Monthly Archives: May 2005
The penultimate week of action in the
NFL's developmental league saw the World Bowl contestants decided and
therefore rendered next week's action completely meaningless. Only
slightly less meaningful than every other week of the season, then.
However, I will continue to keep you informed about the important and
interesting bits.
The Berlin Thunder (featuring Jets allocated
RB Little John Flowers and WR Terrence Stubbs, who is injured) will
face the Amsterdam Admirals in this year's World Bowl, as the league's
other four teams have all now been eliminated following this weeks
action. Berlin has contested 4 of the last 5 World Bowls.
The Thunder booked their place with a 31-24 win over the increasingly impressive Kevin Eakin's
Frankfurt Galaxy team. Eakin quarterbacked the Galaxy into a lead with
a superb first half display, but then as he sat out the third (such as
has been the norm since he won the starting QB job), poor defense from
the Galaxy allowed Berlin to come back and win.
Eakin completed
19-of-29 passes for 273 yards and 3 TDs and outperformed Berlin QB Dave
Ragone (Hou), the only QB in the league with a better passer rating.
Franfurt are playing the Buffalo K-Gun offense and, aided by QB coach
Alex Van Pelt, Eakin has shown he can be effective even in the
no-huddle. He has the decision making ability and the arm strengh and
has improved his confidence and accuracy as the season has gone on. He
doesn't have great size, but has shown strength in the pocket and an
ability to throw under pressure. I would say he might challenge Brooks
Bollinger for the third-string QB spot (or back-up clipboard holder)
but Brooks has the advantage of working with Heimerdinger in camp,
while Eakin has been learning a completely different system.
Eakin's
three TD passes were impressive. His first, an 8 yarder to TE Mark
Annelli (Atl), who had a big day, was a side-armed bullet into the
end-zone as he was hit in the pocket. He then found Annelli again for a
nine-yarder as he was patient in the pocket and threw high at the
goal-line where only the receiver could catch it. His third TD pass, a
3 yarder, came as his first option was covered so he was flushed out of
the pocket and threw back to the back of the end zone in the middle of
the field. Eakin makes good use of the Galaxy's decent crop of tight
ends.
Other points of note from this game:
* Berlin got back
into the game when ex-Jet QB Chris Finlen's pass was deflected into the
air, right to the league's fastest player, Michael Jennings (NYG) for a
freak 59 yard TD pass.
* Flowers rushed for 27 yards on 9 carries
(including an 8 yard gainer on a nice cut back run one play before
Jennings' TD) and scored what was basically the game winning TD with
9:33 to go on a two yard plunge over right tackle.
* WR Aaron Boone
(Car) had a solid game (over 100 yards and a TD) against Lamont
Brightful (NYG), who is one of the better return men in the league and
also is amongst the leaders in interceptions, but he will have to hide
the tape of this game from the Giants coaching staff if he wants to
make the team.
* RB Cal Murray (SD), who splits time with Flowers,
broke six tackles on a 30 yard catch and run to set up his own
one-yard, game cliching TD run. Whilst it was a spectacular run, the
tackling by the Galaxy was very Mousey-esque. Murray, along with Ahmad
Galloway of Frankfurt will head off to San Diego this summer to try and
beat out Ladanian (BLT) Tomlinson. Good luck with that, guys.
*
Woody Dantzler (Dal) had a spectacular 50 yard kick-off return as the
Galaxy tried to mount a comeback, but after a great pass by Eakin,
Annelli fumbled to effectively end the threat.
Amsterdam booked their World Bowl place with a 27-10 win over Hamburg. Here's what you need to know:
*
Kurt Kittner (Chi) threw three second-half TD passes as the Admirals
roared into a 27-3 lead. All three TDs were caught by Ruvell Martin
(SD).
* Jarrett Payton (Ten) did not score and is now tied with
Flowers for the league lead in rushing TDs with 7 each. Martin leads in
total TDs with 10.
* DT Tim McGill had his most productive outing of the year so far with 4 tackles.
Finally, Cologne were eliminated by a surprising Rhein Fire team, who beat them 28-16. Here's the key notes from the game.
*
Scott McBrien (GB), although he did throw one horrible interception,
was pretty consistent and threw three TD passes, including two to Glenn
Martinez (Det), who also had a long punt return.
* According to
NFLEurope.com (ex-Jet) Matt Walters blocked and recovered a punt to set
up a Cologne TD and cut the score to 21-16. In fact, someone else
blocked it. He did recover it though, then fumbled as he tried to run
with the ball. Oh, well. If you want the facts, keep coming here.
*
Down five, the Centurions had a chance to win, but Kevin Thompson's
(Buf) pass was picked off and returned for a game clinching score.
This weeks show also included a special feature on the Jets. Unfortunately, it was the Coventry Jets.
Since it is still 50 degrees, raining
and miserable here in Boston, I am just getting to my spring cleaning!
Here are some thoughts on different topics from the Jets and around the
rest of the NFL.
Jets get OT Ethan Brooks
Consider this position filled then. Ethan Brooks,
who has started a number of games for teams over the past few years has
some Pete Kendall in him… a veteran lineman who can work where
necessary. Expect to see him push Adrian Jones and to give him a spell
now and again. More likely, he has been signed as injury insurance.
Law to Talk to the Browns
Like I had presumed
back in early March this one might be flying under the radar. With some
money returned from Mr. Winslow, would this be possible?I don't think
he will go to the Browns, unless the money is awesome. I think he wants
to contend and possibly stick it to BB.
Stadium Squabble
Well
we are officially in Stadium limbo, and the future doesn't look to
bright for public funding. Being that I am a borderline libertarian, I
almost wouldn't mind if I wasn't a jets fan…
“Sour Grapes” Dolan Villified
A lightning rod for sports in New York right now… the article is titled “Dolan may be most hated man in NY Sports” …
well, duh!
Since
he is the only man running multiple teams into the ground while
preventing others from becoming more profitable and competitive who
else would it be? My personal vote would go to Steve Somers…
Regarding
Dolan, Mark Cuban said the following. “I think Jim is one of the better
owners in the NBA, he is committed to doing what it takes to bring a
winner to New York, and to make the NBA a stronger company.” For as
much as I admire and respect Mark Cuban, only “The Benefactor” comes to
mind as a greater lapse in his judgement…
Redskins: AKA Good Ship Lollipoop
Things
must be going along swimmingly if a dude signs a contract, then two
days later wants to be released. … all I can say is Snyder gave the
fans what they always wanted in Joe Gibbs, and showed how idiotic Skins
fans are…
Kobe it is not…
Those
wholesome cheeseheads are having quite an offseason. The latest Badjock
is Al Harris who was at Club Cheetah III (there are two others?) in
Pompano Beach and apparently assaulted a woman.
Apparently they were in the Champagne room… to explain why Harris is in the wrong, I will defer to Chris Rock…
Got any junk to get out of your drawers? Use the comments!
As many of you know, Donnie Abraham is
attending practices this week to determine his fate with the team.
About his possible return, Donnie said recently “I'm coming back to…
see how things go. Part of you wants to keep going and part of you is
saying maybe that's enough. The biggest thing is [coach Herman Edwards]
gave me the opportunity to do what I wanted to do.”
From the depths of my paranoia, I give you my opinion on the matter: I don't think the decision is up to him.
Here is my list of circumstantial evidence:
1)
Expressed interest in upgrading the position, even after bringing in
Justin Miller. The Jets have lots of bodies, but no one that would be
considered a “shut-down” player. With the absense of Ferguson on the
line, the secondary better make some adjustments elsewhere because the
team won't be as stout up front.2) Nobility as Herm's M.O. with
the players. For example, it would have made better cap sense to
release Doug Brien in June, but the Jets gave him a chance to tag on
with another team quickly.3) Donnie's own words. I am no genius, but those words have some intentional vagueness to them.
4)
His absence for the first set of camps. No matter what was said to the
press… there were few that weren't present, and most of those players
are holdouts.
I get the sense Donnie is giving himself an
exit strategy, because behind closed doors the team will let him know
what they think of his conditioning and readiness to play after this
week's practices, and give him time to decide on his own before June
1st rolls around and they make the decision for him.
Now I admit
that I am probably way off base, and Donnie will most likely stay with
the team, but the conspiracist in me is tugging at this notion. Donnie
might very well want to play, but his absence at the first mini-camp is
still telling, no matter what he tells the press.
Until he makes it to June 2nd, I am treating this OTA as a tryout.
Now on to the good stuff. Curious what some of our media friends say? Here are their answers:
Randy Lange – Bergen Record
The
defense is clearly a work in progress and not all questions have yet
been answered. I think Donnie Abraham can still contribute but I wonder
about him starting. This could be Ray Mickens' shot to win a starting
job from the start of the season. Unless he's lost a half-step from his
knee surgery, he's still the best man-to-man guy they have, unless and
until Derrick Strait and/or Justin Miller are ready to step up.But
theoretically, they have enough potentially good bodies at CB and S
now. They still could add a veteran after June 1, but I'd say the hard
work is now for Donnie Henderson and Denny Marcin to get the D-line
back to where it was last year before Ferg bolted.
Bob Bullock – Jetstream Blog on NJ.com
I'm
not so sure Abraham is the way to go, unfortunately he seems to be one
of Herm's guys. He's under contract and he's not necessarily a
liability, but he's getting older and slower. Remember how Mo Lewis and
Marvin Jones were in their final year? I don't want to be watching
Abraham do the same thing. Also, since he's STILL thinking of retiring,
how focused can he really be on playing football this year? Like
Parcell's said, once you're thinking about it, you've already done
it.I'd still like to see the Jets look for more depth at the cornerback
position, the defensive tackle position and the offensive tackle
position. I wouldn't mind them making a run at Ty Law, or even R.W.
McQuarters, who was just released by the Bears. Law could cost them too
much money though, while McQuarters would be a cheaper option. It will
also be interesting who becomes available after June 1st.
What do you think?
Hello. It's that time again. Well,
actually it's a day later than usual…but there is a reason. For some
reason, NFL Europe decided to schedule a Monday Night game this week,
so instead of the usual 2 hour highlight show, they aired that live.
Unfortunately, the game featured two of the teams with no Jets
allocated players and was pretty dull, so I didn't watch much of it,
but I shall endeavour to recap the weeks events anyway.
The
first game was a match-up between two teams now out of contention for
the World Bowl, Kevin Eakin's Frankfurt Galaxy and The Rhein Fire.
Eakin performed superbly and led the Galaxy to a win over the league's
worst team. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 202 yards and two
touchdowns. He did throw one interception, but by then he had already
fired a 19 yard TD pass to make it 7-0 and a one-yarder to make it 17-0.
There are more comments about Eakin's performance here…
Other points of interest from the game:
* Akili Smith (TB) was back and played OK as Eakin's back up, but was less impressive overall.
* Joe Smith (Ten) rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown for Rhein, but it was a last minute consolation score.
* Rhein has a player called Patrice Majondo-Mwamba, another one whose name sounds like the sort of thing Bib Fortuna might say.
* Eakin is now the second rated passer in the league.
* Scott McBrien (GB) struggled once again, completing just 9-of-22 passes.
*
Kicker Nick Setta, who will be trying to steal Doug Brien's job in
Chicago came up predictably short with a 61 yard field goal attempt as
time expired in the first half.
The second game saw Berlin
Thunder defeat Hamburg 27-17 to remain atop the standings. Interesting
points to note were as follows:
* Little John Flowers rushed 8 times for just 22 yards and lost a fumble.
*
Flowers is averaging just over 4 yards a carry, but if not for his long
TD run last week, he would be averaging only 3.5. However, using the
same logic, if his TD run was his only carry of the season, he'd be
averaging 57 yards per carry. He is 7th in the league in rushing yards
and 2nd in TDs.
* Neither Flowers nor Terrence Stubbs caught a pass.
Stubbs is still struggling with an ankle injury and has not been
productive at all the last few weeks.
* Flowers' fumble was
recovered by Hamburg DT and Jets allocated player, Tim McGill. It was
probably his biggest play of the year. He also registered 1 tackle and
has amassed 11 tackles and one pass defensed to date this season.
* Ex-Jet Chris Finlen did not play for Berlin.
* I finally discovered where Matt Chila (Jets allocated TE) is. He in on injured reserve.
*
Joining Chila on injured reserve is Eric Crouch, the former Nebraska QB
who won the Heisman Trophy a few years back. Anyone who has seen Crouch
play must believe he can make it to the NFL, but he has tried and
failed four times. He is now allocated to KC and trying to make it as a
safety. He is fourth on the team in tackles. There seems to be one guy
every week that makes me say “I wondered if that was *him*”
The Monday Night Game was won by Amsterdam. Jarrett “Son of Sweetness” Payton
(Ten) scored the first touchdown for the Admirals in their 30-12 win
over the Cologne Centuions. Each of these teams is now one win behind
Berlin with two games to go. The top two teams will contest the World
Bowl. Kicker Jimmy Kibble missed two field goals and an extra point for
Cologne and also had a blocked FG returned for a TD.
Bob DiCesare of The Buffalo News
writes an excellent piece on what the Jets Stadium public funding could
do to precipitate the ultimate departure of the Bills from Western New
York. Seeing the Bills leave Buffalo would be a terrible loss for
sports, and a terrible loss for Western New York. I guess I cling to
the hope that if a town like Green Bay can do it, so could Buffalo. The
difference I guess, is the ownership.
Although the article is a
little too fatalistic for me, I finally see the viewpoint of why
Western New Yorkers care so much about this chunk of change.
That
being said, based on pure statistics, I still hold to my logic that if
almost 50% of the state resides in less 0.5% of the land mass, there
have to be concessions by the inhabitants of the other 99.5% of the
state…
I held out as long as I could, which wasn't that long.
I
am throwing myself right on top of the Ricky Williams dogpile. In short
order, the Dolphins might have brought both Ricky Williams back into
the fold and signed defensive behemoth Keith Traylor.
At
lunchtime, I was driving around in my car and I heard the guys on WEEI
in Boston speaking to Greg Bedard from the Palm Beach Post about his
5/21/05 article on Ricky Williams.
Apparently Williams' agent, Leigh Steinberg, told Bedard he is
“absolutely” coming back. In the same article, Bedard mentions Williams
had stated he was still unsure of his return as of last Wednesday in an
online chat.
I
think I held back on posting anything about Ricky in the past few days
as this story has gained steam because I was just hoping it would go
away. At this point, it seems likely the Dolphins will try to bring
Williams back. To see what will likely need to take place to get
Williams back on the field, read John Clayton's article on the topic.
As far as Williams, it appears that last summer's notion of outgrowing the game and coming to some higher level of Maslovian self-actualization was a total sham.
''I
just don't want to be in this business anymore, I was never strong
enough to not play football, but I'm strong enough now. I've considered
everything about this. Everyone has thrown every possible scenario at
me about why I shouldn't do this, but they're in denial. I'm happy with
my decision.''
So, by his statements of last year, are we
now to assume that he is now weaker by going back to the game? Was this
just an elaborate way to avoid drug testing and get clean? Or, more
likely is he starting to realize the sting of a $4,200 per month alimony check?
Whatever
the reason for Williams' return, I can't imagine he will ever be the
dominating runner he once was. Reports say that he is down 25 pounds
from his lowest playing weight and allowing that he will have until
October to be in playing shape gives him extra time to get ready, but a
year away from the game & training, and as much of a detachment as
possible mentally from football, I for one think it will be a long hard
return for him.
A Buffalo Newspaper
has written up a quick recap of everything that has happened in the
off-season in the AFC East. Worth a glance, but there isn't much there
you probably don't already know.
Two of the “heart and soul” players of the Patriots have had articles written about them recently.
After being cut, it looks like Troy Brown will be back with the Patriots. Talk about swallowing your pride for the team…
And Bruschi has made no decisions as of yet, and has stated that he will take it “day by day.”
These are the thoughts of two Jets
fans. One a sellout Yankees fan (me) and one a hopeless dreaming Mets
fan (Bent). With a line in the sand, we are going to try and give our
thoughts on the games this weekend. Each breaking down their teams half
of the inning. Hope you enjoy.
Top of the First:
- Is Petey's daddy the Yankees? Will the Yanks bean Petey in the fourth?
- Looks to be a typical first inning� two quick outs for the Yankees.
- The
announcers say that Shea is the fifth oldest stadium in baseball� that
is shocking�. Fenway, Wrigley, Yankee and just one more ahead of Shea? - What�s
this? Looks like the Yanks have a little rally! Bernie comes to the
plate and I am a little crestfallen. After a walk, I am wracking my
brain to think who�s next� - Ugh, nothing like watching Giambi
lumber to the plate with bases loaded and 2 outs� at least the pitch
count in the first is a moral victory. - What a catch by David
Wright to end the inning, but his leap out of the stands was more
impressive than his leap into the stands.
Bottom of the First:
- That was some play by Wright to end the inning and you have to enjoy Pedro's reaction to it also.
- After
Martinez labored through the first half of the inning, the Mets half is
over very quickly. Cairo gets a hit but the Mets go quietly.
Top of the Second:
- Yankees is to Second Inning as Movies are to Road House
Bottom of the Second:
- Good to see Pedro more economical in top half of the inning.
- Piazza gets a hit and, after Mientkiewicz hits into a force play, Wright also singles.
- Unfortunately, Pedro Martinez is up to bat with two out (and runners on second and third).
- Soft grounder to A-Rod, who inexplicably drops it.
- Pedro reaches and Mientkiewicz scores. 1-0 Mets.
- Jose
Reyes delivers a two-out RBI single to make it 2-0. What versatility.
24 hours earlier he was being sent off in the F.A. Cup final. (Except,
apparently, that's not the same Jose Reyes – just some soccer player).
Top of the Third:
- That boot was KILLER. Now both Petey AND Koo have more hits and/or RBIs than Jeter will have for this series.
- Womack goes down on strikes on a ball that was at the worst, right on the corner.
- Remember that scene in Road House when Jeff Healy gets a bottle in the face when he goes to take a break? Yeah that was awesome…
- Petey�s pitch count is quickly getting back to average
Bottom of the Third:
- Cliff
Floyd belts one out over the wall in right-centre (sic). A no-doubter
off the bat for a 3-0 lead. Piazza follows up with his second hit but
the Mets are unable to plate him.
The Mets are playing well right now. Who are the fans going to boo while Kaz Matsui is out? - With Piazza 2-for-2 I wonder if Pedro is glad he didn't insist on Mike DeFelice catching him today.
Top of the Fourth:
- Just
about to go out and run some wedding errands with my fianc�e. In the
time to explain that a half inning does not have a set time, the Yanks
have been retired, 1-2-3.
Bottom of the Fourth:
- It
occurs to me that there are a load of words in baseball that rhyme with
cuss-words. Pitch, Hit, Bunt� John Kruk. It is surprising that hip-hop
artists never seem to rap about baseball. Having said that, expect 50
Cent's version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” to hit the stores this
summer. - Pavano seems to have settled in. A 1-2-3 inning.
Top of the Fifth:
- So if I am out running wedding errands, how am I watching this game? Thanks MLB.com!
Petey is in the zone, and strikes out Flaherty looking. (Who? Has he already hit once today? Where was I?) - The
announcers are talking up Michael Kay�s conversation with the Boss back
in which will premiere today. Later during a commercial I see Kay asks
the hard hitting questions like �did you like Seinfeld?�
Bottom of the Fifth:
- I
like how they play a snatch of music for each Mets player as they come
up to bat. I would usually suggest alternative tunes for some of the
players, but I don't know of any songs called “Pop fly” or “Weak
Grounder”. - Cairo gets his second hit, but Cameron hits into a double play to put paid to any chances of a Mets rally.
Top of the Sixth:
- Womack leads off with a single. Maybe the Yankees can get something started here.
Womack steals second while Cano strikes out. Has Piazza thrown out a single baserunner in this series? - Kay mentions Yankees are 2-23 with runners in scoring position.
- Petey makes a great move to try and pick off Womack
- A-Rod
slaps a double to left field, scoring Womack from second. It is amazing
what an effect a steal can have. Without Womack on second, the inning
would have been over before the Yankees had the chance to score. Glad
to see some daylight for the Yankees, but they are still down two runs
to one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Bottom of the Sixth:
- With
the Yankees clawing their way back, now would be a good time to get a
run, unfortunately the bottom half of the batting line-up is up. - Wright
singles and Valent is intentionally walked with two outs to get the
Yankees to Pedro. I doubt they considered pinch hitting for Pedro,
especially with the lead and the state of the Mets bullpen and he
predictably is retired to end the threat.
Top of the Seventh:
- When
the most interesting thing in this half inning is the discussion and
replay of Piazza try to call for time in the last half inning, stepping
out of the box and taking a strike right down the middle, then you know
how quick this half inning went. - Other than that, it seemed that Torre was willing at one point to keep Pavano in, even if someone got on base.
Bottom of the Seventh:
- Cameron is retired for the fourth straight time and the Mets go down in order.
- Pavano
pitched well. Not as well as Pedro, but he would get the win if the
Yankees can get the lead in the top of the eighth (and hold on to it).
Surely there's no chance of that. Oh wait, these are the Mets.
Top of the Eighth:
- And pinch hitting Carl Pavano� the well known and widely feared: Russ Johnson
- Crowd chanting Koooooooooooooo again at Shea� you can tell that is going to be popular.
- Wright
bobbles a ball that looked pretty easy� I know there isn�t much grass
in either place, but it sure seems smoother in the Bronx� - Finally!
A little daylight here, but not by the Yankees doing. Reyes, handles a
Sierra (pinch) grounder from Cairo bobbles the ball and doesn�t even
get the out at second base. In comes Jeter to pinch run. - Koooooo gets relieved by ol� �Gas Can� Hernandez.
- Womack and Jeter double steal� Torre just has no respect for Piazza�s arm (and shouldn�t)
- I have grown accustomed to the sound of the shrieking planes overhead�. I am getting used to Shea already�
- Matsui ties the score with a screamer down the left-field line
- After Murcer trashes Bernie Williams, Bernie responds by ripping an RBI triple.
- And Giambino strikes out� can you say �albatross?�
Bottom of the Eighth:
- Good grief. Must we always commit errors two-at-a-time? Still needed a pair of clutch hits, but the game has turned on its head.
- The
soccer-playing Jose Reyes would be proud of how Reyes booted that one.
Actually, Reyes has had a tough couple of days. 3 very tough plays that
he (to his credit) nearly made as well as the big error here. Him and
Wright are going to be awesome there for several years…I'd like to
see Wright moved up the batting order soon. - Mets bats have gone
awful quiet. Stanton (suddenly the most reliable pitcher in the history
of baseball) and Gordon combine to induce three flies (two long, one
short) to retire the Mets in order - Hulk Hogan should sign for the Mets. He has been retired loads of times, so he'd fit right in.
Top of the Ninth:
- The YES announcers continue to rip the grounds after Reyes all but runs away from a ball.
As another plane lands in what must be the parking lot, I realize I am still not used to the sound. - Womack
adds an insurance run but after A-Rod�s slide to break up a double play
well off the base. I can picture my father going �oh, jeez� what a
dirty play, this guy has NO class�� - Going into the bottom of the ninth, I just hope Mo�s mojo is a go-go.
Bottom of the Ninth:
- Very
frustrating to see another run scored in the top of the ninth. Again,
we miss the opportunity to put Rivera under any kind of pressure. He
gets three outs and the last 10 Mets in a row are retired. - Always
annoying to lose one when Pedro pitches (and pitches well). With
Posada, Jeter and Sheffield out, this has to go down as a missed
opportunity. - Congratulations to the Yankees. We rekindle our
rivalry with “just another three games” in a few weeks time (and then
again in October – Hmmm. Perhaps not).
These are the thoughts of two
Jets fans. One a sellout Yankees fan (me) and one a hopeless dreaming
Mets fan (Bent). With a line in the sand, we are going to try and give
our thoughts on the games this weekend. Each breaking down their teams
half of the inning. Hope you enjoy.
Top of the First:
- Game
2. Is this redemption time for the Mets, or will the Yanks take the
series in just two games? It will be interesting to see. - Sheff's
scratch from the game (his first this season) means trouble for the
meat of the lineup. I hope this isn't something that is going to bother
him for a while. - Other than Bernie's towering fly ball that was about 10 feet to the right of being a home run, but leaked foul.
Bottom of the First:
- I
actually get to watch this one live on TV in England – and it's on at a
reasonable hour (6 p.m.), so it's socially acceptable to shout and
throw things properly tonight. - Nice start by Benson. I like him on the mound (at the moment…ask me again in a few hours).
- Good
start offensively as Reyes gets a base hit off Randy Johnson's foot.
After Cairo grounds into a force play, he is caught trying to steal
second. I hate the decision to send him there and am shouting
obsenities at my TV set already. - Beltran and Piazza also single
in the inning, but no runs are scored. They shouldn't have sent that
runner. I know Willie is “being aggressive” or “playing the
percentages”, but let's at least see if we can get some hits. I'm all
for sending Reyes with nobody out, but this irked me.One positive I
guess is that Randy's pitch count is already quite high. Would have
been even higher if they didn't send that runner!
Top of the Second:
- Already, Johnson's stuff doesn't look good. He has given up three hits already, which doesn't bode well.
- After
Matsui's leadoff double, we'll see where this goes. Some days, why do I
feel that Matsui is the only one who consistently can the opportunity
is wasted when A-Rod grounds into a double play. - Benson made a nice save on the double play.
Bottom of the Second:
- 2
up, 2 down and it doesn't look like this inning is going anywhere.
Matsui gets on with a single, which the announcer (FOX) notes “at least
gets Benson out of the way in this inning”. Quite. (Unless they send
Matsui). - Benson proves us all wrong with a bloop hit and Matsui
scoots to third. Reyes delivers a two-out RBI single to give the Mets
the lead, 1-0. Where were all the two-out RBI hits last night? First
lead of the series…
Top of the Third:
- Anyone seen this stupid Jack Daniels “Cauton” commercial? Just plain dumb…
- The
problem is that the Yankees aren't taking Benson deep in the count.
With about 40 pitches by the end of the third, if nothing changes,
Benson could easily go into the eighth.
Bottom of the Third:
- After
a Beltran single, Piazza grounds into a fielder's choice and comes
around to score when Wright narrowly misses an opposite field home run
by hitting the 371 marker in right-centre (sic). Wright reaches second
with a double, but holds at third when Chris Woodward reaches on an
infield single. Randy is able to get out of the jam down just 2-0. - Kaz
Matsui gets booed (as usual) for not getting a second run in. He's
actually hitting better than Piazza and Mientkiewicz but I think the
boos are more to do with his defense. Poor guy is playing out of
position. Give him a break. (Although I was – silently – calling him
every name under the sun last night). - It is the first time in
his career that Johnson has allowed 9 hits in three innings. I don't
know about the Big Unit, today he seems to be pitching more like the
R2-Unit. (There you go, an Evil Empire reference). The fact that only 2
runs are on the board is just typical Mets, but Benson looks pretty
good so far.
Top of the Fourth:
- Jeter gets the
idea, but apparently he still is in one hell of a slump. He doesn't
reach base, but at least he takes him deep in the count - After Williams' at bat, I realize it is clear that Benson is a pretty good with the glove.
Bottom of the Fourth:
- 1-2-3 inning. Never criticise a hall of famer.
- Apparently “J-Lo” is in the crowd. I can hardly contain my indifference.
Top of the Fifth:
- The Yanks threaten in the fifth, but strand their runners.
- This might be the last time for a while that I see Robinson Cano intentionally walked.
- I know it's RJ, but Torre faced a tough decision to possibly pinch hit for Johnson… he didn't and the inning is over.
Bottom of the Fifth:
- Benson continues to roll. Good stuff.
- They
interview Willie Randolph while the game is going on. I think “He
should be concentrating on the game”. It would have been funny if there
was a bench-clearing brawl and he continued to answer the questions
while beating someone up. It turns out that the interview was recorded
in between innings. That explains why Mike Piazza was able to get a
base hit whilst simultaneously being stood next to Willie. - Despite
my rant earlier, I like what Willie has done here so far. He seems to
coach with a chip on his shoulder, much like Herm Edwards (and latterly
Avery Johnson), which engenders respect from players. - Piazza is
retired when Cameron hits into an inning-ending double play. Both
Matsui and Beltran leave the game with (hopefully) minor injuries.
Top of the Sixth:
- Jeter
gets hit by a pitch. I know Yankees fans were going crazy, but I don't
think it was intentional. The ball hit Jeter on the elbow and I think
the pitch got away from Benson, although it was after three straight
balls… - Jeter's arm has a huge frikkin knot on it… yowza.
- Beyond that, I am getting used to this story in this game… more ground balls more outs.. starting to get a little anxious.
Bottom of the Sixth:
- Mets
were lucky in the top of the sixth. 1 out liner to second straight at
Cairo for an easy double-up at second base. I wonder if Matsui would
have made that play. Also perhaps lucky is the injury to Jeter, who has
a heck of a lump on his elbow. - Jeter is replaced by Rey Sanchez. Oooh…I'm scared!
- 1-2-3 inning though. Randy has only given up one knock in three innings and keeping the Yankees in it.
Top of the Seventh:
- I
couldn't watch this inning, and I am unsure what happened… from
looking at the play by play, somehow the Yankees only got two outs…
there was a leadoff hit my A-Rod and then two strikeouts… anyone???
Bottom of the Seventh:
- Dae
Sung Koo, a 35 year old and the only lefty reliever currently in the
Mets 'pen (as far as I am aware) leads off the inning fresh off having
struck out two Yankees to complete the Top of the Seventh for Benson. - Koo
took some heat last week for his first MLB at-bat, which was criticised
because he looked at three straight strikes and didn't look
comfortable. The FOX announcers are making fun of him already
when…BOOM! He clubs a double to right. - David Wright is miked
up for FOX and they air his reaction to Koo's blast. What we get is the
girliest scream since Ned Flanders found out his plant had died. Well,
at least he's having fun. - The crowd are chanting “Kooooo”. Kaz
Matsui, receiving treatment down in the locker room for a strained
trapezoid (Huh?) must have been thinking “What now? I'm not even in the
game!” - Reyes drops a perfect sacrifice bunt to get Koo to third
and then, in a moment of sheer inspiration, Koo breaks for the
unguarded plate and scores. It is a great moment, that the announcer
quite rightly calls “one of the most electrifying trips around the
bases of the year”. He was probably out actually, but the Mets deserve
a lift every now and then. - Miguel “The Cairopractor” Cairo
delivers a home run, his first of the year to left-centre (sic), but it
is completely overshadowed by Koo's exploits. I'm surprised Koo didn't
get a curtain call.* 4-0 Mets now, and the Yankees spirit looks to be
broken. I hope the bullpen can hold up because Benson deserves a win
for today's performance.
Top of the Eighth:
- Let
me say, Koo's performance is one of those that immediately makes a
player in NY a legend. Like Godzilla's early days when he hit to grand
slams early in his first year… the rest was history. - Beyond that, I could have sworn that Koo was tagged in the neck before he touched the plate… maybe not.
- Jeter leaves the game due to his elbow injury.
- When Dae-Sung Koo has more hits than Jeter in two games… yeah.
Bottom of the Eighth:
- Some
nice insurance runs for the Mets here as Cameron singles, Wright
doubles him in and then (after a Valent walk), Reyes hits a 2 run
triple. Great game for Reyes, who was 3-4 with 4 RBIs and made a
sensational play to nearly retire the speedy Tony Womack after a diving
stop and long throw. This wasKoo's day though! - 7-0 Mets and it looks like I will get the Ninth Inning off. Note that the “aggregate” score is now 9-5 Mets!
- The
Mets are sending in Looper for the save opportunity. If you are
thinking “7-0 doesn't represent a save opportunity”, then you've
obviously never seen Looper pitch.
Top of the Ninth:
- Never ones to go quietly into the night, the Yanks get a run in the ninth. Nice work. (Can you tell I am bitter?)
- See you tomorrow for the rubber match!
These are the thoughts of two
Jets fans. One a sellout Yankees fan (me) and one a hopeless dreaming
Mets fan (Bent). With a line in the sand, we are going to try and give
our thoughts on the games this weekend. Each breaking down their teams
half of the inning. Hope you enjoy.
Top of the First:
- Mets v. Yankees, Mentor v. Protege, Zimm v. Pedro. Let the Evil Empire references begin!
- More
than anything, I will be happy if the Yanks get one game out of this
series. I know the Mets have been playing great and are definitely on
the rise. I just hope the Yankees can fend them off one more time. - Unable to get the game on TV in Boston, I have subscribed to MLB.TV
for the month. At $15 a month, It's not that bad, and it will
definitely save me money instead of going to a sports bar to watch the
game. - Without getting into a James-ian argument, I must say, I don't get Jeter leading off.
Womack gets a knock. I realize that no runs will be scored, but at least the Yanks might have success getting to Zambrano. - The
sound of a plane 1000 feet screaming over the stadium and heading to
LaGuardia drowns out any stadium noise… ahhh, gotta love Shea….
Bottom of the First:
- Well, here we go. For some reason, I am all out of Evil Empire references. I wonder why?
- I
too would be happy with one win from this series for the Mets. I know
we should be looking to win at home, but I think if the Mets get swept,
it will do some harm to the confidence that has been building, so I
don't want to hope for too much. I'll take the same record as the
Bombers at the end of the series. - It isn't going to be easy for
me to recap this game, because I am following it by radio (the joys of
living in England), but I'll do my best. (This wasn't made any easier
by me tearing up my notes in the top of the sixth, but we'll get there
later). - For now, I'm happy Zambrano got through the 1st. Too many games this year have been 3-0 before we even get to bat.
- The
Mets fail to capitalise (sic) on a Cameron hit,two walks and a wild
pitch as Mientkiewicz (I'll be amazed if I spelled that right) KO's
with the bases full to end the inning.
Top of the Second:
- A-Rod
walks to lead off the inning. I know he is a great player and all, but
I can't help to think he is related to the Bure boys, because they
always looks like they are wearing a pale purple lipstick. - Tino
has a good, long at bat culminating by grounding into a Double Play.
Tino's at bat is partly due to his success recently, but might be more
a factor of Zambrano's affinity of working from behind in the count.
Bottom of the Second:
- Wright gets a single, but gets no further than second base. Gotta love this kid not being overawed in this game though.
- At least Zambrano is under control so far.
Top of the Third:
- The
announcers say that the way Robinson Cano stands in the box reminds
them of Rod Carew. Rod Carew… wasn't he the guy from that Adam
Sandler Hannukah song that converts to Judaism? - Kevin Brown
digs into the box and is hacking hard at the ball. For a guy with a bad
back, he is swinging away at the ball. Brown's hard work is rewarded
with a strikeout.
Bottom of the Third:
- Cameron walks and steals second, but is left stranded. I can see a pattern developing. Oh wait, that's my screensaver.
Top of the Fourth:
- The stadium is finally full. What is this, Dodgers Stadium?
- Womack on 1st + Zambrano's delivery + Piazza's Arm = Stolen Base
- Sheff's wagging bat gets Womack to third on a sacrifice. Like a shark I can smell the blood. Let the hemorraghing begin!
- Matsui gets an RBI double that runs right down the line.
After
a few walks and a Posada pop out, Cano gets the backward K by watching
a third strike with bases loaded and two outs. I know this kid is
young, but that was WEAK.
Bottom of the Fourth:
- Big K for Zambrano to get out of that inning.
- Wright
reaches on a Jeter error and scores on Matsui's double to tie it at
1-1. He goes to third on another Jeter error, with only one out, but
Zambrano and Reyes both fail to get the run in.
Top of the Fifth:
- Kevin
Brown leads off with a double. When I see him running, the only thing I
can think about is that “Dabba-do dabba-do” sound from the Flintsones
when they drive the car with their feet. After that, my first thought
is “I know this double is a waste.” - Jeter is going down like a… well, you get the idea.
- After two fly balls the inning is over.
- Nothing like having your PITCHER lead off with a double and getting NO HELP from the top of the order…
Bottom of the Fifth:
- I
won't crticise Derek Jeter. The guy's a winner. Remember the commercial
where in his second season he wanted to win the rookie of the year
again, but someone told him he wasn't eligible, so he put on a fake
(jewish-style) prosthetic nose and called himself Derek Jeterburg. I
might put a bet on Victor Diazburg to win the rookie of the year in
2006. - Incidentally, I wonder if George Michael got any
royalties for that commercial. Jeterburg is clearly plageurised (sic)
from the lyrics to “Wake me up before you go-go” by Wham. - In
this inning, Beltran gets a walk, but that's all the Mets can muster.
The first time there hasn't been runners left in scoring position at
the end of theinning.
Top of the Sixth:
- Matsui leads off with a walk. It's clear things are winding down for Zambrano, time to take advantage of this.
- Matsui steals uncontested. He might as well have skipped with a picnic basket to second.
- A-Rod walks and the announcers make the Piazza – Posada gaffe for at least the third time.
- Torre puts on the Hit & Dribble. Tino is out but the runner's advance to 2nd & 3rd.
The
comedy of errors ensues, first with a bad pickup by Kaz Matsui on a
routine grounder, then a ball right off the heel of Mientkievicz's
glove. The Yanks get two runs but new pitcher Heath Bell takes care of
Womack & Jeter.
Bottom of the Sixth:
- I am
still fuming over the sloppy defense in the top half of the inning. You
expect Matsui to boot one every now and again, but this was right at
him. I thought I was watching Anthony Becht again. With Mientkiewicz,
though, the only errors you usually associate him with are connected
with the spelling of his name. - Zambrano was unlucky not to get out of the inning (stupid Becht-sui), and did OK today, but six walks is still too much.
- My
mood isn't helped by Tanyon Sturze coming into the game to throw a
1-2-3 inning. Then again, “Who betta than Taynon?” (You won't get that
unless you're a WWE fan). - Bear in mind that it is about 2 a.m.
where I am. I “shout” silently at my computer, wave my arms about
theatrically and throw socks and paper round the room. This makes me
feel a bit better, until I realise that the lady over the road is
watching me from her bedroom window.
Top of the Seventh:
- There's nothing to mention here, I got nothing.
Bottom of the Seventh:
- Reyes
doubles and Beltran's base hit drives him in to cut the lead to 3-2.
The comeback is on! I can't watch. No, literally I can't watch. (I'm
listening on the radio, remember?) - In comes Mike Stanton with
two outs. This fills me with hope – two years ago it would have filled
me with dread. Stanton “induces” Cliffy Floyd to laser one right down
Tino's throat. The comeback is over!
Top of the Eighth:
- Curse
of the Giambino digs in. Someone said recently that they thought Giambi
was little more than a glorified softball player. I can think of no
retort to that… - Jeter gets retired AGAIN. Dude must have
another new starlet girlfriend (or maybe The Big Stein caught him out
on the town again) or something cause he is having PRAH-BLEMS tonight.
Bottom of the Eighth:
- When I look at Giambi all I can think is “is he about to sneeze or has someone just farted?”
- In
comes Gordon to pitch with the Mets still down 3-2. A walk and an error
put the tying run into scoring position with one out, but Matsui and
Valent are both KO victims. More “shouting” and throwing things ensues.
(My neighbour has gone to bed).
Top of the Ninth:
- Robero
Hernandez is the new pitcher. I don't know this guy from a hole in the
wall, but I get the sense that he might as well have “Gas Can” written
on the back of his jersey.
After a walk, Womack makes it to third
after an odd infield hit from Sheff. Womack makes a heads up play and
gets to third on the play. Matsui FC's but gets Womack home for a big
insurance run. - After an A-Rod single, Tino sacrifices a ball
to get Matsui home. Not sure what A-Rod was doing, but he BARELY makes
it back to first to avoid the tag, and only because the throw was
offline
Bottom of the Ninth:
- Two insurance
runs for the Yankees in the ninth. How annoying. It might have been
nice to at least make Mariano break into a sweat. - “Rivera…gets set to deliver…way back, way back”- No, not the ball…Mariano's hairline.
- How
is it that guys whose hairlines recede that fast look *more* bald than
guys with no hair at all. (Matt Hasselbeck is another). - Predictably,
it ends with a 1-2-3 inning. Is this the beginning of the end for the
Mets revival? As Green Day would say…”Wake me up when September
comes”.
Nothing like seeing three and a half
minutes of milling about, signing autographs and food set to the
backdrop of majestic NFL Films style music….
Either way, if you didn't go to the Taste of New York (which raised $140,000) event, it is neat to see (WM High-Bandwidth Version… check the site for other formats) the players and fans together.
