So What Is the Deal With the Islanders? The Who? That's What I Thought

Alright Islander fans, hockey season is just two months away and we have nothing to look forward to. Sure we have a new coach in Scott Gordon, who is great with the young guys, but our young guys (aside from Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini and Blake Comeau) are not so great; well at least not any of them that will play this season. Yeah, the Isles are in a youth movement, but all their youth is at least 2-3 years away from coming up! What the hell Garth?! Now, I love the move this offseason to sign Mark Streit and I understand the Doug Weight signing and like it, even though he is 38.

Now there still are guys out there on the free agent market that they are interested in and these guys I would not mind having. Guys like Mark Parrish, Jim Dowd, Martin Gelinas, Brett Hedican and Patrice Brisebois would be great additions to the club and would make the club better. Hedican is close to being done as sources connected with the player and club have said so. Parrish's rumor comes from a source that somehow is tied to the player and club, but all along interest in Parrish should have been instant because we need players that can play, and in my mind, Parrish still can. Now for the Brisebois rumor. This rumor is simply more than one reliable sources not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved and not connected to each other. However, the addition of Brisebois would bode well for the blue line because Brisebois is tough and does not mind a fight. He will pass well and can hit. Interest in Gelinas and Dowd is pretty much speculation, but interest nonetheless. It's a rumor that comes from a single reliable source not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved.

Islanders fans, brace yourselves for this one. The Islanders are also reportedly a dark-horse in the Mats Sundin sweepstakes. Now, it is obviously a longshot, but just imagine the attention the Isles would get if they signed him. Almost Brett Favre like. But hey, at least they are interested in quality players. God knows they need them. Think of this too (incase Garth Snow and Charles Wang are reading), if the Islanders signed Mats Sundin, he alone would put butts in the seats at Nassau Coliseum. He would do exactly what Brett Favre did for the Jets, put butts in Iceworks for practice, butts at the Coliseum and it would once again make the Islanders a team to talk about.

My father always talks about Bossy, Gillies, Potvin, Smith, Nystrom, Tonelli, Bourne and all the guys from the Glory Days and always says that they should all lace up the skates again (he is kidding when he says that, but sometimes I'm not so sure), and why not? It probably would produce a better product than what they have now, and it would attract more fans than they are attracting now. The sole reason for me to be excited for training camp is to see what Scott Gordon has. I am eager to see how he deals with these young kids and how he can make them play to their potential. Ted Nolan was good at that, but not really good at that for the younger guys. Maybe Gordon can spark guys like Ben Walter, Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen, Andy Hilbert, Sean Bergenheim and the others to play to their max potential. I hope so and we'll see. This is a project, so for all those impatient Isles fans out there, such as myself, just hang on (I know you'll hate the sound of this) for at least another year or two, and then after that we should be OK.

Gordon preaches shut down defense, which should be great for Rick DiPietro, who is often times left to look stupid by himself, because now he will be able to focus on just stopping the puck and not on trying to save the team by doing too much. In my opinion, Gordon was the right hire, but only time will tell if that is true. Guys like Doug Weight, Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger, Brendan Witt, Trent Hunter, Richard Park, Mark Streit, and Mike Comrie need to step up and do their jobs and help the young kids and the Islanders should be ok. They already have the All-Star goaltender, now let's see if they can put all the pieces together. Final Analysis: The Islanders can only be successful if Rick DiPietro stays healthy (that seems to be a big if these days) and if Scott Gordon can successfully impliment his system. My prediction: 11th or 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

Will the Giants Repeat As Super Bowl Champions?

Will the Giants repeat as Super Bowl Champions? No way! To many teams have vastly improved (see Saints) and in my opinion they got lucky in the playoffs last year anyway. However, the major reason that they will not repeat is because their defensive line is considerably worse than last season. With the retirement of Michael Strahan and now the season-ending knee injury to Osi Umenyiora, the Giants are in a very difficult position of filling the void that was one of, if not the best, defensive lines in football. Now without their two sack leaders, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka have to step in and fill those Shaq sized shoes in order for Big Blue to be successful. Those are mighty shoes to fill and in my opinion, the Giants will not make the playoffs because they will have trouble doing that. Their offense is not the issue, as Eli Manning is back to lead the attack with WRs Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Amani Toomer and rookie Mario Manningham leading the way, along with up-and-coming TE Kevin Boss. Their line should be able to stabilize their offense as well with mainstays David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie in there clearing paths for Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs (who for the record should not be a starting runningback) and blocking relentless pass rushes from defenses. Their defense could be the deal breaker though, as their secondary is not so great nor are they very deep there or at linebacker. However, standout 2007 rookie, Aaron Ross will be a difference maker from the cornerback position, as will 2008 1st round pick Kenny Phillips from the safety position. Look for those two to step up and provide a spark in the Giants defense. And let's not forget about defensive captain Antonio Pierce, as he has big shoes to fill as well as the leader of the Giants defense without Umenyiora and Strahan. Final Analysis: The Giants will only make the playoffs if Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka can fill in appropriately for Strahan and Umenyiora. Realistically, I don't think it will happen because those are two of the best in football and the Giants will suffer. Also, if Eli can be the 2007 Playoffs Eli, the Giants will be fine. Prediction: 3rd in the NFC East behind the Cowboys and Eagles, no playoffs and a record of 7-9.

Are the Jets Ready for 2008?

Are the Jets ready for 2008? Well after spending so much money in the offseason on a revamped team, they better be! No seriously, with the additions to the offense (Faneca, Woody, Favre, Richardson, Keller) and to the defense (Pace, Jenkins, Lowery), the Jets are primed to have a season more like 2006 than that of 2007. With 2007 in the rear view mirror, 2008 takes center stage and the Jets are ready for a run at the playoffs. With Brett Favre taking the reins at QB, the Jets now have an offense that will be explosive, as WRs Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles are ready for the bullet-throwing Favre. Their offense now is a lot less predictable because of the addition of Favre and Thomas Jones will be better off because of it because now the Jets have a passing game coupled with that revamped running game, thanks to Alan Faneca and Damien Woody clearing paths for TJ to run. Their offense in 2007 was atrocious, ranked 26th in total offense, 25th in passing YPG and 19th in rushing YPG, in large part because of an offensive line that couldn't block my grandmother (she's got a cane too, and grandma, I know you'll read this, I love you very much). They gave up a whopping 53 sacks. No wonder there were 19 total team INTs last season. When your constantly running for your life, what do you expect?! TJ might have had over 1000 yards rushing, but his YPC was 3.6. Also contributing to the awful offense was the poor play from the QBs. When Pennington was in there, his noodle arm produced 9 INTs and 10 TDs and Clemens produced 5 TDs and 10 INTs. Not a very good tandem if you ask me. But with Pennington in Miami and Favre in NY, things will be different as the Jets are a) relevant around the league for the first time in 40 years and b) have a threat that has not been present since Joe Namath was around, as Favre can stretch the field and find any receiver on the field in not just the 2nd window, but the 3rd window as well. Expect big seasons from Coles, Cotchery and rookie TE Dustin Keller, who is drawing comparisons to Dallas Clarke in his ability to go down field. An offensive addition that has gone overlooked is that of Tony Richardson. Richardson last season cleared paths for Adrian Peterson over in Minnesota, so get excited Jets fans because this season he is clearing paths for Thomas Jones. Now onto the defense. Under defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, the Jets have been a considerably better team after the bye week. Why that is, no one really has that answer. However, last season the Jets defense was not very good before or after the bye week. The only bright spot was the pass defense, which ranked 9th in the NFL in large part thanks to a great core of players in Kerry Rhodes, Darrelle Revis and David Harris. The Jets were ranked 18th in total defense, 9th in passing defense (as you just read), and an atrocious 29th in rushing defense. Let's just say that now that Dewayne Robertson has taken his buffet table with him to Denver, the Jets are much better off because with a stop gap, double team attractor (if that even makes sense to you) in Kris Jenkins, the Jets linebackers and ends will be free to make tackles, and rush the QB, which in turn will create more INT chances for guys like Rhodes, Revis and rookie CB Dwight Lowery. So expect Calvin Pace to have a similar season as to the one from 2007 and expect Rhodes to actually make the Pro Bowl this year, along with Revis. The Jets defense is bound to be much better, in large part because of Kris Jenkins. Now David Harris, Eric Barton and the rest of the LBs will be free to roam the field, taking out RBs and WRs at will. This is why I was upset when Vilma was traded. Aside from him being my favorite Jet, he would have fit in perfectly now that Jenkins is here because he would have been free to roam just like Harris and make the plays he was making when the Jets were in the 4-3 defense. The last two seasons he struggled because he was facing double teams, and as a smaller player, he was struggling because he couldn't get to the QB because Robertson did not warrant double teams. Now that Jenkins is here, Vilma would be the Vilma of old, but unfortunately he is a Saint now. Expect a good rookie campaign from the CB from San Jose St, Dwight Lowery. It seems as though he has locked up the CB spot next to Revis because he did not play against the Eagles on Thursday and we know that Coach Mangini does not play the starters in the 4th preseason game. Lowery has a nose for the ball. It showed in college, and it showed in each preseason game he played in as he had a a pick in his first two games, one being a game saving red zone pick against the Cleveland Browns. In addition, be patient Jet fans because Vernon Gholston is a project at linebacker because in college he played with his hand down, but he is too small in the NFL to play there. So be patient because it will take some getting used to for him. And finally, expect big things from Dustin Keller because if he can stretch the field like everyone thinks he can, then he will be a huge asset in the passing game, especially since Brett Favre already likes throwing to him. Final Analysis: the Jets will be successful if the offensive line protects Brett and if Kris Jenkins can stuff the run and attract double teams. My prediction: 11-5 with a win at home against the Patriots, a wild card berth and they lose in the AFC Championship game to the Patriots as the Pats play the winner of the Saints v. Cowboys NFC Championship game, but the Pats lose anyway in the Super Bowl......again.

The Kings of Queens

The Mets bullpen is absolutely horrendous, blowing more saves and wins for Johan than even imaginable; however, somehow, someway, they are in first place by 2 games over the Phillies. Last night was a big win, and great job by Beltran for finally getting that big hit (that Adam Wainwright curveball still resonates in my head) with what turned out to be the game winning grand slam. But that recent 10 game winning streak was what put the Mets back into the hunt for October and propelled them into first place in that two-team NL East. That trade for Luis Ayala could end up saving the season as he has filled in rather nicely so far for Billy Wagner while he rests that ailing elbow. Now as the Mets head into September, can they forget about the Colossal Collapse of 2007? I think they can, but they do not have an extremely easy schedule in September as they face the Cubs for 4, the Brew Crew for 3, the Phillies for 3, and the Marlins (no cake walk by the way) for 3. Can they make the playoffs? Yeah, sure they can. Their pitching has been good enough to keep them in first place and Fernando Tatis has been a pleasant surprise this season. But can they overcome the constant failures of the bullpen and the injuries to Maine and Wagner? That remains to be seen. However, is it coincidental that as Carlos Delgado became scorching hot, so did the Mets? I don't think so because I believe that Delgado still has something left in the tank and is out to reverse the boos he was hearing all season. In addition, since Jerry Manuel became skipper, Mike Pelfrey has been unhittable, as he is 10-2 with a sub-2 ERA and has pitched 2 CG wins in a row. And let's not forget about David Wright (the only player on the Mets I like, but that's besides the point), who is quietly putting together an MVP caliber season. He might not be putting up numbers like Ryan Braun and Josh Hamilton are, but he is getting the job done and he is the straw that stirs the drink for the Mets; as he goes, they go. And right now he is really going, and so are the Mets. And then there is Jose Reyes, who's speed is unparalleled in this game. His speed sets the stage for everyone else behind him and he already has 16 triples this season (one behind his career high of 17) and how can I forget about Dan Murphy and Ryan Church? Murphy has hit .325 since his call-up from Double-A Binghamton and has been a spark for the Mets. And Church, although he has only played in 64 games because of injury, has been hitting .303. Final Analysis: The Mets can make the playoffs if their surprise contributors keep surprising and if they can fill the void left by John Maine. Don't expect another September Collapse Mets fans, but expect an NL East race that comes down to the wire, because the Phillies can play and they will fight to the finish. My prediction: Mets win NL East by 1 game.

State of the Yankees

There are many of us out there in the sports world, myself included, that have counted the Yankees out of the playoff race, thrown them under the bus and used that old Brooklyn Dodgers expression "Wait 'til next year." Then there are those optimists that see things in good light and say, "well, they have 28 games left, anything is possible." Well let's take a deeper look into it and see if it is actually a distinct possibility. These Yankees are not like all those Joe Torre teams; they do not have great starting pitching, they are an old line-up with many players in tremendous slumps (see Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi among others) and the injury bug has taken a huge chomp out of them as well. Alex Rodriguez is not anywhere close to the A-Rod of last year, as he is hitting a meager .246 with RISP and has grounded into 10 double plays this month (that ties a Yankee record). Cano has hit well below his career average of .303 and has not been consistently hitting all season (although since the all-star break he is hitting over .315). Jeter and Abreu have picked up their hitting and Xavier Nady has done nothing but hit since he came over from the Pirates. The injury bug has really hurt the Yankees (pun intended) the most this season, as Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Jorge Posada, A-Rod (back in May), Hideki Matsui (although he came back last week) and Joba Chamberlain all are on the DL, with only Joba's return in sight. Wang's 38 wins the last two seasons is tops in the bigs and his loss looms very large because it has left the Yankees without a bonafide ace since the beginning of June (Moose does not count, despite 16 wins). So the debate of the DH can be held another time. Granted Moose is 16-7 this season, Pettitte has been erratic this season, I still don't understand why Darrell Rasner is on the major league roster, and the Yankees seem as if they cannot fill the huge void Wang left. I will say this though, Sidney Ponson has pitched pretty well since he came here (although his ERA since July 2 is 8.57 has really hurt) and Carl Pavano has pitched great since he has come off the DL (I probably just jinxed it though). The bullpen, for the first time in a long time has been a strength of the Yankees, but let's get back to the under performing offense. The Yankees, as of the end Thursday, are on pace to score 783 runs, a total that would have ranked them 8th in the AL in runs last season. Currently, they rank 8th in runs. So that is 783 runs, that is 185 runs less than last season. When you have a team that relies on offense like the Yankees do, that cannot happen and their consistent un-clutch hitting is killing their chances at any playoff run and killing their chances at a 14th consecutive playoff appearance. With 28 games left (not including today) the Yankees have put themselves in a deep hole that they might not be able to climb out of. However, that is up to them, as they still control their own destiny. My opinion (and I'll be as unbiased as possible seeing as I am a Yankees fan) is that these Yankees are not a deep enough team on the mound or consistent enough at the plate to make the playoffs, but if they do, they will not go very far. With 28 games to play though, we will see what happens. I guess the positive though is that the Steinbrenners are back, as Hank has promised "a lot of changes in the offseason" and he wants C.C. and Tex. Should be interesting.