So after a month vacation, apologies if I go on a posting rampage.  Its therapeutic, what can I say.

I start off with an evaluation of the Giants game.  I’m going to attempt to be an analyst and try to get all fancy with you but not over do it with the terminology so you’re sleeping through it.  I’ll break down a play that hurt the team and a play that helped the team and explain the philosophy behind both.  I’ll go through however many points I need to make and I’ll hand out the game ball to a specific player at the end of each post.  This is to the MVP of the game and the player or coach who played the most important role in helping the team win and for losses, I will hand out an additional award for LMVP for the player that played the biggest role in losing the game.

STORYLINES

1. ELI EFFING MANNING- Feel fortunate.  After years of being an understudy to his brother and being laughed at because of his “poor body language”, Eli Manning has in the span of the last 13 months done everything to change the discussion and all it took was a member of the media to ask him whether he thought he was an elite quarterback.  In Sunday’s game we saw a microcosm of Eli Manning’s entire career.  A horrific first half filled with mental mistakes and poor throws.  Then the second half came and you saw hero Manning, as I so FOB-ishly call him.  I can’t explain it for those who haven’t seen it.  He makes better reads.  He makes better throws.  He makes better decisions.  He just becomes better and at this point, its become a habit that when the game enters the fourth quarter and if the game is late, and the Giants have the ball, Eli Manning will drive the Giants deep into enemy territory.

Could I have envisioned this 9 years ago when the Giants first threw him out on the field?  No.  But his lineage was one that made you hope.  And 9 years later and two Super Bowl rings later nobody can dispute this fact: Eli Manning is one of the best QB’s in the National Football League.  Its no longer up for discussion just like it isn’t worth debating whether he’s elite or not.  I thought it was stupid last year because elite is a fluid term.  When you say elite do you mean solely based on statistics?  Is his eliteness based on his ability in the clutch?  How do you define clutch?  Whether he brings his team back? Whether he makes a game clinching throw?  Is his 4th quarter QBR enough to prove his ability?  There are so many questions and nobody can give me one reason why.  The fact remains that Sunday’s performance is yet another reminder that Eli is in a planet all his own.

2. Dirty or not dirty? That’s what everyone is wondering after the final play of the Bucs/Giants game caused Eli Manning to give a look of contempt at the Rutgers…umm, Buccaneer sideline and Tom Coughlin to get Tom Coughlin on head coach Greg Schiano.  Schiano after the game, stuck to his guns that he didn’t feel it was dirty because he preaches to his team about playing till the final whistle.  Which is sound logic….except to those who abide by those “unwritten rules” that exist in sports.

Coughlin after the game felt it was a cheap shot and said there was no place in the game for plays like that.  I have a tough time reconciling between legitimizing unwritten rules by continuing to follow them and opposing sound logic.  It makes sense what Schiano said in light of what actually landed him the job.  Raheem Morris was fired because the team quit on him.  He allowed a very loose culture that festered and eventually ruined what was a surprise team in 2010.  That kind of culture needed to be uprooted by a coach who was willing to rebuild the team the old fashioned way and Greg Schiano has experience in that particular field.  He took a program in Rutgers and turned it into a program of semi-national prominence.  They have graduated several prominent NFL players like SF tackle, Anthony Davis, and Baltimore Ravens RB, Ray Rice.   So excuse Schiano if he’s going to have his players play soft on even ONE play, in what was a one score game.

That’s the logic that Schiano is bringing.  I’m not saying I agree with it, I’m just saying its what Schiano believes in his heart and nothing Coughlin will say or other coaches will say will convince him otherwise because THAT’s the message he needs to preach to his squad.

In my opinion, there are just some things you don’t do.  As a team, with 5 seconds left, you have to realize that the game is over.  While Schiano has some merit in what he says, the fact is, when there are moments where you can protect fellow players you must do so and while Roger Goodell or the NFL may not fine Schiano, don’t be surprised if he gets a call advising him NOT to run that play again.

3. The Giants secondary is bad…..because the defensive line is getting ZERO pressure.  Everyone wants to beat up on the secondary accusing them of poor play but the fact remains that when the defensive line gets pressure, the secondary takes more chances and turnovers go up.  That’s the scheme Perry Fewell runs and its dependent on the vaunted Giants defensive line getting pressure on the quarterback which they have done far too little over the first two games of the season.  In the first game, the Giants got 2 sacks, which Demarcus Ware totaled by himself.  JPP, Tuck and Osi had none of them.  In this game they totaled another 2 sacks.  This was the first game a defensive end tallied a sack which should be embarrassing for a defensive line that gets so much publicity.  Justin Tuck talked about how embarrassed he was by the overall play of the defense after game 1.  The defense did a decent job in the second half allowing a grand total of 10 points after scoring 24 in the first half (21 as a result of 3 turnovers).  The defense showed up last week to play, but the offense gave them too many short fields to start off with and they weren’t a deterrent to the Buccaneer offense which found the end zone every time Eli threw a pick.

The fact is, if the secondary is going to look good I would pay attention to how the defensive line is doing and how it is pressuring the QB into hurrying throws and going to their check downs.  The Giants did a much better job of tackling, not counting that one play where Eric Wright looked like he ran by every single Giant before reaching the end zone.

4. The Giants may have found another RB.  What can Brown do for the Super Bowl Champs?  Prior to Sunday’s game, Andre Brown had -1 yards in his career.  71 yards on 13 carries, an Ahmad Bradshaw neck injury, a short week thanks to a Thursday game, and David Wilson’s overall ineffectiveness later, Brown may get his first career start as an NFL player.  Brown ran with purpose and followed his blocks all the way and showed burst and an ability to cut very quickly.  Brown will be critically important in this offense because without the viable threat of a running game teams can drop back into coverage.  Which brings me back to the disappointment that Wilson has been.  Once again, he dropped a perfectly thrown pass and can’t seem to do much right beyond fielding kick offs.  But even that responsibility will be in jeopardy on the first fumble.

Brown is taking advantage of the situation he’s in.  You can make the argument that if Brown doesn’t present himself as a threat during the game when he enters, Eli may not have the open windows on the outside to throw and rack up the yardage he did.  He will most certainly be the prominent back in Thursday’s game and has a chance at cementing himself in that number two spot once Bradshaw returns from injury, whenever that is.  Thursday is a HUGE game.

5. Injuries, Injuries, and Injuries- Ahmad Bradshaw, David Diehl and Domenik Hixon all suffered injuries.  The latter two may have suffered the worst.  Bradshaw’s injury seemed more like a neck stinger and he was removed from the game for protective reasons, while Diehl may have done something to his MCL which, at best, would not require surgery and would have him out for at least a month and at worse, well, you know.  Diehl’s injury is important because that offensive line seems to suffer one key injury after another and Diehl is usually the one that replaces that person on the line.  He has played every single position on that line except center.  The Giants had better hope that it isn’t serious enough to jeopardize his availability for the rest of the season.  His kind of flexibility isn’t easily replaced.

You have to especially feel bad for Hixon.  He suffered a concussion and while he’s most likely out for Thursday’s game, he always seems to have his season cut short by some freak injury.  The last two years of his career were robbed due to knee injuries and this year’s started off with a concussion.  Some players earn the injury prone label and its safe to say that at this point Hixon needs a big yellow sticker plastered over his jersey saying “fragile”.  The silver lining in Hixon’s injury is that last year when Hixon went down a struggling WR, who had lost what seemed like his one shot at stardom, got another shot and he became Victor Cruuuuuuuuuzzz.  Perhaps Ramses Barden breaks out this year?  Maybe David Wilson follows script and realizes his potential after a dreadful set of games.

PLAYS THAT MATTER-

:23 left in the first half- The Giants are driving.  Eli has a 4 WR set, with three bunched to his left.  Eli visibly audibles to Cruz to recognize the blitz that’s coming from CB Eric Wright.  Wright recognized the blitz pick up and stopped after taking just a few steps realizing he wouldn’t be able to make it to Manning in time to make a play.  Eli threw it in Cruz’ direction and Wright picked it off by leaping.  What followed was some of the worst tackling EVER by the Giants who thought, at one point, that Wright would give up and just slide, but he didn’t and wisely kept going.  The play resulted in a pick six and a complete drive buster and sent the Giants into the locker room down 11 and to a chorus of boos.

Now, to take a look at a play that resulted in positive play for the Giants:

6:59 left in the 4th- trailing 27-19, the Bucs called timeout prior to the play so they could put Eric Wright back in the game.  They sent Wright on a blitz and Ronde Barber was set to pick up Cruz who was running a Go pattern (straight up the field).  Barber guessed that Cruz, who was lined up in the slot would cut inside to pick up the first down.  He tried to undercut the route but Cruz kept going upfield.  By then Manning had picked up on it, Cruz had separation, he sidestepped a rusher and threw it up and hit Cruz perfectly in stride before the safety could come from the opposite side.  Cruz was off to the races and scored and a 2 point conversion later, the game was tied.

Notes-

– I had to find a place to talk about the job the receivers did on Sunday.  Both receivers had their own special games.  Hakeem Nicks was just a flat out monster and I’m sure that game tape will be burned by Aqib Talib who prides himself a very good cover corner.  Nicks was held on virtually every single play, nursing a broken foot and he still managed to go off for 10 catches and 199 yards.

Cruz on the other hand had to endure a week and a half of torture.  After 3 drops, the weight of a very visible offseason in which his autobiography was released and became a NY Times best seller, and he did a whole bunch of commercials, many questioned his dedication to his craft.  Cruz responded in a major way by catching everything thrown his way and looking every bit the superstar receiver he was last year.  His 11 catches were impressive and the kind of performance the Giants can only DREAM.  Not to simplify things, but if Nicks and Cruz play like this every week I find it hard for the Giants to NOT, at the very least, make it to the playoffs.

– The Nicks on Talib match up was a coaching lesson that I’m sure Schiano will remember.  In game adjustments are critical and Schiano refused to adjust their defense and left Talib on an island with Nicks who constantly took him to school on virtually every play.  Sure, the defense was geared up for Cruz and had to put guys on Martellus Bennet, Schiano didn’t put a safety over the top.

In contrast, the Giants were getting burned constantly with the Vincent Jackson match up and they decided to put a safety over the top on every play and always had two guys everywhere.  That was an in game adjustment that won them the game.  After his big first half, Vincent Jackson was silent for the rest of the game.

– Troy Aikman said it best: Martellus Bennet will be given the opportunity to succeed.  Give Eli credit, he throws it to the open man regardless of stature or name.  Bennet is a large man and very difficult to miss.  The Giants took a flier on him because of his physical stature, despite an ability to be immature at times and not be focused.  The Giants know what they have in him, and would love to see him fulfill some of that promise that the Cowboys saw in him when they originally drafted him.  Dropping two sure fire touchdowns won’t endear yourself to your new QB, but the Giants continually went to the well because they have really no other option at TE and its clear that in this offense, a pass catching TE is vital to open up the outsides for the other receivers.  Something tells me that his ability to check out mentally on plays will come back to haunt the Giants.  One thing is for clear, there are plenty more big plays on the horizon for him as well thanks to his raw natural ability.

– The Monday Night game was probably officiating at its worst but this game had its fair share of shady calls that, like Matthias Kiwanuka said, endanger the integrity of the game.  Vincent Jackson took a very hard hit by Kenny Phillips which SHOULD have drawn a flag for hit on a defenseless receiver.  It was such a blatantly easy call to make that it makes you wonder what the refs were thinking.  On the very first offensive play for the Giants, the Bucs Mark Barron, their number one  draft pick, slammed Andre Brown about five yards out of bounds. Another blatant call that they didn’t make.  It may have been a make up call by the refs for the one they didn’t call on Kenny Phillips but it goes without saying that for a league that cares so much about player safety, Roger Goodell had to be shaking his head on two non-calls that very well could have resulted in injuries to players.

I don’t know when the real refs (seems odd to call them real as if the replacements are figments of our imagination or worse yet, holograms) will get back on the field but it seems like the NFL is not willing to listen to them.  Steve Young made a very interesting and correct point, until it affects the fan interest in the game the NFL won’t feel a sense of obligation to get this resolved for the sake of its players.  The replacement refs get zero respect from the players on the field and worse yet, have done nothing to earn a good reputation.  Games often times are going 3 and a half to four hours in length because refs take extra time sorting out plays and hoping they are making the right calls.  While the regular refs make mistakes of their own the scope is being drawn into these replacement refs in hopes it pressures Roger Goodell to go back to the bargaining table.

The league wants you to believe that they want to keep players safe but in this very small way they are continuing a trend that made me write almost a year ago that player safety was not a goal of theirs out of a sense of obligation or because of some study that came about that linked early death to brain trauma suffered while playing professional football.  No.  That need to drive home the point of player safety was to give them an out in the court cases that the NFL will have to go through over the next few years from former players who have all come out blaming the NFL for never caring for their health and worse acting negligent.  And what does it matter?  Fans love the violence of the game and the more physicality and rough stuff the better.  The fans love the carnal stuff of seeing players fight and bodies being beaten up.  It will go from game to side show and who knows what.  That will truly effect the integrity of the game but NOT its general fan interest.  Fans will still come and fans will still pay but the fact is, for the most part they won’t care.  And if the paying customer doesn’t care, the NFL asks you the concerned party, why should they?

– By the way, any time you beat a Barber twin, its always nice.  Suck it Ronde!

GAME BALL

When you score 41 points and give up 34, the offense probably deserves this but I can’t give the ball to the entire offense.  I can’t ignore the first half Eli had when he threw 3 interceptions despite winding up with 510 yards and leading a furious 4th quarter comeback.  Andre Brown had a breakout game but nothing to write home about.  I had a hard time picking just one player because I felt both receivers deserved it.  But in the end, despite playing with a heavy heart with the passing of his abuela, and having a lot to prove after a week and a half of hearing how he was too distracted during the offseason, I’m not giving the game ball to Victor Cruz. Number one receivers are so hard to find and despite everyone talking about Victor Cruz its clear that Hakeem Nicks is that guy.  I still remember draft day hoping the Giants would pick Kenny Britt over him but time has bore that decision out to be the right one.  Nicks abused Aqib Talib constantly and when he didn’t catch it, replays showed that he was being held/molested throughout his route.  This game crystallized in my mind what the Giants saw in Nicks when they drafted him.  He fights for the ball.  He runs precise routes.  Physically, he’s gifted with those ginormous hands of his and he catches everything thrown his way.  Seeing that performance makes you realize why he’s such an important part of this team.  The Game ball goes to Hakeem Nicks on his 10 catch 199 yard day.

 

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

Training camps are officially open and it begins an endless array of new storylines that are set to dominate the airwaves.  As NFL Network begins its utter domination of my television viewing, today’s Monday Morning wrap up also deals with some baseball tidbits including the Yankee haul of Ichiro and possible other moves the Yankees may make.  The Mets week, more precisely Matt Harvey’s debut.    Some Penn State as the decision was handed down and what I think will happen with the program and the long lasting effects it has on the NCAA and other major programs.

But of course we begin with the NFL….

TRAINING CAMPS ARE OPEN

And that means endless speculation abound over our two local teams: the Jets and the Giants.  This week, I wanted to focus on the five major questions heading into training camp including some position battles that don’t have the name Tebow in it, but yes I will get into him too.  First, we start off with the World champion New York Giants, I think they’ve earned it:

1. Can the Giants repeat?

That’s the question the Giants will have to answer as training camps open.  Usually teams who win either come out super focused and some come out lackadaisical and before they know it they are out of the playoff picture.  The Giants luckily are getting absolutely zero respect from the analysts who deem their Super Bowl title run the result of “all things clicking at the right time” phenomenon.  Kind of like the big bang theory- you know a random cosmic event that eventually created a beautifully precise thing.   But you couldn’t draw it up any better for them.  Last year’s Packers team won and all anyone could do was talk about an impending dynasty.  Even this year’s Eagles team is talking dynasty without even winning a championship.  But the Giants have something working for them: motivation.  This year’s mantra may not be finish but I’m sure Tom Coughlin will have enough ammunition to provide his World Championship ball club to get them focused for another season.  Everyone is over the Giants winning their second Super Bowl in 5 seasons, now comes the hard part: their attempt at repeating.  The last time a World title champion repeated was the 2004-2005 Patriots.  The last time a Super Bowl loser made it to the title game the next year?  You have to go back to the 1993-1994 Buffalo Bills.  History says that its a tougher road for the losers to get back, but anyone check the odds for title favorites and see where the Patriots are and where the Giants are?

2. Who will take over Hakeem Nicks spot if there are complications with his return?

Nicks is apparently on schedule but beware the dreaded “best shape in my life” line.  Nicks hasn’t mentioned it, but there have been reports that his comeback is making progress and is right on schedule at the moment but of course that can change at any minute.  Whatever the case may be, Nicks slot as the number one may automatically go to Victor Cruz who is sure to draw more double teams regardless of Nicks’ presence anyway.  We all know Cruz plays his best in the slot but in the interim he may have to play a bit of number one which leaves the second position open.  Jernel Jerrigan has been making strides, while Domenik Hixon just hopes he doesn’t tear another ACL in the process.  The reciever that has me most intrigued is Ruben Randle.  Randle has good size and played in a very bad system that may have masked his skill set.  He never had as good a QB as he will get in the pros in Eli Manning and some teams may have missed the boat on this kid but from reports it seems as though he’s keeping everyone open to the possibility that even upon Nicks return that he has the leg up on the third receiver position.

3. What does Eli Manning do for an encore?

Do you want more?  That’s the question that begs Eli this morning.  He won his second super bowl, backed up his preseason talk about being included in the discussion of elite quarterbacks and woke up on the first day of the offseason with questions about his big brother.  Now that THAT is out of the way and the admiration of his big bro will undoubtedly keep Eli under the shroud of mystery and “Peyton’s younger brother” status for another season, Eli goes into his 9th season with very little to prove.  Of course that 31’st best player in the NFL Network’s Top 100 (the list he wasn’t even mentioned in last year) will undoubtedly quietly get some kind of play in Eli’s mind.  Greg Cosell, a respected scout and mind on football X’s and O’s broke down his marked improvement in several key areas in this post he did this past year, and if he continues on this path it remains to be seen where Eli can go from last season’s breakout year.  Its clear that Eli will be counted on again to lead his team every Sunday and Eli is clearly up to the task.  This time hopefully every year and not every presidential election year.

4. Speaking of encores, what say you Victor Cruz?

Everywhere you looked Victor Cruz seemed to be there.  Basking in the glow of a breakout season and winning a Super Bowl to boot, its going to be tough for Cruz to top it.  But one major thing I saw out of Cruz that has me excited is, he never let the fame get to his head. He never demanded a new contract, like most guys seem to do when they win a championship and they play the kind of role that he did. He is willing to play this year out and then get paid next offseason when he will be a restricted free agent: ask Osi how that can sometimes turn out.  Honestly I’ve only heard good things about his work ethic and none of his teammates are affected by the attention he gets because of his electric play.  If everything comes back to average, some of those acrobatic catches he made may not be there next year but its clear that his skill set is for real.  Let’s see how it goes for the phenom.

5. What will the Giants do with the no respect angle?

There are certainly plenty other storylines to ponder as camp opens but in the broadest sense this is the one question that I seem to be struggling with.  When the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2008 against the Patriots the Giants ran through the first 13 weeks and piled on an 11-1 record.  Then the Plax shooting happened and with it, went the Giants chances at repeating.  They lost to an inferior Philly team because they didn’t seem to have any fight or juice left.  This year’s team seems to be different as I can’t see a major problem child on the roster but of course there will be plenty of things that can go wrong during the season.  This year’s NFC East seems to be as competitive as ever.  The Cowboys got better in the secondary.  The Eagles got better on defense.  And the Redskins got better by adding RGIII or Bob Griffin as Osi would say.  It doesn’t seem like the Giants made any earth shattering roster add-ons.  Of course they have a ton of talent returning from IR: including Hixon, Marvin Austin (last year’s rookie selection and who I think will be a beast in the pros), and of course their draft picks (David Wilson- the fastest runner Eli has ever seen in Giants camp), and their free agent pick ups (hello Martellus Bennet, Keith Rivers (yes he came via trade I know)).  In Reese we trust right?

Next week, I will look at my breakout candidate for the Giants and of course see which rookie will burst on to the scene.

For the Jets:

1. What will Mark Sanchez’ development look like under Tony Sparano?

For all the love that Eli Manning gets, let’s remember one thing: he has played under one offensive coordinator and one system for his entire professional career.  Credit the Giants management for knowing that changing systems every year for a franchise QB is not healthy and won’t improve the QB automatically as a result of a change.  Sanchez got the Jets to two AFC Championship games in his first two seasons, and the first year that he didn’t even make the playoffs the Jets decided that Brian Schottenheimer was the problem and he was jettisoned.  In comes Tony Sparano the former Miami Dolphin coach who will surely run the football more and will bring the Wildcat formation with him.  But what will these new wrinkles do to Mark Sanchez’ eventual growth as a QB?  We won’t know that answer till later on in the year but it will be fun to guess and see where he goes from a wildly inconsistent year.  Here’s on dramatically wild comparison: Eli threw 2o interceptions in 2010 and came back to have the year he had last year.  Sanchez threw 18 interceptions, yet still had statistically his best year to date because of a pronounced emphasis on the passing game.  We’ll see if his numbers trend forward or backward.  Remember folks, Eli won his title in his 4th year, guess which year Sanchez is going into?

2. Is Darelle Revis really playing good citizen or this all a ploy?

My bet is on the former although I can be wrong.  There were rumblings that Revis could have held out but he showed up to camp and made no fuss about a new contract and even when he sat out Saturday’s practices with a tight hamstring (usual stuff for summer camp), most in the press saw this as a form of a hold out from Revis’ camp.  I don’t think it was, ENTIRELY.  I’m sure Revis’ people are telling him to not participate if he isn’t a 100% healthy which would be wise because a big year can set up for a dramatic hold up of camp like he did two seasons ago.  Revis is important to the Jets but if he’s going to be playing with bubble wrap on him all year it may be wise to close this situation quickly by offering him a new deal or sitting down with his camp to go over stuff.  We’ll see how the rest of training camp plays out but I’m sure this question will be figured out prominently as training camp continues.

3. How different will Tony Sparano’s system be than Schottenheimer’s?

Many accused Schottenheimer with going away from what worked in the Jets offense: their running game by focusing on the passing game.  Of course most didn’t realize that it was a natural change due to Mark Sanchez needing those extra reps and throws and plays to further his growth.  In his fourth year, Sanchez now has a new system under Tony Sparano who tried very hard to implement it in Miami.  One thing that I do like about Sparano: he isn’t afraid to try new things which is what the Wildcat was.  He experimented with the system and it eventually became a trend that ultimately gave you know who his run in the pros.  That quality more than anything has to be a bright spot for Jet fans.  Schottenheimer’s biggest flaw was as a game time play caller.  He rarely made adjustments and stuck to whatever plan he had.  Now, say what you will about that but in game adjustments are a fact in football that must be made and that just wasn’t done last year.  The hope among Jet fans are that Sparano will do a better job in that department alone.  Word has leaked that an Antonio Cromartie package has been introduced making him a receiver on those plays.  The unexpected is expected with Coach Sparano.

4. How is Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes’ relationship?

Tone attended Sanchez’ Jets West training camp this season but he’s been vocally critical over you know who’s arrival and also what the Jets do offensively.  Look, I think we all know that the things Santonio Holmes is saying isn’t wildly out of left field but it shows an immaturity that he does it in the press.  It also tells you something that the Steelers gave up on him even after he made one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history.  This is a Super Bowl MVP we’re talking about here and yes he’s one of the few on this roster that has a title to his name but the fact remains he can’t do that and it will be interesting to see how close and tight knit this group will be heading into next year.  I still think they should have brought back Braylon Edwards as it seemed that they all had a good relationship but it remains to be seen how Tone handles being the big wig in the receiving group.  He will still be vocal but let’s see if he’s vocal in the locker room or if he’s vocal in the media room.

5. Are the Jets good enough to take down the Patriots?

In rivalry games/divisional games I would never count out the opponent but let’s face it, the Jets are nowhere near the Patriots level.  They don’t have the QB nor the skill players the Pats do and the coaching is still decisively in Belichiek’s favor.  To add on to that, have you seen the Pats schedule?  They can easily go 12-4.  Are the Jets going to be better than 12-4?  I highly doubt that, but those two games will be tight for sure and played with a level of drama that surely will warrant prime time scheduling.

Next week I look at a player ready for his breakout season and a rookie to keep an eye on.

The Kid and the Phenom

I’m combining the Yankees and Mets post and I begin with the Yankees who had a very un-Yankee like week.  They finished 3-3 thanks to losing 2 out of three to Boston while winning their two out of three in Seattle which is where I begin.  Anyone who saw the Ichiro trade coming is a damn liar but there were rumblings on Sunday that a potential trade was in the works for a player NOT on the trade block radar.  When Ichiro was traded it sent shockwaves through the industry but more out of the surprise on people’s faces that the Mariners would trade Ichiro and that the Yankees would willingly participate in another Mariner trade.  Ichiro’s star was fading in Seattle as many veterans, like Jay Buhner thought an Ichiro extension would physically make him ill.  Ichiro was brought in by Mariner management who reside in Japan because of their love for the Japanese star and are strident supporters of Ichiro but reports are that he was a diva in Seattle and he had wore out his welcome in the clubhouse.  It may have not been a popular move in the fan base but removing a cancer like Ichiro can do wonders and it remains to be seen how this goes over in the future.  The Mariners are staring down the barrel of another losing season and there will be questions about the potential of this organization to rebound now that its most marketable star is now wearing a different uniform.  Who else but King Felix has that kind of gravitas now?  But the Mariners did a good thing in dealing Ichiro given the situation brewing and a good job by the Yankees to poach a team looking to get rid of such a headache.  Organizations as fundamentally sound as the Yankees can handle the likes of Ichiro and Brian Cashman made sure of it by assuring Ichiro that NOTHING was guaranteed to him.  Not the lead off position (no diva can replace Derek Jeter in Yankee-land), not any kind of clubhouse favoritism.  Joe Girardi has built a very tight group and will not allow any player of any ilk to come in and ruin that good vibe.  The Yankee aura is greater than any player thanks to 27 championships.  If Ichiro is serious about playing for a contender in his final few years (he’s only contractually obligated to the Yankees this year) it would be prudent for him to play solid baseball for the next 3 months and keep his mouth shut and show no signs of the diva he was in Seattle.  I think its a good trade for both clubs.  Ichiro will hit 8th for the majority and he’s only asked to replace Brett Gardner’s output which shouldn’t be hard offensively or defensively for Ichiro who is an upgrade over most of the guys the Yankees throw out there and now they have an automatic replacement for a leadoff hitter for  Jeter should they decide to rest the Captain.  It will be interesting to see Ichiro in action on a more daily basis now that he’s escaped the relative obscurity of the Pacific Northwest and into the bright lights of the AL East and into the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry.

Meanwhile in Mets land, they finished 2-5 as they began their west coast trip by splitting with the Arizona Diamondbacks behind a huge series by Ike Davis.  Davis’ 3 homeruns on Saturday was on the backdrop of a dramatic night for him and his childhood friends who were doing an event for a friend, Mike Lio who died of cancer.  But he wasn’t even the biggest story of the week: as the Mets continued their slide, (remember that series against the Nats I said that they had to sweep in order to stay in it- well they got swept so…), they got a brief respite from it all thanks to Matt Harvey’s debut.  What a debut it was.  Eleven strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work with three walks.  It was the perfect situation to bring Harvey up and as a Met fan I’m proud of the job organizationally they did in ensuring that everything happened the way it did.  They opened up on the west coast away from the bright lights and attention that New York would’ve served up.  They set him up against a young team that he could potentially dominate and against an opponent that the Mets don’t see regularly.  It was under the roof of a dome so weather wasn’t a factor.   They brought up his regular catcher, Rob Johnson, to catch his first big league game and that helped obviously.  All in all, it was a very proud moment personally for a fan of this team who has seen so many bungled situations these last few years to last a lifetime.  I know everyone was anxious to see the kid brought up, me among those, but I’m glad they did when they did because to see him pitch like that, throwing high 90’s missing bats and making batters take check swings that made them look like they had no clue where they were and what they were doing, it was probably the best in terms of situations that could’ve happened for the Mets.  Now, comes the next step in the evolution.  Teams have a little bit of tape on him and naturally hitters will adjust but its clear that Harvey has swing and miss stuff.  His adrenaline was high and he went into some deep hitter counts but that lack of control was more due to him being amped up for his first major league game.  He goes up against a pretty good Giants team that is in a little bit of a slide and has a few good hitters in their line up that could cause him problems.  It will be interesting to see how he handles a bit of adversity- if it comes to him.  Scouts thought that this was the best first start by a rookie since Stephen Strasburg.  He also roped two hits becoming the first pitcher since 1900 to go 2 for 2 and strike out more than 10 hitters.  Not bad at all.

QUICK HITS-

• The Penn State scandal has long term effects.  Some are measuring between 8-10 years.  However long it takes, make that double to remove the stigma attached to it.  SMU, another program that got the dreaded “death penalty” hasn’t recovered still and we’re now almost 20 years since that time.  Lucky for Penn State that their team has some kind of history attached to it which allows it to maintain some sort of status and two other weird things happened this week.  Recruits and players from the program who came under the premise that they would be playing for a reputable program were given the option of transferring without having to sit out a year because of the harsh punishment handed out.  Well, many of those recruits have chosen to stay to help rebuild the program, a rather noble attempt.  Futile, but noble nonetheless.  And secondly, Bill O’Brien the son of a gun unfortunate enough to take over the program after Joe Paterno’s dismissal was automatically granted four years to his contract thanks to a stipulation that says he gets those four years if the sanctions handed down by the NCAA would affect their bowl eligibility.  So not everyone lost out here.  One thing that should be noted: O’Brien has numerous contacts in the NFL and he will surely be counted on to put in a good word or two for several of his players to league officials.  The main thing here is how these players will now be looked at in draft circles.  Its clear that those players are also protecting their individual stock by sticking it through with Penn State during such a hard time while knowing that their head coach can help get them in the door on the next level, a level that pays a hell of a lot better than the level they are currently at now.  Though, the hope within this column is that soon enough players will get some kind of reimbursement for all they do to help the bottom line of many of these “institutions of higher learning” that’s more been “corporations of higher earning” these last few years.
• Count me as a fan of all these trade rumors.  Here’s my thoughts on a few that went down this weekend:  As a fantasy fan of Francisco Liriano, I think its dangerous whenever a team trades a player within the division- for the team thats trading for them.  Competitive wisdom says that nobody trades a valuable commodity within division unless they know something about the player and are with holding that information.  I’m not charging the Twins with any foul play here, but I find it fishy that the Twins would trade a former number one starter who’s struggled to come back from arm surgery a few years ago, to a team within the division.  Let’s see how it develops.  Huge gain by the Angels who snagged Zach Greinke from the Brewers before the Rangers swooped in.  There’s still less than 40 hours left before the deadline ends at 4Pm and we all know the phone lines are burning hot right now in Arlington looking for some kind of counter-strike to the Greinke trade.  This gives the Angels the kind of rotation depth teams only dream of and allows them to put Ervin Santana, who’s struggled this season, into the bullpen and see if he can’t fix his problems there.  The Ryan Dempster deal has been almost funny to watch: with the Braves having to wait for Dempster to give his approval after a deal was in place.  Its clear that he doesn’t wear the pants in the family and may seek counsel from several deities before coming to a decision which means this is a last second deal OR he doesn’t get dealt at all.  Its clear though that the Cubs want to get a good haul from the Dempster trade.  Many are still trying to figure out the Phillies.  The Cole Hamels deal surprised me for one reason: as much money as he got from the Phillies, I still think he could have gotten more from the Dodgers with the added bonus of going back home.  But good organizations know how to treat their homegrown stars and its clear that Hamels is comfortable enough with the way things are that he doesn’t wish to disturb it.  He likes Philadelphia and doesn’t wish to go anywhere.  It does however figure heavy into plans for the Phillies who will have several key decisions to make.  Sources are indicating that a deal to send Hunter Pence is done, only needing Philly to give the go sign but the Phillies are discussing internally wether they think they have a shot at getting a playoff spot.  This is the quandary that the second wild card creates for teams like the Phillies who definitely have the talent to get back in it and gain a playoff spot and figure that they have elite pitching and a decent offense and can surprise people.  We don’t know how far that belief will get them but with their resume (5 straight NL East titles and two come from behind divisional crowns in 07-08), its hard to discount that line of thinking no matter what kind of damage this weekend series against the Braves did to their playoff chances.
• A lot of international players have come out and said that this US Olympic team is beatable- which would have never been uttered by teams in 1992 back when basketball was probably still in its infancy stages in many countries competing that year.  Nicolas Batum was the latest after the US blew out France in the fourth quarter to win commandingly.  This goes with Spain’s Serge Ibaka speaking on the same refrain.  Its odd considering that the US have handily beaten both teams but it goes to show you how the gap has closed between the US and the rest of the world in what was once OUR sport.  It is now not only the US’ sport but the world’s sport.  It will be interesting if the US increases its intensity and decides to send in some added aggression in their next few contests to assert their will and dominance on the rest of the field.
• Speaking of the Olympics- kudos to India for allowing a young student to walk with their contingent.  Oh you mean it was an accident?  You mean we had a breach of security during the opening ceremony for the world to see?  That’s nice.
• As good as it is seeing victories you almost feel bad when you see the losers being constantly shown on television sobbing their eyes out like I saw yesterday for women’s all around gymnastics.  Heartbreaking to see four years of hard work go down the drain and when he wasn’t making Bob Costas nearly lose his hearing by screaming at him, Bela Karolyi made a valuable point that the IOC should look into allowing the best scores to qualify and not limit each country to a max of two representatives.  Doubt we will see it happen but it was worth the air time.
• By the by, hating the tape delay NBC coverage.  Knowing the swimming results without actually seeing them removes any sense of drama in those events.  I know NBC has several channels to show it when it is happening live but perhaps NBC can work with the Olympics to schedule events closer to primetime to help themselves.  I am sure they are limited in what they can suggest to the IOC and how it comes across because it depends on the event and due to time-zones but there has to be some kind of way to fix this.
• By the way, now with the NFL in full swing we can safely agree that the next month will be filled with Tim Tebow vs Mark Sanchez stat tweets by Jet beat reporters while Giant beat writers will ask Eli Manning in 1,000 different ways whether he feels his team, the defending Super Bowl champions, are being disrespected by analysts and I believe every answer Eli gives will be so vanilla that reporters will be sick of asking it by mid August.  Nationally, the Peyton Manning in Denver angle will be beaten to death while the Andrew Luck and RGIII rookie camps will be covered like Presidential elections.  So get yourself strapped in folks.
• By the way, I expect a major trade between now and tomorrow’s 4PM deadline.  I feel it.  Texas will be pressured into making a move while Philly may give up more than just a few parts.

Enjoy

I’m resurrecting an old column idea I once had.  It was an ambitious effort at trying to do something that Peter King does so excellently which is the Monday Morning QB.  This being the lazy eye of sports I won’t promise my loyal readership (thanks mom), anything but I hope this to once again be a regular column.  Let’s see how long it goes on this time.

This week we saw the end of Linsanity and the beginning of the spin job by the good folks at MSG.  We saw Kobe Bryant call an idea by NBA Commissioner David Stern “stupid” and we saw the Mets begin to come down to earth, get buried and then have a foot of crap laid on top.  I have thoughts on the Dwight-mare that exists and what I feel should happen.  We also will talk some about Penn State and the “unprecedented sanctions” that CBS is reporting will be handed down on Monday when the NCAA announces what they will do.

He’s LIN-ding in Houston after all.

Where do we begin?  ESPN did a fantastic piece on it detailing all the particulars including the family, the Knicks, the Rockets, the Poison Pill, the financials, and the Lin camp.  In all, six different writers went in depth to bring you unprecedented coverage on a player who came, saw, and conquered while creating a buzz that had never before been witnessed in the sport of basketball.  The reaction to the Lin news was expected: it wasn’t good for the Knicks.

The Knicks were never really in the running and now the NY media is doing the predictable spin cycle of stories meant not exactly to tarnish Lin’s reputation but to soften the blow of James Dolan’s stupidity.  Look, Dolan made this personal by taking offense to Lin seeking a market value contract.  Do we think that Lin’s worth $25 million? Hell….no one knows for sure what he’s worth.  What we do know for sure that his market value and marketing potential are exponentially higher….in New York.

It remains to be seen how much money he can make making his base in Houston but its clear that his reach goes far beyond just the Asian market.  The Asian American population is booming and the effect on that sector of just New York’s population was remarkable.  Basketball interest peaked during the month of February and drew amazing crowds.  People talk about the buzz and electricity that was in MSG but that came from a newer crowd buying tickets to come see the spectacle of Linsanity at its peak.  Like any great Broadway play, while in a limited run, games at Madison Square Garden were a hot ticket.  That new blood in MSG came in fresh.  Freed from the bondage of bad management and poor play- all they knew was by virtue of reputation.  A reputation made glossy by a story not even the tabloids could fudge up or make into anything but what it was: a come from out of nowhere superstar who for some reason chose to descend upon New York.  That the fan base began to be galvanized by this kid was refreshing because that’s what the diehards wanted anyway: a team they could cheer for and root for and everyone credited Lin with bringing the Knicks together and playing as a team while Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were out.  While both came back and played with Lin during the peak of the Linsanity era, most assumed that Melo and Lin could NOT get along; creating the stereotypical storyline of the selfish ball hog superstar who couldn’t possibly lower himself to play with an Asian point guard who would rather pass to the open man than just feed it to Melo and clear out.

The problem with Lin wasn’t that he was selfish, its that his style directly conflicted with the style that many presume will be the Knicks future as long as Carmelo Anthony is on the roster: dump it to Melo in the post and everyone clear out.  Now, we’ll never know if that was indeed the system that Woodson planned on running.  What we do know is that Woody had met with Lin, Landry Fields, Melo and Tyson Chandler, a meeting I would add could never have happened if such a rift existed between Melo and Lin, in Los Angeles to describe the system they planned on running and up until that Saturday Woodson spoke in the media like a guy who knew for sure that Lin was coming back, naming him the starter multiple times.

But words don’t necessarily mean actions especially in New York where personal agendas and feelings of the owner are weighed heavily upon the proceedings.  We have to remember that the trade for Carmelo Anthony was a result of Dolan wanting to net a star so he could raise ticket prices again for long suffering fans who paid exorbitant prices to come watch a sub .500 team play.  Now, with Knick ticket prices at an all time high, if this team performs better than last year (win two playoff games as opposed to one- and let’s remember that would be considered progress in these parts), where do you think those ticket prices will be going?  MSG’s renovation is close to $800 million and somebody’s gotta pay for it right?

In the end Lin’s absence or presence wasn’t going to affect the final outcome: the Miami Heat are still the best team in the NBA and will always be a stumbling block for any team.  The Celtics upgraded from Ray Allen by signing Jason Terry and stole Courtney Lee without a mask.  They have Jeff Green resigned to a ridiculous deal (the guy had heart failure prior to last season and that netted the Celtics a 2nd round draft pick from OKC after an investigation revealed that Thunder doctors were not forthcoming with information regarding Jeff Green prior to trading him.), Avery Bradley will be back from two shoulder procedures that sidelined him for the playoffs, and they brought back Kevin Garnett which is a huge boost as well.  The Bulls are still better with the nucleus they have.  Indiana is a 5-7 seed while it remains to be seen what the Sixers do, we know that the Nets aren’t going to be lottery team not with the team they have currently.  We’ll see how the rest of the season plays out but it will be interesting to see with all the new bench players the Knicks have how all of this will fit.  All we now for sure is that Dolan took what was once pure luck and a gift from the gods and managed to fudge it up as only Dolan could.

Kobe calls the commissioner’s idea “stupid”.

What idea would that be you ask?  With the NBA world focusing its attention on the London Olympics and the US team off to a rollicking start, Kobe Bryant has had some strong sentiments when it comes to the Olympics.  Dream Team euphoria is higher than it ever was- thanks to NBA Tv’s documentary and Jack McCallum’s excellent book of the same subject, the idea that perhaps the team should be comprised of under 23 talent was brought up by Commissioner Stern.  Kobe Bryant called the idea stupid saying that it should be a player’s choice.

While I haven’t been in favor of all of the Fuhrer’s decisions, I am in favor of this with just a small wrinkle added: it should be under 25 and it should be a new team every four years.  2008’s Redeem Team was great.  They came out looking to wipe the floor with the world and they brought back gold thanks to unselfish play by the best players in the NBA.  The 2012 version gets fans excited as well but to me its unfair to put 30 year old and 32 year old players bodies through the rigors of an almost 90 game schedule and then the travel and fan fare of Olympic competition.  Kobe’s opinion that its better to be somewhere that teams can monitor their players and get treatment around the clock rings kind of hollow unless Kobe goes to worst neighborhoods known to mankind and judging by his comments sounds like he does to play pick up basketball: “They could be playing against a bunch of bums — no, really — guys that feel like they have something to prove and all of a sudden, a (star player) goes to the rim and a guy takes them out and now he’s hurt”, the stars will still get the best treatment when they need it.

I’m not one of those fans that get amped to see the Olympic games.  The only time I was super excited was in 1992 and I was just getting into the sport and my appetite for constant exposure to basketball was at an all time high.  Nowadays watching the Olympic teams compete is like watching a game between a big brother and a brother 3 or 4 years younger and 3 inches shorter and about 20 pounds lighter, you know big brother will win but will it completely surprise you that little brother steals a game here or there? NO.  For me its about what happens after.  What affect does Lebron watching Kobe’s work ethic have on his game?  Evidently it made him realize he wasn’t working hard enough.  What affect will Lebron, basking in the afterglow of his championship, have on the three OKC Thunder teammates who have to live with him for the next few weeks?  Apparently Kevin Durant can’t stand it.  What affect will Lebron’s title have on CP3 and Carmelo Anthony? Surprisingly Melo showed up 12 pounds leaner perhaps a tip of the cap to Lebron and a sign that Melo is finally taking conditioning serious.  Will I watch a game or two? Sure, but the idea that I’m excited to see the same team every four years is stale.

I’d much rather see Anthony Davis on a world stage.  I’d rather see Michael Kidd Gilchrist.  People say he needs development in the Las Vegas leagues, well my counterargument is why then was he a number 2 draft pick if he wasn’t prepared?  I would rather see Erick Gordon.  I would rather see Kevin Love (oh wait he IS there but he can’t seem to get much burn).  I would rather see the younger stars of the game that most fans won’t have much exposure to.  Don’t you think Lebron, Kobe and company have enough exposure as it is?  You may not but I think it creates a fresher product and amps up the competition and creates an excitement for the world because the United States who clearly has the superior talent, throw together a team of talented players to go against the world.  THAT to me would make it far more interesting for viewership.  Look, the telecasts by NBC are sure to get huge ratings because its the Olympics and everyone in the US has a pony in the race.

Quick Hits

– The NCAA, at 9Am this morning is set to hand down unprecedented sanctions against Penn State but sources are indicating that they will NOT hand out a “death sentence” (banishing the football program competitively for a year), but will make the punishment so severe that they would wish they had.  This is coming on the heels of a damning Freeh Report done by the former FBI director detailing Penn State’s misgivings and implicating several figures in Penn State, namely Joe Paterno as having knowledge about what was going on there yet not doing anything to stop it.  I can’t imagine anyone seeing things any differently outside of the bubble that exists in Happy Valley.  Students there are protesting and hoping to keep construction workers from tearing down the statue but its clear that if that statue isn’t taken down it only creates this idea in everyone’s head that Penn State is completely delusional about the existence of such a terrible system that puts college football ahead of everything else.  Ultimately its the money that the school and the community around it will lose from NOT having a competitive college program.  I don’t know what kind of punitive measures will ultimately stop this cycle of nonsense that exists in that community but its clear that its rotten to the core and the only way to get rid of a rotten core is to uproot it.  A death sentence sounds harsh but you have to view the nature of the student population that still somehow gathered around the Joe Paterno statue almost blindly to support their fallen hero.  How can you support a man who willfully shielded himself from the knowledge that kids were being molested under his watch by a friend?  How then can you resolve the fact that when he realized he was taking the fall for this that he was able to renegotiate his contract and get more money?  This was not a man conflicted by his decision to rat on his friend this was a man who knew what went on and made a calculated decision to absorb a fat paycheck on his way out.  That man doesn’t deserve to have his memory preserved it deserves to have his name erased.  That will not happen, and so regardless of what measures the NCAA takes on Penn State and what length they will go in that punishment the only thing that I want answered is this: how do you reprogram an entire community to come back to their senses?

– The Mets are now a game under .500 and all the good feelings from their win over the Phillies is gone and perhaps with it is any hope of them making moves to strengthen their bullpen and be buyers despite the company line being that they are still in this thing.  That’s good for the fans to hear but the non-action in getting any help for what is the leakiest bullpen in all of baseball tells you all you need to know.  Alderson questioned whether this team was good enough to make a run and now he sees what I have this entire season: an overachieving team now finally coming down to join the mediocrity that we all expected out of them.  This is not Terry Collins’ fault.  This is not Sandy Alderson’s fault.  There were so many things to love about the first half, but the good feeling is gone and its replaced by a feeling of helplessness that perhaps this team isn’t destined to do anything this year; and I’m ok with it.  I’d rather Sandy sell off parts like Scott Hairston or some other players in order to get better pieces moving forward.  I say bring up your minor leaguers, starting with Matt Harvey thursday.  Its time to see what they have and what we have in the minor leagues.  Bring up Matt Den Dekker.  Bring up Wilmer Flores.  Bring up Cory Vaughn.  Bring up Aderlin Rodriguez.  Bring up those bats you have favored for so long.  I love Jordanny Valdespin and if there are more Valdespins’ in the system bring them up because in the end: what do you have to lose?  The only way for the Mets to go from a 8 game losing streak is up right?

– At this point do we care where Dwight Howard ends up?  Lakers seem to be the logical fit and they seem content in waiting this thing out.  The longer they wait however the better it gets for the Nets since if the Lakers wait till January, the Nets can trade some of those contracts away.  That’s a long time away and Orlando officials have indicated they would like a resolution prior to opening camp so the sooner the better.  Any construct of the deal would have to include Andrew Bynum and ultimately will come down to whether any team is willing to take either of these guys without a contract extension in tow despite it not being a preference issue, rather, an issue of being able to make more money by signing a deal at the end of next year, up to $25 million more.

– See explanation above for all you Knick fans who think there is some link to the Knicks letting Lin walk and Chris Paul not signing an extension with the Clippers.

– Those of you who want to overanalyze and point to the US ONLY winning by 6 over Argentina (a team who figures to give them a whole lot of problems before the eventuality of a Spain-US Gold medal game), let’s remember that the team Argentina fielded in 92 wasn’t nearly as good as the one they do this year.  Its a testament to the lasting global impact of the original Dream Team.

– The Oakland Athletics are scripting the Moneyball sequel as we speak.  Impressive sweep of the juggernaut Yankees.  That Yoenis Cespedes kid is the real deal and the A’s are as well.

– HUGE week for the Mets.  If the Mets are to bring back discussion of them being contenders they HAVE to sweep the Nats this week.  Sweep, not 2 of 3, SWEEP THEM.

 

I woke up this morning to an interesting perspective from a very celebrated New York sports columnist.  Mike Lupica of the Daily News and ESPN’s Sports Reporters and ESPN Radio fame made the case that perhaps Jeremy Lin would be better off playing in Houston.  Lin has been a popular subject this week, as he usually is whenever Knicks basketball is being discussed it seems  But the people I’ve talked to have felt strongly about two points of this whole Lin phenomenon:

1. No question the Knicks will/have to match the offer sheet from the Rockets which is a reported 4 year $29 million deal, details of which you can find in this USA TODAY report.

2. No one has any idea what Jeremy Lin will be.

The second part is perhaps the most troubling aspect of this.  Forget cap flexibility in 2015- that will be pretty much fiction, but you are banking on the fact that Lin will turn into one of the top flight point guards in the NBA.  At 23 years old, Lin is still young and what’s more encouraging is that he yearns to be better.  Of course it won’t really matter, according to Lupica, because he will be installed in a system that basically asks him to do one of two things: 1. pass the ball to Melo or 2. pass the ball to Melo.  The ISO offense that Woodson has his name super glued to is the real source of fear for prognosticators hoping to get a read on this whole Linsanity.

If the system isn’t modified to allow Lin to grow one has to wonder whether its even worth keeping Jeremy Lin at the cap number he would be at starting year three of the deal.  But here’s the thing that nobody talks about.  At $5 million for the first two years of the deal, Lin is MORE than capable of living up to the terms of that deal.  His third year may be squeamish especially if he doesn’t improve, but at close to $10 million that would be the worst part of the deal.  The fourth year is a team option according to sources which means this is a 3 year contract worth $20 million which when you consider the financials of the deal James Dolan will sign off on any day of the week.

Recently, Mickey Arison told news outlets that the Miami Heat, who employ the single most talked about franchise in League history and the single most discussed and analyzed player in NBA history Lebron James, lost money during their championship season.  Every NBA owner is collectively shaking their head.  Now, we haven’t gotten all the information back yet and perhaps Arison is just one of those guys still crying about the CBA which he was opposed to when it was agreed upon but it bears remembering that these men who own these franchises will ultimately base many of their decisions on the return they get on their major investment.

So one has to wonder if a team that just won the NBA Finals, who has plenty of sell outs, still can’t make money- that newer financial models are on their way; ones that will surely include trying to obtain a superstar.  Remember, the CBA was constructed with elements to make it more appeasing financially to stay with the team that drafted you- thus rewarding you for the kind of loyalty that Dwight Howard proudly boasted about while signing a one year deal.

Which brings us back to Jeremy Lin- why on earth would Dolan ever let go of that?  My opinion of what Jeremy Lin is as a basketball player is irrelevant in this decision making process and while Mike Lupica seems to be speaking on behalf of Lin’s best interest, let’s not forget that the financials of this are what’s driving this decision forward.  Lin’s two month run was one of the most lucrative in MSG’s history and even drove up Cablevision’s stock price.  Irrespective of what you believe, Dolan need only care what drives up his company’s price and nothing more.  He doesn’t have to bother himself with our basketball expertise that tells us all that despite all the good that Lin did, he did so in such a small amount of time and guaranteeing him that kind of money that can hamstring the Knicks for years is a huge risk regardless of the the windfall financially that may come as a result of Linsanity continuing to take over MSG and NY.

Here’s what I know: the move for Jason Kidd was huge.  Like I wrote earlier in the week, Kidd’s importance can’t be stated highly enough.  Kidd’s signing can be spun as a move for competitive reasons by Knicks brass but the move is one more for the future of the Knicks franchise.  IF Lin is what the Knicks brass think/hope he is, then Kidd’s presence during practices, in game coaching and every other kind of mentoring will pay his $3 million salary.  This is especially important when considering that if the Knicks had declined the option to match the Rockets offer sheet and only signed Kidd for a short term contract, the Knicks may have been able to try and make a very faint hearted attempt at Chris Paul who has the chance to become a free agent next year and be on the market and has expressed a desire to form his own big three in New York.

That wouldn’t be practical or prudent.  They would only be fooling the Knicks fan base who have longed for a winner and may have one here that can compete with the best of the best.  Of course no one knows if that is true and there will surely be backlash if a report ever comes out that Paul’s desire was to come to NY but because of cap destroying moves they couldn’t afford to enter the race.  But the fact is, the Knicks lucked out in Lin.  No one had any idea THIS would take place.  We still don’t know if absent Mike D’Antoni’s point guard centric offensive system whether Lin can be successful or not.  This is what we do know: that its worth finding out over doing the same thing the Knicks have done, and mostly unsuccessfully, signing known commodities to big time deals while not discovering their own talent.  This may have been a sign from God that perhaps the Knicks need to go that route.  To discover the potential of a blessing like Lin and see how far he can take them.

That’s still not discounting Jim Dolan’s very expensive taste that may get in the way of any kind of plan that tries to build a team.   Being thoughtful about Lin’s future in the game is nice but in the end it makes no sense Mr. Lupica.

FIRST HALF STANDINGS

At the end of the first half the Yankees won 3 out of 4 in Boston and the Mets lost 2 out of 3 against the suddenly hot Cubs.  Despite my severe bias in these discussions I’d have to say that what the Mets are having the more impressive first half.  Sustainable?  We don’t know.  The Mets have the more difficult decision making coming as the July trade deadline approaches.  What to do about the league’s worst bullpen?  They seemingly can’t hold any lead and almost always puts a run or two on the board.  Now, obviously the need would be to go out on the trade market and find a major reliever or two.  But it seems according to Joel Sherman of the NY POST that the Mets are looking at catcher help.

I’m among those who think this would be a terrible idea.  One of the endearing qualities of this Mets club is that they are loose and together.  They play for one another and for their coach and despite all their shortcomings (and there are others aside from the bullpen), the Mets have something special going with this young core of players.  There have been a number of games where a completely home grown line up has taken the field and while that may not make fans stand up and take note, its a very special tip of the cap to the decision makers in this team, both here and from the past who have built up a nice decent core of players who can take the field and make a difference.  The second half is a complete mystery and yes, the next four series, three with NL EAST divisional foes will ultimately make the decision either very easy or VERY DIFFICULT for Sandy Alderson and his staff.  Either the Mets lose a majority of games and the Mets don’t make a major move for a power right handed bat (wherever they can dig that up), or they just make a small move or two for a reliever.

We all know the reliever market is as volatile as they get in the game.  You try and string together a power bullpen, close your eyes and hope you hit on them.  Year after year bullpen makeovers happen.  You can either catch lightning in a bottle OR you can trade away an important chip for a guy who will ultimately be judged based on very limited moments where he can either win or lose you games.  And that will be how these moves are judged.  Its way too difficult.  That is why I hope the Mets don’t make a major move for a right handed power bat and I hope they continue their trend of promoting their young guys from Triple A.  Don’t break this thing up by adding more and more players from different organizations.  The Mets have a decent pipeline of talent coming up and trading some of those pieces away for what seems like an immediate fix would be problematic.  I don’t expect Alderson to trade Matt Harvey or Zack Wheeler for Damaso Marte or a reliever it seems as though a B-Level prospect like Mat Den Dekker could be and even then I’d be wary of making a move because I don’t think the return (unless its a shut down reliever but I’ve been over this- reliever market is volatile) warrants giving up a prospect who can make a difference next season as a platoon player etc.

The Yankees meanwhile opened slowly and have resumed complete ownership of the AL EAST.  This weekend’s showcase was very revealing.  It was my first time watching extended Yankee baseball and one can hardly recognize the Red Sox.  Its like Bobby Valentine is trying to recreate those feisty Met teams of the late 90’s.  No star power, just young guys who are fighting to remain on a big league ball club.  That kind of desperation from big leaguers can allow Bobby Valentine to preach his gospel and be confident his players hear him.  But what happens when Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford all return?  What happens when Adrian Gonzalez is STILL hitting singles and doubles instead of doubles and home runs?  What happens when there is still ONLY David Ortiz hitting for this team?  Who by the way wants a new contract which I don’t think is absolutely ridiculous as some people make it out to be.  The Sox are a team to watch during the trade deadline.  The Yankees meanwhile may knock on the door of teams selling starters with Andy Pettite going down but they have made do because of their offense.  They continue to pour in runs at a remarkable pace while their starting pitching does JUST enough to keep them in games.  Again, the offense is what will keep them winning but it does make for interesting debate when the post season comes.  Can Phil Hughes continue his resurgence?  Can Ivan Nova continue to pitch effectively for a full season?  There’s evidence to suggest that can happen but we all know what Yankee seasons are measured by.  This is all just a subtle reminder about priorities.  The Bronx hopes to keep this core of players in it until October and let the dice fall where they may while the boys in Queens are gearing up for a major run next season and beyond as their young talent begins to rise up and play meaningful October baseball for a very long time. Sandy Alderson’s goal was to have a sustainable pipeline of talent flowing in and out of the majors.  They have not rushed any top prospects like they used to.  They have kept their mantra of developing young talent and grooming them for the big stage and with a manager like Terry Collins it looks like they are going in the right direction.  This second half should be interesting.

As for my first half awards:

AL MVP- Josh Hamilton- I am basing this on an unreal stretch in May where it looked like nobody on this planet could get him out and perhaps putting too much emphasis on his league leading 27 home runs, but we all know that he is a supreme talent who’s ability will take him very far.  Now, what his second half looks like will be interesting given the fact that he’s playing for a contract and perhaps theirs motivation there.  With not the kind of return by letting players of his ilk walk, the Rangers may entertain trade scenarios.  One that would make perfect sense is a Josh Hamilton for Cole Hamels trade.  Of course why you would break up Hamilton in that line up makes no sense but who cares.  My only point is that both teams look to be losing and it seems like Shane Victorino after this little act of insubordination is on his way out so getting the CF and then trading Victorino for prospects makes some kind of sense and the Phils may be more inclined to sign Hamilton to a long term contract more so than Hamels who’s price may be too exorbitant for the Phils to try and match with Los Angeles out there ready to spend money on a SoCal product who has similar interest in joining the revolution out in LA.   For the record I think, given his recent June, this award is Robinson Cano’s to lose.  His swing and finding his stroke means that he will make a nice little run in the second half notwithstanding injury.

NL MVP- Andrew McCutchen-  As much as I would like to put David Wright here, I think what the Pirates are doing is incredible and McCutchen has absolutely ZERO protection.  Granted their pitching is what’s kept them in the race thus far, the young CF does it all.  Plays defense at a valuable position and has done everything short of pitching to keep them in games and win them games.  He’s asked to do more in Pittsburgh than say Joey Votto in Cincinatti, and he plays a better centerfield than anyone in the game.  Ultimately, Votto’s numbers are so Sabre-friendly that I can’t see those voters NOT putting his name down in their ballot and ultimately win his second consecutive MVP.

AL ROY- Mike Trout.  There really is no discussion here needed.

NL ROY- Tyler Colvin- 10 home runs in 30 days?  Oooo wee.

AL CY Young- Jered Weaver- Another year where he has a 2 ERA and 10 wins before the All Star Break.  At some point this guy has to get the due he’s deserved.

NL CY Young- RA Dickey- At some point, if he continues on this pace, he could be the first Mets pitcher to have a 20 game season in almost two decades and have an ERA around 2 and have close to 300 strikeouts since a guy named Doc Gooden did it for them.