan Santana for a set up man and 4th outfielder in Melky Cabrera? Next year i would see the Yankees be hard pressed to let an aging Andy Pettitte resign even though as of now he is 8-3. If these guys have what it takes the stunting of the development of young pitchers needs to stop. Johan Santana was not the great pitcher that he was at Joba or Hughes age. I do not understand because they can pitch an 8th inning well some one expects a kid 22 or 23 years old to be Koufax or Bob feller. I think people need to remember they need to develop and harness their skills and once that happens watch out cause i believe these two have a great future. I know the Yanks want to win this year but do not fall into the traps of trades and free agent and mortgage the future like what happend in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

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On to The Mets. Being a die hard Yankee fan i watch very little Met games but i do tend to talk alot about them with my girlfriends father who is a Met fan so i do get some good tidbits from him. David Wrights batting average has dropped about 20 points since the Yankees first played the Mets and if i was a Met fan i would worry about that. However lets use the big excuse: Injuries. I have not seen a team this riddled with injuries since the Giants in 2006 when they got killed by the Eagles and they had rumors of bringing in Jesse Armstead to play Linebacker that one playoff game. Anyway the injuries have hit the everyday players and the rotation. The games i have watched the team has Wright and no one else. People seem to want to wait on Delgado coming back but seeing the way A-Rod came back from hip surgery this could be another disaster as he is older and not the player that A-Rod is. Perez is an absolute head case but atleast will provide stability to a rotation that has Redding and Livan Hernandez, who with the exception of Friday in Philly has pitched better than many could has expected. Being 4 out of a struggling Phillie team is rough pill to swallow but it is not even the all star break and plenty of time to get atleast Beltran and hopefully Reyes back to get some hope. With a struggling offense it might be able to take some pressure of some suspect pitching and even Johan Santana who has already had to carry the team befor the injury bug hit the team now this takes on a whole new relm of pressure. I am sure everything will work out the Mets will be in the chase, it is anyone’s guess what happens then.

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Jet time

Alright Jet fans Calvin Pace is down for four games and will return for the MNF against the Dolphins however it will be interesting to see how the Jets fare on til then with a difficult schedule it could be a big question mark between on the road against Houston and back to back home games against the rival Pats and then the Titans and then the high powered offense of the New Orleans Saints. The jets can easily go 4-0 or 0-4. This team was going to be built as Rex Ryans previous team was, The Ravens, with a grind out offense lead by a rookie quaterback and a smash mouth football.

Calvin Pace suspension could mean trouble

Calvin Pace was one of the better defenders on the teams last season now with Bart Scott expecting to become Ray Lewis (north edition) in Rex’s defense with Jim Leonhard roaming the safety spot with an established player like Kerry Rhodes this was shaping into a top notch defense on paper. Vernon Gholston should be the name to step up and produce but after an extremely dissapointing rookie campaign this should be a more of wait and see approach. Other questions become whether or not Sanchez can become the ball control rookie quaterback that does not have to throw 35 times and do too much and keeps the clock moving. With Thomas Jones and a good offensive line i think that could happen and with a safety blanket in Dustin Keller and nice option in Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey proving he can play some ball there are some options for Sanchez to develop nicely. Now if only the defense can hold its own until Sanchez develops then the Jets can have something good brewing here.

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Now on to the Giants. I have heard people talk badly about Eli Manning since the day he was drafted and can not understand it. He is a smart quarterback who is at his best at the 2 min drill and has done nothing but win games. He has been in the playoffs 4 years in a row with 2 division titles and a superbowl win. Not too shabby for a guy who people say have not lived up to his family name. Now onto the offense fire power of the offense. The giants have some good Wide Recievers, not word beaters but serviceable. Between Hixon and Steve Smith and Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham there are some very good speed and some good hands. As of now that will be the rotation as Ramses Barden and Hakeem Nicks develop and get the feel for things, even though i expect Nicks to contribute more than Barden

Hakeem Nicks doing work

.  Looking at the clips on Giants.com i can see these guys can play but right now they are in shorts so theres alot more to come once training camp gets underway( which i will attend one of the day of the last week of Giants training camp for the first time). The giants have Clint Sintim who looks like he will be a rock on the strong side making the transition from 3-4 to a 4-3 so thats something to keep the eyes peeled on. The giants no longer have Burress but dont exactly miss him either he was not lighting up fantasy leagues last season so i think it will be ok to go in a new direction offensivly. I do not know how this will turn out but it will be an interesting story line all season.

 

That’s all folks!…i am currently trying to work on a podcast and i have no idea how so if anyone has any clue on how to do that send em on down. Again i appreciate the comments so keep em rolling. Ill keep you guys posted on through out the summer thanks for staying loyal !

Sorry for the delay. We’re Backkkkk!!!

Ok. Sorry for the delay but between not much happening in Giant/Jet land and the Yankees slow start i was not dying to face the fact that not much was going on. However, finals are over and I (Rick) have just totally caved in and gave into the twitter world. Lets recap!

 

Me and Anthony were supposed to do a draft blog. Do i even know if this happend? Nope. Sorry.

Now to the loyal Jet fans…Tired of watching a superbowl champ play in the same building finally do a smart thing and go out and get a franchise quarterback. I have to go off the fact that he will be able to step right in there day 1 based on the fact the fact the he played at USC and a pro style offense under Pete Carroll.  I am not big in having a guy step in day 1 but when there is no better option i get the move. Kellen Clemens might be good and deserves a shot however under the regime of the stand up comedian Rex Ryan he may want to start with a new leaf and start with Mark Sanchez. People, including Joe Namath, have said that Sanchez can step right in and have the same success as Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. Those players had 5 and 4 years, respectivly, of expierence and Sanchez has 16 games of expierence. So this remains to be seen. If i am Jet fan, which most of people who know me i am not, i would be very pleased to hear about Sanchez and his meeting with his WR corp to start to get ready for work. I know that is more of intangible but it lays a nice ground work. Now I have heard people in other blogs  say for the Jets are interested in former Giant, Plaxico Burress. He would help the Jets greatly and give them a great deep weapon. The common belief is that Burress will plea bargain his way out of jail or into a minimal stay in prison. There is no way Plaxico Burress can plead guilty to any charge and not suspend him when he has gone out of his way to make guys in trouble in the NFL’s life miserable. This is an illegal hand gun in New York City, not exactly the wild wild west that allows the sort of things. As a New Yorker gun laws are not very flexible. Burress picked one of the worst places to be caught with an illegal hand gun. He will be suspended for quite some time at the very least. Sorry Jet fans.

quick thoughts for the jets

• Whats up with Mark Sanchez modeling his clothes (Taken from GQ)
  

  Marky Mark modeling it up

• Drew Rosenhaus(Who i follow on twitter) said on twitter that Thomas Jones will be at the OTA’s next week.
• Thomas Jones would be wise to duplicate last seasons numbers with Shonn Greene and Leon waiting for the RB-1 spot
• Leon play says he deserves his money because he is an absolute game breaker but what happend to the old days when if you were not the starting RB you were not paid like one
• Rex Ryan will be a hit with the media, but all the corny one liners have all ready gotten on my nerves
• I know Bart Scott will be a force for years to come but man does he ever stop talking. It goes with out saying he is already a media favorite.
• Many people figure i hate the jets, and theyre right, but if Sanchez manages the game half way good and the defense is as good as it should be i say they win 10-11 games. Im not sure if that wins the division but it should put them in the playoffs
• The Jets do need a bonafide #1 WR. I do not think it will be Braylon Edwards. Sorry.

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OK. Giant Time!

There has been absolutely no news on the giants. Which after last season it is kind of nice. The Giants went and drafted and absolute catching machine Hakeem Nicks. I initally wanted Kenny Britt (due to size and resemblence of Burress) or Rey Maulauga because Antonio Pierce has slowed down. The giants took care of the SAM LBer spot with Clint Sintim who was a OLB in the 3-4 of Virginia.  Many people have been concerned with the new transition for 3-4 to a 4-3 but i think many Giant fans would agree back in the glory days (1980s not 1950s-1960s) they would switch based on the talent level from the days of Carson, LT, Banks, they had the talent for any type of defense. Football players are players and i think Sintim should eventually get the defense as Tom Coughlin did say he was good in coverage so lets see how this goes. The giants got Hakeem Nicks and the tall Ramses Barden who seem like very talented options. Along with H-back Travis Beckum. It looks like they will be able to create some match up issues while learning on the job. Kevin Gilbride said it looks like the WR corp will be Hixon, Smith, and Moss. Yes, that Sinorice Moss who had 8 catches last year. Probably wishful thinking and way to build confidence in a WR who has not sniffed the field they figure to get Mario Manningham involved as well who like Moss did not get involved at all other than a quick slant and an Uber-failed reverse (probably explains why the giants dont run plays like that). I expect Nicks to be heavly involved as he is quick and strong and has drawn comparisons to Michael Irvin and Aquan Boldin (if he is 3/4s of that the giants are thrilled) Ramses Barden and Beckum seem to be nice goal line/ and other matchup options. The loss of Plax hurts but lets give it a shot. The Giants rarely throw the ball 35 times a day. Brandon Jacobs and Bradshaw and Danny Ware seem to have there mix of carries and figure to be key roles. The giants also selected Andre Brown from NC State might crack the line up as Jacobs usually gets hurt at some point during the season. The giants have given Eli many options to move the ball and with the stacked defensive line and nice Will LBer Michael Boley and Kenny Phillips going to be a starter this season the giants should be a tough defense just like last season and plan to make Sundays hard for Campbell/Romo/McNabb who they would like to give some payback for the rough playoff loss last season. However i can not wait!

• Hakeem Nicks says he wasnt used as a deep threat but feels he can do it all. After this video why not
• Ramses Barden looks to have great skills and can be a great option for Eli. He makes a big blunder midway through but he seems like he can be a big player. No pun intended for a 6′6 WR
• Whats up with WR picking non WR numbers: Nicks 18/ Barden 13/Britt 18/ Maclin 18/ Crabtree 15. Whats the deal with that?
• I have been checking out the new meadowland stadium. It looks nice but with gray seats and concrete walls it looks incredibly bland. I understand stayin nuetral to the Giant and jet fans but yeesh it looks boring. HOORAY FOR HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE!
• OTA start first week of June for the Giants so thats when I will update status of Nicks/Barden/Beckum/ Sintim.

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Quick Blurb on the Yankees.

• A-Rod is looking mighty comfortable at the band box formally known as Yankee Stadium
• Teixiera better start buying A-Rod dinner for all the halfway decent pitches he is seeing with A-Rod behind him and not Nick Swisher
• Joba has been a bull and will be a bonafide super star as a starter with in the next 2-3 years
• CC Sabathia its good to finally meet you!
• Phil Hughes i know youre young but you need to start pitching better.
• 7 game winning streak and the yankees have picked up 2 games on the Blue Jays. I think they might be legit this year.

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Quick NBA

• Beat LA! (im hoping Nuggets in 6)
• I am looking foward to Kenyon Martin abusing Pau Gasol for the next week. Should be fun.
• Jerry West is right Lebron is the best player in the league
• So, do the Cavs win in 4-5-6?
• I think this is Lebron’s year.
• Knicks can not buy a break can they? 8th pick?  They would probably trade this pick for Eddy Curry. Oh that already happend.

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I swear there will not be a huge delay in post. Enjoy the NBA playoffs and baseball season and training camp. I will try to keep updating as much as possible.  Anyone agree/Disagree/ wanna argue/ Leave comments i love feedback. Thanks readers

Alot to catch up on…Baseball Playoffs thoughts & what to do with the Yankees

Hello fellow bloggers:

 

It has been quite a while…sorry for the layoff. I didnt see many comments and was not sure people were enjoying the blogs. However i missed it so I (Rick) is back. Now very quickly the Yankees faded down the stretch and quite honestly did not put up much of a fight for the playoffs. This team needs to be blown up and start over from scratch.  Pitching is a huge issue but not certainly not the biggest. The issue with the Yankees is the team has, quite simply, become statues out there. Looking at some of the other teams across the league it is apparent the the rest of the league just blew right past the Yankees and didnt even stop to wave good bye leaving many of the “powers that be” scratching heads.

One rumor has Mike Mussina leaning towards retiring. I am not sure how some one is ready to retire after finally reaching his elusive 20 win season.  I was one of the believers in the Phil Hughes experiment, not so much the Ian Kennedy diaster.  I felt that the upside of having Joba/Hughes 1-2 for the next 10 years was too good to pass up for an aging Johan Satana. This is not to say Johan is in the decline; but to say that 137 million dollars plus Hughes/Kennedy/ Melky/ and another prospect was a bit much. The 3 stumbled along the way but Hughes started to look like he has potential down the stretch. Ian Kennedy seemed to think he  was better than everyone else can see

Ian Kennedy did not help himself with some of his comments this summer

. Melky just lost his way.Johan is one of the biggest game pitchers many of us will ever see. How many of our great readers tell me how great Johan will be in year 6 of that deal? As great as Pedro is in the 3rd year? Now Pedro’s signing added some star power and finally some credibility to the “Little Brothers of the Bronx” and led to Beltran signing and Delgado’s trade and putting some meat in the seats and bought them one strike away from the world series( Why doesnt Beltran have to deal with that? If that was A-Rod he would be force to play 3rd base with a bag over his head) The 2009 Yankee rotation should contain Wang, Joba, Hughes, Moose( if he does not retire), and then Yankees can go out and sign either C.C. Sabathia or Burnett or Derek Lowe. Now all these pitchers come with +/-. Sabathia is an absolute monster…on the negative he is an absolute monster. Sabathia looks like he should be playing Defensive tackle not pitching, and how will the workload of 4 straight games on 3 days rest affect him coming into this season after pitching about 241 innings the year before. Sabathia will also command “Johan money” so with all the money coming off the Yankee books will they want to throw it right back on payroll with Sabathia. Not sure. Then again the well documented rumors have him with a west coast bias. Burnett well… Burnett has always pitched against the Yankees extremely well, but the reputation for always being hurt is a reputation that is easy to ignore. This isnt a reputation of someone being a sloppy eater, its a little hard to contribute if a pitcher is not on the mound. If i was the Yankees i’d be really hesistant to break the bank on him either. Some ny papers have him still being close to soon to be ex-yankee Carl Pavano. The belief is that Burnett will not be remaking “New York, New York.” Some reports had the Jays already offering him an extension making 1-2 punch of him and Halladay something to deal with until some one’s arm falls off. Scary thought in itself. Derek Lowe is getting up there in age and has been known to ” get around” in towns of Boston and LA. Is it wise to take a party boy who is getting older and put him in the great city of NY? I only hope Cashman has some contigency plans, i hope its not Ollie Perez.

There is no way Johnny Damon should be the opening day center fielder. He has become a Left fielder, and not even a good one. It is obvious Johnny Damon’s best days were in Boston and are long gone. Johnny Damon stays one more year and then they let him go. Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera are the exact same player: Fast, Good Defensively, with little or no bat. Melky was sent down to Triple A after being in the bigs for 3 years, thats never good. Im not sure Brett Garder getting his batting average .228 is really what you call respectable. He did come on later in the season but I dont know if he can become a slap hitter such as a Juan Pierre type. Those type of players that can make a triple out of anything but eventually they slow down.

There are rumors about a Cano for Beltran deal. Now it would be nice to have a good centerfielder but at what cost? As previously mentioned this team is getting older so why give a young cog for an older piece likely to break down with in the next couple of years? Not sure if this deal makes sense for both parties. It does not for me.

Bobby Abreu is also another interesting case because many people do like his numbers but at his price of 16 million a year hes not the right fielder for me.  There are not many options so they might have to stick this one out with Abreu unless you play Nady/Damon/ Garder or Melky. Looks like it could be rough year in the production department from the outfielders.

Jason Giambi- 99% out the door. Thanks for the memories, some clutch homeruns, and making the Yankees look the the only juicers in the MLB. Giambi was a good player but he looked like he was finished as a 1st basement when he came in 2002. 

Jason Giambi and his mustache were loved..but it looks like the ride is over

The rumors of texiera are dying as people say that he may be in the Sabathia/Burnett ” I Dont <3 NY” campaign. I also saw something on cnnsi truth and rumors section stating that a team mate questioned whether or not Texiera was some one who made everyone around him better. So we need 2 A- Rods? I dont know. Is it possible to have someone to hit in the clutch. I wonder what Tino is doing right now?

Robbie Cano- Ahhh the most talented and frustrating one. We have seen him hit .341 and .250. How is that possible? Giradi benching was good, but way to late. I say he should have been benched for a weekend that should wake him up. He’s a grown man that needs a foot somewhere. These are professionals. Play the game and produce or go home.

Derek Jeter- What can be said about the fearless leader? Absolutley nothing. He is the face of the franchise no matter what. Looking at Jeter its hard not to see Jeter pump his fist and make people think of glory days that were only 10 years ago. Is he getting older? sure. Has he lost a step? Probably. Then again there is no one else that just restores faith in his team like number 2.

Time for A-Rod to make it count this year

A-Rod: Well A-Rod needs to stop playing for contracts and start playing like he’s the best player in the game. No one knows whether or not if his run ins with Madonna and C-Rod saying C-Ya really affected him. It probably did but i doubt thats the whole season. His numbers of .300 and 35 hrs and 100 Rbis are probably the most hollow numbers ive seen in a long time. A-Rod should turn on TBS at some point and watch some kid that has put his team on his back and currently has his team only 1 game away from the world series. Some where A-Rod was also one game away till he went into invisable mode and the rest was history. Another 9 years of A-Rod maybe around year 4- 6 he might do what he gets paid for. For the record, i love a-rod. Come on a-rod you’re better than that.

Jorge- He is your catcher. It was dumb to sign him to such a big deal but he was such a big part of the offense. So when the yanks lost him they lost a big part of the production. I still have faith in having him behind the plate. I hate tryin to convert regular players to 1st base. It just doesnt look right. It didnt look right for Mickey Mantle and it does not look right for Jorge Posada.  Keep molina as the back up because he was probably could have won a gold glove this year.

How can the Red sox have players like Lester, Elsberry, Lowrie that are contributing and the Rays have upton and Longoria and young ball players and the Yankees have the immovable objects in the field? They need to get younger. The statues need to go and the A-Rods and Jeters need to lead by producing and the young ones need to put up or shut up.

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Anyone thinking with Manny…The Red Sox series is entirely different? Yea me too.

It was only a year ago. But to Boston fans it seems even longer. Manny being Manny also meant being clutch

How could people really think the Matt Stairs homerun think it was Joe Torre’s fault? Broxton had not allowed a homerun in Dodger Stadium close to 2 years!

I am not agreeing with having Kazmir pitch game 5. They should go for the kill with James Shields. Maybe Joe Maddon hasnt been around long enough to realize this but if you let the Red Sox breathe they usually come back and haunt you. Ask Tom Gordon.

No matter what happens I am backin Torre. The dodgers were supposed to get the doors blown off by the cubs and they took it to them.  Go get ‘em Joe!

Joe Torre the rock for happier days in Yankeeland

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I will write my football review in a couple of hours. I just needed to get the first post out of my system.

 

Feel free to contact me and we can discuss it.

Baseball “RANT” – With Wang Gone Where do the Yanks Go?

Hello Bloggers

Your favorite sports writers here giving you an update in what we know best. New York Sports what else?! Plenty is happening in the world of sports, I’m sorry we couldnt get the basketball game last night but I will most likely have some thoughts in the upcoming days about that one.

Lets start of with the Yankees. In a impressive win in Houston yesterday where the Yankees put a whooping on the Astros, but the Yankees lost Ace Chien-Ming Wang. Wang had gone through a rough stretch before this road trip but now after dominating starts in Oakland and in Houston he looked like he began reverting to Chien-Ming Wang of old. He worked fast, he threw the heavy sinker, and he got out of many innings with the pitchers best friend, the double play. Now he comes a R-ANT’s Rant here. This should be a wake up call to how stupid Interleague play is. The Yankees have started to become the media made them out to be in Spring Training. They won a well pitched game by Joba Chamberlain by the score of 2-1, They also won 8-4 behind another win by the Moose, making that 10 wins on the seasons; reaching some people’s season prediction for him this season by the 14th of June. Now in a game that had offense and great starting pitching and the bullpen pitching extremely well the Yankees lost a vital cog. Chien-Ming Wang. He will be in a cast for 6 weeks, yes 6 weeks. By my calculations end of July that he will be in a cast. With out interleague play he would probably be sitting in the dug out letting matsui hit for him due to the DH instead of hurting his foot with what seems to be a Lisfranc sprain(which ended Strahans season not too long ago). Interleague play has to go but another time for that rant. Every team deals with injuries; Yankees no strangers to injuries already with losing A-Rod(who is very quietly hitting .326 this season) and Jorge Posada and two thirds of the “young guns” of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. How do the Yankees replace 19 wins and a calming factor every five days when number 40 takes the mound. The Yankees will have to look for a way to hold water with thier pitching staff losing one of thier most consistent pieces.

Where can the Yankees look to get some stability and some wins that will be missed the ace Wang. Right now the Yankees are a season high 4 games above the .500 mark and yet are still 6 behind (depending on what the Red Sox do against the Phillies tonight as the Yankees are off tonight)

Anthony will have some guys to look at these are some of the guys i want to take a look at and he will take a look at the trading market as you will have to but hopefully not over spend for some one in a desperate time.

1. Jeff Karstens- He has some Major League experience. Karstens is a gritty pitcher that will give you a tough gritty outing. I view the game against boston where he was struck off the leg and finished the inning on what was realized as a broken leg. Karstens looks as if he might be able to do some damage if given the chance. He has not been off to a great start this year but does have the talent as last year he was 5-0 with 1.49 ERA.
2. Kei Igawa- GOD NO! I hope Cashman decides not to give him another shot because if Cashman decides he is this years Aaron Small it could be a long year and we need to start gettin ready for the football season
3. Alan Horne- One of the Yankees other “Blue Chippers” that are healthy now and do not have to be waited on. Alan Horne is a young pitcher who is currently progressing through the farm system to be a starter for this team. Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner seem to be very high on him. His numbers for last season in 12-4 from 27 starts that take 153.1 inning with a 165 K’s with a 3.11 ERA. This season in AAA He is 2-0 3.44 ERA with a a Strikeout an Inning at 25 years old. He looks like he could possibly be making some heads turn this year.
4. Ross Ohlendorf -Here is the shocker right here reported right here on JOBARULES1918. Move Ross Ohlendorf into a starting role he was the Yankees long reliever this season. He has pitched at high level for the Yankees since late last season. He has started before. Ohlendorf did struggle a bit in AAA as a starter due to being streaky. He might be a very serviceable pitcher. As for the long man role you can keep Dan Giese who has pitched excellent in relief of Joba Chamberlain in the role of long man or move Dan Giese into a starting role as he proved he can pitch against major leaguers for an extended stretch as he was doing before.

David Robertson as reported by Kevin Kernan and the New York Post by says that he has the chance to become the next shut down reliever ala Joba Chamberlain. In 42 2/3 innings he has 60 strike outs and Robertson also has allowed only 18 walks. Robertson does not throw as hard as Joba does he throws into the low 90s with his fastball but is said to have a devastating curveball. Be on the look out for this kid. He might be the real deal.

Thanks for reading. Ant will have some guys he is keeping his eyes open for the next couple of weeks to take over for Wang and he will also take a look at the Trading Market.

Hello Bloggers,

Ant here-

Well I really don’t know were to begin. I am deeply saddened by the news that my favorite pitcher is going to be out for the next 6 weeks. Then a 4-6 week rehab assignment, which will probably end sooner than that if all goes well. I 100 % agree with my buddy Rick here that Interleague play must go. Instead taking mid inning piss Chien Ming Wang had to go to the plate and hit. He got on base and then was forced to run. When he ran he pulled up with a limp running around third. Interleague play blows!!! The yanks just lost there ace for most of the season due to this bullshit. Oh I found were to begin, I’m pissed off that we just got screwed because of the bullshit play known as interleague play. I am completely against it and think that something should be done in order to get rid of this unnecessary time of the schedule. Its one thing to go ahead have the pitchers hit in the World Series, because it is the world series. IF INTERLEAGUE PLAY IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE LEAGUE MAKING MONEY, THAN IT SHOULD WORK BOTH WAYS. HOW IS THE LEAGUE GOING TO MAKE UP FOR THE YANKEES LOSING THE NEXT 10-13 WINS THAT WANG WAS GOING TO GIVE THEM. They can’t and won’t so now I’m going to look into how the Yankees are going to make these wins up until Wang gets back.

One way to go is the farm system. Two pitchers in the farm system that I have my eye on are Jeff Marquez and Jason Jones. I’ll start with Jones. Jones numbers so far are: 8-2 rec, with a 2.30 ERA, 82.0 IP, 76 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 22 BB, and 45 K’S. This kid has really good numbers, especially his ERA. A very low ERA at 2.30. Although he is only in double A, i think he should be pushed up to triple A and given a chance to see what he can do. That move will take some time to happen possibly three weeks or so. There really isnt much to lose,e except the fact that they might realize that he isn’t the guy for the job or that he, in their mind, may not be a good big leaguer were as some one else may have him as a good pitcher. Then they may be able to use his experience this year as a way to showcase his talent. The possibility of a trade will be much high once he has proven that he can pitch in the big show. Hopefully a team like the Indians will like him and then we can trade him to them for a C.C. , then hope that he was mis scouted and sucks. The C.C. talk will have to wait a paragraph or two tho. I really can’t see any way that this move up to triple A at least or possibly a few starts in the majors could actually hurt unless they feel he isn’t ready yet. Or that they have some one else that will do the job even better.

Now for Jeff Marquez. I don’t think this kid is really anything special. His numbers aren’t good, he is 6-7, with a 4.69 Era, 80.2 IP, 93 H, 51 R, 42 ER, 12 HR, 24 BB, AND 33 K’S. Personally i am not really a fan of him. His numbers have shown he is very inconsistent. I don’t think he is going to make it in the big leagues. And if he does I’ m just some asshole on a computer writing about him for free, so really what do I know. Marquez numbers in double A were much better than they are now, but again that is double a and he made a move up to triple a and is struggling. How could they think that he will be able to pitch in the majors if he has struggled from jumping from double A to triple A. When he was in double a he went 15-9 with a 3.65 ERA. Which is very good, but that was double a. He has nasty stuff, he just won’t pan out for a couple of years the way he has progressed this year.

Ok i will get to the rest in a second, but i want to go out and say that i hate reading the newspapers. I will read them every day for sports news and read all the articles, but there are way to many times that the paper will name some one that is supposed to be good and eventually panning out to suck. I feel that every guy that gets a little publicity is supposed to be one of the top prospects and will turn things around. Im sick of that shit, can somebody please grow a sack and tell the reader what they are actually feeling, rather than sugar coating everything. DAM IT!! Not everyone is a phenomenal player.

C.C. needs to become a Yankee. I think that he will be a formidable option to take over for were Wang had to leave due to injury. He isn’t having a good year right now but he was a cy young award winner and i dont think you go from Cy young award winner to a bum in a year.He also plays on the indians and that may be part of the reason why he isn’t playing that well. I think that he will be able to provide much needed experience and a great pitcher to front of the rotatiion starter. If C.C. comes to NY just imagine C.C., Joba, Moose, Pettite and either Hughes or Wang if he gets back in time. Then i want to see a team come into NY and win a 5 or 7 game series in the playoffs. You got a great pitcher in C.C., A good lively arm in Joba, a very experienced Moose, a great postseson performer in Pettite and Wang who is dominate or Hughes who came to pitch last year in the postseason. I wouldn’t be to worried with that rotation. Another guy on the radar is Rich Harden. He is a great pitcher but the problem is that he always gets hurt. The yanks wouldn’t be helped with trading away a couple young pieces and make it into a great pitcher that is always getting injured. If the Yankees make a move it is going to have to be a group of players that will be sent away. One that is an option to be traded is Melky Cabrera. If he gets traded be careful and watch out for a kid by the name of Brett Gardner. He is batting .290 wit 3 hrs, 28 rbi and 25 sb. So he has what it takes to make a great leadoff hitter. You heard it right here on “RANTS”, the kid is sick.

C.C. COME ON DOWN TO THE BRONX BABY!!!

And in conclusion, the next few weeks are going to be very interesting in Yankee land. What will they do? They realize they have to make up for Wang’s wins he would give them. Will they make atrade or not, im not sure but i do hope that something will get done. Pitching Pitching Pitching thats what wins in the playoffs. My suggestion Yankee brass take care of it.

“RANTS” Baseball Rant

Hello Bloggers

Rick here It is currently 2:55 am Eastern time and here comes a random/tired/bored tangent right is coming in one word. NOW! I am watching the movie “Casino.” I am absolutely convinced throw Pesci, DeNiro, and Scorsese in any movie and it would be a classic. Seriously it could be with Gilbert Gottfried and it would be a great movie. Actually now that i think about that i should write a screenplay with that premise.

Anyway our faithful readers i want to thank everyone that checked out our page and read our blog. Its appreciated like you would not believe. Again we encourage comments we want to encourage debates and thoughts and conversations. We are here for you guys. OK lame tangent number 2 is ova!

• So tonight i watched Joba’s third start. I consider this a real start because theres a higher pitch level that actually allowed the world to see what the future can look like. To quote Lloyd Christmas “I like it alot!” His velocity was up. His first inning he threw 6 pitches. He came out looking to get outs and not be perfect. He showed that he needs to shorten his stride to the plate when he was pitching out of the stretch. I have been a big believer that Joba needs to be a starter. Why? Heres why: 6IP, 1ER, 6H, 4BB (2 intentionally), 2K. Ok so the hits and the walks were nothing to be dazzled by. You may say “Rick if he is goin to be an Ace shouldn’t he be striking out more than two people?” It does not matter how you get the outs as long as you get the outs. He allowed 1ER. Thats really good. I say Joba will be a shutdown pitcher like Roy Halladay eventually, when that day comes, watch out baseball world! Jobawill need some more experience as far as learning how to change speeds, when to use your pitches andchanging locations on both sides of the plate. Every pitcher needs to learn this hell even Josh Beckett had to re-learn pitching after coming into the American League. I would love to see a little more of a change up in Joba’s arsenal. Beastly fastball, Nasty slider, and a good change up would be devastating. Joba’s move into the rotation and growth of pitch count has now given the Yankees stability in the pitching rotation.
• Wang, who returned to form the other night, and Pettitte with a solid outing last night as well have shown that if they are on their game this team can really fly. Moose has been a big shock to most of the baseball world as i have written him off multiple times and told him he sucks via shouting at my tv again multiple times. I hope he does not use up all the good innings in June and has the tank on empty come September. Darrell Rasner has shown me alot with the exception of his last start. My homeboy Phil Hughes was said to be “healing nicely” Yankee Brass has said it will be a couple of weeks before he throws the ball again. Some newspapers say early august some say late august. I would love to see him be healthy and be a lethal 1-2 combo of Joba and Hughes that will truly show what the Yankee fans have to look forward to for the next hopefully ten years. I hope Hughes is rocking the Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn glasses or maybe the Horace Grant goggles. I am not so much sold on Kennedy i believe he has moose’s stuff now but it is not the 30 year old Moose that was a strike away from a perfect game in Boston (CURSES TO YOU CARL EVERETT!) Kennedy has 38 year old Moose stuff. Its fine when you know how to pitch, when you’re 23 years old and kind of look like the guy from MAD magazines id be a little worried. I’d rather see Carl Pavano on the mound and the only way people are seeing Pavano is on the back of milk carton. I know people say this all the time but New York got to him. I can’t believe i actually wasted 23 words on him. Shame on me. Anyway Kennedy not so good. I still believe Hughes will be an amazing number two. Nice 93-94 mph fastball and knee buckling curve ball He also has a two seam fastball in the low 90s that has more movement and according to Wikipedia, you know the best source for everything, he has a slider and “developing change up”. I think his fastball, curve ball and change up would be enough with him stuff. I love Hughes. I think he will be great once he gets healthy. Just you wait. You read it here. Joba and Hughes- Beastly 1-2 in the next couple of years and will cause headaches for the rest of the division for years to come.
• So does Joba serve better in the 8Th or as a starter? After his start tonight im convinced I am right in this one. I’d rather have some one shut down a team for 7-8 innings every five days or Game 1,4,7 in a playoff series than have himsit out there chilling with Mo because Kei Igawa cant get the team out of the 2nd inning. Joba wants to be a starter. After seeing what he can do over the period of 88 pitches the key number is 1…As in 1 run allowed. Rick For the Win!

it is now 3:23 and Casino is still on. Sharon Stone’s character just told Sam Rothstein “freak you sam rothstein freak you” okhonestly this sounds retarded and wierd and honestly a little freaky. Its 3:23 i would hope there are no children watching casino in the first place i would hope they are not watching at now 3:23 in the morning. Can’t we do the Comedy central thing and uncensor things after like 1am on the weekends. Cable censorship is killing great movies. YEESH.

I appreciate you guys taking time to read all this. Anthony is most likely on his 11 dream and im tryin to get curses on tv so yea you can see how bored i am right now. Anyway ill let ant finish this up in the morning than publish it. We argue about Joba a couple times a week and he is not sold on Hughes yet. So just you guys wait his take will be interesting. Again loyal readers we ask for any comments, feedback, oppinions on the discussion it will be great. Anthony will update some time later. I believe i’ll have something on NBA finals game 5 depends on how busy my fathers day is between chilling with pops and old man softball i’ll try to get it out. Let me know what you guys think. Im finally off to bed. – Rick

Hello Bloggers,

Ant here – I would just like to say that Joba will be an ace. I was always in favor of him being a reliever, but I have now been sold that he is a starter and he will be dominate. I think as long as he develops a good off speed pich, the kid will be dominate. He is a special pitcher and will be a special pitcher for many years to come. As for Hughes I completely disagree with Rick. I think he can have the stuff to be very good but i dont see him being better than Wanger. Wang is coming off 2 19 win seasons. I think that Joba will only be the ace because he will be so dominating and intimidating that he will become the next Roy halladay of the mlb. Wang could go to most MLB teams and become there ace but he just happens to be on the yanks, and eventually joba will assume that role.  Kennedy is a bum, he just needs to go. Thats all i will say about kennedy.

Thanks again for reading.

Rick and Ant’s NY Football BLog

Hello fellow bloggers

its our first post of hopefully many. My name is Rick and Anthony will probably pop his blogging cherry a little bit later tonight. I am a very big Giants Yankee fan, and my main man Anthony is big on the Yankees and the Jets. We’re both very passionate so we tend to get heated in these arguments. Thats the good thing about sports though, everyone thinks they’re right and whos to say different. Anyway enough of all the lame intro b.s. lets get to some news that i really dont have and that im just taking right out the new york news papers

• Its been a busy week for my SUPERBOWL XLII CHAMPION NY GIANTS…that feels so good to type. Anyway; Michael Strahan retires and sends me into depression. Yes, he was a pain in the ass. Yes, he skipped out on training camp. Yes, he has teeth that make Goofy cringe. But God almighty was he good. The last tackle of his career is a sack of Tom Brady, no better way of going out. The Gmen will be fine on the line. Jerry Reese signed Renaldo Wynn, no Michael Strahan but he might be able to spell Justin Tuck or play end when Tuck needs to play DT and it also depends on what Coughlin and Reese decide about Mathias Kuiwanuka who can definatly still play end. There is talent on the line to still get pressure on the QB to fit defensive coordinatore Steve Spagnulo pressure scheme. Do i think Renaldo Wynn will replace Strahans 9 sacks? Nope but again there is talent that says the Giants will be fine on the line. He was such a force to be reckoned with; not to mention the face of the franchise for a long time. I wish him all the best. I have heard some rumblings that Strahan is the greatest Giant of all time. Well excuse me but F-THAT…I love Strahan as much as the next Giant fan, come on who can hate on “Ballin’!” and “Stomp you out!” Great ball player but i will say hear and now he is not the best. As much as i loved him he ranks behind a little guy name Lawrence Taylor, heard of him? Yes the actor from the Waterboy giving us life lessons about staying away from smoking crack. He changed the game defensivly. He was 2nd defensive player to win a MVP. He was animal. This is no disrespect to Strahan but Taylor was the best thing since Double Stuff Oreo’s. Officially Strahan leaves the Giants as the franchise leader in sacks, Unofficially LT is still the franchise leader because they did not count sacks in LT’s rookie year so unofficially LT is 1 and Strahan is 2. He was a great ball player, a hands down HOF’er but LT was a revolutionary player. So all do respect to the lovable Michael Strahan You’re no LT but you were pretty damn good.
• Giants point number 2- Plex, come on man! you’re killing me i always had this image of a good ball player who thought his crap didn’t stink. I saw that Green Bay game and instantly couldn’t wait to see the game on NFL classics (but cause cablevision blows we don’t have the nfl network another travesty another time another place for that though) I though Plex was a boss and was very underrated. Now hes demanding more money. Im writing about this guy for free ! Come on Burress what happened to the love of the game. Giants are a class organization but play out the contract you’ll get taken care of and even if you don’t i doubt you will have to ever buy a drink when you go to bars in the city. And now to the annual malcontent of Jeremy Shockey you were one of my favorite Giants, you’re a hard nose ball player but you like plex have disappointed me. I get it you feel like you didn’t contribute to the Superbowl run, fine work out in Miami all you want. Dont get a rhytm with the SUPERBOWL MVP QB so he wont over throw and then you won’t throw your world famous tittie attacks, it’s almost like a wierd case of cause and effect. We go through this every year with you and i have to defend that you’re worth the drama. I still believe with your play making abilities you are one of the key pieces on the team. You cause a match up problem for many teams, do we even have to mention the name Roy Williams… I have heard the rumblings of the team being better with out you in the line up. False! You are an absolute force to be reckoned with you know one of those guys you have to account for on every play but now come on you’re being pain in the ass. I hope you stay but quit being a punk you just signed an extension. Heres another case of cause and effect. Michael Strahan is gone GM Jerry Reese is now being said to have up to 4 million to play around. I feel there is one piece that needs to be taken care of first. Chris Snee. He is such an underrated guy on that line with him Diehl and Sean O’hara this line looks poised for some great things for the next couple of years. Diehl and O’Hara were just taken care of but Snee is still young and is very good. He needs to be taken care of because without an O-line Eli has no time to throw to Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. There will also be no way they can run the ball making it even harder to get your playmaker the ball. Osi Umenyiora also is unhappy with a contract he just signed as well but has been quoted no hold out for him after a spiritual trip to Africa. I don’t really care where he goes. You need your play makers on the field. Osi now becomes the anchor of the Defensive line with out Strahan. Why can’t these two BoBo brothers look across the locker room and see someone who wants a new contract but doing it in a classy way, The New York Giant way. So the advice i have for Plaxico Burress and homeboy Jeremy Shockey look across the room and see whats happening and who needs to be taken care of. Oh yea, can you also please just SHUT UP AND PLAY!

I know w’re in the midst of baseball season but the yanks are killing with .500 winning percentage so i really do not feel like talkin about them so now i wanna ask

1. does anyone really care if Curt Schilling saw Kobe yell at his team and then reported them on his blog?
2. I wanna take a census of better audio clip: T.O. crying or Tom Brady laughing about scoring 17 points?

I’ll have a preview of the NYG upcoming ‘08 season in an upcoming post and discuss the Yankees and i’ll also start posting my Homeboy of the Week and Herb of the Week next week.

We’ got some great topics to talk about in the next upcoming weeks so stay tuned on the best place to read about New York Sports, like there is any kind!

Oh by the way leave us some comments and let us know what you think about our blog and our views, its for everyone to talk about so we encourage any type of discussion!

Thats my rant…thanks for reading! look foward to alot more. Now on to Anthony’s part of the blog

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Hello bloggers,

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW YORK GIANTS FOR THEIR AMAZING RUN TO BEING THE SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS. I AM A JET FAN AND I THANK THEM FOR BEATING THAT SMUG PRICK TOM BRADY WHEN IT MATTERS THE MOST!

NOW FOR THE MOST PASSIONATE FANS IN THE SPORTS WORLD:

What is there to actually say about my favorite team the New York Jets? Well as most fans I felt very disappointed, until the off-season rolled around. Many Jets fans felt that the jets had a good enough team to get back into the playoffs this past year. Well I truly believe that this season will be much better than ones we have previously been subjected to. The Jets went out revamped that terrible 3-4 defense that they put onto that field every Sunday last year. I will go on record to say thank god Dewayne Robertson is not a Jet anymore. He was never the fit that they needed in that position. Every Sunday I thought that he wore roller skates instead of cleats, but who am I to judge. Instead of Robertson in the middle of the 3-4, the Jets signed and traded for the 6′4 – 335 lb (after a big shit and a haricut) monster Kris Jenkins. He will provide the much needed force to anchor the middle of the defensive line that they have needed for such a long time. As long as he stays healthy and under the weight limit that the organization has given him I truly feel that he will return to form as one of the best DT’ s in the NFL. He will be paired with a much improved pass rush in the LB corp and a very solid player in Shaun Ellis and a good but replaceable player in David Bowens.

To the Linebacking corp. He was one of my favorite Jets of all time while he was here, but by trading Jonathon Vilma it got a player who didn’t fit the system into a better personal situation. His replacement David Harris is an absolute animal. His numbers from last year – 126 total tackles, 90 solo, 36 ast, 5.0 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss. He became a full time starter in week 8 and he then led the team in total tackles, solo tackles, ast tackles, and tied for the sack league. Absolute beast and I can’t wait to see him for a full season. The addition of the aforementioned Kris Jenkins will do nothing but improve his numbers. Ray Ray once said ” Gimme some hogs in front of me and I’ll do work ” in case your wondering Kris Jenkins is a hog… Also the Calvin Pace move that was looked at as a bit of a reach because of the kind of money that they gave him, I feel that the move will eventually be a great one. His first year at OLB in the 3-4 In Arizona (which is not as good as the Jets 3-4) had 6.5 sacks, which was the most in his career. So I believe that he is due for a breakout year. He has the size, speed, and strength to be one of the better pass rushers in the game. If he plays the way he got paid the sky is the limit for him.

The Defensive Backs are a strength in this up and coming defense. It is beautiful to know that Kerry Rhodes is locked up for 5 years and that Darelle Revis is a budding star. They will get better because as noted every time more pressure gets to the QB the better the Pass Defense is. As it happened for the Giants. Also the DB’s are not slouches here. The other two spots will be filled with good role players such as SS Abram Elam and Dwight Lowery, and CB Hank Poteat and Justin Miller. This won’t be a glaring weakness, please rest assured.

Now for Offense -

Well if anyone doesn’t think that Mangini and Tannenbaum didn’t have the Bill Parcells method in their brains when they put together the 08 Jets offense, they must be crazy. The biggest move of the offseason is without a doubt the addition of LG Alan Faneca. An absolute animal and will be a great anchor for the two young stud lineman on the Jets line. He is regarded as one of thebest Guards in football and by the time his career ends will probably be one of the best Guards ever to play the game. D’brickashaw will be better than last year because he has a big time left guard between him and another animal in Nick Mangold. Damien Woody will be a big improvement on the right side of the offensive line over Anthony Clement. In 5 games that Woody started at RT he didn’t give up a sack. The line will be as good as it has been in a long time. The tight end situation right now is a little iffy with Baker not being happy with the organization, but if he plays he is a pretty solid player and has a good set of hands. Bubba Franks was money well spent because now the two tight end set will be much harder to stop with another good blocker in there and another decent weapon for who ever the QB will be. Tony Richardson was another addition in which I happen to LOVE!!!!!! Most good running backs have a good FB in front of him. They probably just signed one of the most proven Full backs in the NFL. He will be great in the run blocking game and will provide much needed support for the inexperienced Kellen Clemens or the rubber armed Chad Pennington (GOD I HOPE NOT)…. Thomas Jones will be very happy this year. He will have a good line to run behind and will have a much better chance to get into the end zone more than once this year. I believe he will be back to his above average play and will make the offense run much smoother. I predict 1400 yards and 9 TD’s.

Now the hottest topic in Jet nation. The QB controversey. I believe that Clemens has to be the starter. Yes, he is inexperienced, but according to what? A Bullshit line didn’t help Kellen in his first year as a starter. He didn’t take over fully until week 8. The line never held up for him. He was very rarely able to settle into his final step in his dropback. He would basically get a couple steps back and then have to look for other options other than passing. I don’t understand how his pocket presence is looked at as being so terrible. He was always pressured and was just trying to complete a pass rather than taking a sack. He has a much stronger arm than Pennington, hands down. He also is much more mobile and can escape out of the pocket much easier. I believe with enough time he will be able to make much better throws and will actually be able to sit back and read a defense. Thats when a QB can really be graded as if he is able to play in the NFL. They spent a 2nd rd pick on him. It would be a stupid move to put him on the bench and let Rubber armed Pennington lead the offense. I’m sick and tired of not having a QB that can throw the ball to the sideline and not get picked. Pennington can definitely pick apart a defense, but he doesn’t have the arm anymore and should basically concede to the fact he is a backup at best. I say let Kellen Play!!!!!!!

2008 NFL DRAFT

With the 6th pick in the 2008 NFL draft the New York Jets select Vernon Gholston DE Ohio State University. What music to my ears. Gholston is a beast. He is a workout warrior, put up great numbers in college, and has the best size and speed of any pass rushing OLB next to Merriman and Ware. He ran a 4.6 at the combine and bench pressed 225lb’s – 37 times. What a beast!!!! I think that him and Pace will make a great pass rushing duo for the defense. Gholston was a great pick and will be a mismatch for all teams soon enough. I can see it now Pace Low Gholston high on Tom Bitchass Brady.. That would be lovely.. I like the Dustin Keller move as well. He is a Dallas Clark clone and he will be a mismatch for most LB’s in the NFL because of his speed and for most DB’s because of his size. He has great hands and will finally give the Jets a tight end that can run the seam of the defense for a completion. THANK GOD. Lowery is a good pick I think he may eventually become a safety but he is a work in progress. Marcus Henry is another good player but he too will be another work in progress.

This season looks much more promising than the last.. And if everything falls into place the J-E-T-S will be in the playoffs once again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures 1-3 taken from Google/ Picture 2 taken from daily news article- jets competition is a page turner