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.