Before we get to a busy week, I have to take a moment to address yet another senseless act of violence.  In Wisconsin, a man walked into a Sikh temple and opened fire on the congregants.  There were men, women and children there that were shot for, God knows what.  I can’t remember another time in my life here in America where I’ve been afraid to step outside of the house because the threat of senseless violence is around.  This is a time of fear and God only knows when this will end, I just pray for every single family affected by this.  Please don’t be afraid.  I dont know how one senseless killing begets others but the cycle never ends.

Moving on…

Plenty to get to here.  We will get to the week in Olympics and my hand picked moments that made me go whoa and perhaps you will agree.  We will also get to the week that was for the local ball teams including a very uneventful deadline for both teams.  We will get into an unbelievably emotional Curtis Martin Hall of Fame Speech.  We will also look at how one story made me begin to shift my thinking on a subject I brought up in last week’s column.  But first we continue our weekly look into camps from both teams.

Giants players to watch:

Defending Super Bowl champions can always expect to head into the following season with a few less familiar faces.  This season’s team will have to do battle without steady faces in the locker room like Mario Manningham, and Brandon Jacobs and several others that played pivotal roles.  But then again, the Giants have always been a team that has been self aware of what it needs to improve.  They needed more dynamic players on offense and so they drafted David Wilson and Ruben Randle with their first two picks.  Good teams understand that sometimes addressing a weakness is not as important as getting more talent on the roster and then allowing the coaches to figure out how to move those pieces around.  Jerry Reese has done a masterful job and so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Giants remain competitive.  So without further adieu, here is my second installment of my season preview as I look at three players poised for break out careers.  I tried to comb through the roster and find guys that I felt were ready to take that next step and looked through camp reports and here’s what I found:

1. Mark Herzlich

Chase Blackburn is the starter as of right now.  But he’s oft injured and so the guy set to take his spot should he fall to injury is Herzlich who was a standout MLB in BC before he was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma.  Three years after the initial diagnosis he has a promising career in football that he hopes continues without fail or relapse.  Most observers at camp have been impressed by the BC product and envision a LB core that could feature him in the future given Blackburn’s injury history.  This will be an important position battle, but if Herzlich has regained his former speed, watch out.

2. Kenny Phillips

The Safety said he wants to be all over the field this year and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell agrees and has designed defensive packages where Phillips will be playing the Ed Reed type trying to close up open spaces on the back end.  He has the range and quickness now its all about the mental part and it appears Fewell is happy to give him that responsibility.  Love the addition of Chris Horton and you will always have Antrell Rolle playing the nickel corner in packages but Phillips will be counted on to play a domineering role on a defense that will look to play as consistent as they did during the final six weeks.

3. Rookies to watch for:  Will Hill (DB), Marvin Austin (DT), Marcus Kuhn (DT)-

The final spot on this list had to be given to three players who I feel are not exactly due for big years but are set to play major roles and will get playing time.  Austin is a guy I’ve personally been talking about for a year.  He’s a beast who had some issues in NC that caused his stock to drop and well, you can say the same thing about Will Hill, the standout safety from Florida who had the Antonio Cromartie kind of fun fathering four kids with three different women.  He also had a record while at Florida and he understands that this is probably his last shot at reclaiming the sure-thing football career he had going.  He seems determined and focused and if so, the Giants may get a huge payout on a buy low pick up.  On the other hand Marcus Kuhn comes in with very little pub but will play for a spot on the rotation that now includes a very motivated Shaun Rogers who enters his 12th season.  The Giants have created an extensive list of defensive tackles able to clog up everything for the defensive ends to get to the QB which is how this defense will be successful.  Everything starts up front so that the guys on the ends can get to the QB faster and the guys on the back end won’t have to cover for too long.  Remember, Hill and Austin are blue chip athletes who, if they stick with the program, is like getting two first or second round picks back on defense which could be a huge boost.

JETS players to watch:

1. Antonio Cromartie

His best WR next to Santonio Holmes didn’t rub everyone the right way but there’s no doubt that he is an exceptional athlete.  He will be playing across from the best corner in the league so he will get the bulk of attention from receivers who will try to bait him into double moves which he was susceptible to.  But the major wrinkle he will provide will be to the offense where the Jets have reportedly installed a Cromartie package that allows the corner to play a little bit of receiver.  This is fertile ground for reporters to criticize if it fails but Tony Sparano sees this as an opportunity to utilize one of his best most athletic guys in different situations to take advantage of what the defense gives them.  Make no mistake, Brian Schottenheime would have never done this and goes to show you the major difference in philosophies.  Sparano is willing to try some things including appeasing Antonio’s ego and making him more involved in everything.  Maybe for their next trick they can get Santonio to play corner, that may be the one way that he’ll see enough balls thrown his way to make him happy.

2. Jeremy Kerley-

I’m big on this guy.  He has a solid foundation with Mark Sanchez and he was the go-to guy in several tight situations for Mark and that shows you the level of trust the QB has for the receiver.  He’s entering the second year and my hunch is that he will get a ton of underneath passes thrown his way and they will count on his athleticism for his YAC.  I’m predicting a huge spike in his numbers.  This is a make or break year for Sanchez, he will go to the guy that does what he asks of them and if Santonio and he aren’t on the same page, Kerley will be there to scoop up all the extra bits of their fragmented relationship and forge a stronger one with the QB.  Watch out for Kerley this year.  He could wind up a poor man’s Wes Welker.

3. Rookies to watch for: Stephen Hill (WR), Quinton Coples (DE), Antonio Allen (SS)

The first two are self explanatory.  Hill and Coples were drafted high because of obvious need on the roster.  The Jets have never relied on a true pass rushing fiend to line up and get them the sack totals.  They’ve done well with different all out blitzes which I’m sure Rex will continue to employ.  Of course, that type of blitzing will not beat New England thanks to a retooled offense they will have and the intelligence of Tom Brady who has played the Jets long enough to know when they are coming and where the weak area is to exploit it.  The Giants beat the Patriots because they can rush four and the Jets hope that last year’s performance by Aaron Maybin isn’t an anomaly, that it was his coming out party after a failed stint in Buffalo.  Pair him with the rookie and the Jets hope they have bookends ready to terrorize from a front that can put pressure on Brady without the all-out blitzing.  They had better hope that Coples is ready for the challenge.  Hill meanwhile comes in with major expectations.  I think Kerley is a solid number two but the production isn’t there to warrant anyone going out of their way to send praises his way.  Apart from Holmes, there isn’t a guy with a long resume to take the double team off Holmes and force the Jets to go elsewhere with the ball.  Hill could step in and be a monster with his long limbs able to go above guys.  He comes from the same school as Calvin Johnson, the Jets hope that it will rub off a little.  Meanwhile the Jets have a situation beginning on the back end.  Yeremiah Bell and Laron Landry have already declared themselves ready for Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.  We’ll believe them when we see it but the Jets will give Allen some tries there too.  His size and speed will fit naturally but it will be the mental part that he will have to get down for him to have more playing time.  Jim Leonhard’s absence was a problem that manifested itself late in the season when his leadership was missing in the defensive huddles and the Jets let some games slip away.  If they have no kind of help on the back end (Landry is recovering from leg surgery and Bell isn’t a speedster), teams like the Patriots will eat them alive.  Jets are hoping Allen comes through for them.

I will be off the next two Mondays but will return that week with a slew of season preview material to get people prepared for the season.

CURTIS MARTIN: Hall of fame Person

I’ve always felt like induction into any Hall of Fame is important for the person but the story of how they got there is where we can all tie everything together.  Sometimes a player has been so thoroughly researched and many books and documentaries have come out that we don’t need the walk down memory lane.  But sometimes we get a player who’s story may not be so familiar that we need him to re-tell or say it for the first time so that the fans can understand how greatness rises even from the toughest of circumstances.

It wasn’t easy listening to Curtis Martin’s Hall of Fame speech.  It wasn’t easy knowing that the guy inducting him wasn’t in yet, Bill Parcells.  It wasn’t easy for hard core football fans to hear a great one say that he didn’t have love for the game like they or the ones sitting up there with him or those inducted already have for the game.  It wasn’t easy to hear the stories of abuse that his father inflicted on his mother.  It wasn’t easy hearing the pain in Martin’s voice as he described the incident of a trigger of a gun being pulled 7 times only to not have any bullet come out until the 8th time, by which time the gun was pointed away from Martin’s head.  But it was powerful.  It was memorable.  It was amazing to hear the remarkable change.

Most players begin playing when they were young, Martin said he began playing in high school because his mom didn’t want him in the streets.  Martin talked about his fate had he not found football: sure death.  He talked about the coaches that helped him discover his massive potential.  He talked about his mentor Bill Parcells.  He spoke of his interest long term in doing things for under privelged people. Of his unshakeable faith in a God he didn’t claim to know until he made a vow to live up to his full potential while sitting in a church.  The amazing part of Martin’s speech wasn’t his journey, it was the transformative power his speech could have on young kids that may see no other way out.  That won’t work as hard.  That don’t see an option to get out from under tough circumstances.  Not everyone makes it out alive, but those who do, can become Curtis Martin’s.  Men who strive for bigger and better things.

Martin hopes to be an owner one day to bring the player’s view back.  His career is still being written and you can tell that he has a lot more passion in what he’s doing now as a Good-will ambassador than he did during his playing career which wasn’t too shabby.  Not to say passion automatically means you are great.  Martin had great talent, but his greatest talent was in his undeniable quench for more than just what his playing career offered.  In the beginning I felt that it was too much.  Too many old wounds opening up.  Martin came up there with no cards.  He read from the heart and you could tell that a lot of demons were being brought to light on what should have been a happy day for him and his family. But I suppose the hall of fame experience was a happy moment in one way: he was able to tell the story and to show that he had made it from all of that.  His story of survival is one to be remembered and as long as Martin follows his heart, he has proof that it will lead him to more glory.

Things I saw in the Olympics this week:

1. I saw an amazing performance by a confident Gabby Douglass and a ridiculous conversation that broke out about her hair.  It goes to show you that sometimes even the best is never enough for some people.  If you haven’t read this amazing story about sacrifice by a 14 year old Gabby Douglass, you have to.

2. I saw an amazing race by Usain Bolt, reaffirming prior reports that he is indeed the fastest man on the planet.  I just wish he didn’t make it look so easy.  His speed is effortless and flawless.

3. I saw a dominating performance by Serena Williams.  Actually I heard about it and I trust the people that are telling me that it was dominant, because, well, everyone said it.  Serena was at the top of her game and the top of her game means second place for everyone else.  It was so amazing that she did this in celebration.  We are going to plead temporary insanity as the defense considering her sister died from gang related activities.

4. The United States had a record breaking performance and put a scare in the nation by demolishing Nigeria by a record 83 points (yeah you read that right) and then escaping Lithuania by 5.  It was the kind of thing that had people frightened on both ends.  One to show the American’s ability to completely and utterly dominate and the ability of the States to play down to competition and allow for a sketchy performance to almost get out of hand yet still pull through.  The Americans still have the best player on the planet on their team and probably the best international player on the planet in Carmelo Anthony who maybe can set all the all-time records by playing in FIBA leagues for the remainder of his career.  Just look at this insane boxscore from the Nigeria game.

Also please stop the comparisons between this team and the 92 team, not because I’m a believer in the 92 team as the best and greatest of all time like people of my generation swear by, but because its impossible to know.  What I do know, is that it would be a hell of a lot closer than people think.

5. Oh and Michael Phelps reasserted his claim to the fastest in the Ocean.  I think Ryan Lochte understood a very important and age old lesson: everyone wants to be king, but not many can handle the weight of the crown.

I’m Re-thinking that….

I’ve stated my case about the NBA appealing to FIBA to look into changing its rule on who is eligible to represent their country in the Olympics.  Stern wants a 23 and under rule to keep things fresh (newer players every four years) and protect the established stars in the NBA from injury, jeopardizing the quality of the NBA season.  They are all valid reasons and I stated that perhaps 23 is too young and that we should give players atleast two attempts at representing their country and so to raise the age cut off at 25.  Ken Berger of CBS Sports wrote an excellent article looking into business reasons why Stern would threaten this change.   Stern wants FIBA to accept a world tournament similar to the Olympics which would feature these older players all in the name of the almighty dollar.  Berger writes that these enterprises, including putting sponsor tags on jerseys are all attempts by Stern and ownership (mainly ownership) to squeeze a few more dollars out of that ripe fruit that is international basketball.  Stern believes he can create this model while keeping the Olympics competitive.  Of course, Adrian Woj of Yahoo Sports writes about Manu Ginobli and his band of brothers who a decade ago came to the FIBA title game and proved to America that their long held dominance over the sport was over.  That the international community had long caught up and all those tapes of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had worked.  The US were the team in shambles unable to get out of its way.  Woj writes that this rule would threaten that bond.  It would restrict the ability of GM’s to uncover talents like Ginobli who competed as a mid 20 year old on those Olympic teams for Argentina.  Yes, teams employ international scouts but the major question mark scouts have on them is their inability to know whether the talent translates against American players who play a different, far more physical game.

Part of this article swayed me but also the glow of Olympic athletes able to represent their country swayed me.  The honor to do so is so immense that I can barely understand how important it is for some.    I have a new found respect for this rule and this would ultimately destroy the international community’s ability to win Olympic medals.  It was professionals that beat them in 88 that forced the US to bring out the heavy hitters in 92.  These professionals woke up USA basketball from the doldrums it was in and it was these same professionals who slapped the US back into some form of sense in 2006 when this particular team was put together.  Now, in 2012, it is clear: professionals are needed from all parts of the world.  I think the FIBA idea will be accepted and a tournament, which would pay players but more than that pay the owners a large fee for sending their properties to play in this tournament, will come to pass in the next 2 years.  Here’s to hoping that it will make the sport better, but as for the under 23 rule, I think i’m switching allegiances and going with the pro idea.

Trade Deadline: Much ado about nothing

For the complete list of details on this year’s July 31’st deadline here it is.  The Yankees traded for Ichiro and got Casey McGhee thanks to a Mark Texieira scare and also Alex Rodriguez’ injury.  Of course the Mets stood pat and they got a lot of negative pub from the fan base for it, but everyone must be reminded that the August waiver wire is as crucial to the process as the July deadline.  Remember, teams put up all their terrible contracts and guys they don’t mind losing for whatever reason on waivers in hopes that some team will offer to take control of the contract or the player in exchange for whatever they can get.  This exclusive window of negotiation allows the two teams to get straight to business.  One team showing interest, the other team looking to salary dump.  The Dodgers made a claim on Cliff Lee and everyone jumped to conclusions that Philly hates the Lee contract when in reality it is not unusual for teams like the Phillies to put Lee on the block.  Sorry to disappoint the fans but this was business as usual.

Interesting move that could back fire quickly: the Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster at the closing whistle of the trade deadline bell and he may wind up being a big fat zero for them.  In his first outing he pitched poorly against the Angels and he quickly realized that in the AL there is no 8 and 9 hitters that will give the pitcher a free pass to get outs.  I’m not saying Dempster is getting a free pass, I’m just saying that he’s gonna suck it up in Texas.

Lost move of the week: The Red Sox continue their oddball season by trading for Craig Breslow- a middle innings reliever for Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik.  Is that a need for a team that desires starting pitching?  I mean.  What are they doing exactly up in Boston?  Does anyone have any clue?

Moves that made sense in the long term: love the Philly dump on salary.  They are not going into rebuilding mode.  They are looking to shed salary to go right back into competitive baseball.  Never mind that their core is getting older and regressing.  That’s ok.  They will have salary space to get younger and they hope that the returns on both Victorino and Pence will net them better prospects in hopes that one day they can acquire a 29-32 year old starting pitcher in his prime for the chance to go to the World Series and lose to the Yankees.

 Closing thoughts:

1. Loving Breaking Bad.  Haven’t seen the latest episode and as I head to my vacation I’m hoping that somehow I don’t miss anything though coming home to some brand new Breaking Bad would be a nice way to come back to.

2. In case you were wondering and I’m sure some of you were, Spike Lee is still and will always bleed Blue and Orange

3. Gary Meyers among many wrote a nice piece on the Curtis Martin Hall of Fame speech.  I request those of you who can, to go to Youtube and check it out and try not to be amazed.

4. Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes an interesting piece about Curt Schilling’s complex relationship with the Fenway faithful and Boston at large.

5.  I’ve always had a fascination with the man belovedly known as Chooch in Philadelphia and Jorge Arangure Jr writes a very nice bio of him.

6. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports can’t figure out why no one wants to make a claim for Cliff Lee.

7. Awesome bio on another Olympic athlete, this time Judo competitor Kayla Harrison who went from sexually abused to olympic athlete.

8. Doc Rivers takes the blame for Ray Allen’s departure and says Rondo wasn’t dissing Ray Allen but only following orders.  Hmmmm.

9. Here’s a daily double for Met fans, one about the rookie pitcher’s Pitching Bible and the other about the guy who saved R. A. Dickey’s life.

10 These guys are must follows on twitter: David Shoemaker, and Dan Devine.  Awesome link by Shoemaker here: dare you not to laugh

 

Enjoy Folks