Big Weekend in New York Sports

Hey, I’m checking in from Venice, Italy. It was a big weekend of sports back in New York. Both New York football teams won and are now 3-0 and the Yankees swept the Red Sox and won the AL East.

The Yankees are finding their rhythm at the perfect time as they have won seven in a row including last night’s walk-off win against the Royals. The most gratifying part is that five of the seven wins are against the Angels and Red Sox, two playoff-bound teams. AJ Burnett is back and gaining confidence heading into the postseason. 

The Giants rushing attack came alive in a steamrolling of the Buccaneers on Sunday 24-0. Their defense was able to shut down the Bucs’ running game and when you can do those two things then chances are you are going to win. Eli Manning, although he didn’t have to do too much, played well.

As for the Jets, they were able to find a way to win on Sunday against the Titans. The defense was far from perfect, but a big fourth quarter by middle linebacker David Harris proved to be too much in the Jets 24-17 victory. Mark Sanchez threw for two touchdowns and ran in for another. The Jets take on 3-0 New Orleans this weekend.

So there it is, a big New York sports weekend and hopefully many more to come.

Italy

I’m headed to Italy for a week, won’t be doing too much blogging there. Talk to you all in a week. Go NY sports teams!

Burnett and Joba Come Through When it Counts

Joba Chamberlain was impressive in the Yankees 9-5 victory over the Red Sox Friday night and A-Rod led the Yankees offense going 3-3 with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and three stolen bases.

No matter what, the offense is going to be there for the Yankees. It’s their starting pitching that is questionable at times. The outcome of the last two games should givethe Yankees great hope that they can play deep into October. AJ Burnett looked dominant Wednesday in Anaheim, giving up two runs in 5.2 innings while fanning 11 batters. Joba was effective Friday in the Bronx against Boston, giving up three runs in six innings. Both Burnett and Joba have not only turned it on but have done so against playoff teams.

It’s funny how quickly things can change in the long major league baseball season. Over the last two or three weeks Burnett and Chamberlain were butchered and battered leading many people to believe the Yankees would have an early exit in October due to poor starting pitching behind CC Sabathia.

Now after strong efforts it looks as though Burnett and Joba are on the right path and can still have a chance for some fine tuning before the postseason begins. What looked liked a crippled and shattered pitching staff now looks solid and dependable, poised to make noise in October.

Giants and Jets Fighting Injury Problems in Secondaries

The New York Giants and Jets are banged up heading into week three especially in their secondaries.

The Giants have lost safety Kenny Phillips for the season and have recevied safety Aaron Rouse off waivers from the Packers. The Giants also have two injured cornerbacks who will most likely sit out week three against the Bucs. Aaron Ross and Kevin Dockery, who both have missed the first two games with hamstring injuries, will need more time to recover.

The Jets have two cornerbacks who will not be on the field Sunday against the Titans. Lito Sheppard is out with a quad injury and Donald Strickland is sitting out due to an ankle injury. This leaves the Jets thin at cornerback. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Jets have spoke with former Raven cornerback Corey Ivy and former Jet cornerback Justin Miller.

How to Fix the Mets, Possibilities for the Offseason

It’s been a dreadful 2009 season for the Mets and they are going to be happy when it’s over so they can put it behind them. There is a lot of work to be done to get this team back into playoff contention for 2010. It’s never to early to look into the upcoming offseason when talking about a team that is in the basement. Here are some move and maneuvers that could help fix the Mets and turn them into a contender in 2010.

• Replace Minaya – The Mets have said that Minaya will be in charge for at least one more year but I don’t personally believe he deserves another year. Some of his actions are reprehensible and he has made some poor baseball moves. It’s time for a change but it won’t happen because of his contract.
• Replace Manuel – Minaya and Manuel go hand-in-hand. Since I think Minaya needs to be replaced then Manuel needs to go too. He has made some head-shaking mistakes and questionable choices. He said he didn’t know Mariano Rivera was on deck. How can this guy lead a team when he doesn’t pay attention to details. Minaya is going to be here for another year and so will Manuel. The Mets really need to get rid of both guys and get a new regime in place to turn the page on the Minaya era.
• Put Jose Reyes on the trading block – Test the waters. See what can be acquired in return. Maybe the Mets can land a number two or three starter for Reyes. The shortstop free agent class isn’t strong but it would be well worth getting a guy to pitch behind Santana in exchange for Reyes. The Mets and Reyes may be better off going separate ways. The Mets could go after free agent shortstops Khalil Greene, Adam Everett, or maybe even Orlando Cabrera.
• Leave Daniel Murphy at first base – He’s young and will improve. He’s already improved in one season. Save money for other spots, don’t spend big on a first basemen. With some work, Murphy can be a formidable first basemen.
• Spend on left fielder – Make a run after Matt Holliday, Jason Bay or Carl Crawford if they are available. Crawford makes sense if the Mets get rid of Reyes. Holliday or Bay would slip nicely into the fifth spot in the lineup giving the Mets a potent 3-4-5 combination of Wright, Beltran and Holliday/Bay.
• Sign a catcher – Rod Barajas, and Bengie Molina will be free agents and Miguel Olivo has a chance to be a free agent too. The Mets need a hard-nosed catcher who has some pop in his bat. I like Barajas for the Mets.
• Finally, get these guys healthy and ready to go for spring training

Whether you agree or disagree, leave comments and tell me your thoughts on how to fix the Mets.

David Lee Reaches Agreement With Knicks

David Lee and the Knicks, who have gone back and forth all summer, have finally reached an agreement that will keep Lee in New York for at least one more season. According to Alan Hahn of Newsday, it is a one-year deal worth $7 million with a bonus of $1 million if the Knicks get into the playoffs.

It was also reported earlier today that the Knicks and Nate Robinson have reached a one-year deal worth over $2.5 million.

Singing Lee and Nate for one-year keeps the Knicks’ chances of signing a superstar in 2010 alive. The Knicks don’t have the financial flexibility to sign these guys for longer than a year if they want to be players in the 2010 free agent period.

Sanchez Has Minor Knee Injury, Won’t Affect His Play

After receiving a hefty fine for not reporting Brett Favre on the injury report last season, Mark Sanchez makes his debut on the Jets injury report in week three. Rex Ryan says Sanchez “had a little knee tendinitis” but expects Sanchez to be fine and play at full strength on Sunday against the Titans.

“Make sure he’s on that list,” Ryan said. “I don’t mean anything by that.”

The 2-0 Jets host the 0-2 Titans on Sunday.

Giants S Phillips Done for Season

New York Giants safety Kenny Phillips has been placed on the IR and will miss the remainder of the season. Phillips has been bothered by a knee injury for about a month. C.C. Brown will start in Phillips’ place for now.

Phillips was a key player in the Giants’ 33-31 victory in Dallas. Phillips recorded two interceptions and seven tackles in the week two win.

LeBron James 2010

LBJ 2010 – it’s the goal of many teams in the NBA but only realistic by some. A little less than a year from now Cavs star LeBron James will have made a decision and signed a contract with a team for well over $100 million. Whichever team he signs with will be getting a LeBron James who will be transitioning into his prime about two or three years into the contact. It’s scary to think we haven’t seen the best of LeBron James yet.

Where will LeBron land in 2010? The three front-runners right now have to be the Cavs, Knicks and Nets (only if they move to Brooklyn) in that order. Beyond those three teams I have no idea. Could Miami go after LeBron if Wade leaves or maybe even if Wade stays? I wouldn’t count on it. Lebron wants to be a billion dollar athlete and that kind of money can’t be made in many NBA cities.

It will be interesting now that Russion billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is taking over the majority ownership of the Nets. If Prokhorov can get the Nets to Brooklyn then the Knicks and Nets may be in a dead heat for Lebron behind Cleveland because money won’t be an issue anymore for the Nets. Prokhorov’s pockets are deeper than cablevision’s. The Nets also have Jay-Z to help lure Lebron in. Donnie Walsh must be scared to death that Prokhorov is taking over the Nets. Without Prokhorov, the Nets chances of moving to Brooklyn are slim and their chances of getting LeBron are none. Prokhorov’s presence with the Nets not only changes the landscape in New York area basketball but changes the landscape in the entire NBA.

My gut feeling tells me LeBron will say goodbye to Cleveland and head to the big apple. If the Nets move to Brooklyn, It’s a toss-up which team he’ll go to. The Brooklyn Nets would be very enticing. If the Nets can’t get to Brooklyn then I believe we’ll be seeing LBJ at MSG for years to come.

Nate Close To Deal With Knicks

Nate Robinson is close to signing a one-year deal with the Knicks that exceeds the $2.9 million qualifying offer. Nate’s deal would be incentive-laden. According to the sources of Alan Hahn from Newsday, Nate didn’t want to play anywhere else.

David Lee, who has been reported to be close to re-signing with the Knicks several times, is also said to be close to signing a one-year deal but there are conflicting reports saying Lee’s agent implied he his not confident a deal will get done, this according to the New York Post.