A-Rod's off the hook, who do you blame now?

I was one of many Yankees fans who took a look at our roster in the beginning of the season and felt awesome about this season. And don't get me mistaken here, It's only April. But the Yankees haven't been playing promising baseball at all, and it leaves me thinking "Same Ol' Yanks".

The starting rotation is plagued with injuries, and the pitchers we thought might be this year's unsung hero of the rotation, Kei Igawa, Jeff Kartsens, Darrell Rasner, etc.; have all been busts so far this year. Igawa is the most disappointing, he won the 5th spot in spring training and has yet to show us anything. Once it seems like progress is made, he'll have a worse outing than the last.

The bullpen is spent too. It hasn't pitched bad as a whole really. But they've had to pitch so many innings that we've seen Andy Pettite make two relief appearances already this year, on his scheduled day to throw, but still relief appearances. Sean Henn has been lights out, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth have been solid. The question remains though, when will the real Mariano show up? Two blown saves in two tries, including a 6-2 lead against Boston.

The Yankees have gotten so desperate that despite claiming they're going to do everything in their power not to rush him, top prospect Phillip Hughes is expected to be called up and start Thursday's game against the Blue Jays. I personally don't think it will be as much of a disaster as others think if Hughes doesn't do well. He seems like a level-headed kid, and if there's one thing Joe Torre does well, it's manage young pitchers. He knows when to take them out, knows when to talk to them, etc.

The offense hasn't been all that amazing either. How many games will Yankee fans have to watch Joe Torre shuffle 1st basemen that can't hit before he puts Giambi back in the field, DH's one of his outfielders, and puts Melky Cabrera in almost everyday. Obviously we'll have to wait 'til Hideki Matsui comes back to see what happens. It seems like Alex Rodriguez though, has been the only clutch hitter in the lineup this year. Countless times we've watched the usual clutch guys like Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, etc. not come through thus far. But I'm not worried about the offense producing. We're scoring runs regardless. Pitching is the problem (as usual), it'll be interesting to see if things get any better as the season progresses. It'll also be fun to see how long it takes for fans to get back on A-Rod like it's his fault the Yanks are struggling. The guy could hit 200 home-runs and still get booed.

Rangers Sweep the Thrashers

Hey guys, sorry for the month long hiatus. School, work, and hockey have done a number on my schedule and this blog unfortunately suffered. But I'm back, and better than ever!

And apparently so are the Rangers. Winning their first playoff series in almost ten years, they're the hottest team in the NHL right now, and the only team that swept their opponent in the first round.

This team is very tight, from what I've seen they're just playing more like a team. And if you listen to their interviews, that's the feel you get. Every game it seems to be a different guy stepping up as well. Sean Avery, Brendan Shanahan, Michael Nylander, Ryan Callahan, Matt Cullen, and of course Henrik Lundqvist. This team's got the kind of depth a team needs to beat Buffalo, who looks like the 2nd round opponent for the Rangers unless Tampa Bay can come back in Game 6 against the Devils, which is in progress as I write.

This team can rotate 3 lines and doesn't have to worry about their 4th line defensively either. And on top of the 4 lines that can all get it done, Ryan Hollweg and Karel Rachunek both sat out the 1st round (for different reasons) and could easily contribute for the Rangers in round 2.

The play of the rookies has been excellent. Callahan and Daniel Girardi have been excellent. Neither have even looked like rookies.

All in all, the Rangers have the talent and the momentum to go all the way to the cup. But I caution you Ranger fans, Buffalo and Ottawa are not the same as Atlanta. The Rangers won't be winning any games 7-0, they won't be sweeping any of those teams. They certainly have the firepower to beat them though, that's for sure.

Rangers fall to the Thrashers in OT

Another one goal loss. It's the 22nd one goal loss of the season for the Blueshirts, in a season that's got "What if?" written all over it if they don't make the playoffs or at that get very far in the playoffs. A season that started off very slow despite high expectations, the Rangers seem to be a team that just doesn't catch many breaks. They're been hot and cold all season, their off-season moves for the most part didn't quite pan out as planned as the only one that's really contributing come crunch time is Matt Cullen, although I don't think it would be fair to not mention Brendan Shanahan and how great he's been for this team.

With the loss comes a lot of frustration. The Rangers would've gone back into 8th place with a win Friday night. They outplayed the Thrashers for much of this game, they out shot the Thrashers 39-22, 15-4 in the 3rd period. Both goaltenders, products of Sweden, were excellent. Unfortunately for the Rangers this game didn't go to a shootout, where Henrik Lundqvist shines. Matt Cullen was called for holding in the overtime period, and the Thrashers cashed in.

One very positive note about tonight's game has to be the play of the Rangers youngsters. Ryan Callahan dressed after being called-up on an emergency basis to replace Ryan Hollweg who's got the flu. Callahan was very impressive and was part of the Rangers most productive line, teaming up with Matt Cullen and Sean Avery. Cullen, Avery, and Callahan played 3 of the last 4 shifts in the 3rd period and applied tremendous pressure. Brandon Dubinsky also played a very impressive game, usually on a line with Martin Straka and and Petr Prucha. Daniel Girardi continued to play very solid defense. Defenseman David Liffiton didn't get much ice time in what was only his 2nd NHL game.

Look for the Rangers to sign defenseman Jason Strudwick within the next few days, he skated with the team in practice before the Thrashers game and once he's signed and clears waivers he's expected to take the 6th defenseman spot until Fedor Tyutin is healthy and for David Liffiton to be sent back to Hartford.

The Rangers play again Saturday night against the Bruins. Should the Rangers win this game, especially in regulation, it could really be the end to the Bruins season. They're hanging on by a thread in the playoff race. The Rangers need points as Carolina, Montreal, Toronto, and the Islanders are all playing Saturday as well.

Giants miss out on Curtis; off-season update

Free agent wide receiver Kevin Curtis signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. He received a six-year deal worth $32 million that includes a $7 million signing bonus and $9.5 million in guaranteed money.

I've gotta say, while I've grown very impatient with the Giants lack of activity this off-season, they've been very disciplined when it comes to not overpaying for free agents. While still left scratching my head as to why they didn't make much of an effort to re-sign Luke Petitgout after cutting him due to salary cap reasons or free agent kicker Jay Feely, they haven't over payed in money, players, or draft picks for any players so far this off-season, something Ernie Accorsi tended to do.

So what should the Giants priorities before the NFL Draft in April? First of all, I think they need to re-sign linebacker Brandon Short. Short played for the veteran minimum last season, and despite missing a few games due to injury, played exceptional when healthy. He's a modest guy that wouldn't mind having to earn a starting spot, he can contribute on special teams, and even if it's not the veteran minimum I don't see Short demanding that much money, especially since he's stated several times that he wants to come back to New York.

Second priority would be to sign a veteran lineman. They're thin all around on the offensive line, so the more versatile the better. Assuming they don't find another starting lineman this off-season, it looks as though the starters will be David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Chris Snee, and Kareem McKenzie. The only other lineman that might actually be able to hold his own that's currently under contract would be tackle Guy Whimper, and he's never played a down in the NFL. The Giants have expressed interest in re-signing guard Grey Ruegamer. Matt Lehr, former Falcons guard, has also drawn interest from the Giants.

Me personally, I'm hoping offensive tackle Levi Brown out of Penn State will fall to the Giants in the 1st round of the draft and they'll actually take him. It would solidify the offensive line. A left tackle is much harder to find in this league than a linebacker or safety of starting caliber. And I think the best place to find a starting cornerback in this league is free agency, despite the high asking price of many of them. So that would leave the only logical pick for the Giants to be a left tackle, although i'd be content if the Giants got the right running back or a wide receiver in the first round.

Kicker is third priority. Rumors have been swirling around that the Giants are interested in Dolphins kicker Olindo Mare since he's likely to be traded or cut very soon. The Giants are high on Josh Huston, but he can't go into camp without competition. There are several kickers available on the free agent market, such as John Hall and Todd France, that would be suitable candidates for the job.

Now that Curtis is gone, there aren't many solid free agent wide receivers left on the market. Former Raven and Viking Travis Taylor is one receiver that's still out there, as well as former Seahawk Bobby Engram. It's important to bring in competition for the 3rd receiver spot to push Sinorice Moss.

Other than that, all other needs such as linebacker depth, secondary depth, more competition at defensive tackle, a 3rd down running back, and perhaps a 4th quarterback to compete for a spot in camp should be taken care of in the draft.

Don't get me wrong, I wish the Giants would take a more aggressive approach to their off-season, but the market this year isn't all that talented and many players have been grossly over payed. So maybe it's not the worst thing in the world that the Giants haven't been very active at all this off-season.

Rangers drop to 10th after blowing another lead

Being a Rangers fan has proven to be difficult and heart-breaking yet again Tuesday night as the Rangers found a way to blow an early 2 goal lead. The Rangers have made the playoffs only twice since they won the Stanley Cup in 1993-94, including last season's embarrassing sweep to the devils. And they made their run to make it back into the playoffs this season much more difficult with a very disappointing 3-2 regulation loss to the Senators Tuesday night.

The Rangers got off to a great start, energized by 2 early goals from Michael Nylander. The first period ended with a 2-0 Rangers lead, but the Rangers yielded 2 second period goals to let the Senators tie it up. In the 3rd period the Rangers had plenty of excellent scoring chances, but Senators goaltender Ray Emery was lights out, stopping all 9 shots by the Rangers in the 3rd period.

The Senators scored on a shot that deflected off of Marek Malik's stick to take a 3-2 lead. It would prove to be the game winner. Malik was booed the rest of the game whenever he touched the puck, just when it seemed like he had won back the garden faithful with a pretty goal against the Hurricanes Sunday afternoon.

The Rangers now sit in 10th place with 70 games played and 76 points. They're behind the 7th place Islanders(69 games played, 78 points), the 8th place Hurricanes(71 games played, 78 points), and the 9th place Maple Leafs(70 games played, 77 points). The Canadiens, Bruins, and Panthers are also in the race, Montreal sits in 11th place(71 games played, 76 points), Boston in 12th with 69 games played and 71 points, and Florida in 13th with 71 games played and 71 points. It'll certainly be a competitive finish for the teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Over the next two weeks, the Rangers only have 3 games against teams that aren't 8th place or better in the Eastern Conference, 2 of those games being against Boston. It's going to be a very difficult push for the Rangers to make with key players like Fedor Tyutin, Brendan Shanahan, and Marcel Hossa on the sidelines and other key players like Martin Straka, Jaromir Jagr, and Paul Mara dinged up; but the Rangers basically control their own destiny with many of their remaining games being against teams that are in the same boat as the Rangers such as the Canadiens, Islanders, and Bruins.

Giants Acquire Droughns for Carter

The Giants made their first off-season acquisition on Friday, adding veteran running back Reuben Droughns from the Browns in exchange for injury-prone wide receiver Tim Carter. Carter, who is a former 2nd round pick of the Giants, never quite lived up to expectations. He's suffered many injuries all the way back to his college days in Auburn despite having an excellent work ethic and being in top notch shape. He's been one of the fastest players on the Giants roster each season he's been on the team, and when he was actually in the lineup he usually did a decent job of stretching the field. But last season he failed to make much noise once Amani Toomer went down with a season ending injury and Carter was forced to step into the starting lineup. Droughns has had 1,000 yard rushing seasons with the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns, but only rushed for 758 yards last season.

The trade doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Droughns is a good back, but is he really the kind of guy that's going to compliment Brandon Jacobs well? I was expecting more of a shifty scat back, a 3rd down type running back. Making a move for Tatum Bell seemed to make much more sense, but maybe Detroit was asking for more. It wouldn't surprise me to see Droughns eventually cut before the season starts if the Giants draft a back like Kenny Irons or find someone else that makes much more sense to split time with Jacobs.

Maybe having two bruising backs splitting carries isn't the worst thing in the world. You don't usually see it, but two guys that can wear down a defense is better than one. Maybe we'll even see a three-headed monster in the Giants backfield next season, with Jacobs, Droughns, and another player to be acquired later. If the Giants don't get another back this off-season, it'll be a shame. The Giants will be lacking a home-run threat from the backfield.

This is a good situation for Droughns, who sounded very happy to be here in interviews and didn't seem to mind at all that he may be Jacobs back-up next season. He'll have little pressure on him and won't have to deal with the physical pounding he did behind Cleveland's lackluster offensive line last season. Hopefully for the Giants, Droughns will pan out and help provide a balanced rushing attack next season.

It's an equally good situation for Carter, who gets a fresh start on a team that doesn't have a ton of depth at the wide reciever position. Carter would have had to fight for a roster spot had he stayed with the Giants, while he's most likely guaranteed a roster spot with he Browns.

Jay Feely signs 3 year deal with Dolphins

Well, the Giants continued their everything but proactive off-season this week by letting veteran placekicker Jay Feely walk. There were reports earlier this week that the Giants had made a "competitive offer" to Feely, but those proved to be false soon after.

The contract is 3 years for $6 million, with roughly $2.5 million guaranteed Newday's Arthur Staple reports. This contract is similar to the one left tackle Luke Petitgout recently signed with the Buccaneers. These contracts aren't all that crazy considering the roles these players played and would've continued to play for the Giants this upcoming season had the Giants re-signed them.

The Giants expressed interest in bring Jay Feely back, but you have to wonder how bad they wanted him if they couldn't dish out the cash. Think back to the Jim Fassel era Giants fans, what was the one thing we were saying after each game, especially the infamous collapse in the playoffs against the 49ers? If you said "WE NEED #$*# BETTER PLAYERS ON SPECIAL TEAMS!" or something along those lines, you were correct. I have to wonder, after how dismal our special teams unit was last season, why on earth we wouldn't re-sign one of the few players who came through for us.

Regardless, it looks as though the Giants will look to undrafted rookie Josh Huston out of Ohio State to take over the field goal kicking duties. It's expected they bring in some competition, former Giants and Buccaneers kicker Todd France seems like a distinct possibility, maybe even the other kicker on the Dolphins Olindo Mare who looks like he's played his last game as a Dolphin. Former Jet and Redskin John Hall is another possibility.

I feel your pain Giants fans, hopefully GM Jerry Reese has some sort of great master plan that we just won't understand until next seasons starts.

Isles-Rangers Round 2 of the Home-and-Home

What a game round 1 of this home-and-home series between these rivals turned out to be.

I was in attendance and it just so happened I ended up being in a section that was roughly 90% Islander fans. Note to season ticket holders in section 324: you're not allowed to call yourselves Rangers fans anymore.

Regardless, this game was intense and didn't disappoint. Even though the Islanders lost, and really in my opinion got outplayed pretty badly, just look at the total shot count if you don't believe me, the Islander fans left feeling pretty good too. Hell, on the way home, at the Mineola Train Station I heard some "Lets go Islanders" chants. They were quickly overpowered by "Who wants fishsticks?" chants though...hehe.

Tonight's game promises to be a good one. The Rangers played their hearts out Monday and they're paying for it physically. Marcel Hossa sprained his knee and will join Brendan Shanahan, Fedor Tyutin, and Kevin Weekes on Injured Reserve. Also feeling sore are forward Sean Avery, recently acquired defenseman Paul Mara, and forward Martin Straka, who played his first game since hurting his shoulder against the Islanders on Monday.

For the Islanders, Alexei Yashin is expected to make his return to the lineup. This is the best team the Islanders have had on paper in a long time. Yashin, Jason Blake, Ryan Smyth, Victor Kozlov, Mike Sillinger, Miroslav Satan, Sean Bates, and Randy Robitaille make for a great offensive attack. And then Tom Poti (yes Rangers fans, Tom Poti), Brandon Witt, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Sean Hill, and Chris Campoli giving the Islanders quite the defensive lineup as well. Rick DiPietro of course finishes out the lineup, and despite his ludicrous contract, you can't knock the guy and how he's played this season, his last game being nothing short of very impressive.

Going into tonight the Rangers are two points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. Despite the injury to Hossa, you get the feeling the Rangers are just gonna be very energetic and lively. I'm sure the Islanders will be too without a doubt. Ted Nolan did not sound very pleased with his team after Monday's loss, he was very upset about the amount of shots the Islanders allowed as well as the amount of penalties they took.

I can't stress enough how important I think it is for someone else to step up now that Hossa is out for what looks to be most of the regular season. He's been the hot hand as of late, and someones gonna have to start scoring more. I personally hope the Rangers keep Jarko Immonen up with the big club and put him with the likes of Prucha and Ortmeyer or Avery. He's a great setup man and he does a fine job of finishing too. With Hartford this season he's got 10 goals and 17 assists in 36 games. Last season was when he was most impressive, scoring 30 goals and 40 assists in 74 games, along with a very impressive +16. If the Rangers get desperate, it wouldn't surprise me to see Ryan Callahan playing with us down the stretch either. He's had a great season, he's got 33 goals with Hartford already and also scored the game winner in the AHL All-Star game.

It should be a great game tonight, be sure to tune in. It'll be on FSNY2 and MSG.

Jets nab RB Jones; Giants yet to make a splash

The Jets have filled their running back void by dealing a 2nd round pick (No. 37 overall) to Chicago for veteran Thomas Jones and the Bears 2nd round pick (No. 63 overall).

I personally thought the Bears would look to get much more value for Thomas Jones, but I guess with Jamal Lewis, Dominic Rhodes, and a few other 2nd tier running backs out there in free agency like Kevan Barlow and T.J. Duckett, the Bears felt like this was the best they could get. It's a complete steal for the Jets, who still have two 2nd round picks, no. 59 overall and no. 63 overall in the draft. Now that they're set at running back, they can look to address other positions such as cornerback, tight end, and outside linebacker early in the draft. Look for Thomas Jones to be a great signing for the Jets, and look for Cedric Houston and Leon Washington to both play pretty big supporting roles next season in an attempt to keep Jones healthy and throw defenses off balance.

The Giants have yet to make any signings this off-season. They've re-signed C Shaun O'Hara and tendered Restricted Free Agents Gibril Wilson, Reggie Torbor, and Derrick Ward. This is not the time to back down in free agency, and it seems as though new GM Jerry Reese is, for the most part, content with the players he has going into the draft.

Despite the lack of activity, there hasn't been a lack of rumors involving the Giants. Numerous reports say the Giants are still interested in former Colts running back Dominic Rhodes despite him leaving without a contract last week. There have also been rumors that the Giants are serious about trading for running back Tatum Bell, who's currently a Detroit Lion. There have been some unconfirmed reports that the Giants are also interested in disgruntled running back Willis McGahee. Also in for a visit this week will be former Rams wide receiver Kevin Curtis. Curtis is looking for a starting job and may just be using this visit as leverage when it comes to signing with the Lions and former Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz.

What's best for the Giants? Personally, with Ahman Green, Travis Henry, and Thomas Jones all finding new homes this week, the Giants may be better off making a trade to move up in the 2nd round and getting a back like Kenny Irons. With any luck, OT Levi Brown out of Penn State will fall to the Giants in the 1st. Mock's have him going as high as top 10, or as low as past the Giants in the 1st. The cornerback position can be addressed in free agency as there are still good cornerbacks available. Nick Harper is the most appealing, but also out on the market are corners Roderick Hood (PHI), David Macklin (ARI), former Giants corner William James (PHI), Tory James (CIN), and Travis Fisher (STL). All would be good compliments to returning veterans Sam Madison and R.W. McQuarters. Look for the Giants to give Corey Webster a fair shot in training camp despite his sub par performance last season.

Rangers Continue Their Playoff Push Against Isles

This season has been full of ups, downs, in-betweens, disappointment, free agent busts, trades, injuries, and more this season for the Rangers. But with all that's happened, they find themselves in great position to make the playoffs.

The Rangers face off at the Garden against their rivals from the island for the 5th time on Monday, and desperately need to win. The Islanders currently sit in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, with 75 points. The Rangers sit in 11th with 69 points, but seem to be likely to at least have an easy time getting up to 9th place by the end of this week.

Montreal, who currently sit in 9th place, are 5-11-1 since February 1st, and have played 3 less games left than the Rangers.

Toronto has been playing much better than Montreal, but have lost to key opponents like the Canadiens, Bruins, and Islanders during their stretch run during February and March. They have played one more game than the Rangers.

Carolina is in the 8th and final playoff spot, but has lost 3 of their last 4, and the Rangers play them next Sunday afternoon at home in an opportunity to gain 2 points on them. The Hurricanes have played 2 more games than the Rangers at this point in the season.

But it all starts Monday at the Garden for the Rangers. They've yet to win against the Islanders this season, and will find the Islanders to be a very difficult opponent to beat, as they've been playing very good hockey and made some solid moves at the trading deadline that included acquiring Ryan Smyth from Edmonton for 2 former 1st round draft picks and a future 1st rounder. The future is clearly now for the Islanders and they're playing like it. The game Monday will be the latest installment in this intense battle, and is huge for both teams.
With this game being the only game scheduled throughout the NHL on Monday, both teams have the chance to gain 2 points on all the teams they're trying to jump over and/or put some distance between.

It's key for the Rangers to go in and play a very solid first period to get the crowd behind them. There should be a fair share of Islander fans that make the trip into the city to see the game, but majority of the MSG crowd should be Rangers fans. Yours truly will be one of those Rangers fans. The fans have grown impatient quickly with the Rangers this season, whether it's the lack of shots on the power play, Marek Malik making a mistake once every 20 games, or having the puck bounce the wrong way on them. Or the times when it's actually warranted.

But regardless of whether or not the Rangers deserve some of the boos they've gotten this season, they need to go out and play with lots of energy. Hopefully we'll see a lot of ice time for players like Sean Avery, Ryan Hollweg, Blair Betts, Colton Orr, and Jed Ortmeyer. They all play with lots of energy and never quit. Players like Jaromir Jagr and Marcel Hossa may be putting pucks in the net this season, but there's been plenty of times where they've been caught getting very lazy with their back checking and it's cost the Rangers.
Here's to hoping the Rangers can come out victorious, although it may make for a much less interesting blog post Tuesday morning.