Saturday, September 8, 2012
Tim Tebow: Excited to beat the Bills!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Colonel Mustard's Rangers Preview
by Colonel Mustard
Last year was another step in the right direction for the Rangers. The regular season saw them win both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference titles and a #1 playoff seed. After two back and forth 7-game series wins against the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals, the Broadway Blueshirts fell just short of a trip to the finals in a thriller with hated rival New Jersey Devils. While the disappointing ending wasn't what the team or the fans hoped for, there is plenty of reason for optimism this year.
1.) Vezina Hank - After being overlooked for several years, Henrik Lundqvist finally got the recognition he deserved when he took home the hardware at the NHL awards in Las Vegas. Henrik has been arguably the most consistent performer for the Rangers in recent years, and when he is locked in, one of the best in the league.
2.) Rick's a Ranger - 5-time All-Star and "Rocket" Richard trophy winning winger Rick Nash arrives in the Big Apple in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. For those unfamiliar with Rick's game (he did play in Columbus after all), he is a big body with soft hands and tremendous speed for his size. A key performer for Canada in their gold-medal winning campaign at the Vancouver Olympics, Rick should pair nicely with last year's big signing, playmaker Brad Richards.
3.) Pressure is off Gabby - The arrival of Nash will almost certainly allow mercurial forward Marian Gaborik to move to the second line. After posting a career high in games played and a return to the 75+ point plateau, a confident Gaborik could be a potential 50 goal scorer without the pressure that comes with being the #1 option. Always more of a #1b guy, speedy Gaborik will be a second line menace.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Orioles 10 - Yankees 6
The Yankees and Orioles are tied for the lead in the AL East. That's just great! I know that the Yankees aren't worried, but I sure as heck am.The Yankees were down (4-0) in the 1st inning and were down (6-1) by the 6th, when Orioles 1st basemen Mark Reynolds hit a shot off of Joba Chamberlain. Joba is (0-0) on the season with a 8.71 ERA in 10.1 innings and is officially my least favorite Yankee. (I think I say this every other month)
The Yankees had a late rally with 5 runs in the top of the 8th to tie the game at (6-6). Ichiro Suzuki went (3-4) with 2 RBIs on a late single in the 8th to bring in Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin. They were quickly let down in the bottom of the 8th when the Orioles had a 4 run inning on 3 home runs.
The Yankees have 25 games left, facing AL East teams 19 of them. To say that the Yankees should be worried is an understatement. One positive is that Alex Rodriguez, who just returned off the Disabled List, went (1-4) batting, with 1 walk and 1 RBI. His one hit came on a deep double to center scoring Nick Swisher. Now that they have A-Rod back, maybe he can help get some life back into these Yankee bats.
WHO? The New York Red Bulls, that's who!
Lately around The Five Burroughs, all you hear about is "The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants" or "Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez." Rarely do you hear about the New York Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls lost their star rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara when he underwent arthroscopic hip surgery. Meara is expected to miss the rest of the season. He set the MLS Rookie Shutout Record with 321 minutes, winning 5 straight matches with The Red Bulls from April 28th to May 19th.
Cowboys 24 - Giants 17
The Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants (24-17) in the NFL's season opener. Both teams looked average in the first quarter, but the Cowboys really cranked up the heat in the second quarter and in the second half.
Cowboy's quarterback Tony Romo completed 22 of 29 passes for 307 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. The story of the night was Cowboy's no. 3 receiver Kevin Ogletree, who had 8 receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDs. Ogletree could not be stopped by the Giant's anemic secondary, especially when he flew by Giant's cornerback Corey Webster on a "hitch and go" route that left Ogletree wide open up the sideline for a 40 yard score. The Giant's defensive line only sacked Tony Romo twice, while the Cowboys defense got to Eli Manning 3 times during the game.
Eli went 21 of 32 passing for 213 yards and 1 TD. Not the "elite" numbers that Giant's fans are used to. The Cowboy's defense played very well against the defending Super Bowl champs, with a little help from Victor Cruz who had 3 wide open drops. No salsa dancing last night for Cruz, who was a breakout star last season. It looks like defenses have received the scouting report on him, as he only caught 6 passes for 58 yards.
The Cowboy's defense also had a little help from 2nd string rookie running back David Wilson who fumbled the ball on the 2nd carry of his NFL career and then never touched the ball for the rest of the game. It seems to me that he lost a lot of trust from Giant's coach Tom Coughlin on that play. But is that the message you want to send to your 2nd string rookie running back? Look for Wilson to be dropped from fantasy football leagues this week.
All in all, the Giants offense looked average, their defense looked below average, and the Cowboys looked good on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. Rookie 1st round pick Morris Claiborne played well in his first NFL start, recording 4 tackles while pressing the Giant's wide receivers and doing a steady job in coverage. The Giants have a lot of things to work on before their week 2 match-up with Tampa Bay, who picked up 6'5'' superstar wide receiver Vincent Jackson in the off season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, head up to Seattle to take on the revamped Seahawks next week.
Is it safe to say that the Cowboys are legitimate playoff contenders this season?
It will be interesting to see what happens on October 28th when the Giants head to Dallas for the week 8 grudge match.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Who is REALLY America's Team? GIANTS or COWBOYS?
Who is America's Team: Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants? Tonight the Cowboys take on the New York Football Giants @ 8:30pm ET at MetLife Stadium.
The Cowboys are coming off of a disappointing (8-8) season, missing the playoffs. The Giants (9-7) didn't do much better during the regular season, but they swept the NFC in the playoffs, winning the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. The Cowboys lost to the Giants in two regular season match-ups last season. I guess you can say "They have a bone to pick," with the New York Giants.
The Cowboy's colors are silver, blue and white. The Giant's are red, white, and blue. Though the Cowboys have a star on their helmet, the star actually symbolizes "The Lone Star State" and not the stars and stripes. 1 point: Giants.
Dallas is in Texas, the same state that at one point declared it's independence from The United States. Texas made several attempts to negotiate annexation from the U.S. in the 1830s, but eventually became the 28th state in the U.S. in 1845. Dallas is the 9th biggest city in the country and is the largest economic center in the state of Texas.
New York City was the second major city in the 13 original colonies of The United States. It is the largest (most populous) city in the country and one of the largest cities in the world. New York was the 11th of the 13 original colonies to become a state in 1788. New York City was a very important part of the economic and social development of The United States. Home to The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Isle, New York is one of the most diverse cities in the world. Another point for the Giants.
Both teams have their Super Bowl wins, their Hall of Famers and their legendary coaches, but which team really deserves to be called "America's Team"? The answer is clear to see: The New York Giants. New York is by far the greatest city in the world.
(Even though the Giants actually play in New Jersey. Shhhh!!)
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