Written By: Matt Vereb

The Yankees played their 3rd Spring Training game today, losing 12-7 to the Rays. Coming into today, Yankee fans were anticipating pitching performances from Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. Hughes worked 2 innings today, only yielding one hit(HR to RF Sean Rodriguez). Rodriguez is competing for the Rays RF position. Hughes has been working on a changeup and threw a few nice ones to Ben Zobrist. Outside of Rodrgiuez’s HR, Hughes had a nice game.

Joba Chamberlain, on the other hand, has had a week to forget. Joba has been sick with the flu all week, but was determined to make his first spring start today. Joba would have been better off on the bench. In 1 1/3 innings, Chamberlain allowed five runs, three hits, and three walks. Joba couldn’t seem to get his fastball down. After the game, Joba said that he felt about 60% today.

Like I said in an earlier post, fans really can’t take much from one Spring Training game. Positive results are encouraging, but should be taken with a grain of salt. If a player struggles through out Spring Training, it’s worth monitoring heading into the season.

Pitchers have bad days, but since 2007, Chamberalin has been the most frequently monitored Yankee pitcher. I’m sure that fans will tune in for Joba’s next outing, next week.

Yankee Fans: Are You Worried About Joba’s Performance Today?

Photo Credit: yardbarker.com

Written By: Alex Lowenthal

Ike Davis ripped a deep home run in today’s 17-11 win against the Cardinals.  Oh, and the bases happened to be loaded. Davis also walked twice.  He wasn’t exactly great in the field, however, misplaying a ball that resulted in an error during the 8th inning. This error allowed the Cardinals to creep back and make it 11-10.  Davis’ ‘redemption’ grand slam came in the bottom of the frame.  In just two exhibition games, Davis has gone 5 for 9 with a homer, 8 RBI and two runs with only 1 strikeout.

This performance does not mean he’ll be the Mets first baseman on Opening Day, but I think we’re going to see a bit of a competition this Spring between Davis and Daniel Murphy.  Davis was a first round draft pick (18th overall) in 2008.  Last year, he hit .298 with 20 HR and 71 RBI in 429 at bats in Single and Double A.  He’s also shown improvement in his fly ball percentage the last two years.  In 2008, his flyball rate was only 34%, but it increased to 43% last year.  Justin Morneau (43%, 30 HR) and Evan Longoria (42%, 33 HR) are two big name players with similar percentages last year.  Will he come out and be one of these impact, Home Run hitters?  Probably not.  But watching him these first few games has been pretty exciting.

I personally don’t plan on seeing much of him in the majors this year, but if Murphy/Mike Jacobs struggle, I think he can be a viable option who can make a solid impact.

What do you think Met fans? What would you like to see?

-Murphy? Jacobs? Davis? or even someone like Adam LaRoche/Russell Branyon?

Side Notes

-David Wright hit a nice opposite field two run homer in his first at bat.

-Gary Matthews Jr. and Luis Castillo looked sharp going a combined 4 for 4, while scoring 5 runs and driving in 2. Matthews Jr. added a Solo HR as well.

-Jason Bay went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout in his Mets debut

Written By: Matt Vereb

Outfielder Curtis Granderson was acquired from the Detroit Tigers during the off-season. Some Yankee fans are familiar with Granderson, others aren’t. Last season for the Detroit Tigers, Granderson hit 30 HRs, drove in 71 RBIs, and stole 20 bases. This marked the second time in Granderson’s four year career that he put 30 HR/20 SB numbers. Granderson, a left-handed, leadoff hitter, has posted a career .272 Batting Avg. at the plate and .344 On-Base Percentage. The only chink in Granderson’s armor is his alarming split against left-handed pitching(.183 in 2009). Lifetime, Granderson splits are (.292 vs. righties; .210 vs. lefties). With the departure of two consistent, yet older left-handed hitters(Matsui, Damon), Yankee fans may be a little concerned when reading his splits.

With the departure of Johnny Damon, the #2 hole in the batting order has opened. Many will argue for the multi-dimensional Granderson to fill that void. Others will argue Nick Johnson. To me, the Yankees brought in First Baseman, Nick Johnson (.435 OBP last season, .402 career) to fill that void. Johnson grounds into more double plays than Granderson does, but in my opinion, his On-Base Percentage outweighs that statistic. The Yankees want to give Teixeira and Rodriguez as many opportunities as possible to drive runs in.

So where does Granderson fit in for the Yanks?

My hitting lineup projection: Jeter, N. Johnson, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, Granderson, Swisher, Gardner

The 7^th hole in Yankee order(Cano 2009) will produce a lot of RBI opportunities. Cano hit an abysmal .207 with RISP and still managed to drive in 85 runs. Granderson hit .242 with Runners in Scoring Position last season, a figure that he should definitely improve upon given his lineup protection in 2010. Naturally, Granderson 71 RBIs from the leadoff spot in 2009, will get more RBI opportunities this season and will definitely benefit from the generous confides of Yankee Stadium. Granderson hit 1 HR in 11 At-Bats last season at Yankee Stadium. Imagine what he can do in 81 Home Games.

I looked up stat projections from five different baseball publications and averaged the figures to give fans a better image of Granderson’s production

Due to optimism, The Fans’ projections will always be a bit skewed. I think he will out-produce his RBI and SB average. Granderson is a young, dynamic player that will grow on Yankee fans. Granderson can also play above-average defense in the outfield. I can’t wait to watch Curtis Granderson roam Yankee Stadium. ‘Granderson Central’ will be located in the Bronx.

My Projection: 100 Runs, 26 HRs, 90 RBIs, 20 SBs, .272 AVG, .350 OBP

What do you think about Granderson’s outlook this season?

Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com

Written By: Mike Ulatoski

The Rangers faceoff against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Atlantic Division matchup.  The Blueshirts currently rank fourth in the Atlantic Division standings, and ninth in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 29-27-7 (65 pts.).  The Rangers enter tonight’s contest having defeated the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, on Tuesday at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. The Rangers have won each of their last three games, and are 4-1-0 in their last five contests. The Penguins enter the contest with a 37-22-4 (78 pts.) record to rank fourth in the Eastern Conference and second in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the division-leading New Jersey Devils.  Following tomorrow’s contest, the Rangers return to action on Saturday, Mar. 6, when they will faceoff against the Washington Capitals (7:00 p.m.) at the Verizon Center in D.C.

This is the sixth and final meeting between the Rangers and Penguins this season, and the third at Madison Square Garden.  The Rangers have a 1-4-0 record this season against Pittsburgh, following a 3-2 overtime win on Feb. 12 at Mellon Arena. The Rangers are 0-2-0 at home against the Penguins.

The Rangers rank 25^th in the NHL at home with a record of 14-15-4 (32 pts.) in 33 games. The Penguins have posted a record of 18-12-1 (37 pts.) in 31 road games, to rank seventh in the NHL. New York has posted a record of 5-9-2 versus Atlantic Division opponents, while Pittsburgh has registered an 11-6-1 mark versus the Atlantic Division.

What About Gaborik?
The Rangers will be without star forward Marian Gaborik, who will be missing his sixth game of the season. He is still listed as day-to-day because of a right knee laceration, which he suffered from a practice a week before the Olympic break when he jumped over Henrik Lundqvist and got cut by a skate blade. Now, more than a month later, he is still injured, but it is no longer the laceration that is cause for concern.

Gaborik missed three games before heading to Vancouver to play for Team Slovakia. In the final game of the Olympics, he was injured again. This time, he injured his groin, which has plagued him his entire career. The severity is unknown at this point, with reports saying he could be back in the lineup next Tuesday against New Jersey. However, it may be worse than that. Behind the scenes there are those saying that Gaborik may actually need another surgery to fix his oft-injured groin, which would put him out for the rest of the season.

Prediction
The Rangers have to face adversity head-on, and realize that they may be without their best offensive player the rest of the year. The way the Rangers played on Tuesday in Ottawa needs to carry over into tonight’s matchup. They played with energy, they played aggressive on the forecheck, and capitalized on their opportunities. This team can’t afford to play the way they did in the first part of the season: play like a top-5 Eastern Conference team one game, then play like a last-place team the next. In the last 3 seasons, the Rangers have caught fire beginning in March. Take a look at the records from March until the end of the season for the past three Rangers seasons:

’06-’07 – 12-3-4

’07-’08 – 9-3-5

’08-’09 – 11-6-1

Looking at those numbers, it’s impossible not to see another similar playoff push in this team – they have the talent, the coaching, and the veteran leadership to make a run to close out the regular season. So far this season, they’re 1-0-0 in March.

The Rangers continue the march to the playoffs, and get their second win in March tonight.

Rangers 3, Penguins 2

Shot Calling – goal for Olli Jokinen

Written By: Adam Poedubicky

According to multiple sources, the New York Jets have just acquired Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers for a conditional third round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The pick, a third rounder, will become a second-round draft pick based on certain undisclosed performance and playing-time numbers.

Cromartie, a 2007 All-Pro performer, was unhappy with his situation in San Diego and general manager A.J. Smith was simply tired of his shenanigans. There were obviously severe on and off-the-field issues if Smith didn’t want to bring back an 19th-overall pick from just four years ago.

Up-to-date analysis: Wow. Great move for the Jets. If Cromartie can perform like he did in 2007 (10 INTs) instead of how he did in 2008 and 2009 (5 INTs), this will be seen as a genius move. This also sews up a few other moves for the Jets. Now, in the first round of the draft, they don’t have to address the cornerback position and can look at other more important needs, such as wide receiver, safety, or defensive line. Also, great move making it a 2011 draft pick instead of 2010, because this year’s draft, as you all know, is one of the deepest in recent memory.

Written By: Matt Vereb

We suffered our first loss yesterday as Syracuse was trounced for the second time this season by Louisville. We look to start a new streak today.

The Matchup: 6:00PM Clemson Tigers(21-8) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons(18-9)

Sunday is Senior Day at Wake. Ishmael Smith(13.2 PPG) looks to lead his fellow Seniors and team mates to a victory. The Demon Deacons(12-2 Home, 8-6 ACC) have lost 4 straight games. Before the 4 game losing streak, the Demon Deacons had a record of 18-5, a virtual shoe-in for the NCAA tournament. Given the overall weakness of the ACC this season, Wake Forest is one of those preverbial bubble teams. A win on Sunday and a strong showing in the ACC Tournament wil have them dancing later this month.

The Clemson Tigers(5-5 Road, 9-6 ACC) have won two straight ACC contests(at Florida Stats, Georgia Tech). With a win on Sunday, they will claim an ACC Tournament 1st Round Bye. The Tigers have been getting good play from senior forward, Trevor Booker. Booker scored 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds during the Tigers, 91-80 victory against Georgia Tech this week.

On paper, both teams are evenly matched. Both teams have dominant, low posts presences in Clemson’s Booker and Wake’s Aminu. The Tigers are playing well right now. The Demon Deacons aren’t. However, it is Senior Day and Wake wants to snap their four-game losing streak. Wake by 5.

The Pick: Wake Forest Demon Deacons(18-9)

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Photo Credit: tomahawknation.com

Written By: Matt Vereb

The New York Knicks lost by 20 points tonight. Without looking at a box score, an NBA fan would assume that the Knicks played a superior opponent. Maybe the Lakers, maybe the Magic. The Knicks lost 113-93 to the 7-55 New Jersey Nets. The Nets are averaging 90.2 PPG this season and totally outclassed the Knicks tonight.

A more staggering figure? The Knicks were 0 for 18 from 3-point land, an NBA record.

The Nets shot 50% from the field and 58% behind the arc. That was 58% better than the Knicks shot from 3. David Lee, the only Knick not to attempt a 3-pointer, had his usual solid game of 23 points and 6 rebounds. Maybe he should have shot one or two for history’s sake.

Overall, this is completely embarassing for the city. How are the Knicks going to ‘court’ King James if they can’t even beat the lowly Nets?

How Embarassed Do Knick Fans Feel?

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Photo Credit: news.yahoo.com

Written By: Mike Ulatoski

Plenty of names and trades were swirling all morning and over the last few days, but the New York Rangers chose to make only one move today – a minor league deal sending Jordan Owens to the Detroit Red Wings for Kris Newbury.

It is shocking that Glen Sather did not make a move today. In each season, since becoming GM of the Rangers, Sather has made a deadline deal regardless of New York’s place in the standings. The Rangers had one big move in their sights today, acquiring Defenseman Sheldon Souray of the Edmonton Oilers. However, Souray was hospitalized in just the last few hours with an infection in his hand, a result of a surgery he had just a few weeks ago. Sather was turned off by the hospitalization, and chose to not make the move. The Rangers also reportedly made an offer for Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs, another big-name defenseman that was expected to be traded but will instead spend the rest of the year with the Leafs.

Sather did make his move a month ago, trading forwards Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins to Calgary for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Any other year, that would have been the move made at the deadline. In fact, all of the big trades were made before the Olympic roster freeze, including the trades of Ilya Kovalchuk and Dion Phaneuf.

Trade Deadline Day for hockey fans is like Christmas morning. You stay up late with excitement, wake up early, run to your computer and TV, and tune all of your attention to hockey trades. Just like Christmas: run downstairs and focus all of your attention on gifts for the rest of the day. Each trade is like opening another present. Needless to say, this was the worst Deadline Day any of us could ask for. Nothing exciting happened, at all. There is still the chance that more deals will be announced in the next hour. But, it is believed that the Rangers are staying put and will not announce any moves. The Blueshirts are moving forward with the roster they have.

We all wanted a trade to shakeup the lineup a bit as the Rangers make their push to the playoffs. Maybe not making any was for the better.

Rangers fans – would you have liked to see a trade?
Or is it better this team to stay the way it is?

Written By: Matt Vereb

Today we continued our Fantasy Baseball draft, completing rounds 4-6. Here are our results(Lupo led off Round 4)

Teams are really starting to take form. There were a few surprise selections this round…

Reach Picks:

Ryan Zimmerman and Victor Martinez

Ryan Zimmerman is a great player. No doubt about it. However, Mike could have waited a round or two to get similar value. In comparison, Pablo Sandoval was selected mid-way through the Sixth Round. These two players should provide owners with similar production. Adding a premiere arm, like Zack Greinke, would have made more sense for Team Ulatoski.

Brian already selected Joe Mauer in Round 1, so I question his selection of Victor Martinez in Round 6. I assume that Brian will be looking for a trade partner after the draft. Martinez has First Base Eligibility, but there were better options at the position.

Best Value:

Mark Reynolds

Typically, an owner won’t find a 44 HR, 102 RBI bat at Pick 46. I don’t want to self-promote myself, but the value of Reynolds was too good to pass up here. I had my 1st base(Miguel Cabrera) and 3rd base(Alex Rodriguez) slots filled, so Reynolds will fit nicely into my Utility spot. At worst, I’ll expect 35 HRs and 100 RBIs from the Diamondbacks slugger.

Rosters so far:

Owner Comments?

Written By: Adam Poedubicky

The 40-time might be one of the more irrelevant stats in sports. It usually takes 99 out of 100 plays for one player to actually have to sprint for 40 yards. More than anything, it’s just a pride marker for young players looking to get drafted. Run below a magic time, you get drafted ten picks higher and gain another ten million dollars. Run above a magic time, you get drafted a round later and lose out on a guaranteed signing bonus. My point is that a good 40-time doesn’t translate into all-pro success.

When it comes to the 40, there are mainly two players who come to mind: Darrell Green and Chris Johnson. Green, a defensive back, had an unofficial time of 4.09, which seems a little farfetched considering no one has reliably come close to that in years. Chris Johnson, the current running back for the Tennessee Titans, run an electronically-timed 4.24, which is tied for the fastest electronic record. With whom you may ask? Rondel Melendez, a wide receiver from Eastern Kentucky, who ran the same speed in 1999. Search for Melendez online and you’ll find only this time, and lists of other players who were workout warriors at the NFL Combine that didn’t pan out in the pros.

Today, running backs Jahvid Best (Cal) and C.J. Spiller (Clemson) posted the fastest official 40-times of running backs, clocking in at 4.35 and a 4.37, respectively. An elated Chris Johnson provided us with educated Twitter updates, saying “Last 1 2 c if dey cn do its cj spiller cn he beat my forty _ I’dsay thesnow held off in hell 2day lol.” For those of you who need a translation, Chris Johnson was eager to observe C.J. Spiller run his 40-yard dash to see if he could trounce the time previously posted by Johnson.

Regardless of times, these tenth of a second differences don’t make or break an NFL running back. It takes vision to see when the hole is going to open at exactly the right time. It takes being able to hold on to the ball (looking at you, Adrian Peterson). It takes being able to pass protect so a running back isn’t a liability to your franchise quarterback. So far, Chris Johnson has been able to put it all together as an NFL running back. He has the necessary traits, as well as the blazing speed. Although I believe Best and Spiller will be quality running backs, let’s not rush past the point and remember that speed isn’t at it takes to be a running back in the NFL.

Photo Credit: masteringthe40yard.com