A New Day on the Island

                                               



To say the Islander have been mediocre at best has been an understatement for many long time fans, but there seem to be a much different sentiment in the air in 2014.  The signings of goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson have given stability to a position that has been an albatross for quite some time.  In addition, the team added center Mikhail Grabovski and acquired defenseman Johnny Boychuk from the rival Boston Bruins.  These players alongside captain John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Travis Hamonic, and a plethora of young talent have given fans a reason to be both excited and optimistic.

There is no doubt that a turnaround is in the works for the franchise.  In fact, the law of averages should be tipping in their favor.  One can only hope the years of struggles and bad luck will become a thing of the past as the Islanders morph into one of the leagues elite contenders.

Back to the Drawing Board

The 2014 Season is in the books and now it is time for the Yankees to get down to business.  There are many decisions that have to be made, ones that will directly effect the present and future of the tram.  How will they do it? that is entirely up to the them, but here are some of the key areas I feel are essential.

Shortstop - The shortstop position is vacant for the first time in 20 years and finding a suitable replacement will be not be as easy as some would think.  Though the Yankees do have options, knowing who fits best with the team culture is another thing altogether.  Jeter left an indelible mark on the position that the fans will keep with them as someone else steps into the role.  That alone may make it a difficult to find in someone willing to accept the challenge of winning over the Yankee faithful

Candidates: Stephen Drew, Brendan Ryan(under contract), Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jed Lowrie

Third Base- The injuries and suspension of Alex Rodriguez has created a revolving door at third base. The Yankees struggled to put a remotely viable player at the hot corner until acquiring Chase Headley from San Diego.  There are reports that the team wants to resign Headley which I feel is the right move, but you never know what could happen with a team that has loads of money to spend.

Candidates: Chase Headley. Pablo Sandoval, Casey McGehee, Ian Stewart, Alex Rodriguez (under contract)

Right Field- Carlos Beltran was not as healthy as the team would have liked in 2014 as he was sidelined by a multitude of ailments.  He has 2 years remaining on the 3 year $45 million contract he signed in free agency and will likely to be made the Yankees full time designated hitter for the remainder of his obligation. That is why they must look to find a healthy and sturdier player to hold down this position for the time being.

Candidates:  Nori Aoki, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis, Colby Rasmus, Josh Willingham, Chris Denorfia, Chris Young

Closer- The Yankees have made a qualifying offer to David Robertson, which many believe he will accept. Nonetheless, there is the possibility that he will opt for more job security and look elsewhere. That would put the Yankees in a bit of a pickle.  Dellin Betances made fantastic strides in his rookie campaign, proving he may just be the closer in waiting.  However, thrusting this role upon him too soon could unnerve the right hander and cause him to press much too hard. That is why it is important to make certain there is a closer in that spot for the here and now.

Candidates: David Robertson

Starting Pitcher- The starting pitching was decimated my injuries in 2014, ultimately hurting the Yankees chances of getting into the playoffs.  They need to find help as get at least a number 2 type starter who can hold their own.  C.C. Sabathia is coming off of Knee surgery and Masahiro Tanaka had his rookie season cut into by a partial UCL tear and the team will need to be careful with both of them.  Re-signing Brandon McCarthy would be a good place to start as he pitched fairly well in his short tenure in the Bronx.  Finding a top notch pitcher will not come cheap, but if the Yankees are up for it (which they are) there are plenty of options to choose from.

Candidates: Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, James Shields, Ervin Santana, Jason Hammel, Chris Young, Colby Lewis, Francisco Liriano

Hitting Coach- The Yankees fired long time hitting coach Kevin Long and have begun the process of hiring a replacement.  The team saw its offensive production fall each of the last three seasons and really could use a new voice to get things back in gear.  Mark Teixiera has become very pedestrian as well as a few other in the lineup, which more than likely attributed to Long's exit.  The organization should look for someone who is not only personable, but knowledgeable about the basics of hitting.

Candidates: Dante Bichette, Chili Davis, Raul Ibanez

A True Test

                                                         

The bye has come and gone and the second half of the Giants season begins in the bright lights of Monday Night Football.  Sitting at a less than desirable 3-4 and coming off two tumultuous losses to division rivals, there is no question that a sense of urgency is starting to set in for Big Blue. However, it will not get any easier, the next 4 weeks will be the ultimate test of the team’s character and resolve as they face the Colts, Seahawks, 49ers, and Cowboys successively.  These will be very tough games where the Giants will have to bring an A effort, or suffer the same demoralization that was felt in both Philadelphia and Dallas.  Great teams always find a way to answer the challenge when it is placed upon them, but it will take excellence in execution to see it through.  Here are some of the elements that the Giants must work on:

Run the ball effectively - Since Rashad Jennings went down, the Giants running game has been non-existent.  The rushing attack looks more like the one Giants fans have been all to accustomed to seeing

Attack more on defense - If one thing was shown on Monday night by Washington, it was that going on the attack is still an effective form of defense.  The Giants have allowed too many quarterbacks to sit in a spacious pocket and pick them apart.  They must lose the conservatism and take more chances instead of relying on a worn down front line that has not done much thus far

Better offensive line play- Despite not yielding a sack against the Cowboys, the offensive line has looked out of sync in recent weeks.  This was compounded by the dismal performance it displayed against the Eagles, where Manning was sacked 8 times and knocked down on numerous occasions.  It is here where the running game must take shape, which will lighten the load for Eli and make the games more manageable on offense.

Quicken the offensive pace - The Giants saw success in a faster paced offense in week 7 and should look to it more often.  McAdoo’s new schemes are designed to produce points quickly and efficiently and with their personnel, it can work to their advantage. 

It will be a most interesting stretch that could decide the fate of the season, so it is imperative the Giants do all of this and more if they want to come out of it with a new found confidence in themselves.

Moving in the Right Direction

                     

The New York Giants season began with much uncertainty as the new look offense and revamped defense stumbled out of the gate.  The Monday night drumming at the hands of the Lions and the lackluster performance against a Cardinals team playing without starting QB Carson Palmer had Giants fans seeing deja vu with another 0-6 start on the horizon. Thankfully, despite the early hardships the team has rallied for 3 wins over the Texans, Falcons, and an impressive win over the Washington Redskins.  Eli Manning has looked much more comfortable in Ben McAdoo’s offense, finding a rhythm with his receivers and limiting the turnovers that have often plagued him in his 11 years as a professional.  The short win streak has not only alleviated any worries the any may have had about the team, it has also placed them in the thick of the tightly contested NFC East division race. 

As the week 8 bye approaches, the Giants will take on two of their most heated NFC rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. The high magnitude of these games are surely to ramp things up as the team would love nothing more than to seize control of the division before their week off.  As with any road games it will certainly be a nose to the grindstone atmosphere and nothing will come easy.  However, the new found confidence of the offense and a revitalized defense that may bend but not break, The Giants will see this as not a test, but an opportunity.

Same Problems Different Season

It has been quite an adventure for the Yankees roster this season as week by week they are fighting for playoff position and the jury bug at the same time.  Last season the team battled significant injuries to key players.  Despite the valiant fight they put up, the loses proved to be too much and ultimately was their undoing.  The Yankees hoped that this would not be the case this year as the reloaded roster had the team primed and ready for a championship run.  However, in the immortal words of Yogi Berra "it's deja vu all over again"  The team finds themselves missing 4 of their starting pitchers they began the season with including C.C. Sanathia, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, and Japanese import Masahiro Tanaka who went down in early July with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. There is talk that Tanaka will be able to return to the mound before seasons end, but this very injury has already claimed the seasons of Nova and 22 other pitchers around the big leagues. Leaving many to doubt this is a possibility.

The Yankees have done all they could to compensate for the losses, acquiring Brandon McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks, calling up pitching prospects Shane Greene and Chase Whitley, as well as claiming Esmil Rogers and Chris Capuano.  Replacing starting pitching is very tough and often times does not work out.  That is probably why the Yankees did not pull the trigger on a trade with the Chicago White Sox that would have brought them lefty John Danks, who certainly would have been a major upgrade for the pieced together rotation.  In years past the Yankees would have made a big splash dive into the trade market looking for any top line player to help out; but they seemed content to make smaller sensible moves rather than the gaudy headliner.  Injuries are part of any sport and every team the goes through them knows difficult it is press through a season minus a comrade.  No one knows how this season of injuries will play out, but it surely looks to be another grind to the finish

Fixing Sabathia

It is the topic that has not gone away since last season. The question that the Yankee universe ponders after every 5th day....What is wrong with C.C. Sabathia?  Since putting up the worst numbers of his 13 year career in 2013, it has not gotten much better.  It is hard to believe that many fans are pressing the panic button with a pitcher of his caliber, but with a earned run average of over 5 in 8 starts, it is safe to say the doubts in the fans minds are legitimately supported.  Sabathia first came to the Bronx with a wall of fire behind him, he was arguably the best pitcher in the game and the prized possession of free agency. The Yankees showered him with a very substantial contract and the return on their investment was nearly instantaneous.  He posted 3 consecutive 19+ win seasons, finished second in the voting for the Cy Young Award in 2010 and helped the team capture a 27th world championship.  Sabathia was everything the Yankees had hoped he would be and then some.  Many believed his continued success would allow him make a run at the 300 win club.  However, those sentiments are now a distant memory as fans, analysts, and the New York media are bombarding the beleaguered and deteriorating star pitcher.


This has happened to the Yankees before with several pitcher they counted on to be good.  The likes of Javier Vasquez, A.J. Burnett, Ian Kennedy, Randy Johnson, and most recently Phil Hughes all heard many high praises for their ability, only to see that ability wilt away with for seemingly no reason at all.  While many blame them for not having the toughness to handle the big lights of the greatest city,  Blame can also be placed on the organization itself.  A few of the aforementioned pitchers got much better as soon as they left New York.  Many say it was because the heavy weight of the pinstripes was lifted off of them. Others say subtle changes in their pitching mechanics missed by the Yankees coaching staff attributed to this rise in success.  Unfortunately for the Yankees these outlooks became fact with both Burnett and Kennedy.  Each of whom posted better numbers with new teams than they had with the Yankees.  Sabathia still has time left to salvage what could become two lost seasons.  However, to get their he will need to get back the belief that he is still an effective pitcher and he cannot do it alone.  The team must not allow his problems to fester like all of the others. after all the do have $23 million invested in him over the next 3 year and it would be a shame to see that kind of money yet again go to waste. 

Same Old Knicks

Last night the inevitable happened, the New York Knicks were eliminated from playoff contention.  This brought an end to their 3 consecutive playoff appearances, their longest in a decade.  Though they did not give the fans much more than a single series win, it was nice to see the long beleaguered basketball team get into the fold.  However, it seems the old adage is taking ring true yet again "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  The team doomed to this fate from the very moment they endured a debilitating 9 game skid from early to mid-November and try as they would they never found themselves again.  Several increments of 3, 4, and 5 game losing streaks would follow, all of which added up, making it that much more difficult to climb the playoff ladder.  Some may ask what went wrong, but in actuality that should say is, what didn't.

The Knicks were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, especially against teams with great guards. They also never found consistent continuity offense, often looking discombobulated and desperate.  When you put those together, you certainly do not get a playoff contender, instead what you do get is a team that has no sense of who they are.  All season long head coach Mike Woodson and the players talked of everything but the reality that they were not good enough to consider themselves amidst the league’s elite.  Sure there were signs of good things when they defeated playoff bound teams such as the Heat, Pacers, Warriors, and even the Spurs, but it would amount to nothing as they suffered loss after loss to teams that great teams that many felt they should handle, the far too prevalent flaws reared their ugly heads many times, more than I am sure the Knicks would like to admit.  In addition, there was also a lack of leadership and accountability from Woodson whom at many times seemed as if he was oblivious to what was happening.  His constant mismanagement of the roster and favoritism of certain players and their style of play ran a muck this season and did more harm than good.  One of the more troubling issues was his bedeviling allowance of isolation basketball hat did nothing but ruin the flow of the game and make the Knicks very vulnerable on offense.  It is clear a change needs to be made, whether or not that happens will be up to Phil Jackson and what he feels is best. 

There was on person who saw the truth about this team much like all of the fans...Carmelo Anthony. He stated before the season began that he would be testing free agency and also saying that he was placing winning before anything else.  Now that he will miss the playoffs for the first time if his 11 year career one has to believe that he will be saying goodbye to the Big Apple this summer.  Perhaps this is the change that the Knicks need. Maybe they can finally get a good look at themselves and realize that they are far from what they want to be.  Only time will tell if it gets any better but for now New Yorkers will continue to berate and complain about the Knickerbockers, something they've grown quite accustom to.

Here We Go

Spring Training has come to an end and it is time for the real baseball season to kick off.  That's right ladies and gentleman Opening Day is upon us.  It is time to forget about the successes and failures of last year and put your best forward.  For the Yankees the goal is simple, raise a 28th championship banner and nothing else. reclaiming the top of the baseball mountain from the rival Boston Red Sox is the one and only priority.  The team is loaded with talent and should see a great deal of success this season, baring another disastrous year of injuries and underwhelming performances which plagued 2013.  It is sure to be a fun and emotional 162 games that includes the Derek Jeter career clock ticking down to its final days, bringing a trail of pinstriped tears with it for all who never though a year like this would come.  There are sure to be many moments to savor this year and hopefully it will end with a moment that will last through history, The captain raising the Commissioners Trophy one last time.