Sunday, December 27, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 16

Photo courtesy of Sporting News
Week 15 was great, and secured myself a good record this year. I'm going to see if I can improve on that record down the home stretch, but I just have to remain afloat for the next two weeks.

I rode that momentum straight into the Black Hole on Thursday night, as the Raiders failed to cover a 5 point spread, that I thought would have been easy for them, instead coming away with a 3 point overtime victory. I must say, the game was a lot better than I ever could have anticipated.

But it's okay, because on Saturday night:



Winner, winner, you like that chicken dinner?

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 15

Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report
Week 14 was my first very good week in a while, and all but secured a decent record for the full season, barring a complete catastrophe, which has only happened once to me this year, during my disastrous 3-10-1 Week 8.

There have already been two games played this week, and I won neither game, but the Jets won one of them, so that's what really matters in the end. First of all, the Buccaneers lost the first annual Condiment Bowl, giving me a loss because I keep backing Tampa during the wrong weeks.

Either way, I look forward to the continuing of this tradition. You could say that we were treated with two of these games this week, as the Relish Jets played the Saurkraut Cowboys in JerryWorld.

Despite comical quarterback play from Matt Cassel leading to him benching, and the NFL debut of Kellen Moore, the Jets were only able to come out of the game with a push. That's more a little bit concerning, but a win is a win. Time to root against the Chiefs and Steelers.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 14

Photo courtesy of Bleacher Report
It's finals season, so quick picks are absolutely necessary right now. I don't think I'll even be able to watch any games today because college is great...until December.
I won on Thursday night thanks to an incredibly ridiculous line. Whoever bet the Cards laying ten points needs to seriously re-evaluate their gambling habits.

That's as much analysis as you're getting this week.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, December 6, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 13

Photo courtesy of the Washington Post
I was on the right side of that crazy Thursday night game, which was the highlight of my season from a picks standpoint:


UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 12

Photo courtesy of Washington Post
That was my first pretty good week in a while, going 8-6. I cooled off significantly since my hot start, but I might be back on track for the home stretch. Thanksgiving week in the NFL is always one of my favorites, because there are two days of almost wall to wall football, instead of just one. As for those Thanksgiving Day games, I did alright. As always, I made my picks on Twitter:
I got the game right, and I was somewhat right about the next thing.
This game ended up being absolutely unwatchable, but not for the reasons I expected. The Lions got up big early, and continued to embarrass the Eagles for 60 minutes of destruction.
The Eagles certainly got the futility part down. As for the Lions, where was this all year? This team actually looks sneaky good, but they dug themselves too big of a hole to sniff the playoffs at this point, especially since their division has three good teams ahead of them.
This game is easiest summed up by my only tweet during it.
So yeah, I got that game wrong.
And now, the shocker of the day. I thought the Bears would keep it close, obviously, but I had no thoughts about them winning outright. What is up in Green Bay?

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 11

Photo courtesy of Huffington Post
I went 7-7 in Week 10, despite having a good feeling about the picks earlier in the day. Then some of the best teams in the league put up some weird performances, leading to three of my more upsetting losses. The Packers lost a game the Lions tried desperately to give away, but wouldn't have covered anyway because there's something seriously wrong with that team. Peyton Manning and Andy Dalton both turned into pumpkins last week, costing both of their teams games.

However, I already have a win in the bank for Week 11. I did not watch a second of this game, and I was fully expecting the Jags to find a way to let me down, but instead, they find themselves in good position to win the division.
Quick picks today because I've procrastinated on an essay for the past week and a half.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 10

Photo courtesy of Forbes
After a horrid Week 8, my Week 9 hovered at about .500, which is fine because I banked quite a few wins at the beginning of the season. I feel pretty good about today's picks, but of course I had to get my normal Thursday night loss:
I don't want to talk about that game. I'm upset, I'm hurt, I'm angry.

Let's move on before I start crying.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 9

Photo courtesy of Fox Sports
Last week was the worst. My picks failed miserably, and my team ended the game with two injured quarterbacks. So what happened next? I opened up Week 9 with a loss on Thursday night:
Quick picks again this week, because I have a lot of freshman year college boy things to deal with today.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 8

Photo courtesy of Pro Football Talk
I bounced back from my first down week with a nice 9-5 showing in Week 7. I'm having a great year so far, and I'm ready to keep it rolling this week, because I'm feeling pretty good about my picks.

But of course, I started with my Thursday night loss:

And then, a early morning London victory:

Overall, this is a very fun and interesting slate of games, with a bunch of games that could go in many different directions.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 7

Photo courtesy of NBC Bay Area
Last week was my first sub-.500 week this season, which ends a pretty nice six week run. Still, I'm comfortably above .500 for now, but I have don't really have much of a feel for this week's games. There are a bunch of weird lines, and I found myself flip flopping a lot more than usual.

I started off on Thursday with...a loss. I thought that the Seahawks would win, but 6.5 seemed like a lot of points to me. I was wrong. And for that, I thank Colin Kaepernick, who has now entered the Josh Freeman Zone.
I tweeted my pick for the early London game this morning, and I look great thus far. Always pick against E.J. Manuel, no matter what.

I really hate to do this, but I have a lacrosse game later so I have to do some very quick picks.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 6

Photo courtesy of Business Insider

I totally forgot about Thursday Night Football, because Game 5 of the NLDS was on, so I made what should have been the obvious pick, albeit very deep into the first half.
Naturally, I was wrong, because the universe was turned upside down that night. I mean, a Mets-Cubs NLCS was set that night, what are the odds.

Quick picks, busy college boy has busy college boy things to do.


UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 5

Photo courtesy of the NY Post
Week 4 was a great week. I started off with a Thursday night push, then got up early to watch the Jets beat the Dolphins in London, and swept all of my picks for the early games. I then proceeded to get every 4 PM game wrong, but I extended my winning record for the season, which is all that matters in the end.

I don't feel terribly about my picks for today, but based on how well I'm doing this year, I think I'll be okay. Plus, I already have a win in the bag:

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 4

Photo courtesy of the Washington Post
The weather is terrible, I'm tired, but it's always a good day for some football. Again, this will be an abbreviated version of my usual picks column, because life at Davidson is a busy one.

On Thursday, I tweeted my pick for that night's game:

Thanks to a missed field goal that could have sealed the game for Pittsburgh, and a late comeback by Baltimore that saved their season, I came away with a push.

Thanks to the early start time in London, there's a game on right now, and I tweeted that pick out this morning:

I'm looking pretty good on that one. I've had a pretty good season thus far, so let's keep it going.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 3

Photo courtesy of the NY Post
College is very fun, but very busy. Today I have a lot of work to do, as well as a lacrosse game, which means this week will feature some very quick picks. No explanations (well, maybe one), just picks.

By the way, let's go Mets. 

As always, I made my Thursday night pick on Twitter:

That's a win, which pushes me to 19-13-1 on the year.

Okay, let's do this.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.
Falcons (-1.5) over COWBOYS.

TITANS (+3.5) over Colts.

BROWNS (-3.5) over Raiders.

RAVENS (-2.5) over Bengals. 

Jaguars (+14) over PATRIOTS.

PANTHERS (-9.5) over Saints. 

JETS (-1.5) over Eagles. I'm really upset by this line. The Jets are undefeated, the Eagles are winless. The Jets are playing at home, which means immediately that they should be getting at least three points simply for that reason, never mind the fact that they are better than the Eagles. According to this line, the Eagles would be favored if this game were on a neutral field, and if anyone actually believes that right now, they seriously need to get their eyes checked. Wake up folks, the Jets are good, the Eagles...maybe not so much. Endrant.

Buccaneers (+7) over TEXANS.

VIKINGS (-1) over Chargers.

RAMS (+1) over Steelers. UPSET ALERT.

CARDINALS (-6.5) over 49ers.

DOLPHINS (-2.5) over Bills.

SEAHAWKS (-14.5) over Bears.

Broncos (-3) over LIONS.

PACKERS (-7) over Chiefs.

Bye for now, let's go Mets.

Last Week: 8-8

This Week: 1-0

Season: 18-13-1

P.S. Let's go Mets. 

Sunday, September 20, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 2

Photo courtesy of Business Insider
The first week of the season was really good, and I'm not just saying that because the Jets won an actual game. There were interesting games all around, and I can still say that after having to sit through that ridiculous Baltimore-Denver game where each team forgot how to play offense. Sunday night was capped with a great comeback, and that's just how Week 2 started

I made my pick on Twitter as is standard Thursday night procedure:
Despite being wrong, I'm okay with that exciting ending.

Fair warning: I'm very unsure about a lot of these picks, so this week could be a total disaster for me. 

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

NFL Picks: Week 1

Photo courtesy of Grantland
The first full football Sunday is finally upon us again which means many it's the return of feigning productivity between the hours of 1 PM and 11:30 PM while watching every second of game action possible, and repeating for the next four months. At certain points, the feigning productivity part even gets thrown out, and it's just time to sit back, relax, put your feet up, and occasionally yell obscenities at the screen.

I didn't really do as much of a preseason deep dive as I usually do, because the first few weeks of college life have been very, very busy, but I'm still as excited as always to get the season underway. I want to see how the Jets are going to anger me in 2015, how the 49ers recover from a hellacious offseason, whether or not Odell Beckham, Jr. is of this species, and to see what incredible mistake Roger Goddell is going to make this year.

Also, being that it's Sunday again, it means it's time for my picks. I went 117-135-4 during a very frustrating regular season and 5-6 during the playoffs. I just didn't have it last year, and I'm already off to a bad start after one game this season:

The pick was going swimmingly, until Antonio Brown caught a stupid garbage time score with two seconds left to cut the lead to exactly seven points and lead to a push. I easily should have started off the year with a win, but I guess I can't have nice things.

Let's get on with the show.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Musings of a Transplanted New Yorker

Photo courtesy of NY Times

On January 31, when I first discovered that I had been admitted to Davidson College, I was obviously elated that I was given the opportunity to attend my first choice school. However, it only took an hour or so for the reality to hit me, that I was actually going to uproot myself from New York City, where I've lived all my life, Queens born and raised, and move to small town North Carolina for nine months out of the year. From learning to stop speed-walking even when I have nowhere to be, and getting used to living in a place with grass, there were a lot of differences I have to be ready for.

Then I had another thought, what about sports? I'm a fan of the New York Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers. New York is the operative word, as I've never had to deal with being outside of my team's market before. Sure, I've spent the bulk of my summer in Ghana a few times, but the Mets were never any good during those years, and my internet connection is so bad that I reconciled myself to virtually disconnecting from the MLB until I returned. But there was no real investment, I'm talking about the 2009, 2010, 2013, and 2014 Mets, teams who were for the most part already dead in the water by the time I left the country in late June. 

Starting in a little over a week, I have to adjust to life as an out of town fan. That means a lot of illegal streaming, wearing team gear on the streets with absolutely no context, and the potential apathy of the people around me. The size of the school, roughly 1,800 students, and its distance from my home base greatly decreases the chances that I'll find people who root for the same teams as I, even if they are as nutty about sports as I am. While trying to stay away from sweeping generalizations about the rest of the country, it feels to me as if baseball has lost a lot of traction in the sports market. That part is obvious to anyone, as football is now America's national pastime, but it's entirely possible that basketball has passed baseball as well. As much as I love those two games as well as hockey and even soccer, baseball will forever and always be my favorite sport, so it's sad to think that this is the case for increasingly fewer people. I said all of this to say that even when I find people who are in love with sports, which shouldn't be hard, especially at a Division I school whose national recognition outside of academia stems solely from its success on the basketball court, who says I'm going to find enough people that love baseball as much as I do? And how many of those will care to hear me ramble on about the WHIP of someone on the Savannah Sand Gnats (who are located roughly four hours away from campus). The nearest major league club is four hours away, and it's the damn Braves. 

I'll survive, but it remains to be seen how I deal with this issue. By far the biggest issue I'm going to have is timing. The last time the Mets played a playoff game, I was a month and a half into fourth grade, and I'm writing this as I look at my suitcase, filled with a bunch of clothes which I'm probably not going to need yet still taking with me to start my freshman year in college. That's a long gap, and it's been a long road since that final out of our 2006 season. 

So naturally, I have to be leaving Queens just when things are finally starting to get a little bit interesting at Citi Field. I recognized this a while ago, that the Mets would complete their long-awaited rebuild at some point during my four years in college, and there was a good chance I'd be nowhere near Flushing when they make it back to the playoffs, but now this is a reality. 

This past weekend, as the Mets played the three biggest games in the history of Citi Field, I attended the final two games of the series. It was an incredible experience. I paid way too much money ($42 including fees) to sit in the upper deck on Saturday night, and it was well worth it. Jacob deGrom was shaky to begin the game, which quieted the crowd a little bit, but not enough to stop us from giving Yoenis Cespedes a warm New York welcome every time he came to the plate, or serenading the greatest Met of all time, Wilmer Flores with multiple standing ovations and nearly becoming unglued when he flew out to deep left in his first at bat. Lucas Duda's two homers sent us all into a collective frenzy. deGrom's recovery from a rocky first inning didn't go unnoticed by the sellout crowd either, as people all around us stood up with two strikes throughout the game, something which I haven't seen at Citi Field in a couple of years. 

Then, the best moment I've had at a baseball game occurred. Matt Williams intentionally walked Yoenis Cespedes in the eight inning, in one of the most egregious managerial decisions I've ever seen. Seriously, all of the stats say it was a stupid decision, Cespedes has been bad against lefties, while Duda has been crushing lefties. Duda had been on a Ruthian tear, including two home runs in that very game. There is simply no justification for it. 

Anyway, right after the walk, the crowd came alive. I can't fully justify this with words, but it felt like the crowd doubled in size, and "Lucas Duda" chants began in unison. Remember, this wasn't even a reaction to anything that he'd done, this was in anticipation of his at bat, and it may have been the loudest moment in the history of the stadium. All I could think is, "woah." The place was shaking. And Duda delivered with the game winning RBI double, which caused the building to rock of course. 

The next night was even more wild. This time, I was much closer to the action, as I was able to get field level tickets not too far from the left field foul pole, for even less money than I paid to be one row in front of the very top of the stadium. There were a lot more people at batting practice than I'd ever seen at Citi, and it felt like at least half the crowd was milling about the stadium a full hour before the first pitch. The crowd was better on Sunday, despite the fact that there were fewer in attendance thanks to the late start time. The cheers felt louder, the boos of Bryce Harper were more forceful, the chants never stopped, and people around me started to hit the Nationals' left fielder with the classic "Jayson Werthless" chant when he was near us. People spent the entire bottom of the third inning on their feet thanks to the three homers slugged by the Mets, and the same for the whole top of the ninth inning as Tyler Clippard was on for his first save as a member of the team. The atmosphere was like nothing I could have ever imagined. I'd say it felt like a real playoff game, but I've never been to a playoff game so I can't articulate what that feels like. Even so, it felt special. That's the proper term for that series, and those two games I attended: special. 

So, as the game ended, and the Flushing Faithful collectively lost their minds because the Mets were finally in first place again, I had to fight back a certain sadness. But this wasn't a sadness like the final strike of the 2006 NLCS, or end of the 2007 season, or even the feeling I and many other Mets fans had during the 2009 season when it was becoming clear that the team's window was closing. This was a sadness because I realized what I'll be missing over the final month and a half of the season, and potentially the playoffs. I wanted to be at Citi Field to watch the Mets take the field in October, running out deGrom, Harvey, Syndergaard, and Matz. Even if the comically inflated playoff prices only allowed me to sit in the worst seat in the park one time, I desperately want to be there and share the experience with 40,000 over long-suffering Mets fans. Even not being in New York at all, and missing out on the chance of some random guy on the streets pointing at me and yelling "let's go Mets" at the sight of my (now outdated, thanks for changing your number) Travis d'Arnaud shirsey. I really thought that after sitting through years of Pat Misch, Chris Young, and Ramon Ramirez, I could see Citi Field buzz with the prospect of a championship.

I still get that opportunity, but through an unfamiliar and uncomfortable lens. For the next few years, I'm an out-of-towner during half of the baseball season, including during its most important month: October. Eeven though I will not be lucky enough to bound down the stairs of the 7 train at Mets-Willets Point station for a playoff game anytime soon, I said my final goodbye to Citi Field in 2015 knowing, that finally, after all of these years, 41,800 people who bleed blue and orange can enter that stadium every night expecting to win, and knowing that the good times are here to stay. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

New York Mets Trade Deadline Primer

Photo courtesy of the NY Post
It's officially trade season, ladies and gentlemen. The All-Star break has come and gone, which means that soon it's time for teams to truthfully evaluate where they are this season. Sandy Alderson was right in saying that the trade market is only beginning to materialize at this point in the season, because no matter how badly a front office pursues a player in June, it's unlikely that anything will become of it immediately. Backing off until the deadline looms larger is a helpful strategy to more effectively assess a team's needs. Not every team is able to figure out whether buyers or sellers until just about this point in the year, where the team has already played roughly 90 games, and it becomes clearer who should be in contention at the end of the year. It also helps to ensure that both sides receive roughly equal value for the assets they are trading away. The longer teams wait, the more "fair" a trade will be.

In case you haven't heard this said at least five times a day over the past month and a half, the Mets need a bat. The return of David Wright isn't necessarily a guarantee, which means that unless Dilson Herrera looking markedly better in his latest stint in Vegas, Ruben Tejada will be playing shortstop for a team with playoff aspirations. Lucas Duda has been a catastrophe for a while, throwing up a highly upsetting slash line of .166/.279/.287 in his last 43 games. Juan Lagares has never been a very good hitter, but this year he's even worse than expected. Kevin Plawecki has been great recently, but Travis d'Arnaud looked primed for an All-Star season if he weren't stopped by two separate injuries.

And now for everyone's favorite whipping boy, Michael Cuddyer. I liked the deal at the time, because it was clear that the Mets needed a corner outfielder, and he was one of the only options out there. Sure, the contract was a little pricey, but I thought he'd be worth at least most of it. I preferred him to Melky Cabrera because the Melk Man's performance has been hard to predict, and the Mets couldn't afford a down year from him. There was also talk about Nelson Cruz, despite the fact that his second half was significantly worse than his first half. Without allowing hindsight to affect my view, all things considered, Cuddyer was the guy.

Unfortunately, he's been an abject failure to this point. He's having the worst season of his career, which is to be expected at age 36, but the extent of his decline is the surprising part. He's certainly earned his new names, Michael Cruddyer, as well as my favorite, Michael Cadaver.

I do think that the pitching is good enough that technically, the Mets can sustain this level of hitting and make the postseason, so they don't need a hitter. Not trading for a bat will not kill the season. But it makes all the sense in the world, and it could be the thing that pushes them over the top. Whether or not that last sentence is equal to need, well that's a semantic debate. 

First off, we need to look at the trade assets before diving into the trade market. Dillon Gee has absolutely no trade value at this point. Sandy blew it with him. His value was highest in the middle of last season, when he was outperforming his talent, and Alderson kept holding out to find the perfect trade for Gee. A combination of overvaluing Gee and hoping some other team overvalues Gee, has led to a pitcher who has little value to his own team and none to anyone else.


Friday, July 10, 2015

New Day in New York City


Earlier this week in midtown, New York City FC officially introduced three new players to their roster. First, the two Spaniards were introduced to the media at the Grand Hyatt: 18 year old defender Angelino and 33 year old defender Andoni Iraola spoke to reporters in both English and Spanish, at times through a translator.

Much like fellow defender Shay Facey, Angelino will be making his professional debut with New York City after being loaned from Manchester City, NYC's English sister team, where he spent his youth career. He's a confident player, and injects a lot of skill into New York City's back line. When asked how he felt about joining a team laden with great veterans like David Villa, he responded: "I never would have imagined playing alongside Pablo [Alvarez] and players like Villa and Lampard, and I must take advantage of the opportunity." That answer even further underscored his age and relative inexperience, because it reminds us all that he grew up watching these men who are now his teammates, and while David Villa in his heyday with the Spanish national team and in La Liga, Angelino was just reaching puberty.

On the other side of their translator was Andoni Iraola, who comes to the team after spending his entire professional career in the system of Athletic Bilbao, and having been on the big club since 2003. After finishing a very successful career in Spain, the 33 year old finds himself in an entirely different situation in New York. Perhaps the most important change is that he's coming from La Liga, where there are only a few teams (but really, mostly two) that have a shot at winning the title each season, to a league where, as he put it, there is a lot of parity. As for everything else, whether it be adjusting to a new country, a new city, a new team, etc., Iraola said he had spoken with former Spanish teammate David Villa prior to agreeing to move to NYCFC, and Villa had nothing but "positive things" to say about his experience so far in New York. Undoubtedly, Villa's thoughts were a big factor in Iraola's eventual decision to join his new club.

After those two finished taking questions, out came Coach Jason Kreis and his newest midfielder, English legend, Frank Lampard. As a Chelsea fan myself, simply being in the same room as Frank Lampard made Tuesday incredible. While Lampard said he hasn't necessarily had a New York moment just yet because he hasn't had the opportunity to fully explore the city, he's excited for the opportunity. Lampard considered the move to New York City "a very easy choice to make." He's ready to "live in this great city, and join this new project" after finishing an incredible career in the English Premier League.

Jason Kreis has a lot on his plate right now. These three new players, along with the arrival of Andrea Pirlo in the near future is great overall, but could potentially hurt the team in the immediate future. When a team gets such an influx of talent at once, if not handled correctly by the coach, it could ruin the team chemistry. Especially with New York City playing very well over the past few weeks (outside of their game against the Red Bulls), it's up to Kreis to make sure that while he installs the new players into the lineup, he doesn't affect the comfort level that the current players have built up with one another. He was confident in his abilities to add players while maintaining the mojo when I asked him about just that. Kreis said that he's not too worried about it, because the players he's adding all have a lot of character, and will do whatever is best for the team. He reminded the media that while he considers it difficult to add players in midseason, it's not impossible. He has ideas as to how he'll manage the roster in the near future, but he wasn't prepared to share it with the world.

Kreis was excited, and his three new players were equally pumped. July 7th was a very important day in the history of the franchise, and all fans should be very excited about what's to come next.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Rangers Free Agents: Stay or Go?

Photo courtesy of NBC Sports
The NHL season is over, the draft has come and gone, which means it's time for them to start looking at free agency. There are a lot of possible moves that Glen Sather, or, possibly Jeff Gorton can make with this team over the summer. Before looking to the outside to see what players from other teams can contribute to the Rangers next season and beyond, management has to look at the players who are already in New York to see how they can help the team in the future.

The cap situation isn't great. In fact, it's rather terrible. The Rangers will have quite a few tough decisions to make this offseason in order to build on the success of the last few seasons. Based on the new salary cap set at $71.4 million, the Rangers will have about $12 million to work with. That looks okay, but not when looking at the amount of free agents the management has to figure out whether or not to re-sign.

The team wants to keep the core of the roster together for years to come, so where does that leave these Ranger free agents?

Emerson Etem, RFA
The newest Ranger happens to be a restricted free agent, just like the guy Sather traded for him. Obviously, given the circumstances under which he was acquired, the Rangers expect to retain him for years to come. He's a former first round pick who never seemed to develop properly in Anaheim, but is still a pretty solid player. He's a very good addition to the third line.
Verdict: Stay

Jesper Fast, RFA
At only 23 years old, Fast solidified a spot for himself on this team with a great showing in 2014-15, restoring some dignity back to Brad Richards's old number 19. Throughout his career in Sweden and the minor leagues, he was known for playing good defense and skating well. He's never going to score too many points, but he continues to show an improving offensive game. The injury to Mats Zuccarello at the end of the first round, as well as the ineffectiveness of Martin St. Louis throughout the postseason forced Fast into a higher profile role with Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan on the second line, where he excelled. His forechecking is great, his speed not only fits his name (which, in case you didn't know, had an "h" at the end before he dropped it) but also New York's style of play, and he's young. That's probably the most important factor, and what makes re-signing him a no-brainer.
Verdict: Stay

Matt Hunwick, UFA
Hunwick carved out a role for himself in New York as a depth defenseman, whether it be providing energy out of the third defensive pairing when John Moore's play began to dip early in the year, or filling in when multiple defenders missed extended time with injury. I suspect that a lot of other GMs took notice of his performance, and are ready to hand him an enticing offer to join their third defensive pairing. He was nice for a season as he outplayed the pennies he was earning, but in the process, he priced himself out of the Rangers' plans. Not unlike Benoit Pouliot after the 2013-14 season, the Rangers just have to accept that he earned himself a bigger role in a different city.
Verdict: Go

J.T. Miller, RFA
Much like Jesper Fast, this young gun had himself a breakout season. After a couple of lackluster stints with the Rangers over the two previous seasons, Miller began to show why the Rangers took him with their first round pick in 2011. Whether it's playing on the third line, the fourth line, or even one of the top two scoring lines when called upon, Miller played very well. He's a big body who's capable of playing the center or the wing, and he uses his exceptional speed to simply blow by opponents at times. He's not totally polished just yet, but the talent is there, and he needs to stick around.
Verdict: Stay

James Sheppard, UFA

Simply put, Sheppard is like Wayne Gretzky compared to Tanner Glass, but Glass still has a year left on his contract, so Sheppard has to be on his way out, opening the door for Oscar Lindberg to claim the fourth line center spot.
Verdict: Go

Derek Stepan, RFA
This one is a no-brainer. Just look at how lost this team was without Stepan when he was injured at the beginning of the season. Considering his age, and his production, it's impossible to envision the Rangers moving forward without this star forward (I crack myself up). Surely, this is the most important move of the offseason.
Verdict: Stay

Martin St. Louis, UFA

After propelling the Rangers to competing for Lord Stanley's Cup in 2014, Martin St. Louis just finished up his final season in New York. He followed up his remarkable playoff run with an up and down season, and totally disappeared during the most recent postseason. He was ineffective throughout the playoffs, but his decline became more of an issue when the team lost Mats Zuccarello, forcing Alain Vigneault to trust some of the youngest players on the team in Kevin Hayes, Miller, and Fast, in much more important roles than originally anticipated. While those kids were all up to the task, a better performance out of Marty certainly would have helped, and maybe could have pushed the Rangers back into the Stanley Cup Finals. He aged very quickly, and while he's likely to keep playing and accept a smaller role than he's used to, there's no chance of that happening in New York. Farewell Marty, thanks for the memories. His '14 playoff performance will forever be etched in Rangers lore. Unfortunately for him, the same can be said about 2015, but for all the wrong reasons.
Verdict: Go

Friday, June 26, 2015

Chill.

Photo courtesy of ESPN
With the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft...

*deep breath*

The New York Knicks select...

*deep breath*

Kristaps Porzingis.

*???*

Hmm. 

Here I am again, as the voice of reason after the Knicks selected an international prospect, and the fans booed him mercilessly. Three years ago, I was forced to defend Kostas Papanikolaou after the Knicks selected him in the second round, and guess what? I was right. It took him a couple of trades to find an NBA home, but Papanikolau landed in Houston, and was a legitimate contributor off the bench for the Rockets, which is great return for the 48th pick in the draft. 

This time, it's under a different regime, and it's a totally different situation. Porzingis isn't a late second round stash pick, he's a highly touted first rounder who's going to be expected to carry the franchise for years to come, well after Carmelo Anthony is gone. 

Porzingis is a massive talent, and I'm not just talking about his seven foot plus frame. No, he was not the safest pick on the board at number four. Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, and Willie Cauley-Stein just to name a few probably have a higher floor than Porzingis, but the sky is the limit for the Latvian. He can shoot, has great footwork on the perimeter, and can finish at the rim despite his excessively lanky frame. He was able to improve his post game last season, but it's nothing to write home about. He has tools that could make him a good defender, but his length alone will do for now. 

Clearly, he's a project. He needs to put on some weight to be able to handle the more physical style of play he'll encounter in the NBA, but overall he has a lot of skills and can be a force a few years down the road. 

So, why all the hate, the angry hot takes, the boos, the tears, and general hopelessness in response to this selection?

He's European.

Photo courtesy of NBA.com
So is the dude on the right, and I think he's okay. 

No, seriously, European big men are risks. Look at Andrea Bargnani, Jan Vesely, Nikoloz Tskitishviligiojgtiohyuihyuigtkosaskoprasopkakopogfnjtuioty (often shortened to Tskitishvili), and Darko Milicic.

Okay, I hear you, voice in my head. And I ask you, what is the connection between these players other than the simple fact that they were born in the same continent and that they're large? Oh, nothing? If "the Europeans" were all such busts, NBA teams would have stopped scouting players there a long time ago. Porzingis wouldn't have been considered a top tier talent in this draft for the past year if simply his country of origin were cause for major concern. Maybe talk to me about his build, or his questionable rebounding, and I'll listen. But throwing out where he was born is not a legitimate argument. The Gasol brothers, they're pretty damn good. That Dirk dude pictured above, he's not too shabby himself. Not a big man, but Tony Parker may have been the best point guard in the game at his peak. His European descent isn't an automatic black mark against him. It may raise some eyebrows, but his talent should put those concerns to rest.

Also, read this. Any questions?

He wasn't playing against good enough talent. Anyone can look good against the scrubs in Spain.

Or maybe he was playing in the second best professional league in the world, against guys much better than the majority of players in the NCAA. Put his Sevilla team up against Duke, and watch what happens. 

He won't be ready for a few years.

No, he won't be. News flash: neither will the Knicks. No matter who they happen to sign in free agency this year, whether it's the absolute dream scenario of LaMarcus Aldridge and Goran Dragic (which leaves the Knicks with no money to fill out the rest of the roster, by the way), or a more realistic combination of Greg Monroe, David West, and Patrick Beverley (or players of a similar caliber), the Knicks were in no way going to win the title this season. It's hard to hear this, I know, but they weren't going to win a title next year either. In fact, they're probably never going to win another championship, but let's not go down that rabbit hole. Yes, Carmelo Anthony is getting older and about to exit his prime, if he hasn't already. Yes, the Knicks have a chance to make the postseason depending on how free agency goes, and had the potential to augment their chances in the present day by grabbing a guy like Winslow. But, when afforded the opportunity to pick fourth in the draft, why not go for the home run? If handled correctly, Porzingis can be the franchise cornerstone this team needs to carry the torch in the post-Anthony era. 

He's a seven footer who can shoot. While that may remind you of Andrea Bargnani, there's a chance Porzingis is actually good at shooting the basketball. In the "pace and space" generation that the NBA is trending towards, having a stretch four as the team's best player doesn't sound too terrible. If he turns out to be a bust, it happens. It's part of the trials and tribulations of drafting players. And when it's clear that he's a bust, you're allowed to look back at the moment that Adam Silver read his name, and cry, and boo, and hiss. Then you're allowed to yell "Why Phil, why?" You're allowed to throw things and question why God hates the Knicks and their fans. You're allowed to travel back in time and hand your 2015 self a lot of hard liquor, with the warning, "you're going to need this in a few years, thanks to that seven foot brick machine." Then and only then are you allowed to write off Porzingis. That time has yet to come, so let's not end this guy's career before it even begins. Give it time. 

Woj.

Has.

Spoken.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Rise and Fall of Scott Darling

Photo courtesy of Inside Hockey
The date is Wednesday April 15.

It's game one of the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks are in Nashville for what many expect to be a very closely contested series.

One period in, the score is 3-0 Nashville. Hawks goalie Corey Crawford was very shaky in the first, allowing 3 goals on 12 shots. The game is slipping away.

At some point during the intermission, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenenville looks at backup goalie Scott Darling and says, "you're in." I was surprised by the short leash, but clearly

I'm not sure whether to call him a star, a cult hero, or an internet darling (I swear, no pun intended), but this goalie from Lemont, IL became more than just a backup. He stopped all 42 shots he faced, and the Blackhawks came back to win the game in double overtime.

This wasn't your average 42 save playoff performance over 3+ periods, Darling made some absolutely spectacular saves, with this one probably being the best:


Great game from Darling, but it just made sense for the Blackhawks to return to Corey Crawford in Game 2. Darling's career was only 13 starts deep, and despite playing well in those starts, the sample size wasn't large enough to justify pulling the starting goalie after one bad period. 

Quenneville did just that, and the Preds proceeded to put up a 6 spot on Crawford in Game 2. Now the decision was easy. Crawford wasn't up for it, it was Darling's time. 

Boy, did he answer. 

In his first start, he stopped 35 of 37 shots, as the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead in the series. Two nights later, Darling reached his zenith. He made 50 saves on 52 shots in a triple overtime thriller in Chicago, as his team moved one win away from advancing to the next round. 

These numbers aren't really doing him justice. Saving 85 of 89 shots over 8+ periods of hockey in two nights is outstanding enough, but the way he reached those numbers was even better. A lot of the saves he was making would have been impressive even for the Prices, Lundqvists, and Rinnes of the world. He had people questioning if he was even of this species. In fact, Darling was even outplaying the opposing goalie, the aforementioned Pekka Rinne, during his time in Games 1, 3, and 4, which all ended in wins for his team. 

The good play continued for the first two periods of Game 5, a only Filip Forsberg was able to get past Darling with about five minutes left to go in the first. The score was 1-1 after two periods. Three minutes and fourteen seconds into the final period, the Preds were leading 4-1 after scoring twice in the last twelve seconds. 

Now, the goalie position was in question once again. The alien that possessed the body of Scott Darling had disappeared at the end of Game 5, and it wasn't clear whether or not it would ever return. 

All eyes were on the backup goaltender to begin Game 6, and 11:16 and 3 Predator goals in, Quenneville (presumably) sighed and called on Corey Crawford again. Crawford shut out Nashville for the rest of the game and the Blackhawks went on the win and advance. 

What happened to Darling was simple: regression. He's a backup who got hot, and he the hot streak ended. 

But now what does Quenneville do for the rest of the playoffs? Does he just have a short leash on Crawford and be ready to stick Darling back into the fray and hope he succeeds again, or trust that his sometimes inconsistent starting goalie will be able to turn it around himself when things go badly. Personally, I'd stick with Crawford, but it's a very tough call. Darling was incredible for a while, and earned three of the four wins so far this postseason. At the same time, he's a rookie backup. But, he's also the same man who caused my friend (who's a Predators fan because when choosing a team to root for he asked himself why anyone would put a team in Nashville, and decided to go with them) to make this proclamation:

We may see Darling again between now and June, or we may not. Either way, it was a damn good run while it lasted.

Monday, April 6, 2015

2015 MLB Preview

Photo courtesy of Fox Houston
If you're reading this, it's too late.

(Is that a copyright infringement? Probably. What are they going to take from me? I'm still a minor.)

You're about to dive into a long preview of the entire baseball season that will be way too interesting to quit reading. If you've been on an island all winter and aren't prepared for this baseball season, I've got you covered. If you want to read this just so you can laugh at me when I make a bad call about Tanner Scheppers being good in his move to the rotation, only for him to give up 20 earned runs in 18.1 innings to start the year, and go on the DL for basically the rest of the season, come at me. (In my defense, Scheppers was pitching with an elbow problem, so his four terrible starts wasn't indicative of him being a bad pitcher. Plus, he's redeemed himself in my eyes with a killer videobomb.)

Let's get on with the division by division previews. As always, when I give best and worst case scenarios, I'm assuming the general health of their roster, because I'm not a psychic. If I were, I would have objected to becoming a Mets fan ten years ago, but I'm a mere mortal.

We begin with the AL East.


Photo courtesy of Fox Sports
1. Baltimore Orioles
Opening Day Lineup:
C Joseph
1B Davis
2B Schoop
3B Machado
SS Flaherty
LF De Aza
CF Jones
RF Snider
DH Pearce
P Tillman, Chen, Gonzalez, Norris, Jimenez

Team Outlook: Last year's division winners are in a good position to repeat as AL East champs as they pretty much stood pat this offseason. They're even adding talent, in the form of Matt Wieters about a month into the year to replace the offensively bad (in that they were so bad at offense that I was offended) combination of Caleb Joseph, Steve Clevenger, and Nick Hundley. Manny Machado will be back to start the year after missing the final month and a half with a knee injury. Chris Davis and Jonathan Schoop were so bad for large chunks of the year that there should be natural upgrades at first and second base as well. There are concerns that their pitching staff will take a step back. Even so, their roster is still above average as a whole. This is a really good team who decided to run it back in 2015, and they should be successful. 

Worst Case Scenario: 84 wins. This is contingent on not only the Os regressing themselves, but the BoSox and Blue Jays taking steps forward, making this division tough to navigate. 

Best Case Scenario: 100 wins. After 96 wins last season, Wieters is a massive upgrade behind the plate, Chris Davis is at least consistently average, and the rest of the team repeats their performance from last year. 

Player to Watch: Kevin Gausman. Gausman was one of the top prospects in baseball prior to last season, and after pitching well to start the year in AAA, he was called up and provided good #2 starter production when he wasn't constantly bouncing between Norfolk and Baltimore. He's a flamethrower, averaging 94.8 MPH on his fastball, on which he is heavily dependent. As he starts to work in his off-speed stuff a bit more, he should be one of the best pitchers in baseball. He won't start the year in the rotation, but it won't be long before he gets the nod. 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Dee Milliner Is Not a Bust

Photo courtesy of ESPN
In 2014, the Jets had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. In fact, it was one of the worst in recent memory. They ended the year with four cornerbacks, two of whom I had never heard of prior to them appearing in their Jets uniforms for the first time in Phillip Adams and Marcus Williams. Another one of those four corners was Kyle Wilson, who has been bad his entire career since the Jets spent a first round pick on him in 2010. 

The reason why the Jets were so thin and so bad at corner was partially due to John Idzik failing to upgrade the position too much during the offseason, but also due to other circumstances. The Jets cut Antonio Cromartie last year because he was terrible in 2013. It's now clear that his abysmal performance was because he was playing hobbled all year, and after a short stint in Arizona is now back with the Jets. Many cornerbacks were on the market in the spring of 2014, but most notably Aqib Talib and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the cousin of the then-former, now current Jet Antonio. Idzik stayed away from those guys, and, for a team that needed multiple corners, only signed Dimitri Patterson from the Dolphins. I wasn't in love with the acquisition, but I was fine with it because Patterson is a decent enough player. In the third round of the draft, Idzik took Dex McDougle out of Maryland. This meant that the Jets were set to pin the starting #1 corner job on the second year player out of Alabama, Dee Milliner.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Brandon Marshall Trade Reaction

Photo courtesy of ESPN
On Friday morning, news broke that the Jets traded a 5th round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Brandon Marshall and a 7th round pick. Just look at that sentence again. Fifth round pick, for Brandon Marshall.

It always amazes me how people can be so negative about moves that make all the sense in the world, especially when that move involves the Jets. Without delving too far into the territory of an ridiculously sensitive fan who can't take it when their team is criticized, it's unfair how the Jets are treated as a joke no matter what they do. 

This is the case with Percy Harvin right now as well, because their midseason trade for him has been widely maligned, when he was actually pretty good as a Jet, considering that he was thrown into a bad offensive system midway through the year. 

Excuse that angry rant directed at no one in particular, but it's been on my mind.

As for how this affects the on field product in New York, Marshall greatly improves a Jets team who were greatly in need of another receiver. I think Eric Decker is a number one receiver, and people who still vehemently refute that statement clearly did not watch enough of the Jets this past season. Even so, behind him are Jeremy Kerley, who is now able to settle into a more comfortable role as a third receiving option, Chris Owusu, and T.J. Graham. I really like Jace Amaro, but the Jets were in need of better players on the outside. And, look who's here.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Remembering Sexy Rexy

Photo courtesy of NY Daily News
Both Rex Ryan and the Jets have moved on from one another in the past month. After the fourth straight season missing the playoffs, Gang Green fired the coach and have started a new era under another first time head coach, and star defensive coordinator in Todd Bowles. Ryan has chosen to stay within the division, and the state by going to the Bills. The dust has settled, so it's an appropriate time to take a look back at Ryan's run.

He came in as the neophyte coach who had made a name for himself by being the son of Buddy Ryan, and lived up to his father's legacy through 10 years in Baltimore. He began as the Defensive Line Coach, and eventually became the Defensive Coordinator, of the feared 2000s Ravens defense which was never ranked lower than 6th in the league while he was around. 

After failing to land a coaching job prior to the 2008 season, Ryan signed on with the Jets almost immediately after the Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs following 2008. Soon, he came on and took the media by storm. He was brash, sarcastic, and an overall quote machine.He started making guarantees from the first moment that he stepped into his officer. And for the first little while, it looked like he was going to deliver soon.

By now, we know that Mark Sanchez is a dud. He was a top five pick who is unable to carry a team, and will vacillate between mediocre and straight up bad. But in 2009, he was drafted to be the savior of the Jets, and Rex's boy for years to come.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

NFL Picks: Super Bowl

Photo courtesy of TIME
It's that time again. One of the best days in the year has arrived, dominated by pizza, beer, football, and explaining football to your cousin again. In New York., there's a distinct possibility that I will have a snow day this Monday, giving us all over here our rightful post-Super Bowl day off. Maybe this is the first step to making it an officially recognized national holiday!

I'm happy that it's actually game day, so we can finally end all the talk of deflated balls, fire alarms, and not speaking to the media, and actually focus on what's happening on the field, which is probably the most intriguing matchup of the 2014 season.

Here are the possible outcomes:

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Live from New York, It's Saturday Afternoon Death


As I mentioned in my most famous column in July, I had never been to a Knicks game. I've lived in New York City for all of my 17 years and I had yet to go to one. Recently I've had multiple friends invite me, but due to various circumstances I've been unable to join them. And the tickets are so comically expensive for good seats that simply getting up to go to see the Knicks on a whim isn't something I've been able to do.

That all changed last Saturday, and I wish it hadn't.

In September, a friend, colleague, and minor internet celebrity offered me the chance to see a game on January 10 against the Hornets from a suite, with warmup passes for the pre-game, for a little over a hundred bucks. That's a great price for that type of experience, so I pounced. Even better, I fell in love with the Hornets during the offseason, and it looked like they were primed for a great season. At the very least, they'd be one of the most fun teams in the NBA. I adopted them as my second favorite team in the league. Lance Stephenson, Al Jefferson, whatever P.J. Hairston is, and the potential of Noah Vonleh looked like a team that could restart the Hornets Era in Charlotte with a bang. Even better, there's a chance that I go to college on the outskirts of Charlotte, and I was so ready to spend four years heading over to the arena to catch a true contender.

Well, that didn't happen. Stephenson simply isn't working out so far, and missed the game I was at. Jefferson did as well. This wasn't the Hornets team that I signed up for.

As for the home team, that certainly wasn't the team that I expected. I bought the tickets expecting to see Carmelo Anthony leading the team in scoring, followed by J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire, pesky perimeter defense from Iman Shumpert, and lackluster interior defense from Samuel Dalembert. And the Knicks expected that as well, I mean, look at the back of the head that was featured on this ticket! A man who currently plays in Cleveland.


Instead, as I got to our spot behind the benches for warmups, I was greeted by the sight of Lou Amundson on the floor. The man who was re-signed that morning after being waived immediately following his acquisition from the Cavaliers.

This was not a nice feeling. Amundson is one of the most non-descript, space-eating, big men in the league. He doesn't do anything. He's just there. He just there with great hair. Guys like him, Tyler Hansbrough, and new teammate Cole Aldrich are basically useless guys who simply exist. There's nothing to them. Amongst fans, the feeling is different of course, because Hansbrough has earned his reputation as Psycho T, Amundson has his beautiful hair to keep him from anonymity. Aldrich has nothing, but we'll get to him later.

After a rather un-exciting 20 or so minutes at floor level, including a lot of watching Quincy Acy jack up jump shots that he shouldn't be encouraged to take, it was time to head up to our seats. The view was pretty good, there was an abundance of food and drink waiting for us in the lounge, and we each got a Knicks drawstring bag with a T-shirt and cap inside.

The first order of business was to bow down to the New York Rangers' 2013-14 Eastern Conference Champions banner hanging across from me.

Soon, we got to the second best part of the entire game:



After this woman fidgeted, looked around, checked her phone, attended to a crumb that she thought she noticed on her shirt for over a minute, she finally looked up and noticed that the entire stadium had been staring at her. She was immediately followed by a couple that took a minute and fifty-four seconds to realize the big screen. This was incredibly fun. It was really messed up if you were one of the people featured on the Oblivious Cam, but fun for everyone else.

Then the game started, and the fun ended abruptly.

The Knicks sent out a starting lineup of Jose Calderon, Cleanthony Early, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Jason Smith, and Cole Aldrich.

That being our first team is not what I expected back in October.

It was during the first quarter that I made a pretty important observation about the Knicks and their roster. Cole Aldrich is not good at basketball. He's not one of those players like Tristan Thompson who has a redeeming quality in that he can crash the offensive boards with the best of them, I'm saying that Cole Aldrich has no legitimate NBA skill.

I'm saying this because he has hands of stone on the offensive side of the ball. But that's not why he's here I guess. He's here to be a big body and take up some space in the middle of the lane on defense to deter all attackers.

One issue: he's not good at that either.

The amount of times I saw this man over-commit on the pick and roll, leave the paint too early and get embarrassed as a quicker guard blew right by him as he slowly began to set himself into a defensive position was sickening. He's supposed to be a help defender. But when a help defender is not standing between the offensive player and the rim, that's a major problem.

The crowd was very into Langston Galloway when he entered the game. At that point it was only his second game in the NBA, and we were all pretty pumped about him after his great showing against the Rockets. And he was okay. He was pretty aggressive on offense and was not at all afraid of taking too many shots.

In fact, I think that the Garden was well aware that he was the only player who had yet to piss off the fans to that point, as they used him on the giant video board in the pregame.

Second game of his career, and he's by default a fan favorite.

The score was 21-18 Hornets at the end of the first, and that was just about the last time I paid attention to the action on the floor.

The second quarter was when I started to play a lot of Trivia Crack, and it remained that way for the rest of the game. It was during this time that former Knick John Wallace came by our suite to say hi, which wasn't too exciting for me because he was a Knick for a year, and that year was before I was born. But at least he signed this for me, so he's cool:


Every time I looked down at the court, someone on the Hornets, usually Kemba Walker, was scoring.

At least the cookies in the suite were really, really good.

Towards the end of the second, the PA announcer mentioned that the halftime entertainment would be a Kidz Bop Talent Show, to which I immediately yelled "that's disgusting."


Outside of the Oblivious Cam, it was the best hting to happen all day until the fourth quarter. That's a really low bar, but the three kids that performed weren't totally devoid of talent, unlike the Knicks.

During the beginning of the third quarter, I was more interested in sharing my NFL Picks that I had posted six hours earlier prior to leaving the house than in watching the game that was right in front of me. Why? Because the Knicks were down 62-31 at halftime and things were about to get worse.

The quarter ended with the Knicks down 89 to 44. That wasn't a typo. I watched the Knicks get more than doubled up through three quarters by a team that was ten games under .500 at the time.


Okafor chants filled the stands as we couldn't stand to watch this team anymore. Obviously the chants were in reference to Jahlil, but I think at this point I'd rather watch Emeka than anyone cuirrently on the roster.

After watching Jason Maxiell put up 7 points and keep gettin' dem checks (seriously, how is he still in the NBA?), we found salvation.

Now that's not saying much of anything, because the Knicks are so bad. But when you hit three treys in a row when your team scored only 44 points through three quarters, you're going to become a fan favorite quickly.

Don't be fooled though, I still hate Quincy Acy. I don't think he's much of anything. He should stop shooting so much. A man that attempted only 17 three pointers in 92 games prior to this season has already taken 18 this year. He's been good at it, but clearly he's not someone who has ever trusted his shot. Maybe he's added that to his game for the long term, but I doubt it.

As for the game in general, the fourth quarter was better, but the fans were apathetic. Just because they scored 38 in the fourth doesn't mean we suddenly cared again. Scoring only 18, 13, and 13 in the first three quarters is what lost us. That 28 point loss felt like a 78 point loss.

Immediately following the game, I bolted to the train to go to Hunter College to see the second half of my high school's homecoming game. They were down by 1 when I walked in, and lost to their bitter rivals (and a school that stole our team nickname) by 10 points. And that was the best basketball I saw all day.

I'm not going to let that experience deter me from ever going to another Knicks game at the Garden, but damn that was a huge slap in the face. I waited ten years just to see that.