Friday, July 18, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Remembering Shea....
Well...here we are
Its been quite a ride so far, hasn't it?
67 games to play beginning tonight it Cincinnati with the Great Johan toeing the slab and a chance to move into first.
Coming off the All-Star game, which we all know was the last important game at Yankees Stadium, I got to thinking about Shea and how many games I have been to there and how many memories I have of the big blue horseshoe.
How when you sit downstairs past the bags, like I did for the great Bobby Jones 1-hitter against the Giants in the 2000 NLCS, your seat actually faces the opposite outfielder. How when you sit in the back row of the loge, like I did for the best pitching dual playoff game I have ever been to, Glavine-Leiter, 1999 NLCS Game 3 (Braves won 1-0 on a stupid Leiter error in the 1st inning), you can't see pop-ups or the scoreboard or basically anything aside from the field. How after it rains the upper deck used to get leaks from the "roof" that would drain down onto seats, like it did on mine for the NLCS clincher against the Cardinals in 2000. (I complained to the usher about the fact that it was raining on me and they moved me & my buddy Steve into the press seats right behind the plate in the mezzanine, then watched Mike Hampton throw a complete game 3-hitter). How the entire upper deck literally shakes when the place is packed and the fans are rocking like it did when I sat there for Todd Pratt's walk-off homer to beat the D-backs in 1999 and Robin Ventura's grand slam single (my favorite game ever) a week or 2 later. And of course, the most recent dramas...the memories of how the entire stadium can go from the insanity of the Endy catch to dead silence from the Yadier Molina homer to the shock of the Adam Wainwright curve and that fact that it was over and we actually weren't going to the World Series we so deserved to go to....
All of these memories will be with me for life but the one that is still with me every time I watch our beloved Mets play is the last one. Fink and I went to that game knowing we would see history. Little did we know then that that night would be the beginning of 1 and 1/2 years of trying to recapture that magic. Now with 67 games to play, for the first time since Molina & Wainwright quieted Shea, this team looks hungry. They look confident. They look ready to beat the crap out of the fuckin Phillies.
People keep saying how the Brewers added CC and the Cubs added Harden so those guys are the teams to beat in the NL. Well ya know who we added? We added Johan. We have watched Pelfrey grow up in front of our eyes. And we basically added Pedro (yes, I still believe he will be good. Don’t give up on him guys...see Delgado, Carlos and Heilman, Aaron).
I bashed Omar for many of the moves he has made and I stand by those comments. But the best move he made may be the one that was most scrutinized...firing Willie. Jerry, while possibly a serial killer by day, has changed the atmosphere of the club & the team is having fun playing baseball again.
Which brings us back to Shea. As I have been saying since the GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL...2008 is 1986 all over again. Since I initially said that, the Celtics also have won the Championship, making 2 of my 3 child hood teams Champs in the same year, just like 1986. There is only one team remaining from that trio of clubs...and we all know who that is.
So why not dream big?
Let's send off Shea is the greatest way possible. Yankee Stadium had the all-star game in it's final year. Let's root our boys in and get Shea and our Mets to the biggest stage of them all...A World Series & a Championship!
LETS GO METS!!
Its been quite a ride so far, hasn't it?
67 games to play beginning tonight it Cincinnati with the Great Johan toeing the slab and a chance to move into first.
Coming off the All-Star game, which we all know was the last important game at Yankees Stadium, I got to thinking about Shea and how many games I have been to there and how many memories I have of the big blue horseshoe.
How when you sit downstairs past the bags, like I did for the great Bobby Jones 1-hitter against the Giants in the 2000 NLCS, your seat actually faces the opposite outfielder. How when you sit in the back row of the loge, like I did for the best pitching dual playoff game I have ever been to, Glavine-Leiter, 1999 NLCS Game 3 (Braves won 1-0 on a stupid Leiter error in the 1st inning), you can't see pop-ups or the scoreboard or basically anything aside from the field. How after it rains the upper deck used to get leaks from the "roof" that would drain down onto seats, like it did on mine for the NLCS clincher against the Cardinals in 2000. (I complained to the usher about the fact that it was raining on me and they moved me & my buddy Steve into the press seats right behind the plate in the mezzanine, then watched Mike Hampton throw a complete game 3-hitter). How the entire upper deck literally shakes when the place is packed and the fans are rocking like it did when I sat there for Todd Pratt's walk-off homer to beat the D-backs in 1999 and Robin Ventura's grand slam single (my favorite game ever) a week or 2 later. And of course, the most recent dramas...the memories of how the entire stadium can go from the insanity of the Endy catch to dead silence from the Yadier Molina homer to the shock of the Adam Wainwright curve and that fact that it was over and we actually weren't going to the World Series we so deserved to go to....
All of these memories will be with me for life but the one that is still with me every time I watch our beloved Mets play is the last one. Fink and I went to that game knowing we would see history. Little did we know then that that night would be the beginning of 1 and 1/2 years of trying to recapture that magic. Now with 67 games to play, for the first time since Molina & Wainwright quieted Shea, this team looks hungry. They look confident. They look ready to beat the crap out of the fuckin Phillies.
People keep saying how the Brewers added CC and the Cubs added Harden so those guys are the teams to beat in the NL. Well ya know who we added? We added Johan. We have watched Pelfrey grow up in front of our eyes. And we basically added Pedro (yes, I still believe he will be good. Don’t give up on him guys...see Delgado, Carlos and Heilman, Aaron).
I bashed Omar for many of the moves he has made and I stand by those comments. But the best move he made may be the one that was most scrutinized...firing Willie. Jerry, while possibly a serial killer by day, has changed the atmosphere of the club & the team is having fun playing baseball again.
Which brings us back to Shea. As I have been saying since the GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL...2008 is 1986 all over again. Since I initially said that, the Celtics also have won the Championship, making 2 of my 3 child hood teams Champs in the same year, just like 1986. There is only one team remaining from that trio of clubs...and we all know who that is.
So why not dream big?
Let's send off Shea is the greatest way possible. Yankee Stadium had the all-star game in it's final year. Let's root our boys in and get Shea and our Mets to the biggest stage of them all...A World Series & a Championship!
LETS GO METS!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thoughts on Willie and the Mets
OK, I have given myself some time to think about this and wanted to share my assessment with you guys and see if we can get some good chatter going on.
To begin, I just want to state that I 100% believe Willie should've been fired. I thought he should've been fired after the collapse last year and have continued to believe he should be replaced. I also agree with Peterson being fired.
Now, I have heard and even used the word "classless" thrown around by a lot of fans and media today and I want to address this. I think the way that he was fired was ill-timed and stupid and it makes the organization looks foolish. I don't think it was really "classless" to fire a manager whose team has underperformed (at least according to the payroll) so greatly. Would after Saturday's double dip have been better? On Father's Day before they boarded a bus to the airport? Was it weird to go to sleep last night watching a win and wake up with the news of Willie being canned? Yes. Does that make it classless? No. It was yet another poorly timed and poorly executed decision by an ownership group that is famous for things such as this.
I know many of you fans remember the reign of one Jeff Torborg, almost exactly 15 years ago. "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" aka the 1992 Mets were about 4 or 5 games out in August when the bottom fell out. I think they won about 5 or 6 games in September (OK, maybe it wasn't that bad, but close) and finished 18 games under .500 on the year (72-90). They brought Torborg back in 1993 only to see the team still suck and fired him on near the end of May that year after a Mets win. He was replaced by the incomparable Dallas Green and the rest is history. Now while Randolph's fall was harder and faster (from one pitch from the WS to the great collapse) I do see and feel a lot of parallels to that club and to the way it was done. Increasing the payroll to record levels and then not living up to expectations always leads to the manager getting fired. The only thing missing is firecrackers in the players parking lot. Maybe Reyes can play the role of Vince?
OK, so let's talk about this ownership group...
Across down the always brilliant Hank Steinbrenner said this yesterday:
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.
“Am I (mad) about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”
Now you are Fred & Jeff Wilpon, almost NOTHING you can do can make you look dumber and more clueless to the NY sports fan than a comment like this. YET SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, FREDDY, YOU DID IT!!
You claim it was all Omar's doing!! You dodge all the questions!! You make the fans call the organizaton classless. Let's all pretend for a second that it was all Omar's doing (clearly not the case, but let's pretend), when Omar calls you with his plan, do you not say "Hey Omar, we support you but let's talk with Jay Horwitz and see when he thinks the best time is for us to do this"??
I look forward to hear from Omar tonight because this just make no sense and actually makes the organization look bad in a move that was certainly needed in my opinion.
I can only hope Omar has a plan. I can only hope he can explain to me why Jerry Manuel, the guy everyone told us was teaching Willie how to manage in the NL in 2005, is a better choice for manager now than a fresh face from outside the organization or AAA. I hope he can explain to me why Howard Johnson, a former Mets 3B best know for his hackish swing and quick bat (something you can't teach) is still the hitting coach on a team with a .257 BA. I hope he can explain to me what Sandy Alomar brings to the table that he needed to remain as well.
As a Mets fan my entire life, I am not at all shocked by today's events. I have seen this before and will see it again. What is sad is not that Willie & The Jacket have been fired, it's the fact that the future today looks even worse than yesterday.
To begin, I just want to state that I 100% believe Willie should've been fired. I thought he should've been fired after the collapse last year and have continued to believe he should be replaced. I also agree with Peterson being fired.
Now, I have heard and even used the word "classless" thrown around by a lot of fans and media today and I want to address this. I think the way that he was fired was ill-timed and stupid and it makes the organization looks foolish. I don't think it was really "classless" to fire a manager whose team has underperformed (at least according to the payroll) so greatly. Would after Saturday's double dip have been better? On Father's Day before they boarded a bus to the airport? Was it weird to go to sleep last night watching a win and wake up with the news of Willie being canned? Yes. Does that make it classless? No. It was yet another poorly timed and poorly executed decision by an ownership group that is famous for things such as this.
I know many of you fans remember the reign of one Jeff Torborg, almost exactly 15 years ago. "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" aka the 1992 Mets were about 4 or 5 games out in August when the bottom fell out. I think they won about 5 or 6 games in September (OK, maybe it wasn't that bad, but close) and finished 18 games under .500 on the year (72-90). They brought Torborg back in 1993 only to see the team still suck and fired him on near the end of May that year after a Mets win. He was replaced by the incomparable Dallas Green and the rest is history. Now while Randolph's fall was harder and faster (from one pitch from the WS to the great collapse) I do see and feel a lot of parallels to that club and to the way it was done. Increasing the payroll to record levels and then not living up to expectations always leads to the manager getting fired. The only thing missing is firecrackers in the players parking lot. Maybe Reyes can play the role of Vince?
OK, so let's talk about this ownership group...
Across down the always brilliant Hank Steinbrenner said this yesterday:
"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.
“Am I (mad) about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”
Now you are Fred & Jeff Wilpon, almost NOTHING you can do can make you look dumber and more clueless to the NY sports fan than a comment like this. YET SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, FREDDY, YOU DID IT!!
You claim it was all Omar's doing!! You dodge all the questions!! You make the fans call the organizaton classless. Let's all pretend for a second that it was all Omar's doing (clearly not the case, but let's pretend), when Omar calls you with his plan, do you not say "Hey Omar, we support you but let's talk with Jay Horwitz and see when he thinks the best time is for us to do this"??
I look forward to hear from Omar tonight because this just make no sense and actually makes the organization look bad in a move that was certainly needed in my opinion.
I can only hope Omar has a plan. I can only hope he can explain to me why Jerry Manuel, the guy everyone told us was teaching Willie how to manage in the NL in 2005, is a better choice for manager now than a fresh face from outside the organization or AAA. I hope he can explain to me why Howard Johnson, a former Mets 3B best know for his hackish swing and quick bat (something you can't teach) is still the hitting coach on a team with a .257 BA. I hope he can explain to me what Sandy Alomar brings to the table that he needed to remain as well.
As a Mets fan my entire life, I am not at all shocked by today's events. I have seen this before and will see it again. What is sad is not that Willie & The Jacket have been fired, it's the fact that the future today looks even worse than yesterday.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Evyn Laela Cooper has arrived!!
Evyn Laela Cooper was born at 2:30 p.m. yesterday, June 4, weighing in a 8 lbs 3 oz and measuring 19.5 inches long.
Both Jayme & Evyn are feeling great.
Thank you to everyone who has called/emailed/texted.
Jeff
Both Jayme & Evyn are feeling great.
Thank you to everyone who has called/emailed/texted.
Jeff
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thoughts on Willie and The Mess..er Mets
Jayme and I were thinking we would possibly have a kid today but this baby, much like Nathan, seems to want to wait it out for a while longer. So as I sit here waiting for labor to come sooner or later, I figured I would weigh in our beloved Mets and their now newly job-secure (I guess?) skipper, Willie Randolph.
First off, this is not about Willie. While I ultimately do not feel Willie is a good manager or the right manager for this club, I don't think this is his doing.
Let me explain...
As the expression in sports often goes.."you can't fire the players". And therefore the manager is usually the first one to go. My question is, why isn't the first guy to go the one who brought in the players? I loved the guy when he came but let's be honest here, Omar is responsible for the $138 million payroll. Not Willie.
Omar is responsible for taking on a back-loaded Carlos Delgado contract from the Marlins. Let's recap that deal...Marlins signed him to a 4-year $52 million contract with an option year or buyout. He played one season for the Marlins and got paid $4 million. He was traded to the Mets for Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit plus some other minor leaguer and the Mets also got paid $7 million from the Marlins in the deal. In the past 3 seasons, he has made $44 million. $37 from the Mets and has a $3 million buyout of his option. So the Mets are on the hook for $40 million of a $52 million contract. Anyone want to take a guess at which year of the four years was his most productive? Anyone out there wanna trade Delgado for the 27-year old Jacobs right now?
Willie didn't sign Luis Castillo to a four-year contract in the offseason, Omar did. Anyone with half a baseball brain could see that for a few years, Luis Castillo was on the decline. While Omar made a nice deal last season to acquire him, one had to question why the Twins would trade a former all-star 2B for 2 crappy minor leaguers, right? And did Luis do something great last season down the stretch to make him deserve such a contract? Did any other team make him an offer four years? Did Omar and Cashman get drunk together one night and did Cash break out his "listen, this is how you keep your own, past-their-prime-players routine."? Seriously, someone needs to explain this to me. This guy bunts 1/3 of his at-bats, limps 90% of the time and arguably has never spoken on the field of play.
Willie didn't committ to another year of 43-year old Moises Alou without getting better bench guys that Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and Damian Easley. Seriously, we all know Alou is one of the best pure hitters any of us has ever seen. My Dad has been watching baseball for 7+ decades and he says it all the time. But we all also know he is maybe good for 80 games. How do you not get someone else out there? And this was also made with the assumption that Church would work out as the everyday RF. Imagine if that didn't work out and Church sucked like, well, Brian Schneider sucks.
Speaking of which...Willie didn't committ to Yorvit Torreabla, then back out. Then committ to Johnny Estrada, then ditch him, then finally committ to Brian Schneider all while never speaking to his former catcher Paul LoDuca. Obviously this trade looks good right now just from the standpoint of how much better Church is than Milledge but let's also be honest about what we have heard about Church and his defensive prowness. It was complete BS. He flat out can not catch Johan Santana's pitches. My buddy Mark and I have been talking about it all year. He drops at least 5 pitches a game. And have you really seen him take command of Ollie or Pelfrey or even Maine once all season? Does he settle the team down? As much as LoDuca's overall skills were deteriorating, the man had a precense in the clubhouse and a precense on the field. He was badass and wasn't afraid to get in people's faces. Omar didn't like that and didn't even consider him as a backup. How is that working out? The catcher is the most important everyday position on the field. Pretty ironic that the greatest player to ever play for our beloved team retired just last week...we could certainly use that leadership behind the plate right now.
Willie didn't re-sign a 42-year old El Duque to a two year $12 million deal! He didn't committ four years to an already broken down Pedro and then hope the "unbroken" Pedro would save the season. He didn't draft Mike Pelfrey or Aaron Heilman. And he damn well didn't make Jose Reyes play with his head up his ass half the time, even if I sometimes want to think that benching him last year had something to do with his play. But let's be honest, if a player can't deal with a warranted benching from time to time, what is that player worth in the long run anyway?
People, and I was one of these people, seem to love Omar because of what he did for the franchise long term. As the last 162 games indicate, 79-83 is apparently the long term we are supposed to be loving him for. But it goes back before that.
Fink and I were together for Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. It's etched in our brains forever. The team changed forever that day and unfortunately, it was for the bad. Endy made the catch and it seems like destiny was on our side. But it wasn't meant to be and this team instead of learning how to win and getting hungrier, learned how to lose and curl up under pressure. Instead of making wholesale changes, Omar has been chasing that feeling of Endy making the catch for 2 seasons now. He is to blame for the 2008 Mets.
I have said to many Yankees fans I know for the past few years "do you really expect this team to suddenly learn how to win together after season upon season of losing in similar fashion?"
What I have come to realize is my team is in the same position. Can anyone really expect this team to win together now after two seasons of ridiculously traumatic losing?
This is not Willie's fault. He has to go because he is part of the whole and the whole is broken.
The whole is Omar's fault.
Fix the whole.
First off, this is not about Willie. While I ultimately do not feel Willie is a good manager or the right manager for this club, I don't think this is his doing.
Let me explain...
As the expression in sports often goes.."you can't fire the players". And therefore the manager is usually the first one to go. My question is, why isn't the first guy to go the one who brought in the players? I loved the guy when he came but let's be honest here, Omar is responsible for the $138 million payroll. Not Willie.
Omar is responsible for taking on a back-loaded Carlos Delgado contract from the Marlins. Let's recap that deal...Marlins signed him to a 4-year $52 million contract with an option year or buyout. He played one season for the Marlins and got paid $4 million. He was traded to the Mets for Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit plus some other minor leaguer and the Mets also got paid $7 million from the Marlins in the deal. In the past 3 seasons, he has made $44 million. $37 from the Mets and has a $3 million buyout of his option. So the Mets are on the hook for $40 million of a $52 million contract. Anyone want to take a guess at which year of the four years was his most productive? Anyone out there wanna trade Delgado for the 27-year old Jacobs right now?
Willie didn't sign Luis Castillo to a four-year contract in the offseason, Omar did. Anyone with half a baseball brain could see that for a few years, Luis Castillo was on the decline. While Omar made a nice deal last season to acquire him, one had to question why the Twins would trade a former all-star 2B for 2 crappy minor leaguers, right? And did Luis do something great last season down the stretch to make him deserve such a contract? Did any other team make him an offer four years? Did Omar and Cashman get drunk together one night and did Cash break out his "listen, this is how you keep your own, past-their-prime-players routine."? Seriously, someone needs to explain this to me. This guy bunts 1/3 of his at-bats, limps 90% of the time and arguably has never spoken on the field of play.
Willie didn't committ to another year of 43-year old Moises Alou without getting better bench guys that Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and Damian Easley. Seriously, we all know Alou is one of the best pure hitters any of us has ever seen. My Dad has been watching baseball for 7+ decades and he says it all the time. But we all also know he is maybe good for 80 games. How do you not get someone else out there? And this was also made with the assumption that Church would work out as the everyday RF. Imagine if that didn't work out and Church sucked like, well, Brian Schneider sucks.
Speaking of which...Willie didn't committ to Yorvit Torreabla, then back out. Then committ to Johnny Estrada, then ditch him, then finally committ to Brian Schneider all while never speaking to his former catcher Paul LoDuca. Obviously this trade looks good right now just from the standpoint of how much better Church is than Milledge but let's also be honest about what we have heard about Church and his defensive prowness. It was complete BS. He flat out can not catch Johan Santana's pitches. My buddy Mark and I have been talking about it all year. He drops at least 5 pitches a game. And have you really seen him take command of Ollie or Pelfrey or even Maine once all season? Does he settle the team down? As much as LoDuca's overall skills were deteriorating, the man had a precense in the clubhouse and a precense on the field. He was badass and wasn't afraid to get in people's faces. Omar didn't like that and didn't even consider him as a backup. How is that working out? The catcher is the most important everyday position on the field. Pretty ironic that the greatest player to ever play for our beloved team retired just last week...we could certainly use that leadership behind the plate right now.
Willie didn't re-sign a 42-year old El Duque to a two year $12 million deal! He didn't committ four years to an already broken down Pedro and then hope the "unbroken" Pedro would save the season. He didn't draft Mike Pelfrey or Aaron Heilman. And he damn well didn't make Jose Reyes play with his head up his ass half the time, even if I sometimes want to think that benching him last year had something to do with his play. But let's be honest, if a player can't deal with a warranted benching from time to time, what is that player worth in the long run anyway?
People, and I was one of these people, seem to love Omar because of what he did for the franchise long term. As the last 162 games indicate, 79-83 is apparently the long term we are supposed to be loving him for. But it goes back before that.
Fink and I were together for Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. It's etched in our brains forever. The team changed forever that day and unfortunately, it was for the bad. Endy made the catch and it seems like destiny was on our side. But it wasn't meant to be and this team instead of learning how to win and getting hungrier, learned how to lose and curl up under pressure. Instead of making wholesale changes, Omar has been chasing that feeling of Endy making the catch for 2 seasons now. He is to blame for the 2008 Mets.
I have said to many Yankees fans I know for the past few years "do you really expect this team to suddenly learn how to win together after season upon season of losing in similar fashion?"
What I have come to realize is my team is in the same position. Can anyone really expect this team to win together now after two seasons of ridiculously traumatic losing?
This is not Willie's fault. He has to go because he is part of the whole and the whole is broken.
The whole is Omar's fault.
Fix the whole.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Going On Contact
Willie Randolph, after the game:
“With the third baseman playing off third base, we thought we’d go ‘contact’ there. The worst thing that could happen happened.”
Wow. Really Willie? REALLY?!?!
Beltran, after the game:
“I’m going on contact; that’s the sign we got. As soon as he hit that ball, I just broke in. That’s what happens when you go on contact. You’re going to have a chance to get doubled up.”
Um, yes Carlos, that is what would happen and happened.
Seriously, what the hell is going on here? How did the media not fire back at Willie when he responded in this manner with a "Wait, are you being freakin serious?" Or a "Hey Willie, did you miss the day in Little League where they teach the base running rules?"
ONE OUT, DOWN A RUN, 9TH INNING, MAN ON 3RD BASE. YOU DON'T LEAVE THE FREAKIN BAG UNTIL THE BALL HITS THE GROUND!!
If freakin Willie wanted to send him "on contact" because the 3rd baseman was "playing off 3rd base" into the shift. BUNT THE BALL AND SUICIDE SQUEEZE HIM!!
I know this is the easy way out and doesn't change what the players do, but it's time to say it...WILLIE MUST GO
“With the third baseman playing off third base, we thought we’d go ‘contact’ there. The worst thing that could happen happened.”
Wow. Really Willie? REALLY?!?!
Beltran, after the game:
“I’m going on contact; that’s the sign we got. As soon as he hit that ball, I just broke in. That’s what happens when you go on contact. You’re going to have a chance to get doubled up.”
Um, yes Carlos, that is what would happen and happened.
Seriously, what the hell is going on here? How did the media not fire back at Willie when he responded in this manner with a "Wait, are you being freakin serious?" Or a "Hey Willie, did you miss the day in Little League where they teach the base running rules?"
ONE OUT, DOWN A RUN, 9TH INNING, MAN ON 3RD BASE. YOU DON'T LEAVE THE FREAKIN BAG UNTIL THE BALL HITS THE GROUND!!
If freakin Willie wanted to send him "on contact" because the 3rd baseman was "playing off 3rd base" into the shift. BUNT THE BALL AND SUICIDE SQUEEZE HIM!!
I know this is the easy way out and doesn't change what the players do, but it's time to say it...WILLIE MUST GO
Sunday, May 04, 2008
A blog-worthy weekend
OK...let's get this out of the way. If you don't score on the powerplay in the playoffs, you don't advance. It's as simple as that. The Pens were the better team but giving away game 1 and not scoring on the man and two-man advantage repeatedly throughout the series did them in. The King was far from royalty worthy and aside from Jagr (please come back), nobody had a standout series. Going out in round 2 for the 2nd year in a row just sucks but this team will be back, Jagr or not, next year, as the youth on this club is really something to be excited about for the Rangers fans out there. 3 playoff years in a row. Next year, I want a Cup!
Now let's talk about the boys out in Arizona. I know people wanted to bad mouth Wagner on Thursday and Friday but I think what he said got through to the team. I really do.
They played inspired baseball on Friday night and after the Delgado HR on Saturday cut the game to a run, I really saw some life and spunk in the team that I haven't seen in months. I know Duaner came out and shit the bed but I really think we may have turned a corner and, dare I say it, have started to develop a team identity. Taking 2 of 3 today, while robbing Johan of a win while doing it, was huge. The D'backs came into the series with the talk that they are the team to beat in the NL. The Mets, the team to beat the past 2 seasons despite the collapse, told them NOT SO FAST.
With the Rangers going home today, it's all baseball from here until late August. Jayme is 36 weeks so the blogs will come as time permits but I am now focused and ready to look ahead to a great May and beyond of Mets baseball.
I know many (all?) of you could care less about the Rangers so I kick the blog back to how it began....all Mets, all the time.
LETS GO METS
Now let's talk about the boys out in Arizona. I know people wanted to bad mouth Wagner on Thursday and Friday but I think what he said got through to the team. I really do.
They played inspired baseball on Friday night and after the Delgado HR on Saturday cut the game to a run, I really saw some life and spunk in the team that I haven't seen in months. I know Duaner came out and shit the bed but I really think we may have turned a corner and, dare I say it, have started to develop a team identity. Taking 2 of 3 today, while robbing Johan of a win while doing it, was huge. The D'backs came into the series with the talk that they are the team to beat in the NL. The Mets, the team to beat the past 2 seasons despite the collapse, told them NOT SO FAST.
With the Rangers going home today, it's all baseball from here until late August. Jayme is 36 weeks so the blogs will come as time permits but I am now focused and ready to look ahead to a great May and beyond of Mets baseball.
I know many (all?) of you could care less about the Rangers so I kick the blog back to how it began....all Mets, all the time.
LETS GO METS
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Stewie and Birian: State of the Rangers
Can you identify the keyword from this clip which best describes the state of the NY Rangers?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
LETS GO RANGERS
OK. I admit it.
I am hooked again.
I can't stop doing it.
That's right, I am an NHL playoff addict.
I mean don't get me wrong, regular season hockey is about as fun as watching paint dry but when the playoffs roll around and the Blueshirts are a part of em, well, I just can't get enough.
Last night I made my first visit to "The Rock" aka The Prudential Center is beautiful Newark, New Jersey.
A few points about The Rock. Very nice arena. Sites views are amazing from everywhere in the building. Tons of bathrooms and vendors. 2 Belevedre Vodka VIP lounges. One large main bar. Inside, it's just a great all around place. Outside, well, that is another story. It's super easy to get to the arena via the WTC Path.
The game was intense as it gets. When the Rangers went up 4-1 it looked like it would be a route but the Devils came back and made it a dramatic game until the end.
Of course it was a 50-50 mix if Rangers and Devils fans (if not more on the Rangers side) so that always make the atmosphere great.
OK...as for the Mets
Johan rules, Wright rules, it's great to see Jose smiling again and Aaron Heilman is a complete joker.
I got a new laptop so I promise to blog more often now.
LETS GO RANGERS
I am hooked again.
I can't stop doing it.
That's right, I am an NHL playoff addict.
I mean don't get me wrong, regular season hockey is about as fun as watching paint dry but when the playoffs roll around and the Blueshirts are a part of em, well, I just can't get enough.
Last night I made my first visit to "The Rock" aka The Prudential Center is beautiful Newark, New Jersey.
A few points about The Rock. Very nice arena. Sites views are amazing from everywhere in the building. Tons of bathrooms and vendors. 2 Belevedre Vodka VIP lounges. One large main bar. Inside, it's just a great all around place. Outside, well, that is another story. It's super easy to get to the arena via the WTC Path.
The game was intense as it gets. When the Rangers went up 4-1 it looked like it would be a route but the Devils came back and made it a dramatic game until the end.
Of course it was a 50-50 mix if Rangers and Devils fans (if not more on the Rangers side) so that always make the atmosphere great.
OK...as for the Mets
Johan rules, Wright rules, it's great to see Jose smiling again and Aaron Heilman is a complete joker.
I got a new laptop so I promise to blog more often now.
LETS GO RANGERS
Thursday, April 17, 2008
We forgot about that - Part 1
While doing some research we came across some never before seen documents which detail the predicted outcome of each MLB division. Written prior to the start of the 2008 season, let's take an early peak at how I thought the standings would shake out in the AL:
AL West:
At one time I would have called the Angels the team to beat in the West but the potential loss of Kelvin Escobar for the season and John Lackey’s arm problems have dealt a severe blow to the starting rotation. Despite one of the better bullpens in baseball for the much of the 21st century it will not be enough to carry a team with question marks up and down their starting rotation. Tori Hunter is a nice addition but cannot carry an offense. Couple that with an aging Garrett Anderson and the balky back of what once was the best Outfielder in the game, Vlad the Great, who has been reduced to splitting time between RF and DH and this team will come up short. . Look for Seattle to improve upon last years success with perhaps the biggest offseason addition outside of Johan to the Mets, Eric Bedard. Expect a huge season from Felix and this rotation will be one of the deepest and most dependable in baseball. The lineup will not score a ton of runs but if they remain status quo and Sexson can do half of what he did when he was with the Brew Crew it will be more than enough for a team that relies on pitching and defense to win this division outright.
1st place: Seattle
AL Central:
I know the fashionable choice here is Detroit but…. well, no buts about it. The Tigers lineup is stacked from top to bottom and will score more runs than any team in the history of baseball. There’s not an easy out in this lineup and the addition of Cabrera adds more fuel to the fire than the Exxon valdez. Dontrelle Willis will be the determining factor as to whether or not this team gets to and wins the World Series but even if he has a mediocre season it will be more than enough, given the depth of their rotation, for this team to go deep into the playoffs. Cleveland will once again be a formidable opponent but I have questions around their pitching staff. CC is a stud but much of their success will depend on the continued maturation of Fausto Carmona. He’s a stud in the making but this is a big year for him and the Indians need him to prove he is an ace of today and not of the future. If they can get off to a quick start and Borowski can close the door consistently then I look for Cleveland to battle it out with the Yankees for the WC.
1st place: Detroit
AL East:
Well, same old story here. It’s the Red Sox and Yankees, the Yankees and Red Sox. We know both teams will score plenty of runs and are evenly matched on that front. This race will come down to pitching. As long as Beckett’s back issues aren’t recurring this rotation will do more than enough to get the ball to Papelbon. Dice-K should be equal to or better than his 1st year in the bigs, Buchholz has a lot of upside, and I think Lester could win 12-14 games in the middle of that rotation. Health will be the determining factor. The same can be said for the Yanks. Can Pettitte go deep enough in games and make 30 starts? Can the kids (Hughes/Kennedy) meet expectations and provide enough quality starts to prevent the bullpen from being overworked? Is the Moose hanging on for one season too many or does he have something left in the tank? Assuming both teams can stay healthy I give the edge to the Sox since they own 2 closers. One is on their payroll. Can you guess who the other is?
1st place: Boston
Wild Card: Yankees
Stay tuned for the NL capsule.
AL West:
At one time I would have called the Angels the team to beat in the West but the potential loss of Kelvin Escobar for the season and John Lackey’s arm problems have dealt a severe blow to the starting rotation. Despite one of the better bullpens in baseball for the much of the 21st century it will not be enough to carry a team with question marks up and down their starting rotation. Tori Hunter is a nice addition but cannot carry an offense. Couple that with an aging Garrett Anderson and the balky back of what once was the best Outfielder in the game, Vlad the Great, who has been reduced to splitting time between RF and DH and this team will come up short. . Look for Seattle to improve upon last years success with perhaps the biggest offseason addition outside of Johan to the Mets, Eric Bedard. Expect a huge season from Felix and this rotation will be one of the deepest and most dependable in baseball. The lineup will not score a ton of runs but if they remain status quo and Sexson can do half of what he did when he was with the Brew Crew it will be more than enough for a team that relies on pitching and defense to win this division outright.
1st place: Seattle
AL Central:
I know the fashionable choice here is Detroit but…. well, no buts about it. The Tigers lineup is stacked from top to bottom and will score more runs than any team in the history of baseball. There’s not an easy out in this lineup and the addition of Cabrera adds more fuel to the fire than the Exxon valdez. Dontrelle Willis will be the determining factor as to whether or not this team gets to and wins the World Series but even if he has a mediocre season it will be more than enough, given the depth of their rotation, for this team to go deep into the playoffs. Cleveland will once again be a formidable opponent but I have questions around their pitching staff. CC is a stud but much of their success will depend on the continued maturation of Fausto Carmona. He’s a stud in the making but this is a big year for him and the Indians need him to prove he is an ace of today and not of the future. If they can get off to a quick start and Borowski can close the door consistently then I look for Cleveland to battle it out with the Yankees for the WC.
1st place: Detroit
AL East:
Well, same old story here. It’s the Red Sox and Yankees, the Yankees and Red Sox. We know both teams will score plenty of runs and are evenly matched on that front. This race will come down to pitching. As long as Beckett’s back issues aren’t recurring this rotation will do more than enough to get the ball to Papelbon. Dice-K should be equal to or better than his 1st year in the bigs, Buchholz has a lot of upside, and I think Lester could win 12-14 games in the middle of that rotation. Health will be the determining factor. The same can be said for the Yanks. Can Pettitte go deep enough in games and make 30 starts? Can the kids (Hughes/Kennedy) meet expectations and provide enough quality starts to prevent the bullpen from being overworked? Is the Moose hanging on for one season too many or does he have something left in the tank? Assuming both teams can stay healthy I give the edge to the Sox since they own 2 closers. One is on their payroll. Can you guess who the other is?
1st place: Boston
Wild Card: Yankees
Stay tuned for the NL capsule.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Update on Pedro
According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, the Mets have placed Pedro Martinez on the 15–day disabled list with a mild strain to his left hamstring, while activating Nelson Figueroa.
Martinez is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Also, Willie Randolph told reporters that he may choose to pitch Oliver Perez on Tuesday, in the home opener, with Figueroa getting a start later in the week against the Brewers.
..thanks to metsblog
And while Pedro's injury is a big blow to this rotation (though i don't think anyone thought he'd be injury free this year)it doesn't change the expectations for this team. Here's 3 reasons why I am not pulling the fire alarm: Johan, Maine, Perez. This team still has as good a 1-2-3 punch as anyone else in the NL and it will still be there pitching that sets them apart part the pack.
Martinez is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Also, Willie Randolph told reporters that he may choose to pitch Oliver Perez on Tuesday, in the home opener, with Figueroa getting a start later in the week against the Brewers.
..thanks to metsblog
And while Pedro's injury is a big blow to this rotation (though i don't think anyone thought he'd be injury free this year)it doesn't change the expectations for this team. Here's 3 reasons why I am not pulling the fire alarm: Johan, Maine, Perez. This team still has as good a 1-2-3 punch as anyone else in the NL and it will still be there pitching that sets them apart part the pack.
The Jose Canseco of potato chips
Often times my friends ride me for what I write on this blog. It's as if by having a blog that is predominantly about the Mets, I have become a member of the team in a way.
So when I get an email like I did earlier from Goldberg, I just have to share it with you guys. The email was a forward from our good friend Larry Dolinko with an attachment.
The attachment was a complaint letter that Dolinko decided to write today on his free time and reads as follows:
Wise Foods Inc.
Wise Consumer Affairs Dept.
228 Raseley Street
Berwick, PA 18603-4533
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Larry Dolinko and I am a very loyal Wise potato chip consumer.
I have been enjoying your product for as long as I can remember
(15+ years) and the majority of the time I buy the Wise BBQ Flavored
potato chips. In a normal week, I probably eat 3-4 bags of your 1.5oz Net WT bags.
I was very upset on April 2nd when I bought a bag of the BBQ
chips (code 65B75: August 4, 2008 freshness date) to go along
with my sandwich. When I spilled the bag onto my plate, all of
the chips (except 1) within the bag had no BBQ flavor on them
AT ALL. I hope you can understand my frustration and disappointment
at this situation.
Please let me know if there is any additional feedback or information
I can provide. Again, I am a very loyal customer and do not intend to
replace my chip preference with the other options (Krunchers,
Dirty Chips, Lays, etc) on the shelves at the store, but I wanted to give
you the feedback I think you deserve.
Thank You!
Larry Dolinko
Managing Director and Potato Chip Aficionado
Thanks for the feedback Larry. Enclosed are 2 cases of BBQ Flavored chips.
So when I get an email like I did earlier from Goldberg, I just have to share it with you guys. The email was a forward from our good friend Larry Dolinko with an attachment.
The attachment was a complaint letter that Dolinko decided to write today on his free time and reads as follows:
Wise Foods Inc.
Wise Consumer Affairs Dept.
228 Raseley Street
Berwick, PA 18603-4533
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Larry Dolinko and I am a very loyal Wise potato chip consumer.
I have been enjoying your product for as long as I can remember
(15+ years) and the majority of the time I buy the Wise BBQ Flavored
potato chips. In a normal week, I probably eat 3-4 bags of your 1.5oz Net WT bags.
I was very upset on April 2nd when I bought a bag of the BBQ
chips (code 65B75: August 4, 2008 freshness date) to go along
with my sandwich. When I spilled the bag onto my plate, all of
the chips (except 1) within the bag had no BBQ flavor on them
AT ALL. I hope you can understand my frustration and disappointment
at this situation.
Please let me know if there is any additional feedback or information
I can provide. Again, I am a very loyal customer and do not intend to
replace my chip preference with the other options (Krunchers,
Dirty Chips, Lays, etc) on the shelves at the store, but I wanted to give
you the feedback I think you deserve.
Thank You!
Larry Dolinko
Managing Director and Potato Chip Aficionado
Thanks for the feedback Larry. Enclosed are 2 cases of BBQ Flavored chips.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
This one is personal
Let’s not forget who ended our season last year.
Let’s not forget what Hanley said about "beating our fuckin asses" on the last day.
Let’s not ever forget what Sunday, September 30th felt like.
Now...what better way to establish our 2008 club then by Johan going up & in on Hanley to start off the game? Knock him on his ass and begin the season with a new KICKASS swagger.
Willie is never going to be the animated guy so many fans lust for in NYC. So if your manager isn't fiery & animated, you need to leave that to the players.
We all know what type of leadership and attitude a healthy Pedro brings to the table. I have no doubt that if he was getting the nod today that he would brush back Hanley early. Well, we have a new Pedro in town...his name is Johan. Now I want to see Johan establish his domincance.
This is your team now Johan.
Do what needs to be done.
Let’s not forget what Hanley said about "beating our fuckin asses" on the last day.
Let’s not ever forget what Sunday, September 30th felt like.
Now...what better way to establish our 2008 club then by Johan going up & in on Hanley to start off the game? Knock him on his ass and begin the season with a new KICKASS swagger.
Willie is never going to be the animated guy so many fans lust for in NYC. So if your manager isn't fiery & animated, you need to leave that to the players.
We all know what type of leadership and attitude a healthy Pedro brings to the table. I have no doubt that if he was getting the nod today that he would brush back Hanley early. Well, we have a new Pedro in town...his name is Johan. Now I want to see Johan establish his domincance.
This is your team now Johan.
Do what needs to be done.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
1986 all over again?
Flash back...it's 1986. I am 10 years old and my sports world is really at its peak.
In the spring, my beloved Boston Celtics (yes, I used to care about basketball at one point, in fact, I cared about them more than anything else back in 1984 thru June of 1986) just completed one of the greatest seasons of all time (they lost one game at home all year) behind the great Larry Bird.
In the fall, our New York Mets take home their 2nd championship of all time in one of, if not the, most famous World Series of all time.
And then in the winter, OUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK GIANTS, take home their very first Super Bowl Championship crushing the Broncos in January of 1987.
Obviously, at 10 years old, I had no clue what it would take to possibly get back to this point of sports bliss.
Well, it's took 21+ years but I finally reached that bliss again on February 3rd. A day that I will never, ever forget. (the only other day I remember in sports by the date like that is June 14, 1994).
On the even of opening day, it is my dream to re-live 1986. While I could care less about the C's anymore, it would be damn cool if all 3 of these teams could make this dream come true all in the same year.
That said....LET'S GO METS!!
OK..Onto the season predictions....
Fink, Larry and I all have made our predictions for the year....Let's see who knows, or guesses, best..
Let's start out with the junior circuit:
AL East
Larry: Yankees
Fink: RedSox
Cooper: RedSox
AL Central
Larry: Tigers
Fink: Tigers
Cooper: Indians
AL West
Larry: Mariners
Fink: Mariners
Cooper: Mariners
AL Wild Card
Larry: Indians
Fink: Yankees
Cooper: Tigers
AL Wildcard Playoffs
Larry: Yanks over Indians; Tigers over Mariners
Fink: Tigers over Yankees; Red Sox over Mariners
Cooper: Red Sox over Tigers; Indians over Mariners
ALCS
Larry: Tigers over Yanks
Fink: Tigers over RedSox
Cooper: Indians over RedSox
And now the senior circuit (btw..ya think you can tell Fink and I are Mets fans and Larry is a Yankees fan from these picks):
NL East
Larry: Braves
Fink: Mets
Cooper: Mets
NL Central
Larry: Astros
Fink: Cubs
Cooper: Cubs
NL West
Larry: Rockies
Fink: Dodgers
Cooper: Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card
Larry: Mets
Fink: Phillies
Cooper: Braves
NL Wildcard Playoffs
Larry: Mets over Astros; Rockies over Braves
Fink: Mets over Dodgers; Phillies over Cubs
Cooper: Mets over Diamondbacks; Cubs over Braves
NLCS
Larry: Mets over Rockies
Fink: Mets over Phillies
Cooper: Cubs over Mets
World Series
Larry: Tigers over Mets in 6
Fink: Mets over Tigers in 7
Cooper: Indians over Cubs in 6 (one of these teams has to do it already)
LETS GET IT ON LADIES AND GENTLEMAN.
OPENING DAY...ENJOY IT!!!
In the spring, my beloved Boston Celtics (yes, I used to care about basketball at one point, in fact, I cared about them more than anything else back in 1984 thru June of 1986) just completed one of the greatest seasons of all time (they lost one game at home all year) behind the great Larry Bird.
In the fall, our New York Mets take home their 2nd championship of all time in one of, if not the, most famous World Series of all time.
And then in the winter, OUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK GIANTS, take home their very first Super Bowl Championship crushing the Broncos in January of 1987.
Obviously, at 10 years old, I had no clue what it would take to possibly get back to this point of sports bliss.
Well, it's took 21+ years but I finally reached that bliss again on February 3rd. A day that I will never, ever forget. (the only other day I remember in sports by the date like that is June 14, 1994).
On the even of opening day, it is my dream to re-live 1986. While I could care less about the C's anymore, it would be damn cool if all 3 of these teams could make this dream come true all in the same year.
That said....LET'S GO METS!!
OK..Onto the season predictions....
Fink, Larry and I all have made our predictions for the year....Let's see who knows, or guesses, best..
Let's start out with the junior circuit:
AL East
Larry: Yankees
Fink: RedSox
Cooper: RedSox
AL Central
Larry: Tigers
Fink: Tigers
Cooper: Indians
AL West
Larry: Mariners
Fink: Mariners
Cooper: Mariners
AL Wild Card
Larry: Indians
Fink: Yankees
Cooper: Tigers
AL Wildcard Playoffs
Larry: Yanks over Indians; Tigers over Mariners
Fink: Tigers over Yankees; Red Sox over Mariners
Cooper: Red Sox over Tigers; Indians over Mariners
ALCS
Larry: Tigers over Yanks
Fink: Tigers over RedSox
Cooper: Indians over RedSox
And now the senior circuit (btw..ya think you can tell Fink and I are Mets fans and Larry is a Yankees fan from these picks):
NL East
Larry: Braves
Fink: Mets
Cooper: Mets
NL Central
Larry: Astros
Fink: Cubs
Cooper: Cubs
NL West
Larry: Rockies
Fink: Dodgers
Cooper: Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card
Larry: Mets
Fink: Phillies
Cooper: Braves
NL Wildcard Playoffs
Larry: Mets over Astros; Rockies over Braves
Fink: Mets over Dodgers; Phillies over Cubs
Cooper: Mets over Diamondbacks; Cubs over Braves
NLCS
Larry: Mets over Rockies
Fink: Mets over Phillies
Cooper: Cubs over Mets
World Series
Larry: Tigers over Mets in 6
Fink: Mets over Tigers in 7
Cooper: Indians over Cubs in 6 (one of these teams has to do it already)
LETS GET IT ON LADIES AND GENTLEMAN.
OPENING DAY...ENJOY IT!!!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ready to get it started
Hey guys!
I'm back!
As I sit here watching the Rangers-Flyers game, I've come to the realization that it's time to get the blog up and running again on a frequent basis. After all, the baseball season has officially started..well, kinda. I mean I was actually up at 6 am this morning and watching the Sox-A's game but it just didn't feel like Opening Day. I wonder why? Oh, right. It was 6 am and they were playing in Japan! Does anyone out there understand why MLB keeps this charade of going to Japan thing a regular thing? I mean the NFL went to Europe this year (what team won that game again?) and played their game on Sunday at 1:00 pm, just like every other NFL game. MLB goes to Japan, granted much further than London, and plays their games at 6:00 am in a quasi-Opening Day situation!! Then the two teams, who play 2 games in Japan, fly back to the US and play 3 MORE EXHIBITION GAMES before, once again, starting the season on Monday. Seriously, can anyone explain this? Why can't they play exhibition games in Japan in early March? What is the need for these "real" games? Please someone tell me!!
OK..I will pull it together
So... I decided I am going to blog today on my spring thoughts on the Mets and then follow up in the next couple days with my season predictions.
I went to spring training again this season. Actually went to the very first game to see Johan face the Cardinals. This is a picture is his first actual unofficial pitch as a Met.
As you can see by these pictures, I took Nate with me and he loved it. He chanted "Lets Go Mets" and entertained all the senior citizens in our section all game long. (he made it to the 7th..easy)
Anyway, Johan didn't look great that day but man has he looked great since. This guy is just unreal good and I still can't believe we have him.
Pedro also has looked awesome and I can't wait to see him on Opening Day (thank you once again Dani!!!). Ollie has looked strong and then, of course, we have our Maine man John, who has basically looked like Cy Young this spring.
The 5th starter...well, this is the price we pay for having Johan and Pedro. Lets just all pray Duque can get it together by June.
The starting pitching really looks great. I can't say enough about it.
The bullpen...well, let's first all celebrate that we don't have Mota!!! Yeah!! Wagner still is great as much as he kills us all sometimes. Heilman will be solid, as usual. Feliciano will do his job. Then really, are we confident about anyone else? Schoenweiss? Is this Register guy actually going to be on the team or will the Rockies reclaim him? I guess Duaner is the wild card here. We need him to come through.
On the hitting side...man, this team should be better. I mean we have Reyes, Castillo, Beltran and Wright. But really with Alou down and Delgado making believe he is 56 years old, what do we have in the 5-9 spots? Is it possible Ramon Castro will be the 6 hitter at times? Is Ryan Church ever going to hit the ball and does Howard Johnson really need to be changing his stance? (really, HoJo is our hitting coach?) Is Angel Pagan our LF? Did Brian Schneider talk to Michael Strahan about taking camp off entirely? Is Easley really are backup 1st baseman? I mean is it my imagination or should 140 million get you more guaranteed offense than this?
This all said. I think we are going to have a great season. As the Giants proved once again, defense wins championships. In baseball, defense is pitching (along with actual defense) and we have the best starting 4 in baseball.
I can't wait until Monday.
Good to be back...
LETS GO METS!
I'm back!
As I sit here watching the Rangers-Flyers game, I've come to the realization that it's time to get the blog up and running again on a frequent basis. After all, the baseball season has officially started..well, kinda. I mean I was actually up at 6 am this morning and watching the Sox-A's game but it just didn't feel like Opening Day. I wonder why? Oh, right. It was 6 am and they were playing in Japan! Does anyone out there understand why MLB keeps this charade of going to Japan thing a regular thing? I mean the NFL went to Europe this year (what team won that game again?) and played their game on Sunday at 1:00 pm, just like every other NFL game. MLB goes to Japan, granted much further than London, and plays their games at 6:00 am in a quasi-Opening Day situation!! Then the two teams, who play 2 games in Japan, fly back to the US and play 3 MORE EXHIBITION GAMES before, once again, starting the season on Monday. Seriously, can anyone explain this? Why can't they play exhibition games in Japan in early March? What is the need for these "real" games? Please someone tell me!!
OK..I will pull it together
So... I decided I am going to blog today on my spring thoughts on the Mets and then follow up in the next couple days with my season predictions.
I went to spring training again this season. Actually went to the very first game to see Johan face the Cardinals. This is a picture is his first actual unofficial pitch as a Met.
As you can see by these pictures, I took Nate with me and he loved it. He chanted "Lets Go Mets" and entertained all the senior citizens in our section all game long. (he made it to the 7th..easy)
Anyway, Johan didn't look great that day but man has he looked great since. This guy is just unreal good and I still can't believe we have him.Pedro also has looked awesome and I can't wait to see him on Opening Day (thank you once again Dani!!!). Ollie has looked strong and then, of course, we have our Maine man John, who has basically looked like Cy Young this spring.
The 5th starter...well, this is the price we pay for having Johan and Pedro. Lets just all pray Duque can get it together by June.
The starting pitching really looks great. I can't say enough about it.
The bullpen...well, let's first all celebrate that we don't have Mota!!! Yeah!! Wagner still is great as much as he kills us all sometimes. Heilman will be solid, as usual. Feliciano will do his job. Then really, are we confident about anyone else? Schoenweiss? Is this Register guy actually going to be on the team or will the Rockies reclaim him? I guess Duaner is the wild card here. We need him to come through.
On the hitting side...man, this team should be better. I mean we have Reyes, Castillo, Beltran and Wright. But really with Alou down and Delgado making believe he is 56 years old, what do we have in the 5-9 spots? Is it possible Ramon Castro will be the 6 hitter at times? Is Ryan Church ever going to hit the ball and does Howard Johnson really need to be changing his stance? (really, HoJo is our hitting coach?) Is Angel Pagan our LF? Did Brian Schneider talk to Michael Strahan about taking camp off entirely? Is Easley really are backup 1st baseman? I mean is it my imagination or should 140 million get you more guaranteed offense than this?
This all said. I think we are going to have a great season. As the Giants proved once again, defense wins championships. In baseball, defense is pitching (along with actual defense) and we have the best starting 4 in baseball.
I can't wait until Monday.
Good to be back...
LETS GO METS!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Grown men crying...
OK...I think it's sunk in now. WE ARE SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS. Yes, "WE". You, me, Fink, Henry, Larry, Danny, Hersh, Yarkon, Jerry, Sarah, Saul, Bubba, Stenzler (and his entire tailgate crew), Jay Frank, Hy & Dan, Simon, Jeff Hersh, Sonny, Venokur (yes, you too), Will Rose, Bubba's cousin, The Hefty Lefty, Cousin Stephanie and Cousin Dennis, etc etc, WE are SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!!
I've been trying to decide what to write since about noon today, which was about the time I started to actually feel like a human being again.
I really didn't think I could put into words what I wanted to say and how I feel. Frankly, I still don't. Days like Sunday, wins like Sunday, only come around a few times in our lives, if we are lucky, and I wanted to make sure I wrote something worthy of a time like this.
By the time tonight rolled around I was so tired I didn't think I had the energy to blog at all.
Then I checked my email...
In my inbox were 2 pictures that in this fan's humble opinion tell the story by themselves.
My friends...I give you Myself and Larry celebrating victory in New Jersey and Danny & Hersh celebrating victory in Arizona. The looks on these smiling faces say it all....
Pure Joy...
This is why we watch sports my friends. This is what it is all about.
I've been trying to decide what to write since about noon today, which was about the time I started to actually feel like a human being again.
I really didn't think I could put into words what I wanted to say and how I feel. Frankly, I still don't. Days like Sunday, wins like Sunday, only come around a few times in our lives, if we are lucky, and I wanted to make sure I wrote something worthy of a time like this.
By the time tonight rolled around I was so tired I didn't think I had the energy to blog at all.
Then I checked my email...
In my inbox were 2 pictures that in this fan's humble opinion tell the story by themselves.
My friends...I give you Myself and Larry celebrating victory in New Jersey and Danny & Hersh celebrating victory in Arizona. The looks on these smiling faces say it all....
Pure Joy...
This is why we watch sports my friends. This is what it is all about.
TEAM Victory Led By Eli, "Tuck Rule"
A long way away from that dark snowy night at Foxboro stadium in January of 2002 when the Pats beat the Raiders to advance to Super Bowl XXXVI, which they would go on to win, a different type of Tuck Rule played a big part in determining the winner of Super Bowl XLII. This time, the Tuck Rule went the other way!
The Giants were relentless on defense and set the tone for this game with non stop pressure on Tom "Booty" Brady by their 4 man front. While Osi and Strahan each had great games and were in Brady's face all night long, it was Justin Tuck who was the difference. At 6'5" 275 this chiseled monster of a defensive lineman wreaked havoc on the Patriots and was the key to the record setting performance by Big Blue. With Tuck shifting up and down the line N.E.'s O-Line was hard pressed to keep the pressure off of Brady.
Big Blue set a Super Bowl record by holding the Pats to 81 total yards in the first half, put Brady on his back 18 times (5 of them sacks), and held New England to a season low 14 points on their way to victory. Justin Tuck was more than NE could handle on his way to 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. His presence was felt throughout and the defense never stopped coming. Attack Attack Attack is what this defense was all about and with the pass rush as dominating as it has been all year, Big Blue played their type of game.
On the flip side the Giants O-Line held their own and gave Easy Eli a chance to secure a spot in Super Bowl history and he did so by winning Super Bowl MVP!! Eli was calm and cool as he led the GMEN on 2 80+ yard TD drives, the last of which was the 83 yard drive with 2:39 left which resulted in the game winning TD to Plax. David Tyree caught 2 of the biggest passes of his career (and franchise history), one of which will go down as one of the great catches of all time as he leaped and secured a 33 yard bomb from Eli (who survived a mosh pit to make the throw) against his helmet with a 59 seconds left. The rest of the receiving core came up big as well with huge contributions from Boss, Smith, and Toomer. Of course, let's not forget the huge 4th and 1 conversion with 1:34 left by BJ. What a team effort this was!
I'm still not sure what I witnessed last night but I do know this. Although we started the season with low expectations, a broken defense, and uncertainty at Quarterback, we finished the season with a Dominating Defense, a Franchise Quarterback, and a Super Bowl Victory!!!
GGGGMMMMEEENNNNNNNN
The Giants were relentless on defense and set the tone for this game with non stop pressure on Tom "Booty" Brady by their 4 man front. While Osi and Strahan each had great games and were in Brady's face all night long, it was Justin Tuck who was the difference. At 6'5" 275 this chiseled monster of a defensive lineman wreaked havoc on the Patriots and was the key to the record setting performance by Big Blue. With Tuck shifting up and down the line N.E.'s O-Line was hard pressed to keep the pressure off of Brady.
Big Blue set a Super Bowl record by holding the Pats to 81 total yards in the first half, put Brady on his back 18 times (5 of them sacks), and held New England to a season low 14 points on their way to victory. Justin Tuck was more than NE could handle on his way to 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. His presence was felt throughout and the defense never stopped coming. Attack Attack Attack is what this defense was all about and with the pass rush as dominating as it has been all year, Big Blue played their type of game.
On the flip side the Giants O-Line held their own and gave Easy Eli a chance to secure a spot in Super Bowl history and he did so by winning Super Bowl MVP!! Eli was calm and cool as he led the GMEN on 2 80+ yard TD drives, the last of which was the 83 yard drive with 2:39 left which resulted in the game winning TD to Plax. David Tyree caught 2 of the biggest passes of his career (and franchise history), one of which will go down as one of the great catches of all time as he leaped and secured a 33 yard bomb from Eli (who survived a mosh pit to make the throw) against his helmet with a 59 seconds left. The rest of the receiving core came up big as well with huge contributions from Boss, Smith, and Toomer. Of course, let's not forget the huge 4th and 1 conversion with 1:34 left by BJ. What a team effort this was!
I'm still not sure what I witnessed last night but I do know this. Although we started the season with low expectations, a broken defense, and uncertainty at Quarterback, we finished the season with a Dominating Defense, a Franchise Quarterback, and a Super Bowl Victory!!!
GGGGMMMMEEENNNNNNNN
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Let's Do it for Henry!!
Among the 600 or so articles I have read since Tynes was good from 47, there is one name that keeps coming up when you read the quotes from the old time fans of the Giants & the NFL...the late, great Wellington Mara.
As he was often referred to, Wellington was the NFL's Last Patriarch. One of the great men that literally built the NFL to the power house it has become today.
As I have mentioned before, Wellington died a few hours after Nate was born & there was a brief discussion in the hospital about his middle name actually being Wellington. Naturally, this idea was shot down so quickly by my beautiful wife, Jayme, that she tells me she doesn't remember this conversation at all. That's OK though, because little does Nate (& Jayme) know now, but his birth and Wellington's passing will always be linked in my mind. Hopefully greatness was passed along (at least that is what I like to believe).
While Wellington was the Last Patriarch of the NFL, this got me thinking about the Last Patriarch of my Giants world. One Mr. Henry Cohen.
Let me explain.
Henry is my good friend Danny's grandfather & my good friend Jerry's father. Henry is 88 years old and has been a Giants season ticket holder since 1936.
Henry has been to more Giants games than any person I have ever met and truly has been a fan as long as the Mara's have been a part of the Giants.
When I first started attending Giants games with Hersh and Danny, Henry was there bright and early every game tailgating there with us.
Several seasons back, Henry's health began to slowly deteriorate and getting up and down from his seats in the upper deck became more and more difficult. Henry and Jerry wrote a letter to the Giants expressing their desire to be moved somewhere more convenient for Henry.
A few weeks later they received a letter from Wellington Mara himself with their new tickets in a location that is much more easily accessible to the exits. Henry would continue to come to the games for many more seasons.
Then two seasons ago Henry's legs began to fail him a bit more and getting around became quite difficult for him. He still would love to come to games but you could see how painful it was for him. He was still the coolest guy at the tailgate by far so he would never say how much he was hurting but you could see it.
Eventually it just became too hard for him to come to the games and Danny and Jerry (and Sarah) emotionally told all of us that our Patriarch would no longer joining us on Sundays. He would be there in spirit but home in Queens watching the games.
Well my friends, I know the Giants don't know Henry, but many of you do. Henry, like many of us, is also a Mets fan and like us all, hasn't seen a championship since 1990 for either of these teams. Hopefully Henry will be around for many more Super Bowls but as they say, you don't know when your team will get back to the Super Bowl again so you better win it the first time.
If there is ever a person to rally around for this Giants team, it is our Patriarch of parking lot 6F. It is Henry Cohen.
LET'S DO THIS FOR HENRY!!
LETS GO GIANTS!!
As he was often referred to, Wellington was the NFL's Last Patriarch. One of the great men that literally built the NFL to the power house it has become today.
As I have mentioned before, Wellington died a few hours after Nate was born & there was a brief discussion in the hospital about his middle name actually being Wellington. Naturally, this idea was shot down so quickly by my beautiful wife, Jayme, that she tells me she doesn't remember this conversation at all. That's OK though, because little does Nate (& Jayme) know now, but his birth and Wellington's passing will always be linked in my mind. Hopefully greatness was passed along (at least that is what I like to believe).
While Wellington was the Last Patriarch of the NFL, this got me thinking about the Last Patriarch of my Giants world. One Mr. Henry Cohen.
Let me explain.
Henry is my good friend Danny's grandfather & my good friend Jerry's father. Henry is 88 years old and has been a Giants season ticket holder since 1936.
Henry has been to more Giants games than any person I have ever met and truly has been a fan as long as the Mara's have been a part of the Giants.
When I first started attending Giants games with Hersh and Danny, Henry was there bright and early every game tailgating there with us.
Several seasons back, Henry's health began to slowly deteriorate and getting up and down from his seats in the upper deck became more and more difficult. Henry and Jerry wrote a letter to the Giants expressing their desire to be moved somewhere more convenient for Henry.
A few weeks later they received a letter from Wellington Mara himself with their new tickets in a location that is much more easily accessible to the exits. Henry would continue to come to the games for many more seasons.
Then two seasons ago Henry's legs began to fail him a bit more and getting around became quite difficult for him. He still would love to come to games but you could see how painful it was for him. He was still the coolest guy at the tailgate by far so he would never say how much he was hurting but you could see it.
Eventually it just became too hard for him to come to the games and Danny and Jerry (and Sarah) emotionally told all of us that our Patriarch would no longer joining us on Sundays. He would be there in spirit but home in Queens watching the games.
Well my friends, I know the Giants don't know Henry, but many of you do. Henry, like many of us, is also a Mets fan and like us all, hasn't seen a championship since 1990 for either of these teams. Hopefully Henry will be around for many more Super Bowls but as they say, you don't know when your team will get back to the Super Bowl again so you better win it the first time.
If there is ever a person to rally around for this Giants team, it is our Patriarch of parking lot 6F. It is Henry Cohen.
LET'S DO THIS FOR HENRY!!
LETS GO GIANTS!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
January 2008 - The perfect sports month
Let's look at the top of this blog.
Read the headline with me:
My good friend Jeff Cooper and I, Jason Fink, are huge Mets fans and decided to create a blog regarding the state of the Mets, MLB, the NY Giants, as well as other sports related events that go on. With the NFL season around the corner you may start to see some other posts on the pathetic state of our beloved NY “Football” Giants. What can I say, we are gluttons for punishment.
That was written on August 13th of last year.
Today is January 29th 2008.
Wow how much has changed since then. I think somewhere between then and now was the worst collapse in baseball history but today that seems like a distant memory.
Today was media day at the Super Bowl(!!!!) and for those who didn't get a chance to log onto the nfl.com, it was freakin great. At 2 pm the Giants took the field. At NFL.com they had 6 live cameras you could click on to view a different interview. First it was TC looking his normal serious self saying his normal serious lines. Click over to Easy sporting his new QB scruff looking calm, as usual, and giving the media everything they could ask for and more. Then I click over to the coolest man in NY, Plax, who looks just about as bad ass and confident as any human being can look getting ready for the big game. Click to Strahan essentially doing stand-up comedy. Click to Pierce looking ready as ever with his shades on at all times. It went on and on. Media Day! The Giants are in the Super Bowl! Is this real? It's all still mind boggling.
Such a fun hour watching them.
I go back to work and eventually to a 4 pm sales meeting. I come back to my desk about 40 minutes later to 6 text messages on my phone, countless IMs, 4 emails and 3 voicemails. This all could only mean one thing. I click on Fink's IM first. CAPITAL LETTERS ARE THE WORDS "COOPER" AND "JEFFREY" over and over. Links are sent to 3 different sites by 4 different people. Yes folks, it has happened. The Mets and the Twins have struck a deal and the best pitcher on the planet is now a New York Met.
WELCOME TO NEW YORK JOHAN SANTANA!
Honestly, I don't fully understand how Omar pulled this one off. I really don't. How did he get Johan without giving up a single premium prospect in return?
Lets say the Twins were to have kept him and lost him in free agency to the Mets. Thy would've received 2 first round draft picks as compensation in return for the signing. Is this deal really better than 2 1st rounders?
I mean for my entire life I have heard about Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi. In recent years it has been Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.
Today, I think Omar has single handedly tried to make up for both of those trades by stealing the best pitcher of the 21st century.
What a month!
3 playoff wins!
A Super Bowl appearance!
And now Johan!
Now let's kick February off with the biggest win of them all!!
I will be back with some Super Bowl XLII thoughts later in the week
I.O.W.T.
Read the headline with me:
My good friend Jeff Cooper and I, Jason Fink, are huge Mets fans and decided to create a blog regarding the state of the Mets, MLB, the NY Giants, as well as other sports related events that go on. With the NFL season around the corner you may start to see some other posts on the pathetic state of our beloved NY “Football” Giants. What can I say, we are gluttons for punishment.
That was written on August 13th of last year.
Today is January 29th 2008.
Wow how much has changed since then. I think somewhere between then and now was the worst collapse in baseball history but today that seems like a distant memory.
Today was media day at the Super Bowl(!!!!) and for those who didn't get a chance to log onto the nfl.com, it was freakin great. At 2 pm the Giants took the field. At NFL.com they had 6 live cameras you could click on to view a different interview. First it was TC looking his normal serious self saying his normal serious lines. Click over to Easy sporting his new QB scruff looking calm, as usual, and giving the media everything they could ask for and more. Then I click over to the coolest man in NY, Plax, who looks just about as bad ass and confident as any human being can look getting ready for the big game. Click to Strahan essentially doing stand-up comedy. Click to Pierce looking ready as ever with his shades on at all times. It went on and on. Media Day! The Giants are in the Super Bowl! Is this real? It's all still mind boggling.
Such a fun hour watching them.
I go back to work and eventually to a 4 pm sales meeting. I come back to my desk about 40 minutes later to 6 text messages on my phone, countless IMs, 4 emails and 3 voicemails. This all could only mean one thing. I click on Fink's IM first. CAPITAL LETTERS ARE THE WORDS "COOPER" AND "JEFFREY" over and over. Links are sent to 3 different sites by 4 different people. Yes folks, it has happened. The Mets and the Twins have struck a deal and the best pitcher on the planet is now a New York Met.
WELCOME TO NEW YORK JOHAN SANTANA!
Honestly, I don't fully understand how Omar pulled this one off. I really don't. How did he get Johan without giving up a single premium prospect in return?
Lets say the Twins were to have kept him and lost him in free agency to the Mets. Thy would've received 2 first round draft picks as compensation in return for the signing. Is this deal really better than 2 1st rounders?
I mean for my entire life I have heard about Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi. In recent years it has been Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.
Today, I think Omar has single handedly tried to make up for both of those trades by stealing the best pitcher of the 21st century.
What a month!
3 playoff wins!
A Super Bowl appearance!
And now Johan!
Now let's kick February off with the biggest win of them all!!
I will be back with some Super Bowl XLII thoughts later in the week
I.O.W.T.
Now I Really Have the Shakes..
Super Bowl AND JOHAN SANTANA!! Are you frickin kidding me. I can't type much more b/c my hands are shaking too much. Coop - pick it up when you get home.
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW
Monday, January 21, 2008
I am very happy to be here! - Prince Akeem, 1988
OK, so my favorite 80s comedy came through for me and I look like a prediction genius.
That oblong pigskin ball really went through the big H.
We are in the midst of the greatest playoff run in New York Football history. In fact, this could be the greatest playoff run in New York Sports history.
When has a NY team had to go on the road 3 games in a row in increasingly hostile conditions each week, capped off by the 3rd coldest game in NFL history at the great Lambeau Field against the once great Brett Farve, and won all 3 to advance to the biggest game in sports? THE SUPER BOWL!!! Say it with me. SUP-ER BOWL
I mean NOBODY picked this team to go to the Super Bowl. NOBODY. Not even the most loyal fans I know. Not me. Not you. Not even our good friend Larry who picked them to finish 11-5 this year predicted this one.
Let's put some of this in perspective when I mean nobody predicted this. I know a few friends, some of whom actually tailgate regularly with, who were seriously debating on whether or not they should go to the Giants-Patriots game on December 29th. I know a couple of first year tailgaters this year who sold their tickets to the game (lesson learned I hoped). I know yet others who are regular tailgaters who decided to vacation during this game (again, fellas, you wait for the schedule to come out, then book the trips). Lastly, I have a very-good-season-ticket-holding friend who had the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl weeks ago and turned it down. My point being, loyal fans, even the most die hard and crazy of us never dreamt this could happen in our wildest imaginations. This team won 6 homes games for us in the past TWO seasons. 3 this year and none since OCTOBER 21ST. Nate was still 1 then!!! We had seen Eli and Co. fail so many times at home it became almost expected. But they kept winning on the road and a swagger was formed. And then came Buffalo and a defensive effort that has carried us on through to the Super Bowl showed its face. Then the above mentioned Pats game, the loudest regular season home Giants game I ever remember attending. We let it slip through our hands after being up 28-16 in the 3rd. Eli threw that 1 INT and the game was over. Brady and Co. were still too confident but the Giants swagger reached new heights during that game that we have used to go on this great run.
TC and Spags and Reese and most importantly, the players believed in themselves and have seemed to gain confidence with each play, each series, each quarter and most certainly each win, in the playoffs. While Tynes took a few weeks off all of our lifespans at the end of regulation, he brought us the ultimate joy in OT.
Really can't say enough about this team. From top to bottom, they have over-delivered in every way imaginable.
Of course, the big win got me thinking of another late 80s comedy classic. Although a different sport, the great Major League (1989) contains one of the great underdog stories in sports movie history. As we face off once again against the hated and undefeated New England Patriots, I find this one to be quite appropriate:
Lou Brown: Can I have your attention, please?
Lou Brown: I have something I think you all ought to know about. It seems that Mrs. Phelps doesn't think too highly of our worth. She put this team together because she thought we'd be bad enough to finish dead last, knocking attendance down to the point where she could move the team to Miami... and get rid of all of us for better personnel.
Roger Dorn: Even me?
Lou Brown: Even you, Dorn.
Eddie Harris: What if we DON'T finish last?
Lou Brown: She'll REPLACE you with somebody who WILL. After this season, you'll be sent back to the minors or given your outright release.
Jake Taylor: [Jake stands up] Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do.
Roger Dorn: What's that?
Jake Taylor: Win the whole fucking thing.
That's right my friends...we're here, against all odds...NOW LETS WIN THE WHOLE FUCKIN THING!!
LETS GO GIANTS!!!!
That oblong pigskin ball really went through the big H.
We are in the midst of the greatest playoff run in New York Football history. In fact, this could be the greatest playoff run in New York Sports history.
When has a NY team had to go on the road 3 games in a row in increasingly hostile conditions each week, capped off by the 3rd coldest game in NFL history at the great Lambeau Field against the once great Brett Farve, and won all 3 to advance to the biggest game in sports? THE SUPER BOWL!!! Say it with me. SUP-ER BOWL
I mean NOBODY picked this team to go to the Super Bowl. NOBODY. Not even the most loyal fans I know. Not me. Not you. Not even our good friend Larry who picked them to finish 11-5 this year predicted this one.
Let's put some of this in perspective when I mean nobody predicted this. I know a few friends, some of whom actually tailgate regularly with, who were seriously debating on whether or not they should go to the Giants-Patriots game on December 29th. I know a couple of first year tailgaters this year who sold their tickets to the game (lesson learned I hoped). I know yet others who are regular tailgaters who decided to vacation during this game (again, fellas, you wait for the schedule to come out, then book the trips). Lastly, I have a very-good-season-ticket-holding friend who had the opportunity to go to the Super Bowl weeks ago and turned it down. My point being, loyal fans, even the most die hard and crazy of us never dreamt this could happen in our wildest imaginations. This team won 6 homes games for us in the past TWO seasons. 3 this year and none since OCTOBER 21ST. Nate was still 1 then!!! We had seen Eli and Co. fail so many times at home it became almost expected. But they kept winning on the road and a swagger was formed. And then came Buffalo and a defensive effort that has carried us on through to the Super Bowl showed its face. Then the above mentioned Pats game, the loudest regular season home Giants game I ever remember attending. We let it slip through our hands after being up 28-16 in the 3rd. Eli threw that 1 INT and the game was over. Brady and Co. were still too confident but the Giants swagger reached new heights during that game that we have used to go on this great run.
TC and Spags and Reese and most importantly, the players believed in themselves and have seemed to gain confidence with each play, each series, each quarter and most certainly each win, in the playoffs. While Tynes took a few weeks off all of our lifespans at the end of regulation, he brought us the ultimate joy in OT.
Really can't say enough about this team. From top to bottom, they have over-delivered in every way imaginable.
Of course, the big win got me thinking of another late 80s comedy classic. Although a different sport, the great Major League (1989) contains one of the great underdog stories in sports movie history. As we face off once again against the hated and undefeated New England Patriots, I find this one to be quite appropriate:
Lou Brown: Can I have your attention, please?
Lou Brown: I have something I think you all ought to know about. It seems that Mrs. Phelps doesn't think too highly of our worth. She put this team together because she thought we'd be bad enough to finish dead last, knocking attendance down to the point where she could move the team to Miami... and get rid of all of us for better personnel.
Roger Dorn: Even me?
Lou Brown: Even you, Dorn.
Eddie Harris: What if we DON'T finish last?
Lou Brown: She'll REPLACE you with somebody who WILL. After this season, you'll be sent back to the minors or given your outright release.
Jake Taylor: [Jake stands up] Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do.
Roger Dorn: What's that?
Jake Taylor: Win the whole fucking thing.
That's right my friends...we're here, against all odds...NOW LETS WIN THE WHOLE FUCKIN THING!!
LETS GO GIANTS!!!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Prince Akeem predicted this one 20 years ago
Prince Akeem: Sir, did you happen to catch the professional football contest on television last night?
Cleo McDowell: No, I didn't.
Prince Akeem: Oh, it was most exhilarating. The Giants of New York took on the Packers of Green Bay. And in the end the Giants triumphed by kicking an oblong ball made of pigskin through a big "H". A most gripping victory!
Cleo McDowell: Son.
Prince Akeem: Yes?
Cleo McDowell: If you want to keep working here, stay off the drugs.
Prince Akeem: Yes.
When I spoke with Fink this morning, he brought up something Larry and I talked about throughout the season. That something is the kicking game of one Lawrence Tynes and how he has not really had to make a big kick all year. Then Fink and I discussed how this game would likely be a low scoring one where we may need said leg.
Instantly my mind flashed to my favorite comedy of the late 80s.
I've been quoting lines from this movie for as long as I can remember and this exchange has always been one of the best.
Now it takes on a whole new meaning.
3 days until the game and it's all I can think about.
The NFC Championship game....who would've ever guessed it?!?!
I can honestly say that this has been the most enjoyable run I can remember in recent times for any of the teams I root for. Being the underdog is just so much fun.
All hail Prince Akeem!
Cleo McDowell: No, I didn't.
Prince Akeem: Oh, it was most exhilarating. The Giants of New York took on the Packers of Green Bay. And in the end the Giants triumphed by kicking an oblong ball made of pigskin through a big "H". A most gripping victory!
Cleo McDowell: Son.
Prince Akeem: Yes?
Cleo McDowell: If you want to keep working here, stay off the drugs.
Prince Akeem: Yes.
When I spoke with Fink this morning, he brought up something Larry and I talked about throughout the season. That something is the kicking game of one Lawrence Tynes and how he has not really had to make a big kick all year. Then Fink and I discussed how this game would likely be a low scoring one where we may need said leg.
Instantly my mind flashed to my favorite comedy of the late 80s.
I've been quoting lines from this movie for as long as I can remember and this exchange has always been one of the best.
Now it takes on a whole new meaning.
3 days until the game and it's all I can think about.
The NFC Championship game....who would've ever guessed it?!?!
I can honestly say that this has been the most enjoyable run I can remember in recent times for any of the teams I root for. Being the underdog is just so much fun.
All hail Prince Akeem!
Friday, January 11, 2008
3rd Time's a Charm?
Let's hope so!
Big Blue heads into Dallas this week to face the hated Cowboys and their new mascot (Jessica Simpson). While the Giants may have been a a few plays (big plays.lol) away in each of the previous 2 meetings we should not kid ourselves. The 'Boys were clearly the better team and probably, well certainly still are. However, the better team doesn't always win. It all comes down to which team plays better on gameday.
With the loss of Shockey and Kiwanuka, and key injuries late in the season to Ohara, Madison, and Kawika, many have stepped up (boss, webster, ross, etc) and the Gmen have survived not only the regular season (in which they exceeded most expectations) but a top rated Bucs defense to secure Eli's first playoff win.
Kevin Boss has stepped up and provides Eli a big target and the potential to make some big plays in big spots. Oh, and some little big man named Ahmad Bradshaw has been lightning in a bottle and may be the explosive home run threat that helps take us over the top this time around.
With Madison's status still up in the air and yet another injury to Dockery that will keep him out of the game, this will likely be a shootout at the you know what. Big blue will need to eat up the clock and make some big plays to keep Jessica Romo on the sidelines.
After a solid showing against the undefeated Pats (thanks for the update goldberg) and a strong performance in Tampa, it's all about momentum and the Giants have it. Take it to 'em and make this Eli's 2nd playoff win.
Go BIG BLUE!!
Big Blue heads into Dallas this week to face the hated Cowboys and their new mascot (Jessica Simpson). While the Giants may have been a a few plays (big plays.lol) away in each of the previous 2 meetings we should not kid ourselves. The 'Boys were clearly the better team and probably, well certainly still are. However, the better team doesn't always win. It all comes down to which team plays better on gameday.
With the loss of Shockey and Kiwanuka, and key injuries late in the season to Ohara, Madison, and Kawika, many have stepped up (boss, webster, ross, etc) and the Gmen have survived not only the regular season (in which they exceeded most expectations) but a top rated Bucs defense to secure Eli's first playoff win.
Kevin Boss has stepped up and provides Eli a big target and the potential to make some big plays in big spots. Oh, and some little big man named Ahmad Bradshaw has been lightning in a bottle and may be the explosive home run threat that helps take us over the top this time around.
With Madison's status still up in the air and yet another injury to Dockery that will keep him out of the game, this will likely be a shootout at the you know what. Big blue will need to eat up the clock and make some big plays to keep Jessica Romo on the sidelines.
After a solid showing against the undefeated Pats (thanks for the update goldberg) and a strong performance in Tampa, it's all about momentum and the Giants have it. Take it to 'em and make this Eli's 2nd playoff win.
Go BIG BLUE!!
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