Your New York Sports Blog

"Madison Square Garden executives yesterday unveiled a $500-million plan to renovate the inside of the arena and said there is no plan to build a new Garden elsewhere. "We are committed to moving forward," said Hank Ratner, vice chairman of the Garden and Cablevision. "Our fans will get everything they want here. We are not going to be moving." The Garden announced last week that it was pulling out of a proposed multi-billion-dollar plan to build a new arena across the street at the Farley Post Office, where a new train station would replace Penn Station and be dubbed Moynihan Station, in honor of the late Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan. The Garden's current plan is to use Cablevision funds to turn the inside of the arena into a state-of-the-art facility in time for the 2011-12 Rangers and Knicks seasons. Work will begin in the spring of 2009 and be done primarily over the summers of 2009 and 2010, likely displacing the WNBA's Liberty for all or part of its seasons. No Knicks or Rangers games will be moved."

Those pictures look really good and it will be nice to see an updated version of MSG which if you have ever been there is not the pretties looking building in the world.

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The Mets game was rained out and is rescheduled for a double header on May 20th. Their game is Saturday, April 5th against the the Atlanta Braves. Maine (0-0 0.00) vs. Hudson (0-0 2.57) There is rain in the forecast.



The Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 13-5. This was not Ian Kennedy's or LaTroy Hawkins' day. Kennedy gave up 6 runs in 2.1 innings, but than Hawkins topped him by giving up 6 runs in just .2 innings.



Part II was even more exciting than Part I. The Islanders defeated the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout. The shooutout went 4 rounds with Richard Park getting the winning goal. Lundqvist gave up weak goals including one to Kyle Okposo and a 5 on 3 goal to Richard Park. Jaromir Jagr had a good game getting another goal and assist, but the star of the night was Wade Dubielewicz. He stopped an amazing 48 shots of the Rangers 51 and 2 of 4 goals in the shootout.
This put the Rangers closer to getting home ice advantage in the playoffs with the 1 point. They are currently in 5th and set to play the Devils, but could leap frog them if they win and the Devils lose giving them home ice against the Devils in the 1st round.






The Knicks were not in action tonight. Their next game is Sunday, April 6th against the Orlando Magic.

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"Add Ruben Gotay Ruben Gotay to the list of ex-Mets New York Mets vowing revenge against their former team. Like Lastings Milledge and Paul Lo Duca earlier this spring, Gotay is angry with the Mets for giving up on him without what he considers a reasonable explanation. "Yes, I'm mad," Gotay tobased onld The Post yesterday. "I never thought they would put me on waivers after what I did last year. I felt I deserved a chance." Gotay appeared to blame Willie Randolph for that decision how he responded when asked about seeing the Mets' manager this weekend. "I'm not going to go out of my way to talk to him," said Gotay, who had tears in his eyes last week when told he was put on waivers. "I'll talk more to the players than him, because I've always had a pretty good relationship with the players." The Mets explained their decision to Gotay by telling him they wanted a stronger right-handed bat off the bench. They also felt Easley was a more versatile infielder while viewing Gotay as almost strictly a second baseman."

Even though he is being a little melodramatic I kinda feel bad for him. He is right about Willie being the one who wanted him out of New York. It was clear as day from the very beginning that Willie did not like Gotay and tried has hard as he could not to play him. Although it is not that bad to see him go in stings to see him wearing that Brave's uniform whether or not he develops into a solid starter.

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The Mets were not in action tonight. Their next game is Friday, April 4th against the the Atlanta Braves. Maine (0-0 0.00) vs. Hudson (0-0 2.57)



The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-2. This is the game where the young pitching shined. Both starters McGowan and Hughes went 6, gave up 4 hits, gave up 2 runs, and struck out 4. Joba came in in the 8th pitched a scoreless inning, the Yanks took the lead in the bottom of the 8th when Abreu drove in the winning run. Then Rivera shut down the door for his 2nd save.

In the Rangers vs. Islanders Part 1 the Rangers managed to clinch their 3rd straight playoff birth. Captain Jaromir Jagr got the Rangers going scoring hist 1st goal of the game 14 minutes into the 1st period. 2 minutes later he scored his 2nd goal of the night which was far more than the Rangers would need. But to make sure Marty Straka
decided to get into the scoring 8 minutes into the 3rd period
putting the Rangers up 3-0. Henrik Lundqvist recorded his 10th shutout of the
season; something a Ranger's goalie has not done since 1930. Part 2 will take place tomorrow night at MSG.






The Knicks were not in action tonight. Their next game is Sunday, April 6th against the Orlando Magic.

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Over at his blog Jayson Stark has a 3 part segment on what the Mets are going to due now that Pedro is done for at least a month. Here is his outtake on the situation:

"• Life after Pedro: The Mets continue to pursue one of GM Omar Minaya's old pitchers from Montreal, Claudio Vargas, in the wake of Pedro Martinez's injury. But contrary to popular assumption, they're not interested in plugging Vargas right into their rotation, a week and a half after his release by the Brewers. Their plan would be merely to add him to their Triple-A inventory, along with Tony Armas Jr. and Brian Stokes. There are no indications, meanwhile, that the Mets are pursuing any of the other unemployed or designated-for-assignment starters out there: David Wells, Jeff Weaver, Robinson Tejeda, etc.
• Life after Pedro, Part 2: It's fair to question whether the Mets built enough starting-pitcher inventory over the winter. But they obviously thought they were deep enough, because we've never heard any of their decision-makers say they were counting on Martinez to make 30-plus starts this year. And with good reason. Pedro has made 33 starts only once in the past nine seasons.

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Lorenzen, a restricted free agent, was tendered at the “low” amount of $927,000.
Lorenzen will be in an interesting summer battle with Anthony Wright and newly signed David Carr for the two backup spots behind Eli Manning. The 27-year-old Lorenzen completed 4 of his 8 passes last season for 28 yards. Those are his only regular-season passes in his three years in the league. The only other restricted free agent the Giants tendered was safety James Butler, who got a “second-round tender” worth $1.47 million. He has not signed that yet.
I would easily take David Carr as the backup and I would lean more towards Anthony Wright for the 3rd string job although Lorenzen can fill in at fullback if need be................ just kidding.

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Mets demolished the Marlins 13-0. Oliver Perez through the Mets best game so far striking out 8 over 6 innings while walking only 1 and giving up 5 hits. David Wright received his 1st MVP chants of the season hitting a home run and getting 3 RBI's (6 on the season). He wound up going 3-5 and Beltran was 3-4 with 3 doubles (one was a home run that was ruled a double)


Yankees lost to the Blue Jays 5-2. Mussina didn't pitch well giving up 4 runs(3 earned) over 5.2 innings. A-Rod hit his 1st home run of the season. With Posada sitting out for shoulder stiffness Jose Molina was 2-2 at throwing runners out.



The Islanders were not in action today. Their next game is Thursday April 3rd against the Rangers.




The Rangers were not in action today. Their next game is Thursday April 3rd against the Islanders.




The Knicks lost to the Grizzlies 130-114 helping their draft status out! David Lee and Zach Randolph both had double-doubles. Randolph had 27 points 10 rebounds, Lee 19 points 10 rebounds.

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"According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, the Mets have placed Pedro Martinez on the 15–day disabled list with a mild strain to his left hamstring, while activating Nelson Figueroa.

Martinez is expected to be out four to six weeks.

Also, Willie Randolph told reporters that he may choose to pitch Oliver Perez on Tuesday, in the home opener, with Figueroa getting a start later in the week against the Brewers."

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Newsday
"The Super Bowl rings, designed after consultation with the team's ownership, management, coaching staff and players, will feature three diamond-crusted Lombardi Trophies signifying the franchise's three titles along with the Giants' "NY" logo and the words "World Champions." And while the shimmer off the diamonds and white gold may cause some squints, the size of the bling-tastic memento won't.
"There was some discussion about maybe one of the rings was too big," said guard Shaun O'Hara, one of four players who sat in on design meetings and had a voice in the elements. "I threw out the fact that it was a big win, it was a huge win, so the ring should be designed accordingly."
Michael Strahan, also a part of the design team, had said that he wanted his spoils to be "10-table rings," meaning that it could be seen in a restaurant from 10 tables away. O'Hara, participating in voluntary offseason workouts this week and quoted on the Giants' website, said he thought this design qualified. Besides the design on top of the ring, there are also messages on each side noting accomplishments from the season. One side will have the name and number of the player, an NFL crest, and the words "Eleven straight on the road." The other flank will feature the Super Bowl logo, date, and final score: "NYG 21, NE 19." "I think everybody is going to be very pleased with the design," O'Hara said. "It is very clean, very classy, but at the same time it is very strong." The rings will be made by Tiffany & Co. and will be presented to the players at a ceremony later this spring."

That ring is just sick 1.5 carrots of diamonds are on this which is crazy. It looks like Strahan got a 10-table ring maybe even 15-table ring. Wouldn't it be nice to win a championship and getting a ridiculously expensive ring for free. Hopefully the G-Men can bring another one to New York next year.

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The Mets had a scare when Pedro Martinez left the game in the 4th innings when he heard his hamstring "pop" he is day-to-day and will be reevaluated tomorrow. Matt Wise wound up giving up a home run in the 10th to lose 5 - 4 to the Marlins.


The Yankee season opener went as they planned. Joe Girardi got his 1st win the way you want them to win. Wang 7 strong, Joba dominating, Rivera shutting the door game over. 3 - 2 win over they Jays.



The Islanders lost to the Devils 2 -1 in a shootout. On the positive side closer to a better draft position ;-)




The Rangers were not in action today. Their next game is Thursday April 3rd against the Islanders.




The Knicks were not in action tonight. Their next game is Sunday, April 6th against the Magic.

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UPDATE 9:02 PM It is a strained left hamstring day-to-day. It appears he will go on the DL, but time will tell. There will be more info tomorrow.

Well not good news from the Mets game. For the 2nd time in a row Pedro Martinez has gotten pulled from a game in Dolphin Stadium. Last time he had to get rotator cuff surgery and cost him a HUGE amount of time and this time he left with a hammy/groin injury. The extent is unknown, but hopefully it is not too serious. It reminded me of Phil Hughes injury last year that kept him out for over a month.

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Well BA did their annual minor league organization rankings and the Yanks were one of the elite and the Mets were where no team ever wants to be. Yanks came in all the way at 5, Mets at 28.

5. New York Yankees
Cumulative Ranking, Last Five Years: No. 13
State Of The System: The Yankees continued their commitment to development in 2007, spending more money on the draft ($8.04 million) than any other club, remaining aggressive in Latin America (spending $1.1 million on Dominican outfielder Kevin DeLeon) and declining to ante up in a trade for Johan Santana. The strength of the system is pitching, and the best arms are all being counted on in New York (Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy) or at least expected to contribute (Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, Ross Ohlendorf) this season. OF Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata are further away but are clearly the top two position players in a system still building depth in that regard.
Best-Stocked Position: Righthanded starters. Chamberlain may have taken the American League by storm as a reliever, but he's a No. 1 starter in the making. Kennedy doesn't have the same kind of stuff, but he has an uncanny feel for pitching. Horne and Marquez are waiting in the wings, and Andrew Brackman and Dellin Betances have huge ceilings if they can regain full health.
Prepare For Takeoff: RHP Mark Melancon. One of several Yankees pitching prospects on the mend after Tommy John surgery, he has pitched just eight innings since signing for $600,000 in 2006. But he's finally 100 percent again and he has the stuff and makeup to once day succeed Mariano Rivera as New York's closer.
At A Crossroads: 3B Marcos Vechionacci. Long regarded as one of the system's best position prospects, he has seen his bat and power stall for three straight years in Class A. He's still just 21 and a strong athlete, but he needs to deliver on his promise."

"28. New York Mets
Cumulative Ranking, Last Five Years: No. 20
State Of The System: The Mets have been aggressive with international players such as OF Fernando Martinez and RHP Deolis Guerra, both in terms of spending to sign them and then pushing them through the system. At the same time, they've been conservative in the draft since giving Mike Pelfrey a $5.25 million major league contract in 2005. New York emptied its farm system by trading Guerra, OF Carlos Gomez and RHPs Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber for Johan Santana, but the move was a no-brainer.
Best-Stocked Position: Righthanded relievers. The Santana trade left Eddie Kunz and Brant Rustich, both 2007 draft picks, as the system's best prospects behind Martinez. Rustich will give starting a try this year, while Kunz could be on the express route to Shea Stadium that Joe Smith took last year. Steven Clyne, the third college reliever the Mets drafted in the first three rounds last June, also could move quickly. Nick Carr is a starter for now but profiles better as a late-inning weapon out of the bullpen. Major league Rule 5 draft pick Steven Register has been impressive this spring.
Prepare For Takeoff: 3B Danny Murphy. In his first full pro season, he went to high Class A and ranked second in the Florida State League with 143 hits, then followed up with a strong performance in Hawaii Winter Baseball. He projects to hit for power as well, though he'll eventually have to move off the hot corner with David Wright in New York.
At A Crossroads: 1B Mike Carp. The Mets are worried about Carlos Delgado's hip, but there has been no talk of using Carp as a replacement if Delgado goes down. Carp needs to bounce back from a disastrous 2007, when he broke his right ring finger on an errant slide in big league camp and hit just .251 with 11 homers in Double-A once he returned. He also struggled against lefthanders and with his defense."

Well who didn't see that coming. You can clearly see why they have a huge difference between them when looking at signing bonuses. The most the Mets spent on any player last year was$720,000 and wouldn't pay up for talents like Brandon Efferson, while the Yankees spent OVER $720,000 3 times and gave their 1st round pick Andrew Backman $3,350,000 knowing he would need TJS. The Mets can make themselves an elite minor league organization if they use their 18th, 22nd, and 33rd picks wisely. Not to mention some of the high school talent that falls into much later rounds. But hey the Mets did used their prospects the exact way they are supposed to be used, by getting the top pitcher in all of baseball for 4 who no one knows how they will look in the future.

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