Mike Mussina: Oriole, Yankee, Hall Of Famer?

The New York Yankees have been waiting since the conclusion of the regular season for word on whether or not Mike Mussina would be returning to their rotation in 2009. Wednesday afternoon they got their answer. Mike Mussina has decided to retire from Major League Baseball, ending his 18-year professional career.

With the Yankees already expected to be major players in free agency, the timeliness of Mussina’s decision couldn’t have been better. And, like always, the Yankees have a contingency plan. They have already reportedly offered a record-breaking contract to C.C. Sabathia, and are also rumored to be preparing free-agent offers for A.J Burnett and Derek Lowe. No need to shed a tear for the Bombers; something tells me they’ll be fine.

For Mussina, the question surrounding him is sure to shift from “Is he retiring?” to “Is he a Hall-of-Famer?”

This debate is the type we live for as sports fans. And in Mussina’s case, you’ll find staunch opinions on both sides of the Cooperstown fence.

Many believe Mike Mussina is a lock, maybe not on his first ballot, but eventually—without question—a lock. That contingent will shout from the rooftops the following fact—of the 16 Hall of Fame eligible pitchers 100 or more wins over .500, all 16 are enshrined in Cooperstown. Mike Mussina is 270-153, 117 games over .500.

That makes him a lock, right?

Not so fast. You see, the Mike Mussina Hall of Fame argument gets a little tricky from here.

His supporters will continue to blitz you with numerous facts and figures, ranging from his durability to his defensive prowess – and everything in between. After a deep breathe they begin…

“He was durable, man; nobody was more reliable than Moose.”

They have a point. Mussina started 30+ games in a season 12 times, along with pitching 200+ innings 11 times.

“And bro, don’t go tellin‘ me about that 20-win business…Mike got his 20 wins this season.”

Correct again. Mussina had arguably his best season in 2008, going 20-9 for New York, finally hitting the 20-win plateau for the first time in his 18-year career. However, this particular debate would have never been a Hall-of-Fame deal-breaker in the first place. Hall voters are smart enough to realize that Mussina had 5 seasons with at least 18 or 19 wins. They’re also alert enough to figure out that Moose would have probably hit the 20-win mark all the way back in 1994 and again in 1995, if not for strike-shortened seasons. It’s not a knock to win 18 or more games six times; that’s a good thing, people.

“Oh, and let me tell ya something…Moose pitched all 18 years in the AL East, over half in a hitter-friendly ball park, and don’t forget about the steroid era…Mikey pitched right through the heart of that thing and didn’t miss a beat!”

True. True. And true…Sort of.

Yes, Mussina pitched in the AL East his entire career. But come on, was the AL East the same monster it is now back in 1991? ’92? ’93? ’94? ’95? ’96? Didn’t think so. Still, this is not a knock; let’s just keep things fair and not consider it to be the great equalizer, either.

He did pitch in Camden Yards, but only up until 2000. He did pitch during the steroid era but only for half of his career. All are still valid points. However, if simply pitching in a hitter-friendly park during the steroid era is a deciding factor in gaining entry into Cooperstown, then the bar for entry has been significantly lowered. I hope we would all agree on this point.

“Well…what about his five All-Star appearances and his six Gold Gloves? The Moose did that! What do ya gotta say to that? Huh!”

It’s all very impressive, and I’m not being sarcastic, either. These are all the reasons that make Mike Mussina the ultimate fringe Hall of Famer. Herein lies the endless debate sure to had in Baltimore, New York and all over baseball, from now until…well, he either gets inducted or his eligibility expires in the year 2028.

So what about the other side of the coin? Glad you asked…

He didn’t win 300 games, falling 30 short.

He didn’t reach 3,000 career strikeouts, ending with 2,813.

No Cy Young’s.

No MVP awards.

What about postseason success?

Mussina was a pedestrian 7-8 with a 3.43 ERA in the playoffs.

No World Series ring.

The lone 20-win season.

The lone sub-3.00-ERA season.

Are you starting to get the point? Mike Mussina is the pitching version of Jim Rice. He’s a very good player, just not a Hall of Fame player. Rice, like Mussina, falls short in all of the major milestone categories. He doesn’t have 500 homeruns or 3,000 hits or a lifetime .300 batting average. And, like Mussina, a lofty postseason resume is not there to bail him out. Rice’s Hall of Fame fate has been hanging in the balance for the past 19 years, with 2009 marking his final year of eligibility.

This does not bode well for Mike Mussina.

To gain an even deeper understanding of how Mussina’s candidacy might be viewed, simply think about his predecessor, Tommy John. John might be known for the famous surgery that now bears his name, but he also has a strong case for induction. John has 18 more wins and a career ERA .34 points better than Mike Mussina.

However, like Rice, 2009 will be the final year that Tommy John can be inducted into Cooperstown.

When you take a close look at Mussina’s resume, a good case can be made in favor of his induction into Cooperstown or against it. He is a classic example of a fringe or borderline hall of fame player. He could get in, but he could just as easily sit and wait, year after year, like Rice and John, for a call that may never come.

Knicks Wheel & Deal, Become Big-Game Hunters in 2010

With Stephan Marbury’s deal falling off New York’s books in a few short months, the Knicks knew they had one-max contract to offer during the summer of 2010.

After Donnie Walsh was done dealing Friday, they have two.

The theme of the day was not so much about addition but subtraction. By the time Walsh was done, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins were all gone. And so was one other very important thing—$27.5 million dollars from the Knicks’ 2010-11 payroll.

The first deal saw Jamal Crawford and his $10 million dollar 2010 salary shipped to Golden State for Al Harrington, whose contract expires following the 2009 season.

But Walsh wasn’t finished. Later in the day, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins were also West Coast bound, traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Randolph is due $17.5 million in 2010, while Mobley and Thomas have deals that expire, like Harrington’s, after next season.

"I think that opening up cap space down the road for us is a big plus on our side, and I hope our fans understand that that can give us an opportunity to make the team better according to the plan that I've outlined," Walsh said following the trades. "So I'm trying to be true to what I said from day one, and that's what I'm doing."

Twenty months from now may seem like a long way off. For Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni, who have had the summer of 2010 circled on their calendars since joining the Knicks, it can’t get here soon enough.

That’s when the biggest crop of free-agent talent in the history of basketball hits the open market. LeBron James. Dwayne Wade. Chris Bosh. They’ll all be available. And now the New York Knicks can not only afford Lebron, but also one of his friends.

Let the countdown begin!

As you can imagine, the rumors and speculation have already begun. So has the positioning among NBA franchises, which will surely be looking to add one of these superstars when the time comes. Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, recently traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson—not only to help this year’s team, but primarily to free up cap space two years from now.

All over the NBA, teams are gearing up, realizing that the first step towards having a shot in 2010 is to have money in 2010.

This is why Walsh should be given a medal. In one fell swoop, he reversed all of the countless mistakes made by his predecessor Isaiah Thomas.

How bad was it?

When Walsh got to New York he inherited the highest payroll in the NBA and a seemingly insurmountable salary-cap nightmare for the ages.

This is why Friday afternoon could end up being one of the most memorable in Knicks’ history. Not for acquiring Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas within hours of one another, but for finally freeing themselves from the salary-cap hell Isaiah Thomas left behind.

Now Knick fans can dream big, real big, of a day when they might acquire LeBron James and Chris Bosh within hours of one another. If that happens New Yorkers will never forget the wheeling and dealing that took place on November 21st, 2008. It will forever be remembered as Donnie Walsh’s finest hour.

The Subway Super Bowl: Are The Giants And Jets On A February Collision Course?

It’s January 28th 2009, and you can’t find a flight from New York to Tampa, no matter who you know or how hard you try. Flights leaving LaGuardia and JFK International airports have been booked for weeks and even neighboring launch pads, Newark International in New Jersey and little MacArthur Airport all the way out on Long Island, are booked solid. People around the New York metropolitan area have even resorted to making the 20-hour drive from New York to Tampa figuring, “what the hell, let’s make a road trip out of it!”

Even if you can find a way to get down there, good luck getting a ticket. This one is a scalper’s dream, and a seat will cost you in the neighborhood of $5,000, just to get into Raymond James Stadium. Even then you’ll probably be stuck on the pirate ship buried in the corner of the building.

Every hotel within 50 miles is being invaded by armies of people cloaked in green or blue—there hasn’t been a vacancy in weeks.

And the trash talking—it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen—unless you’re from New York, that is. At a moment’s notice anywhere in the city, you can hear the green people, “J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets” and the blue people, “Back to back, baby! Come get some.”

It’s an unbelievable sight. The NFL is staging a Subway Super Bowl.

Last Thursday night we moved one step closer to making this once-improbable scenario a reality. Every Jet fan knew their team looked good so far. All you have to do is think back to the 56 points they hung on Arizona or the 47-point outburst against St Louis. The Brett-Favre-led Jets were on to something. But before the words “Super Bowl” could ever be uttered, or even thought of, they knew there was one team they had to beat—the New England Patriots.

Earlier this season Belichick’s crew got the better of New York, 19-10, in Favre’s first home game in the Meadowlands. This time the Jets got their redemption. Thomas Jones rushed for 104 yards, and the Jets defense played well most of the night, but it was Favre, more than any other Jet, who was responsible for the victory.

After a miraculous, last-second touchdown catch by Randy Moss sent the game to overtime, Brett Favre received one more chance to exercise the Jet demons of Patriot games past. The Jets won the toss; Favre got the ball, and 14 plays and 64 yards later New York was 7-3, in first place in the AFC East with an inside track towards a first-round playoff bye.

“It's a great, great feeling for us," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Everybody understands that this game was extremely important, and it's important because it allows us to make the next game extremely important. It's a really positive step for our team."

The Jets don’t have to look far to see what a Super Bowl champion looks like. They share a stadium with one. It could be said, quite confidently in fact, that the 2008 New York Giants are a better team than their 2007 World Champion counterpart. Three days after the Jets’ stirring win over New England, the Giants quickly reminded everybody who runs the town—and the entire NFL for that matter.

Their latest obstacle, the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens, came to town boasting the number-one-ranked run defense in the league. They left Giant Stadium 6-4. So Eli Manning must have torn them apart, right? Wrong. Instead the Giants ran the ball right down Baltimore’s throat, to the tune of 207 yards—so much for that number-one run D.

So far this season, the Giants have been equally remarkable on both sides of the football, currently owning the number-two ranked defense and number-four ranked offense in the NFL. And remember that old saying about needing to be good at running the ball and stopping the run to win championships? Well Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants got the memo. They also lead the NFL in rushing and are second best at stopping the run.

Eli Manning has enough skill players around him to fill two offenses, in addition to the best offensive line in the business. The defense is reminiscent of their late 80s glory day unit. Just swap out Taylor, Marshall, Carson and Banks with Pierce, Kiwanuka, Robbins and Tuck. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close.

All totaled, the Giants are 9-1 and seem on a mission to show people that last year’s fluke—well it wasn’t so much of a fluke after all.

So how would Gang Green fair against the sure-to-be heavily favored champs? There is one particular game film that I’m sure both coaching staffs would take a gander at during Super Bowl week, and it’s not their annual week-three preseason affair. Last year the two teams met during week five of the regular season, on October 7th.

The Jets were the road team, despite playing in their home stadium. These are the oddities that go along with sharing a home. That day the 1-3 Jets were leading the eventual champs 17-7 at the half. Kerry Rhodes returned a fumble for a touchdown and those tricky Jets pulled out all the stops (remember Brad Smith’s touchdown pass to Chad Pennington?).

But all that did was anger the other New York team, who came out in the second half and exploded on a 28-7 run, cruising to a comfortable 35-24 final.

Of course the Jets didn’t have Brett Favre, among others, and the Giants still touted Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora opposite each other at defensive end. The two teams were heading towards vastly different prizes. For the Jets, it was a top-five draft pick; for the Giants—Super Bowl rings.

Boy what a difference a year makes.

After a significant step backwards last season, the Tannenbaum-Mangini regime managed to get things back on track quickly in 2008. So what was their formula? Sign quality free agents and nail your draft picks. And lately the Jets have been doing plenty of both. The list of free-agents that signed with New York reads like a roll call: Tony Richardson, Damien Woody, Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, Kris Jenkins, the newly acquired Ty Law and, of course, Brett Favre.

While Super Bowl experience is hard to come by and the Jets haven’t gotten that far since 1968, this team has more than you might assume. Tannenbaum and Mangini have quietly assembled a pretty battle-tested core of Super-Bowl-experienced players. Favre, Faneca, Jenkins, Law, Woody and Thomas Jones have all played in the big game. If the Jets manage to get that far, they’ll have a head coach, along with this core of veterans who all have been to the rodeo before. That can only help, especially if they play the Giants, and the normal Super Bowl hype is multiplied times ten.

If the Jets are still considered a long shot to make the Super Bowl, and they are, then the Giants are the prohibitive favorite. Not only are they looking to become the eighth team in NFL history to win back-to-back titles, but they would also love to return to the scene of their only Super Bowl crime. Of the four Super Bowls the Giants have played in, they only lost once, eight years ago to the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. The venue was Raymond James Stadium, also the site of this year’s game.

How vindicating would another Super Bowl be for the Giants? Last year’s Super Bowl Cinderella talk would be replaced with one simple question: Can the Giants become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls? And those are two very different conversations.

All of this may be a tad premature. I’ll admit that. But with the two teams a combined 16-4, why not dream?

Back in August, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped in to help settle the ongoing Brett Favre/Green Bay Packers saga, he helped grease the wheel for Brett’s eventual arrival in New York. At the time two teams were interested in Brett’s services—the Jets and the Buccaneers. If things continue down this road, it looks like Brett may get his chance to play in Tampa Bay after all—in Super Bowl XLIII.

The decade started with the 2000 Subway Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees, which was one of the least-viewed World Series in the past eight years. Something tells me that if New York can somehow manage to duplicate the feat on the gridiron, people will tune in to watch this one.

One thing is certain though: Over two million New Yorkers would show up the following week for the ticker-tape parade, sure to ride down the Canyon of Heroes. The only question is: What color will they be cloaked in—green or blue?

New York Mets Hot Stove Preview: Omar Minaya's Championship Pursuit Continues

No other team in Major League Baseball has suffered more disappointment over the past three seasons than the New York Mets. Just think back to how those years have ended and it’s easy to understand the urgency facing this organization as they head into the off-season.

In 2006 they were one hit away from the World Series before ultimately falling to St. Louis in game seven of the NLCS. That was followed by the greatest collapse in the history of baseball, as they blew a seven-and-a-half game lead with 17 to play at the end of the 2007 season. This past September was a repeat of last. This time it saw them build a three-and-a-half game lead after five-and-a-half months of baseball—before collapsing again.

Both years they were officially eliminated from playoff contention on the season’s final day.

What’s at stake as they move forward is bigger than simple wins and losses—it’s this group’s legacy. How will they be remembered? As chokers and underachievers who failed to get over the hump? Or will they finally prove their naysayers wrong and realize their World Series expectations?

To say that the New York Mets stand at a crossroads would be an understatement. They sit directly on the brink of being considered a success or a failure.

Staring down the barrel of the most important off-season in club history, Omar Minaya, fresh off a four-year contract extension, with the full support of ownership, has been given opportunity to finish the job he started.

With so much on the line, Met fans can only hope that the offseason wish list sitting on Minaya’s desk looks something like this:

Sign K-Rod – With Billy Wagner’s Tommy John surgery expected to keep him out until at least August, the #1 priority for New York is to find a new closer. Lucky enough for them, the best one in the business just happens to be a free agent. Francisco Rodriguez seems like the perfect fit, assuming K-Rod is okay with leaving Southern California for the pressure cooker of New York. An offer in the range of 5-6 years and $75-$100 million will probably be necessary, but at 26-years-old this kid is worth every penny and Omar Minaya knows it.

If Rodriguez is gun shy about coming to New York, or if the Mets view his demands as too lucrative of an option, then they will immediately turn to Brian Fuentes. With three 30-save seasons on his resume, Fuentes enters free agency off a career-best 2.73 ERA season.

As is normally the case, money will be the biggest deciding factor on who will ultimately jog out of Citi Field’s new bullpen door, with the Mets ahead in the ninth, in 2009 and beyond.

Get Relief Pitching! – The Mets bullpen was atrocious last season, especially during the pennant race. Of course they lost Billy Wagner from early August on, so a new closer will help, but it’s not enough. The Mets are also in dire need of an eighth-inning specialist. After pouring over the list of free-agent options, you’ll quickly realize why this is the hardest part of the roster for a general manager to overhaul. Great bullpen arms are extraordinarily difficult to find.

There are 46 players considered free-agent middle relievers this offseason, and very few jump off the page. The good pitchers are all starters, and the teams lucky enough to have good relievers keep them.

One scenario that looks plausible would be signing Chad Cordero. He has ties with Minaya that date back to their Expos days, and the Mets have reportedly already expressed their interest. It will be impossible for Minaya to completely overhaul the entire pen, but adding a strong 1-2 punch at the backend would be an early holiday gift Met fans would love to unwrap.

Who’s In Left? – I should preface this section by reviewing the state of the outfield. Mainstay Carlos Beltran will again patrol center, while Ryan Church will enter his second year on the job in right. When healthy, Church has proven to be a solid middle-of-the-order bat and a fine fielder with an above-average throwing arm. So two thirds of the outfield is set.

So what do they do in left? Daniel Murphy appears to be a pure hitter who could always start the season, maybe in a platoon with Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez. With farm-sensation Fernando Martinez marinating in the minors, the best move may be to simply stand pat.

The big pink elephant in the room is Minaya’s interest in Manny Ramirez, which is well documented. However his price tag appears way too high, as the Mets have yet to publicly throw their hat in the ring.

If a need to upgrade is desired, and Ramirez is out of reach, the Mets should turn their attention toward landing Raul Ibanez. Ibanez’s leadership and bat would be great additions to a club that certainly can use a little of both. A reasonable three-year deal would perfectly bridge the gap before Martinez is ready to take over the reins full time.

The Rotation – With Pedro Martinez not expected back and Oliver Perez entering free agency, the Mets should be in the market for a pair of starting pitchers. One strategy would be to simply resign Perez, leaving only one hole in the rotation. The problem: Perez’s agent is the infamous Scott Boras. With conversations likely to start at $15 million annually, the Mets may opt to look elsewhere, and early indications have them interested in landing former Red Sox and Dodger Derek Lowe.

This would leave the Mets with top four of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and either Perez or Lowe (assuming they land one of the two).

The best value on the market is clearly Ben Sheets. An injury-plagued second half will give a team the opportunity to acquire him way below his true value. With all of the dollars that New York is likely to shell out, this could be a great low-investment, high-reward addition to their rotation.

Orlando Hudson – I think it’s fair to conclude that the Luis Castillo experiment has been a complete disaster for New York. His injuries and underproduction have the Mets in quite a bind at second base heading into 2009.

Orlando Hudson would be the perfect way to solve this problem. However this would surely require that the Mets move Castillo’s albatross of a contract. Though costly, considering the Mets would still be paying some of Castillo’s contract and all of Hudson’s, this would bring the 2005, 2006 and 2007 gold glover, with a career .282 batting average to New York. The Mets will have serious competition, as teams are already lining up for Hudson’s services, but we can’t under Omar Minaya when he wants a player. And all signs point towards Omar wanting Orlando Hudson.

Guts – All the Mets have to do is peer 100 miles down I-95 towards Philadelphia to see what a gutsy team looks like. The Mets, on the other hand, seem to be mired in an ongoing, two-year identity crisis. Unfortunately for Omar Minaya, you can’t buy guts for $15 million a year on the open market—if it were only that simple.

With all of the magic and momentum from the 2006 season completely evaporated, the Mets, more than anything else, need to find themselves some guts. Adding the right type of new blood to the mix will help, but ultimately the task will fall on the core already in place. Somebody, at some point, will need to step up and say enough is enough, not with their words but in the way they play.

The outline above may seem like a lot. But before you go saying “Why don’t they just sign Sabathia and Teixeira and call it a day?”, think about it. They definitely need a closer. They definitely need at least one starter. They will definitely be looking to bolster the bullpen. And, like most big-market clubs, they will exercise their due diligence with anyone else who can help.

Money will be spent with caution, but make no mistake, money will be spent. Unlike Willy Randolph, Omar Minaya survived the team’s recent struggles, to put things mildly. He’s armed with over $26 million dollars that just fell off the Mets books. His relationship with ownership remains strong and this time of year their checkbook is always a phone call away.

What are the Mets restrictions? Well, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Texiera will not be discussed. Even the Mets, who just made Johan Santana the highest paid pitcher in history last off-season, will refrain from playing at the high-stakes table two years in a row. Aside from those two, Omar will be a shark in the water over the next few weeks, preying on every other free agent fish in the pond. When it’s all said and done, Omar is hoping that a change of scenery, some new players, and a dash of guts will be final ingredients needed to complete his championship stew.

Only time will tell.

Message to Joe Calzaghe: There's One More Hurdle Left — "Bad" Chad Dawson

Saturday night wasn’t just another fight for Joe Calzaghe — it may have been his last fight. It wasn’t held in just any venue — it was in Madison Square Garden. And the opponent wasn’t just any fighter — he was Roy Jones Jr. For only the second time in his 46-bout professional career, the undefeated Welshman traveled to the United States looking to add another notch on his belt.

Earlier this year, on April 29th, Calzaghe ventured across the Atlantic for the first time, winning a split decision over Bernard Hopkins to win the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title — one legend down, one to go.

Now only six months later he was back in the States, at the Garden, looking for one more career-validating victory over another boxing giant. This time his sights were set on eight-time, four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr.

The fight had been rumored for almost a decade before the two boxers finally made it happen, negotiating the terms themselves via text message exchanges. It was Roy Jones Jr. who actually wanted the fight, viewing it as a way to eradicate the speculation that he was officially washed up at 39 years old. The fight made sense for Jones, considering a win over Calzaghe would indeed show the boxing world that the former champ could climb the mountain one final time.

Calzaghe was already on top of the mountain. As one of the most decorated boxers in British history, all Calzaghe wanted was one more boxing legend added to his ledger. One more trip to the U.S. so people wouldn’t claim the Hopkins fight was a one-time deal. One more big payday. This was the perfect way for Joe “Pride of Wales” Calzaghe to go out. Beat Roy Jones Jr. at Madison Square Garden, and then walk off into the sunset, as so few have been able to do — as an undefeated champion — 46-0.

Two great fighters coming together, for their own reasons, and making things simple: I want to fight you, you want to fight me…ok let’s fight! What a refreshing thing to see in a Don King and Bob Arum crazed boxing world.

The beginning and end of the Hopkins and Jones fights were eerily similar. Both times Calzaghe was knocked down in the first round, and both times Calzaghe regrouped to win on points. Though he was more dominant in the Jones fight, winning by unanimous decision, compared to his split decision in the Hopkins fight, the result was all the same. His record remained perfect.

So now what? Where does Joe Calzaghe go from here?

Enter: Chad Dawson.

Boxing purists see one final option, and it does not include riding off into the sunset, at least not yet. The clamoring has already begun for Calzaghe to fight Chad Dawson, the current IBO and IBF light heavyweight champion. Dawson is 26 years old, a perfect 27-0, and is climbing up the best pound-for-pound-fighter-in-the-world list with every fight.

Aside from being the only worthy fighter remaining in Calzaghe’s era, he also happens to be the mandatory challenger for his Ring Magazine light heavyweight title.

To his credit, Max Kellerman didn’t let Calzaghe leave the ring Saturday night without asking about a potential showdown with Dawson. As is usual in post-fight interviews, Calzaghe was noncommittal.

“There’s always someone young coming through,” Calzaghe said. “It was the same with Kessler.”

At the post-fight press conference it was once again an unavoidable issue.

"I just stepped out of the ring about 15 minutes ago, man," Calzaghe said. "Let me enjoy this fight before I think about fighting anybody else. What do you think I am? A sadist? Let me chill for a week or so. But Chad Dawson is a good fighter, a good fighter."

So why should Calzaghe fight Dawson? Hasn’t his legacy already been confirmed by cleaning out the super middleweight division? Winning the light heavyweight belt? By beating Hopkins and Jones? Hasn’t he done enough?

I guess the answer is Yes, if Calzaghe is at peace with knowing that he didn’t beat everybody. If he is OK leaving the sport with unfinished business. If he wants to answer the following question for the rest of his life: Why didn’t you fight Chad Dawson?

It certainly wouldn’t be a case of the old man getting thrown to the young wolf. In fact, the majority of people would probably say that Calzaghe would beat Dawson. All you need to do is think back to Saturday night, with Calzaghe as terrific as ever. Many would argue that there’s nobody in his class, including Chad Dawson.

Of course, Chad Dawson would argue that point. In a statement released directly following Saturday night’s fight, Dawson has his own idea on how Calzaghe should end his career.

"If Joe wants to have his grand farewell in Wales, I am ready to accommodate. My passport and world title belts are ready to travel across the pond. I'm ready to give Joe the opportunity to draw the curtain on his great career in front of his family and friends and 70,000 fans. It's the best fight in the light heavyweight division between two undefeated champions."

Everybody agrees that Joe Calzaghe is a great fighter. The reason he should fight Chad Dawson is simple — to cement his status as a legendary fighter, and to cement his legacy as a champion who fought every legitimate adversary of his time.

All he needs to do now is whip out his cell phone, shoot Dawson a text and let the negotiations begin.

Seeing Yellow: The Plight Of Wade Phillips' Undisciplined Dallas Cowboys

If you want to find the most undisciplined team in the NFL, the search ends in Irving, Texas. In a year that began with “Super Bowl expectations”, the 2008 season is sputtering out of control. If any additional proof was needed to show us that the Dallas Cowboys are closer to the bottom of the league than the top, look no further than their loss at the hands of the New York Giants this past Sunday. With so many factors contributing to their recent fall from grace, none shine brighter than the mountain of costly penalties that continue to follow this team week in and week out.

Watch a Cowboy’s game and you are bound to see a Flozell Adams false start, multiple defensive encroachments, penalty after penalty on the secondary, blocks in the back during punt coverage, and usually a facemask or two for good measure. Some variation of the above happens every week.

For a season and a half, Dallas’ high-powered offense has covered up these mistakes. Sunday, without their usual Romo-led attack, it became impossible to ignore their lackadaisical ways. Entering the game as the most penalized team in the league, Dallas held true to form committing nine more infractions against New York in their 35-14 defeat.

Gone are the days when players would fear returning to the Cowboy bench after stupid penalties, the days when Bill Parcells’ ominous growl and a good tongue lashing would be waiting for you on the sidelines. All of that has been replaced by the player-friendly Wade Phillips regime. Now, accountability within Dallas’ free-wheeling style doesn’t exist, and penalties have become accepted as a way of life.

On numerous occasions Coach Phillips has been pressed about his team’s lack of attention to detail. Time and time again he offers the same rhetoric —that the penalties are on him and not the players.

When asked about where the accountability lies, following an eight-penalty effort in a blowout loss to St. Louis three weeks ago, Phillips said, “It’s always the head coach; it’s always the coach, and it always will be with me,” continuing to say “I’m not changing; I’m going to coach the way I coach, and I think they will respond. I think they will play hard, and I think we’re determined to do better, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Things have not changed; in fact, they have gotten worse.

On an afternoon when they needed to be flawless, they were as sloppy as ever. Seemingly every time something positive happened, a yellow flag would fall on the Meadowlands turf. Nine penalties, including seven on the defense and special teams, mixed with four turnovers, handed the game to New York on a silver platter.

The Cowboys now have more losses in 2008 than they had in all of 2007. They head into their bye week floundering in last place in the NFC East, three full games behind the division-leading Giants, with their playoff hopes, like their play, deteriorating quickly. If Wade Phillips wants to assume responsibility for every penalty his teams commits, I guess it’s fair to assume he’ll accept responsibility when those same penalties are the root cause of his Pro-Bowl-stacked team missing the playoffs.

Game Preview: The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants Battle In The Meadowlands

The last time the Cowboys and Giants met, a trip to the NFC Championship Game was on the line. Now, 294 days later they meet again. What has changed in the past ten months?

Well, for the Giants, Michael Strahan retired; Osi Umenyiora suffered a season-ending injury and Jeremy Shockey has been traded.

The Cowboys on the other hand have undergone a ten-month span with more twists and turns than a Seinfeld episode. It started with HBO’s Hard Knocks and Super Bowl expectations coming from every direction, and it hasn’t stopped.

Tony Romo’s pinkie, the Pacman Jones saga, TO’s mindset, the Roy E. Williams trade, coaching controversy, mounting injuries and poor play have all contributed to the circus-like atmosphere slowly engulfing America’s Team.

This weekend the stakes are once again high, as the Cowboys look to salvage a season on the brink, and the Giants look to move one step closer to the NFC East crown.

The Walking Wounded

Dallas enters the game with injury concerns up and down their entire roster. For starters, Tony Romo will miss his third straight game due to his much-publicized broken pinkie. Rookie Felix Jones is still suffering from a hamstring pull and will be inactive.

Also missing the game for Dallas is starting guard Kyle Kosier (foot), cornerbacks Terrence Newman (abdomen) and Adam Jones (suspension) and linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring). As if that wasn’t enough, safety Roy Williams, wide receiver Sam Hurd and punter Matt McBriar have all been placed on IR and are out for the season.

The injuries continued piling up last week versus Tampa Bay, as two more Cowboys saw their names added to the injury report. This time tight end Jason Witten (ribs) and corner Anthony Henry (quadricep) were the victims. Both will attempt to play Sunday and should be considered game-time decisions.

When asked about the Cowboys’ injury situation, Giant defensive end Justin Tuck said “We don't want to have excuses like 'Romo is not playing, we didn't have this guy, we didn't have that guy.’” Despite Tuck’s desires, these injuries are a blunt reality for the Cowboys, as they limp into the Meadowlands this weekend.

How Long of a Rope Does Brad Johnson Really Have?

Brad Johnson will be starting his third consecutive game at quarterback for Dallas, in place of the injured Tony Romo. The Cowboys are 1-1 with Johnson under center and have not looked good in the process.

Johnson was awful in his first start, throwing three interceptions against a sub-par St. Louis secondary. Last week he was even worse, throwing for a measly 122 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per completion. As drive after drive stalled, the Texas Stadium faithful showered Johnson with their discontent.

To say that the Cowboy passing game has been handcuffed without Romo would be stating the obvious and this quandary has Dallas exploring their options. Following the win against Tampa Bay, speculation began about whether it was time to bench Johnson in place of third-string journeyman Brooks Bollinger.

This was amplified when Bollinger took snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday’s practice. When asked about Bollinger’s availability Sunday, Coach Phillips said “We think we can go with Brad, and we’ll see what happens. We’re not going into the game saying if this guy doesn’t do anything we’re going to pull him.”

Two things appear certain: Johnson is will start the game; and Bollinger will finish it if Johnson’s struggles continue.

Another Classic Trench War

The Giants defensive line is the heartbeat of their team and a main reason why they come in 6-1, alone in first place in the NFC East. It was also the main reason why the Giants knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs last year.

That will have to change Sunday, especially with a 40-year-old statue at quarterback. Despite losing Strahan and Umenyiora, the Giants amazingly haven’t missed a beat, leading the league in sacks, while owning the NFL’s third-ranked defense.

Once again, the key to victory will take place in the trenches, as the Dallas offensive line will attempt to slow down one of the most feared front fours in the business. Game-within-a-game matchups deserving your attention are Justin Tuck vs. Marc Columbo, Mathias Kiwanuka vs. Flozell Adams, and how often Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins collapse the pocket against the enormous interior of the Dallas O-line, led by Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis.

Just like in last year’s Divisional round, this game will most likely be determined right here — in the trenches.

The Plaxico Burress Saga

What else can a wide receiver ask for? A Super Bowl winning team…check! A franchise quarterback throwing you the ball…check!

A new contact extension making you one of the highest paid players at your position…check!

Apparently all of this is not enough for Plaxico Burress. As the Giants prepare for this week’s showdown with Dallas, Burress’ selfish attitude remains a hot-button issue in New York. Since his week one outburst, when he caught 10 balls for 133 yards, opposing defenses have managed to limit Burress’ production.

In the five games since, he’s averaged less than four catches and 45 yards receiving per game. He served a team-imposed suspension in week five for breaking team rules and has not necessarily been pro-Giants these days when speaking to the media. These are the antics that made him expendable in Pittsburgh.

The Giants already purged their team of one malcontent, shipping Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. Is Burress next? With the Giants straight-edge operation clearly clashing with their star receiver’s poor attitude, something needs to happen to get this relationship back on track — cherry-picking a few touchdowns against a banged up Dallas secondary should do the trick.

Sunday afternoon these two fierce rivals renew acquaintances for the 93rd time. The Giants hold possession of one thing the Cowboys are looking for — a Super Bowl title. And the Cowboys hold possession of the one thing that eluded the Giants a year ago — the NFC East title.

With Romo and a slew of other Cowboys expected to return following their week ten bye, a win Sunday would officially get Dallas’ season back on track. For the Giants, nothing would be sweeter than to send the once-sexy-Super-Bowl-pick Cowboys back to Dallas with another loss and three full games back in the NFC East.

PREDICTION: New York 27 Dallas 16

Extra Points: Weekly Reflections From Around the NFL

Drive Of The Week:

OAK 13 NYJ 13 --- 4:36 remaining in OT --- OAK ball, 1st & 10 at OAK 19

Sometimes the hardest part of having # 1 draft picks is dealing with the growing pains that go along with their development. Among all of the other things engulfing the Raiders lately has been a growing concern about whether JaMarcus Russell, the 2007 #1 overall pick, is the long-term solution at quarterback. With time dwindling away in OT, Russell and the Raiders got the ball at their own 19, and two throws later they were in position for the win. On the first play of the drive, Russell threw a dart to Javon Walker over the middle for 16 yards. Then, on the next play, Russell struck again. This time he found his favorite target, Zach Miller, near the left hash, on a play that went for 27 yards down to the Jet 38. All off a sudden the Raiders were in business, and also within range of kicker Sebastian Janikowski. After a Justin Fargas run lost a yard and Russell threw two conservative incompletions, it was time for Janikowski to attempt a 57-yard field goal for the win. It was the longest game-winning overtime field goal in the history of the NFL. And it was a drive that made us remember why JaMarcus Russell was the #1 pick. At least for one day the growing pains didn’t hurt.

STEP FORWARD / STEP BACK:

Step Forward:

Buffalo Bills – If anybody entered week 7 needing a big win to validate their record, it was Buffalo. Despite entering the week 4-1 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC East, people still questioned Dick Jauron’s upstart squad. San Diego came to Orchard Park red hot, off the heels of a huge 30-10 stomping of the Patriots, which appeared to get their season back on track. Enter Buffalo’s defense. They held LaDainian Tomlinson to 41 yards on the ground and gave Philip Rivers fits all afternoon, leading the way to a rather decisive 24-13 win. Validation granted!

Washington Redskins – Last week, the Redskins were a classic victim of the proverbial “trap game”. The momentum of a four-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins over Dallas and Philadelphia, vanished after a home loss to the previously winless Rams. With Josh Brown’s 49-yard, game-ending dagger still fresh in their minds, Washington rebounded in a big way Sunday, holding off the resurgent Browns 14-11 in FedEx Field. It wasn’t pretty, but it did provide insight into the bounce-back ability and mental toughness of Jim Zorn’s team.

Green Bay Packers – Peyton Manning came to Lambeau Field after reigniting his stagnant offense in a 31-3 demolition of Baltimore in week 6. Green Bay faced the prospect of entering their bye week 3-4, and losers of four of their last five. All eyes were on Aaron Rodgers, but it was Ryan Grant who stole the show. Finally getting back into game shape after missing training camp, Grant carried 31 times for 101 yards and a score. Now they enter the bye week 4-3 and feeling much better about their franchise running back, after his first 100-yard game of the year.

Step Back:

New Orleans Saints – Not only did the Saints lose their game Sunday 30-7 in Carolina, they also lost Reggie Bush. Injuries are part of football, but the injury bug has bitten this team harder than most. Now the walking wounded head to London for a home game at Wembley Stadium against San Diego, with their season possibly hanging in the balance.

New York Jets – There were the Jets…1:24 remaining…down by three…pinned at their own 5 yard line. This was why they got Brett Favre. Eleven plays later the Jets and Raiders were heading to overtime. After engineering an improbable game-tying drive in regulation, the Jet offense stalled in three overtime drives. By failing to finish the job, Gang Green left the Black Hole 3-3 and two games behind Buffalo in the AFC East.

Miami Dolphins – Miami’s wildcat offense has become the rage of the NFL. Sunday afternoon the Baltimore Ravens defense brought the rage to a screeching halt. With the 27-13 win, Cam Cameron’s return to Miami as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator was also a success. Baltimore leaned on Willis McGahee, who had his best game of the year, rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Now the first-place Buffalo Bills come to town, in what now becomes a must win for the 2-4 Dolphins if they want to maintain any hope in the AFC playoff picture.

The Evolution of Kyle Orton

During the 2005 NFL Draft, six quarterbacks, including the likes of Charlie Frye, Andrew Walter and David Greene, were taken ahead of Orton. Now, four years into his NFL career, Orton is starting to prove he may be the best of a group that also included #1 overall pick Alex Smith and current starters Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell. His climb from the 106th pick to third stringer to starter to potential Pro Bowler has been remarkable.

In 2005, fresh off his first NFL training camp, Kyle Orton was immediately thrust into action when Rex Grossman went down in the preseason with a broken ankle. He led the Bears to a 10-5 record, including an eight-game winning streak. The success of the team aside, Orton failed to solidify his place in the lineup, playing to an NFL-worst 59.7 QB rating. When Grossman returned, just prior to the playoffs, Orton went back to the bench. When Chicago signed Brian Griese the following offseason, Orton became the third stringer and didn’t see a single snap in 2006. Orton took the demotion in stride and spent the next two years honing his game. The next time we saw him was at the end of the 2007 season. Amazingly enough he had gotten better, leading the Bears to a 2-1 record down the stretch. He played to a 80.1 QB rating, over 20 points better than in 2005. Kyle Orton was starting to figure things out. In training camp, he destroyed Rex Grossman in the open competition for the starting job. And boy, has he made the best of it. Last week the Bears scored 48 points. I’ll say that again…last week the Bears scored 48 points. Kyle Orton has looked like a totally different player. Proving this is no aberration, Orton’s QB rating is once again on the rise, currently at 91.4! FINALLY, the Chicago Bears have a quarterback!

Extra Points is a weekly column appearing every Wednesday during the NFL season. Agree, disagree, have your own thoughts? Email your feedback to jfk10261963@hotmail.com.

Eli Manning: MVP or Weak Link?

Last season, just as Giant fans were set to run Eli Manning out of town, something clicked. Seemingly overnight, mistakes were minimized, if not completely eliminated. Three road-playoff wins and a Super Bowl upset later, Eli was king of New York. Forgotten were the previous four years of inconsistent play — touchdown here; devastating interception there — that left Giant fans bewildered and the team in flux. It’s no coincidence that as soon as Eli cleaned up his play, the Giants went from a good team to a great one. The organization spent four long years waiting on Eli Manning, and after watching him win a Super Bowl MVP, they had to assume the corner was finally turned. Wouldn’t you?

However, fast forward seven weeks into the 2008 season and ask yourself the following questions: Has Eli Manning developed into an elite quaterback? Or is he an average quarterback who has become good at limiting his mistakes?

When trying to evaluate Eli Manning’s evolution, the conversation must begin in one place — interceptions. In his first three full seasons, Manning threw 71 touchdown passes to 55 interceptions. That’s 1.14 interceptions per game and only 1.47 touchdowns per game. Last year, his TD to interception ratio was the worst of his young career at 24 touchdowns to 20 picks, despite leading the best Giant team in recent memory. The Giants had built a world-class defense, anchored by a fierce pass rush. They had one of the best offensive lines in football. And they had weapons: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw. These are the type of players any quarterback would dream of being surrounded by. With a defense, a running game, time in the pocket and throwing options, the Giants gave Manning everything he needed to succeed, yet he was as inconsistent as ever. Five times he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and 11 times he failed to throw more than one touchdown pass. Manning remained the only question mark. When he limited his mistakes, the Giants usually won; when he threw picks, they usually lost. The contrast was stark. While his 24:20 regular season ratio barely got the Giants the wildcard, his 6:1 playoff ratio led them to a Super Bowl. Prior to the playoffs, Manning’s 2007 season did little to quiet skeptics who thought he was overrated and annoyingly inconsistent. Was Eli Manning ever going to blossom into the star quarterback people expected him to be? The jury was still out.

Winning a Super Bowl in New York goes a long way towards glamorizing the winning quarterback. Just ask Joe Namath, Phil Sims and Jeff Hostetler, who all remain legends within New York’s borders. For Eli Manning it provided overnight validation. Within the Giant organization, it provided a sense of vindication about their decision to trade Philip Rivers and a host of draft picks for Eli during the 2004 draft. Finally, Eli Manning had arrived. Right?

Based on his playoff performance, people felt like he had matured into an elite NFL signal caller. The month-long charge to a world title seemingly eradicated the question marks and inconsistency hovering over him like a rain cloud during his first four seasons. He was ready to light the 2008 NFL season on fire.

So which quarterback are we watching in 2008? The new Eli or the old Eli?

Yes, he has gone four of six games without throwing an interception, and yes, the Giants are 5-1. But what happens when you measure his production against some modest benchmarks that seem to follow every great NFL passer? How many 300-yard games does he have? How many multi-touchdown games has he tossed? Take a closer look and you’ll find the same old Inconsistent Eli Manning that frustrated Giant fans for years. Through six games Eli has yet to throw for 300+ yards and has only eclipsed 2 touchdown passes once, in week two versus the lowly Rams. In fact, in four of the six games Manning has thrown one touchdown pass or less. Last week was considered an aberration when the team flopped on Sunday Night Football, as Eli reverted back to his old ways, tossing 3 interceptions. Yet this week, the Giant passing game was once again non-existent. Why, you ask? Because Manning was once again shaky going 16/31, for 161 yards and one touchdown. His touchdown to interception ratio has improved in 2008, but he still ranks 15th in the league in quarterback rating, 14th in passing yards and 10th in touchdowns.

What about last year’s playoffs when Eli Manning “turned the corner”? Maybe that’s the problem. Did Eli Manning receive too much credit for the Giants playoff run? Was a tough New York media ready to shower Eli with praise once the team took flight? Take another look at Eli’s playoff performances and see for yourself.

Wild Card Game – 20/27, 185 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Divisional Round – 12/18, 163 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT

Conference Championship Game – 21/40, 251 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Super Bowl – 19/34, 255 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

Those numbers are far from elite. They tell the story of a quarterback who did a nice job managing the game — one who was opportunistic and failed to make his signature mistakes. So I ask you: Did the Giants win because of Manning or in spite of Manning? Was their success predicated on Manning’s right arm or their savage defense? I think even the staunchest Giant fan would agree it was the latter. It was because of Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck. Eli Manning was essentially along for the ride. In fact, when Manning’s right arm was needed most, in the final drive of the Super Bowl, he threw two awful passes, both of which should have been intercepted. Football is a funny game though, and Brandon Meriweather and Asante Samuel both dropped those balls. New England’s perfect season wasn’t sealed, and the Giants still had life. Manning became remembered for his Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress and not for a championship-ending interception to Meriweather or Samuel. Critics and fans alike finally praised him instead of questioning him. Confidence replaced doubt. The Giants were World Champions. All was forgotten. To the victor go the spoils, right?

Once again, the New York Giants are poised to make a Super Bowl run. Once again, they have the defense; they have the offensive line; they have the running game; and the playmakers are in place. And once again, it appears they have a question mark at quarterback. With four years of the same up-and-down play continuing in 2008, the Giants have learned a few things. They know they are a good team, but they also know that in order to once again be great, Eli Manning must limit his mistakes. Most of the time, they will win in spite of him, not because of him. As their journey continues, keep an eye on that touchdown to interception ratio; it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story, but it tells most of it.

New York Islanders vs. Buffalo Sabres 10/13/08

Life without Rick DiPietro continued on Monday afternoon for the New York Islanders (1-2-0), as they played host to the Buffalo Sabres (2-0-0) in a Columbus Day matinee at Nassau Coliseum. As the team awaits DiPietro’s season debut, Joey MacDonald was once again called on between the pipes for New York. After surrendering a meager 4 goals on 55 shots over the weekend, MacDonald allowed 7 goals on 35 shots as Buffalo blitzkrieged the Isles 7-1.

The barrage began with a Johan Hecht power-play goal after Brendan Witt was called for hooking mid-way through the first. The Islanders were in the midst of an aggressive penalty kill, when Hecht, recognizing that MacDonald wasn’t hugging the near goalpost, banked a shot into the net off his back. Less than three minutes into the second period Buffalo made it 2-0 when MacDonald failed to squeeze an incoming wrist shot, resulting in Adam Mair banging home the rebound. With half of the starting defense out with injuries and MacDonald far from sharp in net, Buffalo’s offense overwhelmed New York all afternoon.

“Joey might have suffered a little bit tonight,” said Head Coach Scott Gordon, “but he battled and has to find a way to get it back.”

The high-powered Buffalo attack was on full display as five different Sabres had multi-point games. Sloppy Islander play made things easy for Buffalo, as they put the game out of reach with a four-goal second period. The barrage was highlighted by a pair of tallies from sniper Thomas Vanek, one short-handed and the other on the power play. Buffalo tacked on two more goals in the third, which also saw Trent Hunter score the Islanders lone goal, his second in three games. Buffalo out-shot New York 35-24, with Patrick Lalime stopping 23 shots to notch his first win in a Sabres’ uniform.

With 11:17 remaining in the second period, a brawl ensued at center ice following a Jason Pominville goal that made it 4-0. The skirmish was amplified when Craig Rivet was the third man in on a pre-arranged fight between Nate Thompson and Adam Mair, who squared off directly after the draw. Brendan Witt’s status remains up in the air after hitting the back of his head on the ice during the exchange. The brawl ended with four players being ejected, as game misconducts were issued to Witt, Rivet, Sean Bergenheim and Patrick Kaleta. All totaled, the teams combined for 37 penalties and 147 penalty minutes.

With the team having a difficult time adjusting to the newly installed “overspeed” system; the coach offered some feedback. “We didn’t play a very good game,” said Gordon. “I didn’t feel like we were in sync. Our forecheck wasn’t on, our defensive zone coverage was off and we didn’t even change very effectively. This was collectively not very good.”

The Islanders will now look for answers, as they head to Florida on the first road trip of the young season. They are next in action on Thursday night against Barry Melrose’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

2008 NHL Season Preview

1 – Detroit Redwings W1 – Entering the 2008-09 season, the defending champs are the decisive, odds-on favorite to repeat. That said, Detroit GM Ken Holland didn’t spend the summer drinking champagne from the Cup…he was busy. After locking up deadline-acquisition Brad Stuart to a long-term deal, he shocked the hockey world by signing Marian Hossa to a one-year, go-for-the-Cup contract. The pieces are certainly in place for a back-to-back run.

2 – San Jose Sharks W2– The San Jose Sharks’ post-season failures are well documented, yet once again they field one of the best teams in the NHL. This time around they hope new coach Todd McLellan, along with the addition of three former Stanley Cup champion defensemen — Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Brad Lukowich — will be enough to finally climb the post-season mountain.

3 – Montreal Canadiens E1 – Montreal returns one of the most complete teams in the league, as they once again look to pace the Eastern Conference. Fans have already anointed 21-year-old, phoneme Carey Price the next Patrick Roy and his continued development will be pivotal to the Canadiens’ success. With normally high expectations amplified, there is only one thing that will satisfy the Montreal fan base — a 25th Stanley Cup!

4 – Pittsburgh Penguins E2 – With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both signed long-term, the Penguins should contend for conference supremacy on a yearly basis. The two looming questions immediately facing the Pens are whether Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko can adequately replace Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone’s on one end of the ice and whether they can withstand the losses of Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar on the other?

5 - Anaheim Ducks W4 – Last year the Ducks broke camp with a Stanley Cup hangover and without their two best players: Teemu Selanne and Scott Neidermayer. Yet, despite the distractions, they still managed 102 points and the fourth overall seed in the West. With Selanne and Neidermayer both in camp and the team refocused, expect Anaheim to get off to a fast start and possibly challenge Detroit for the President’s Trophy.

6 – Dallas Stars W5 – With Brad Richards now onboard for a full season and Sean Avery lured to Texas with a four-year, $15.5M deal, expect the Stars to maintain their place among the Western Conference elite.

7 – New Jersey Devils E4 – Lou Lamoriello had a relatively quiet off-season, but not before making a splash in the free-agent pond by bringing Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston back to New Jersey. If the Devils can stay healthy, these additions may be enough to put them back on top of the Atlantic.

8 – Philadelphia Flyers E5 – Philadelphia battled injuries and a 10-game losing streak last season before getting hot at the right time and charging to the Eastern Conference Finals. With expectations sky high, fans in Philly are hoping the injury bug doesn’t bite twice. So far so good, as reports from camp have former 40-goal-sniper Simon Gagne back at 100% after missing most of last year with a concussion.

9 – Washington Capitals E3 – Bruce Boudreau did an excellent job last season stepping in mid-year to lead the Capitals to a division title. Now Boudreau’s job is to mold Washington’s explosive, young core of Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green into a Stanley Cup championship nucleus. With Sergei Federov around for a full season, the learning curve could be expedited in the nation’s capital.

10 – Edmonton Oilers W3 - This offense will give Oiler fans flashbacks of their late-80’s team, who lit up the NHL. Goaltending will be an ongoing adventure, but should hold up enough for Edmonton to win the Northwest.

11 – New York Rangers E6 – Once again the Rangers had a busy off-season, turning over a good portion of their roster. Life without Jaromir Jagr will be judged by how well enigmatic winger Nikolai Zherdev adjusts to life on Broadway.

12 - Buffalo Sabres E7 – The positive thing about Buffalo’s disappointing ’07-08 season was that they began to establish a new identity without Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell. The remaining stable of snipers includes Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Maxim Afinogenov and Jochen Hecht. With Ryan Miller picking up the rear, this team will light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis.

13 – Colorado Avalanche W6 – With starting goalie Jose Theodore and second-leading-scorer Andrew Brunette both gone, many prognosticators have Colorado missing the playoffs. However, this team still boasts one of the best defensive groups in the league, along with a host weapons on offense. Maybe the prognosticators are forgetting that the Avalanche lost more manpower to injury last season than any other team in the league. Well guess what…they’re healthy!

14 – Chicago Blackhawks W7 – Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane exploded on the NHL scene last season, immediately raising expectations in Chicago to a fever pitch. With things on a definite upswing, Chicago was able to land high-end free agents Brian Campbell and Christobal Huet. Exciting hockey has finally returned to Chicago, as this team could become the darling of the NHL.

15 – Boston Bruins E8 – Boston GM Peter Chiarelli knew that in order to build off last season’s success, he would need to improve an offense that ranked 24th in goals. Boston dabbled in the Marian Hossa sweepstakes before settling for Michael Ryder and Stephane Yelle. Chiaraldi is hoping that those signings coupled with the return of Patrice Bergeron will provide a spark to the Boston offense. While it’s unlikely that the Bruins deliver another championship to Title Town, they do have a legitimate chance of returning to the playoffs.

16 – Columbus Blue Jackets W8 – Is this finally the year that Columbus makes the playoffs? One thing is certain: There are more pieces in place then ever before! Free-agent acquisitions Kristian Huselius and R.J. Umberger will join Rick Nash to suddenly form one of the top lines in hockey. If Goalie Pascal LeClaire and a very strong D can duplicate last season’s success, Columbus fans might experience playoff hockey for the first time.

17 – Calgary Flames W9 – The Flames lost over 170 points of offensive production in off-season defections, and plan on replacing most of it with the additions of Mike Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi. If that plan backfires, Mike Keenan’s group will be taking a step back in his second year, and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2002-03.

18 – Carolina Hurricanes E9 – Questions were raised last season when Carolina moved former top-five pick Andrew Ladd to Chicago, then got even louder this off-season when Erik Cole was shipped to Edmonton. Couple that with losing Justin Williams during camp to a torn Achilles and scoring depth has suddenly become a major issue in Carolina.

19 – Ottawa Senators E10 – Ottawa hung on for dear life last year to make the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, before promptly being swept by Pittsburgh in the first round. The Senators still have Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, but not much else. The window for a Cup Run has officially closed in Ottawa.

20 – Minnesota Wild W10 –Minnesota’s season center’s around the pending fate of superstar, free-agent-to-be Marian Gaborik. With the two sides apparently deadlocked after failing to come together on a long-term deal in the off-season, Gaborik’s time in Minnesota appears to be numbered. If your team is one explosive player away from making a serious Stanley Cup run, I would monitor this situation closely.

21 – Nashville Predators W11 – Barry Trotz is one of the league’s best coaches, as evident by his ability to get Nashville in the playoffs last season and push the eventual Cup-winning Red Wings to six games in the opening round. This time things will be much tougher, especially considering Alexander Radulov split Nashville for Russia in the off-season, despite still being under contract for one more year. Things will get worse before they get better for the Preds.

22 – Tampa Bay Lightning E11 – What’s up in Tampa Bay? Let’s start with a new ownership group who lured Barry Melrose back behind the bench for the first time in 13 years. Then Tampa Bay won the Steven Stamkos draft lottery; acquired Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Vaclav Prospal, Radim Vrbata, Andrej Meszaros, Matt Carle, Mark Recchi and Olaf Kolzig; and in addition locked up franchise stud Vincent Lecavalier to a 11-yr, 85M contract. Can it all come together in time to make a serious playoff push?

23 – Vancouver Canucks W12 – Vancouver tried to throw a boatload of money at Mats Sundin, but he balked at the idea of playing in Western Canada. The offense remains anemic, and once again Roberto Luongo will need to be the best goalie on the planet for the Canucks to have a serious shot of making the playoffs.

24 – Phoenix Coyotes W13 – Wayne Gretzky’s reclamation project continues to progress. At some point pressure will mount to finally make the playoffs, but in the meantime the Great One will preach patience as his team continues their ascent out of the NHL’s basement.

25 – New York Islanders E12 – Rick DiPietro, Rick DiPietro, Rick DiPietro. If the Islanders have any chance of keeping things respectable in the enormously difficult Atlantic division, DiPietro’s name will need to be mentioned among the Vezina finalists at season’s end.

26 – Florida Panthers E13 – Some would argue that trading away your best player is not a remedy for success. And they would be right! After shipping Olli Jokinen to Phoenix in the off-season, my guess is that teams are already lining up to acquire Jay Bouwmeester. The rebuilding process is heading in the wrong direction down in Florida.

27 – Toronto Maple Leafs E14 – Mats Sundin has left Maple Leaf fans, the team’s front office and the rest of the NHL blowing in the wind. Whether or not he returns to the league is anybody’s guess, but either way life post-Sundin has officially begun in Toronto – at least for now.

28 – St. Louis Blues W14 - The loss of Erik Johnson to a season-ending knee injury is simply devastating for St. Louis. This leaves the Blues staring down the barrel of another lost season and the unenviable fortune of remaining an NHL doormat.

29 – Atlanta Thrashers E15 – Ilya Kovalchuk remains one of the best players in the league, but with Marian Hossa dealt at last year’s trade deadline the rebuilding process is underway. The NHL is starting to lose traction in Atlanta and this upcoming season doesn’t appear likely to reverse the trend.

30 – Los Angeles Kings W15 – LA has accumulated a plethora of young talent, including Andres Kopitar, who just signed a 7-year, $47.6M extension. Unfortunately for LA, most of that talent is not ready to contribute. This puts the Kings in a very familiar place — the NHL Draft Lottery. The good news is that this year’s crowned jewel is Canadian forward John Tavares, who by all accounts is a franchise-changing player. The potential one-two punch of Kopitar and Tavares might have LA fans rooting for the other team this season.

One Hit Away

Authors Note: The below column was written in the early morning hours following the New York Mets 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in game 7 of the 2006 NLCS at Shea Stadium in New York.

October 17, 2006
3:14am

It’s times like this that you sit and wonder…why do we care so much? Why does the outcome of a trivial sporting event impact the lives of so many people? Roughly three hours ago, the New York Mets were one hit away from the World Series –– one hit. I was at the game, sitting in the upper reserves at Shea Stadium as the events unfolded. After the last pitch was thrown, resulting in Carlos Beltran getting called out on strikes, people funneled out of Shea like a bomb threat was announced over the PA. I stayed in my seat and watched. The Cardinals charged the mound, in our stadium, like the Yankees did in 2000, and they celebrated. I stayed in my seat and watched. This was supposed to be our moment. Once again another season ended on a loss.

The closer you get, the more it hurts. This one was like climbing Everest all the way to the top and then dying on the side of the mountain right before the final hike to the summit. All you can do is think about what could have been. All the years of caring, all the hours spent watching the games, all the money spent supporting your team, wearing your loyalty on your sleeve. Then when they finally get so close you can taste it, one short climb to the summit away, they come up empty. This is the ugly reality of being a sports fan. The majority of the time you’re left devastated and distraught, wondering if that one moment in time will ever come when the season doesn’t end on a loss. Right now I can’t help but ask myself if it’s all really worth it. Why does it really matter so much…if your team wins or loses? Why do so many of us care for our respective teams with that life-or-death intensity? Where does it come from? One thing is becoming increasingly more apparent: The fans seem to care more than the athletes about winning and losing. In this day and age, with so many outside influence$ pulling players in a million different directions, this has becoming increasingly truer. The only people who show any loyalty these days are the fans.

Once again it begs the question…Why do we care?

I envy those people who were never inflicted with the passion that so many of us have – what freedom. They are not burdened with having to bear the weight of all the losing. But at what cost do the rest of us pay to reap the pleasures of winning? What cost does the wildly rabid, consistently passionate and endlessly dedicated sports fans endure to experience those rare moments of bliss, that are, without question, few and far between. If you’re smart you remain mindful of the fact that this hypothetical moment, when your favorite team wins the championship, might never happen in the first place. That’s why this one really stung; they were one hit away – one hit.

Most people are passionate about something in life. Whether it’s music, the fine arts, politics, water skiing, scuba diving, shopping, literature, animals…you name it. However, having a passion for sports is a totally different beast. This passion brings you to your lowest point. It leaves you feeling empty inside. It makes you want to put a fist through the wall. This passion involves decade upon decade of losing, with no guarantee that winning will follow. And even if it does and you’re one of the lucky ones who eventually experiences a championship – it’s over in a flash! All you’re left with are photos and ticket stubs, autographed pictures of the legends, a leather bound Sports Illustrated magazine, a DVD season-in-review, old championship t-shirts and hats, and an indescribable longing for it all to happen again. And what about everybody out there in Sports Land who never gets to experience these special moments: The Bengal fans, Clipper fans, Bills fans, expansion teams, ect. What kind of awful hobby is this that they indulge in? What joy do these fans get from their teams? At the end of the day, think of the torture you’ve inflicted on yourself, all the games, the hours invested, the meaningless conversations, all the money down the drain, and all that’s left is absolutely nothing. No trophy. No parade. Nothing.

Again I ask…Why do we care?

The answer is simple: The reason we care is because all of the years of losing and the pain that comes along with it would have been completely worth while if Beltran would have hit a homerun in that final at-bat and sent the Mets to the World Series. The Subway Series loss to the Yankees in ’00; the Kazmir trade; Kenny Rogers walking in the series-ending run in ’99; the ‘worst team money could buy’ team in ’92; the season ending collapse in ’98; Strawberry signing with LA – it would have all been worth it. In the meantime, I’ll just add last night to the list and take solace in the thought that hopefully one day, one hit will change everything.

Major League Baseball Mid-Season Review

Commissioner Bud Selig has continually preached through the years about creating competitive balance in Major League Baseball. What better time than now to put his words to the test? Has the luxury tax money trickling down to the small-and-middle market clubs helped them stay in the race? With half a season down and half to go, let’s take a look at how many teams are still competing for those precious eight playoff spots, and which ones are already DONE!

DONE!

Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals

The concept of being DONE! is quite simple: It means you’re unofficially eliminated from playoff contention. Some of the names on this list should be obvious, as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Washington, Kansas City and Baltimore are once again having awful seasons. Every year these teams seem to master the art of being DONE! before the All-Star break. In contrast, Toronto and Seattle have at least tried to become competitive. Both have actively pursued and landed high-priced free agents over the past two off-seasons. Despite their aggressive approach, both have remained in the American League basement. The Astros are 13 games back in the NL Central – enough said. The two most surprising names on the list are Cleveland and Colorado. As we know, both played deep into October last season, with Cleveland losing in the ALCS and Colorado in the World Series, both to the eventual World Champion Boston Red Sox. All totaled, over 1/3 of Major League Baseball, 11 teams in all, are DONE! with three months of baseball still remaining. I wonder what Bud Selig would say about all 11 teams residing in small markets. With the game's economics as they are, the climb facing small-market clubs has become increasingly more difficult, as the teams with more resources continue to dominate the standings. So much for all that talk about competitive balance. Now, in no particular order, let’s see who’s for real from the rest of the larger pack.

CONTENDERS OR PRETENDERS?

Tampa Bay Rays – Look no further for the #1 surprise in all of baseball. Somehow this perennial doormat has remained among the league's elite for the entire first half. Finally, a small-market team has joined the party! The Rays recently sent a message to the Red Sox down in Tampa by sweeping a three-game set but have since lost seven straight to relinquish first place in the AL East heading into the All-Star break. Assuming Tampa returns to first-half form, they look poised to give the Red Sox, Yankees and everyone else in the American League all they can handle in the second half. Verdict: Contender

Boston Red Sox – Trust me, the Sox have taken notice of Tampa’s blistering first half. However, after all the talk about the Rays, it’s Boston in sole possession of first place at the All-Star break. The Red Sox, to a man, while cognizant of Tampa, are probably more concerned with the looming presence of the Yankees, who they lead by six games. The anticipated return of David Ortiz from a wrist injury that has sidelined him since June 3rd will provide Boston with an additional boost to begin the second half treck. Verdict: Contender

San Francisco Giants – Even though the Giants are 12.5 games off of the wild card pace, they remain only seven back in the lousy NL West. For a team 15 games under .500, the lone thing keeping them from DONE! status is their proximity to first. Verdict: Pretender

Texas Ranger – The Rangers are a classic example of a team trying to slug their way to a pennant. They lead the majors in runs scored but also in runs allowed. Currently 7.5 games off the division lead and 8.5 off of the wild card, the Rangers are bordering on irrelevancy. The one thing necessary to make a late-season charge is pitching, and that’s the one thing Texas lacks. Verdict: Pretender

Minnesota Twins – Every year the Twins seem to defy logic and compete admirably on a modest budget. This off-season the defects were worse than normal, as Johan Santana and Torii Hunter both left town for exorbitant money from larger-market teams. This caused expectations to start low, but they are suddenly rising as the Twins are only 1.5 games out of first place in the AL Central. With the White Sox just ahead of them and the Tigers beginning to heat up below them, the Twins will be in a dogfight to the finish in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. Verdict: Contender

Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers started the NL Central arms race by trading for ace C.C. Sabathia – a move that was immediately countered by Chicago’s acquisition of Rich Harden. Now the Brewers have paired a Sheets-Sabathia one-two punch with one of the most potent offenses in the game. The Brewers trail the wild-card-leading Cardinals by the slightest of margins and are now one of the most complete teams in the National League. Verdict: Contender

Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies have lost 18 of 29 over the past month, allowing the Mets and Marlins to move within a hair of first place. We all know what this team can do when their bats get hot (see last September). The question for the Phils is whether they have enough pitching to maintain control of this three-team race and advance deep into October. Verdict: Contender

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels enjoy the largest division lead in the majors (6 games) going into the All-Star game. With only one player currently batting over .300, the Angels do all the little things necessary to win ball games. Expect LA to be in the mix for a bat at the trade deadline and easily cruise to the AL West crown. Verdict: Contender

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers have been an enigma all season. They came to camp with a team that, on paper, looked like the possible cream-of-the-crop in the National League. Yet things have failed to materialize in LA this season, as they limp into the break with a measly 46-49 record. The two things Dodger fans can count on is that they play in the lousy NL West and they have Joe Torre. Verdict: Contender

Detroit Tigers – If the New York Mets take the cake as the most under achieving team in the National League, then the same could be said about the Detroit Tigers in the American League. They quickly became everybody's sexy World Series pick this past off-season after trading for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Then, aside from a two-and-a-half week stretch where they played great, the rest of the season has been a disaster. This team remains a complete question mark, but they have shown the ability to get hot and simply have too much talent to disregard. Verdict: Contender

Florida Marlins – The Marlins have a formula for success, albeit a strange one. They like to win the World Series and then trade their entire roster for prospects. They've executed this strategy twice in recent years, winning & dumping in ’97 and ’03. The moves they made following the ’97 season led to their ’03 title, and the more you watch this young crop develop, it looks like the trades following the ’03 title could lead to another one in the near future. In the second half we’ll see if they can pull off this Houdini act ahead of schedule? Verdict: Contender

St Louis Cardinals – How are the Cardinals leading the wild card, you ask? Well…Albert Pujols is hitting .350; Rick Ankiel has 20 homeruns; Ryan Ludwick made the All-Star game; Troy Glaus is having a bounce-back year; and free-agent-acquisition Kyle Lohse is 10-2. People in St. Louis are wondering if this is an aberration or the foundation for another unexpected World Series run? Verdict: Contender

Oakland Athletics – The A’s are six games above .500 and within reach of both the division lead and the wild card. The problem: Now they need exactly what they recently traded – pitching! Cost-cutting decisions to trade Dan Haren, Rich Harden and Joe Blanton have left the cupboard bare. These move, made with the future in mind, will prove costly in the present. Verdict: Pretender.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Arizona fans should thank their lucky stars that they have Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, because with them lies hope. The pathetic thing about the NL Central is that the 47-48 Diamondbacks actually lead the division. The D-backs are offensively challenged, but the one-two punch at the top of their rotation should be enough to win this weak division. Verdict: Contender

Atlanta Braves – The big questions surrounding Atlanta these days are whether or not they should trade Mark Teixeira? And can Chipper Jones bat .400? Aside from that, it’s just a matter of time before they're officially declared DONE! Verdict: Pretender

Chicago White Sox – The White Sox compliment their sporadic hitting with some of the best pitching in baseball. So far it’s been enough. Ozzie Guillen once again has his finger on the pulse of this team, as evident by their first-place status at the turn. They might not be as good as their ’05 counterpart, but they probably have enough pitching to make the playoffs. Verdict: Contender

Chicago Cubs – The year was 1908. Theodore Roosevelt decided to pass on a third term, handing the Presidency over to William Howard Taft; and the Model T was the hottest thing on the road. It was also the last time the Cubs won the World Series. One hundred years later, they are celebrating their Centennial anniversary with the league's best record. Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden rival any one-two punch in baseball and their offense is explosive. How explosive? The Cubs are one of only two teams with over 500 runs, while leading the majors in run differential at +106. The Red Sox recently reversed the curse of the Bambino; is the curse of the Billy Goat next? Verdict: Contender

New York Yankees – The Bombers will be looking to take flight in the second half and close down Yankee Stadium with a bang. Injuries to major cogs such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui have hurt New York. A healthy second half should be all the talent-laden Yankees need to get back to the top of the wild card. Another half like they just experienced and they’ll be on the outside of the post season looking in for the first time since 1993. Verdict: Contender

New York Mets – Saving the best for last? Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but the Mets are the hottest team in baseball. They are currently in the midst of a ten-game winning streak that has salvaged what appeared to be a lost season. Everything Jerry Manuel touches turns to gold, as the Mets are starting to look more like the World Series contenders they were projected to be, and less like the below .500 team they were two weeks ago. Verdict: Contender

Nick G Sports Banter Playoff Predictions:

American League:

AL EAST – Boston Red Sox
AL CENTRAL – Chicago White Sox
AL WEST – Los Angeles Angels
AL WILDCARD – New York Yankees

National League:

NL EAST – New York Mets
NL CENTRAL – Chicago Cubs
NL WEST – Arizona Diamondbacks
NL WILDCARD – Milwaukee Brewers

Divisional Round:

Boston Red Sox over Chicago White Sox; Los Angeles Angels over New York Yankees

Chicago Cubs over Arizona Diamondbacks; New York Mets over Milwaukee Brewers

ALCS:

Boston Red Sox over Los Angeles Angels

NLCS:

Chicago Cubs over New York Mets

WORLD SERIES: Boston Red Sox over Chicago Cubs