Jets Gaining Confidence

Sunday's 26 - 14 win over the Bengals was anything but pretty or easy for the New York Jets. Quarterback Brett Favre looked shaky with three turnovers (fumble, 2 INT's) but the Jets controlled the time of possession and field position and clawed their way to an ugly win at home.

While Favre was not his best Thomas Jones had a great day as he scored a career-high three touchdowns (one receiving) to go along with 65 yards on the ground. The Jets defense also looked superb as they flustered Bengals backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Jets fans like my self are going to be concerned when they look at the boxscore and see three turnovers. However, the Jets defeated a head coach in Marvin Lewis who has a great record when he is plus one in the turnover department.

After, yesterdays game Brian Lewis of the New York Post talked about how turnovers are the price the Jets and their fans have to pay with Brett Favre (produced by yours truly).


Even if you are a concerned Jets fan. You have to like what you saw out of this defense yesterday as the team heads to Oakland next week for a showdown with the Raiders. And anytime you get three touchdowns out of Jones who scored one touchdown in 2007 you have to be elated. Jones and the Jets offensive line seem to be getting better each week.

And that is the key with Brett Favre and the 2008 New York Jets (3-2). They are getting better each week. As Favre said in the press conference "this team will be better once they increase confidence and learn to start working as one." I think Favre is right and as he goes so will this team....it is clear to see that the players inside the Jets locker room feed off of his confidence and leadership.

Favre will not continue to turn the ball over three times per game. However, as long as he leads the Jets to victories what is their to worry about. The bottom line is and always should be about winning ballgames.

What The Mets Have To Do This Winter

For the second consecutive season the New York Mets broke my heart and the hearts of many as they blew a September lead to only be eliminated from the playoffs on the last day of the season. I am sure many Mets fans would agree that 2007's monumental choke job of blowing a seven game lead with 17 games to go is much worse than what occurred in 2008. This past season with 17 games to go the Mets had a three and a half game lead in the division over the eventual N.L. East Champion Philadelphia Philles and could not seal the deal. In fact for the second straight year all they had to do was win at home against the Florida Marlins to at worst force a one game playoff for an opportunity to play in the post-season.

Not one Metropolitan fan including myself thought the unthinkable could happen. Would the Mets actually miss the playoffs again in similar fashion?? Sadly, the answer was yes. As I stated earlier many Mets fans probably would say 2007 was much more painful than 2008 but for me 2008 may have actually struck a deeper nerve with me. Why you may ask? Well I was there to watch the demise on the 2008 Mets occur on the final day of the season. I watched from the press box painfully as the Mets incompetent bullpen handed the game over to the Marlins.

As a regular fan you could cry yourself to sleep after the loss or find your local neighborhood bar to go and drink away your sorrows. However, after the game I still had a job to do. And part of that job included reporting the story of yet ANOTHER Mets collapse. Arguably the hardest part of the day was interviewing the heartbroken Mets fans after the game for my story. I think the greatest contrast in the story I did today was the mood of the Mets fans prior to the game and the mood of the fans post-game after they realized their team would not be in the post-season.
After the game the question on every fans mind was what will the Mets do this off-season. Well already the Mets have shown that they value stability in management and the front office as they extended the contract of General Manager Omary Minaya and removed the interim title from manager Jerry Manuel with a new two-year deal. As the playoffs (which I can barely watch) come to a close this month the Mets should aggressively hit the free-agent market.

Obviously, the reason for the Mets demise this season was the bullpen and that need must be adressed. Billy Wagners days of closing for the Mets are over due to his injury late last season which will force him to miss the entire 2009 season. The Mets have to do whatever it takes to Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez in a Mets uniform in 2009. With 62 saves in 2008 there is no doubt that he is top reliever on the market. Brian Fuentes formerly of the Colorado Rockies is a great second option but the Amazin's need an automatic person to anchor their bullpen and K-Rod is the man for the job.

Starting pitching was not a problem for the Mets this season and I think they are fine in that aspect. Omar Minaya may have to overpay for lefty Oliver Perez. Perez has tendencies to implode when becoming unnerved. However, he is a very good big game pitcher and is durable. I do not think the Mets can affor to let a young solid lefty as Perez get away. The other two positions where the Mets must upgrade is left field and second base.

I would love to see Daniel Murphy play in left every day but that is not his natural position. The Mets need more power out of their outfield and I have heard from a few beat writers that Ryan Church is not happy in New York. A change of scenery may be best for him at this point and time. So look for the Mets to potentially move Church and shift Murphy to right field. Mets fans you may see where I am going with this suggestion....oh you guessed right!! Omar Minaya has to make a huge run at Manny Ramirez! Sure you will have to deal with "Manny being Manny" but who cares?! Look at what the best right-handed hitter in the game has done for the Lost Angeles Dodgers this season after being traded from Boston. Mr. Minaya has had a bit of a well-documented man-crush on Ramirez for years now and you know he will be agressive when it comes to courting him.
The Mets must also be agressive when it comes to upgrading the position of second base. Does anyone want to recall the "production" shown out of that position last season? I think we all can agree that Damion Easly and Argenis Reyes did great jobs filling in but neither player are everyday players on the major league level. Arizona's Orlando Hudson is a free agent and is a talented Gold Glove second basemen who would also provide some much needed increased leadership in the Mets clubhouse.

So lets summarize the Guru's off-season plan:

1. Sign K-Rod
2.Re-Sign Oliver Perez
3.Sign Manny Ramirez
4.Sign Orlando Hudson

Will the Mets do all four of these moves?! Probably not but I will sign for three of the four moves right now. If the Mets can accomplish that then there is no doubt that it would be considered a successful off-season. There has been a great deal of chatter about trading the mets "core players" ie David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. That chatter needs to end. The core players are not going anywhere and they should not be blamed for the failures of the Mets these past two seasons.

The problems of the Mets are outlined in the moves that the organization needs to make this season. Now the only question Metropolitan fans is well they follow the sage words of the Guru?

Knicks Fall In Pre-Season Opener

Ok, I will admit I was a bit excited for my first taste of NBA action this season as the New York Knicks kicked off their pre-season with a game north of the border against Toronto.

Now in the pre-season I can care less about wins and losses which ironically probably won't mean much in the regular season either. What I do search for is team identity, continuity, the emergence of young players.

Well, the Knicks lost (again) to the Raptors 113 to 111 but I did see two of the three aforementioned things that I search for in the pre-season. First, it was the clear that the Knicks have already bought into new head coach Mike D'Antoni's "seven seconds or less" system as they consistently pushed the ball on almost every possession.

Even Zach Randolph who I criticized many times last season for not hustling was moving extremely well up and down the court and even hustled for rebounds. The Knicks offense looked as crisp and fluid as it ever has in years. However, there were a few problems in D'Antoni's system. Most importantly it is apparent that the Knicks need more shooters. One thing D'Antoni had in Phoenix were guys that could put the ball in the basket in various was from every position on the floor.

The Knicks right now do not have enough good shooters or scorers to scare anyone offensively. While the Knicks new head coach preaches pushing the ball and consistent ball movement in Wednesdays pre-season opener it was apparent that there were times when the ball ended up in the hands of someone who had no business taking a long range shot. Maybe the player most guilty of this against Toronto was starting point guard Chris Duhon. Duhon a career 38 percent shooter shot a dismal one for seven from the field. Duhons only field goal came from downtown where the Knick knock down eight treys in 34 attempts. Somewhere tonight as D'Antoni lays his head down to sleep I am sure he is dreaming of the days of shooters who posed a threat on Phoenix Suns roster such as Raja Bell or Leandro Barbosa.

Speaking of guys who could put the ball in the basket. David Lee did an excellent job of that tonight. Lee hit of 9 of 13 shots to rack up 22 points while grabbing nine rebounds. What impressed me most about Lee tonight was the improvement in his passing (3 assists) along with his offensive moves. It was apparent that someone was working hard on their offensive game this summer. D'Antoni started the game with Randolph at Center. Lee and Z-Bo looked great together. Lee found Randolph cutting to the basket on a few occasions and they both seem to complement each other well around the basket.

While Lee's passing was superb the rest of the team had too many turnovers. Knicks fans shouldnt go crazy about this after the first pre-season game; however in D'Antoni's system the execution of outlet passes will be important to the Knicks success. The Knicks big men repeatedly had problems outletting the ball to the guards as they attempted to push the ball up the floor. While the Knicks scored 111 points on 29 assists; they also turned the ball over twenty times. And as my fellow knowledgeable Knickerbocker fans know: Not taking care of the basketball is synonymous with losing.

Losing was a common theme for the Knicks last season but in April there was a bright spot named Wilson Chandler. Ill Will looked good in 24 minutes of action against Toronto shooting 50 percent from the field and pouring in 15 points. Two of those 15 points came on a thunderous facial on Jermaine O'Neal in the second quarter.
Chandler's athleticism and good defensive instincts make him a perfect fit in D'Antoni's system. I really cant see Ill Will turning into a Shawn Marion-type of player in the very near future. Mark my words Knicks fans: He will be a bright spot for the Knicks this season.

I also was impressed with the play of Nate Robinson in the new Knicks system. Nasty Nate's speed should allow the freedom to score at will under the new head coach. D'Antoni already has said he also expects a great deal out of Robinson on the other end of the court as he believes his speed should give him the ability to garner at least 3 steals a game.

Overall, the Knicks showed the fans some positives and negatives. I know it is only the first game of the pre-season. So if any Knicks fan is ready to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge due to another Knicks loss; that person may really want to re-evaluate a few things in their life. Remember, this is a season about progress. Tonight was the first step on the road to recovery and the Knickerbockers took a step in the right direction.

What Knicks Fans Should Expect (Knicks @ Raptors 10/8/08 7PM MSG)

Twenty three and fifty nine.

Those two numbers are indicate the won-loss record of the 2007-2008 New York Knickerbocker season. Twenty three wins indeed for an NBA franchise in the nations largest market along with one of the highest payrolls in the league is indeed a disappointment to say the least.

While Knicks fans such as myself were not only just "crying" about paltry number of wins posted by their beloved Knicks. They also had to endure a season of embarrassment off the court which actually began the previous off-season with former head coach Isiah Thomas' sexual harassment case. That case also involved star point Stephon Marbury aka "Starbury" who abandoned his team just a few games into the season. The Knicks were an ever-evolving soap opera as they free-falled their way to 59 losses giving New Yorkers very little optimism about the future of basketball at the World's Most Famous Arena.

However, things at the Garden actually may be loooking up. After the disaster that was the 2007-2008 season. Isiah Thomas (finally) was relieved of his duties as head coach and team president. Although, somehow (and only God knows) he actually STILL has a scouting job with the organization. The Knickerbockers did not make many moves in the off-season but they did change the face of their organization with the hiring of new GM Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni. These two men are committed to bringing change to what for the majority of this decade has been clearly an unstable organization.

A week and a half ago I had the opoprtunity to speak with both Walsh and D'Antoni about the upcoming season at Madison Square Garden and both men seemed very eager about the future of the Knicks. (Knicks New Beginnnings). Walsh and his head coach both spoke highly of the young talent on the roster which was a clear indication to me that they are looking to change the culture of this ballclub. As a first year head coach D'Antoni will have the challenge of finding minutes for young players. From speaking to him it appeared as though he was very high on the talents of Wilson Chandler. Knick fans can expect to see the second year forward contribute heavily this year. D'Antoni also believes that once healthy Danilo Gallinari (back injury) can be a regular contributor to the team.

While management is excited about the team the real question is should the fans even be excited and if so why? As a fan scanning the Knicks current roster which has 19 players under contract; it is hard to ignore the amount of familiar losing names. Marbury for one has been labeled as a cancer throught the media and among the fans. While I think Marbury has a lot to prove this season (mainly because he is playing for a new contract) and will be a good citizen; I do think that he is sometimes unfairly criticized. Jeromes James can be summarized with one word: overpaid. Jared Jeffries has yet to show why he was worth the assinine contract given to him by Isiah Thomas. Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph appear to only be motivated by offensive touches and neither can play a lick of defense. Quentin Richardson while a solid player has yet to show that he can stay healthy. Jamal Crawford, while improving has been much like the Knicks team of this milenium; consistently inconsistent.

Are you excited yet?!

Ok, after reading that paragraph I surely would not be. But the way Knick fans have to approach this season as tonight the team takes on Toronto in their first pre-season game is by the old cliche "one game at a time." This season is not about wins and losses. In fact I would be shocked if the Knicks won more than 28 games this season. The 2008-2009 season is all about this organization forming an identity. An identity is something the Knicks have lacked since the Patrick Ewing era. With Walsh and D'Antoni in charge they WILL establish an identity for the Knicks. D'Antoni has already stated that he wants this team to incorparte his "seven seconds or less" run and gun style he was so famous for during his coaching days with the Phoenix Suns. The Knicks are not guaranteed to be significantly better this season but they will be more exciting. D'Antoni plans to hold players accountable and expects EVERYONE to play hard for 48 minutes. Now thats something we have not seen at the Garden in a long time.

Bring that excitement will be many of the young players on this roster who are the future of the team. David Lee now in his fourth season has gone on record as being tired of the circus atmosphere that has surrounded this organization and now wants to win. Players such as Lee, Chandler and Nate Robinson will infuse energy into this formerly lifeless team. It will be exciting to see how the lottery pick Gallinari develops over the season. Knick fans are hoping that Walsh made the right pick with him and the fans want a player that can give them hope for the future. If Gallinari (the Knicks highest lottery pick in over 20 years) does not pan out many Knicks fan will utter one of my favorite lines by the character Wee-Bay on my favorite television show of all-time ("The Wire"): "The Knicks done F***** up their draft again!" But then again....we are Knicks fans shouldn't we be used to this by now?!

So tonight as you sit down to watch some NBA action considering their is nothing better else to watch which the baseball championship series starting tomorrow; look for hope in the New York Knicks. Focus on development and progress. Set your expectations low because trust me, if you think this team is making the playoffs then you my friend (word to John McCain) are delusional. The playoffs are a pipe dream....this team will show progress and devlopment. Maybe not in the win column but D'Antoni and Walsh will get this team to play hard consistently. And that my fellow Knicks fans is most assuredly progress!!