The Final Series Means All the Marbles

In the beginning of 2012 season, no one would    
have believed that the Baltimore Orioles would be tied for first place with the Yankees in the AL East, both with three games remaining. Playoff baseball is on the horizon, and these two match-ups determine the Yanks, O's, and Rays fate. Starting Monday, the Yankees will host the Red Sox for three games at the Stadium and the Orioles will have to travel to Tropicana Field and play the Rays in Tampa.

Although the Red Sox are eliminated from playoff contention, it's obvious they want to attempt to damage the Yank's playoff hopes. Yet, after being swept by this weekend, it is very possible that Bobby Valentine and his Sox squad have officially checked out (God be with us!). Tampa Bay has been eliminated for a division title, but are still very much alive in the AL Wild Card, only two and a half games behind the Yanks and O's. Many scenarios must take place for the Rays to make the postseason, and they have just as much a shot to make the playoffs as anyone else does. Remember the last day of the season last year? Baltimore knocked the Sox out and Evan Longoria hit a laser homer to send his Rays to the playoffs? Two games decided two team's destinies. No team can control your fate. You either show up, or don't show up. For all the Yankee fans out there, keep the magic, and keep the faith!

This will be an incredible last week of the regular season for these AL East teams. Division spots and Wild Card spots are available to any. Who will it be? Here are my picks:

PREDICTIONS:
-Yanks take 2 of 3 from Boston, Baltimore takes 2 of 3 from Tampa.
-Tiebreaker on Thursday in Baltimore between NYY and BAL for the division title.
-Yanks win 8-7 under the wings of Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter

-AL Playoff Teams: East: NYY (95-68), Central: DET (89-73), West: TEX (94-68)
-NL Playoff Teams: East: WAS (98-64), Central: CIN (98-64), West: SF (94-68)
-AL & NL Wild Card Teams: BAL (94-69), LAA (92-70), ATL (95-67), STL (87-75)

Week 4: SNF: Giants @ Eagles

It has been nearly been 10 days since the NY Giants left Charlotte, North Carolina with heads high, winning 35-7 on Thursday Night Football against the Panthers. The Giants showed true resilience during their battle with injuries from Nicks, Bradshaw, Hixon, and Diehl. Only three games into the season, it is evident that the backup players will have a huge role "Building the Bridge" this year for Tom Coughlin's crew.

As a Giants fan, I believe that there is not a better time to play the Eagles than now. This Eagles team is coming off a high expectation preseason, and although they seemed like a potent force in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves at 2-1. Philly QB Michael Vick found his way out of two pickles against a dangerous Baltimore Ravens defense, and a ridiculously awful Cleveland Browns squad. To be fair, there is no logic or reasoning into picking whether or not teams will make the postseason only three weeks in. Yet, this Eagles team has lost total motivation and confidence after being shown up by an Arizona Cardinals team that is now 3-0! (I would have never thought that Kevin Kolb and this team would pull W's out of their a** like they have now.) Vick has nine turnovers in three games, and his name has been placed on the hot seat in Phila. This is either good news or bad news for the Giants. It's great news that Vick has not performed and the Giant's D-Line can get to Vick, but it's also bad news for the case that Vick may play his best with his job on the line.

The Giants will go into Sunday night without WR Hakeem Nicks due to another injury he suffered in Week 2, but RB Ahmad Bradshaw will be suited up and ready for the Eagle's defensive pressure. RB Andre Brown surprised many last week, along with offensive targets Martellus Bennett and Ramses Barden. Expect another high throwing game for Eli Manning, and also expect a huge scoring game. It will be a rowdy crowd at Lincoln Financial, but I'm taking the Giants in this game 27-23.




For anyone who loves our head coach Tom Coughlin, watch NFL Films "A Football Life: Tom Coughlin" on NFL Newtork. This documentary showed Coughlin's roots through adulthood and family, along with lessons he has learned and has taught as a football coach for more than four decades.

Friday Night Picks: Week 4

There are tons of games this week that will define where a specific team stands for the rest of the season. Here are my Week 4 picks. 

Home Team in Caps

FAVORITE         UNDERDOG                  PICK

Patriots         vs.       BILLS          NE -4.5, NE wins 38-17

49ers            vs.        JETS           NYJ +3.5, SF wins 28-13

PACKERS     vs.       Saints            GB -6.5, GB wins 38-16

COWBOYS   vs         Bears           DAL -3, CHI wins 21-19

EAGLES       vs.        Giants         PHI -3, NYG wins 27-23

TEXANS      vs.        Titans        TEN +7.5, HOU wins 30-16

FALCONS    vs.       Panthers       ATL -8, ATL wins 38-10

"Locked Pick": Patriots over Bills

"Wild Card Pick":  Broncos over Raiders

"Underdog Pick": Vikings over Lions

Last Road Series: Yanks at Jays

The final road series of the 2012 season is here for the 90-65 New York Yankees. Taking two of three at Target Field in Minnesota, the Yanks travel to Toronto, trying to build an even bigger cushion to clinch the AL East.

With only 6 games remaining, this series at the Jays and a home series against a struggling Sox team is significant for the Bombers. As of now, the magic number of the division is 6, and clinching a playoff spot is 4. If the Yanks can take three of four and the Orioles lose two of three in Boston, the Yankee would win the AL East, looking like a potent force for either two wild card teams, or the AL Central champ in Detroit or Chicago. Derek Jeter's 19-game hitting streak was snapped yesterday afternoon, but the bats have come alive to Ichiro, Cano, and Swisher. When it comes down to high pressure ball games, experience continues to play an important impact on victories. The Yankees have been around the block, and know what it takes to succeed and reach their goals. Keep the faith Bombers.

PITCHING PROBABLES:
                         NYY                         TOR
Thursday: Nova (12-7, 4.94) vs. Morrow (8-7, 4.94)
Friday:  Kuroda (14-11, 3.44) vs. Jenkins (0-2, 4.24)
Saturday: Pettitte (5-3, 2.71)  vs. Romero (9-14, 5.76)
Sunday: Hughes (16-13, 4.10) vs. Laffey (4-6, 4.52)

Game 3: Giants at Carolina

Last Sunday afternoon in the Meadowlands was one of the most remarkable games in Giants history. Let's all be honest. Many, and I mean many of us turned off the TV at halftime down two touchdowns to the Tampa Bay Bucs (I know I did). Down 27-13 going into the second half, it was beyond fantasy for the Giants to come back and win after Eli Manning gave up three huge interceptions in the first half alone. WR Martellus Bennett proved that he can become a huge factor in the games, and with the loss of Ahmad Bradshaw to a neck injury, back up running back Andre Brown stepped up as well.

The last five minutes of the game were overwhelming to all. Back and forth touchdowns with less than five minutes remaining had many people standing rather than sitting on the couch. Victor Cruz delivered in the clutch with a huge eighty-yard touchdown run late, along with Eli Manning tallying over five-hundred yards in the game alone (8th most yards in a game all-time). The Giants won the game 41-34. It may have been ugly, but a win is a win.

Here's the inactive list for the Giants tomorrow: Hakeem Nicks, Ahmad Bradshaw, Domenik Hixon, and David Diehl. The G-Men will have to begin in a hole against a frisky Panthers team. Little to none offensive targets remain for New York and the back-ups will have to show up prepared to go to battle to get a very needed win in order to keep the playoffs in mind this year. Playing the Bucs, Panthers, Browns, and Bengals should always result in victories. Tom Coughlin and the Giants cannot afford to lose this game against Carolina. It's difficult to be the road team on Thursday night, but the Giants need to go out swinging, looking for positives rather than negatives.

This game seems like a pick-em. Either team can pull off a win. Eli & Co. showed a tremendous amount of resilience last week, but injuries have been killing the Giants so far this season. But I'll take the defending champs by a field goal, 22-19. It's going to be a great game to watch, so get ready.

Big Weekend: New York and Tampa Bay

After a shaky and questioning Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys to kickoff the 2012 season, the G-Men look for revenge against the surprising 1-0 Tampa Bay Bucs. Tampa Bay pulled off a stunning victory against the Carolina Panthers 16-10. Many believed Cam Newton's squad had great potential this season, considering the fact that the New Orleans Saints would struggle, also along with the Buccaneers. Week 1 of the NFL threw a lot of curve balls at fans. RG3 and the 'Skins beat Drew Brees in the Superdome? Peyton Manning defeated the Steelers, who were my AFC pick of the year? Even though one game means nothing, the Giants sit in last place looking up as the Cowboys, Eagles, and Redskins started off with W's. It seems like the Giants die hards have some concerns on the player's performances. So what if Victor Cruz missed some catches? So what if Eli and the O-Line looked shaky. The so called "stellar" defense lost to the Cowboys. There's no need to fret. No one takes Josh Freeman and new head coach Greg Schiano seriously. I'm expecting a big game out of Eli Manning and company, along with great special teams, which leads to my prediction that the Giants win their first game of the season 41-16.


The Yanks won two of three at Fenway Park, which is good news for everyone. The bad news is that Baltimore swept the Tampa Bay Rays, which means New York and the O's are still tied for the division. It was not the best case scenario for the Yanks, but they need to look at this weekend series against Tampa as an opportunity to knock the Rays out of playoff contention. The Rays trail four games in the AL Wild Card behind the Yanks, O's, and Athletics. If the Yankees can manage to somehow sweep this weekend series, these three victories could make Tampa seven games out, which may be too big a hole to climb out of. The Rays may have better pitching than the Orioles, but Tampa Bay is not playing great ball when they need to the most. Baltimore has a west coast trip to Oakland, which could possibly be the Wild Card match up in the playoffs. The Yanks have a nine game home stand starting tonight, and it's time for the Yanks to take what belongs to them: the pennant race. Expect a great series. CC tonight, Nova the next day, and Kuroda on Sunday. Plus, Hughes on Monday and the return of Andy Pettitte on Tuesday! It's funny how you can take David Phelps and Freddy Garcia out of the rotation, and the pitching staff seems so much more potent than it has this year. It's been exactly a month since the Yankees won back-to-back games, and if they win tomorrow, it would be called a winning streak. New York hasn't swept a team since Texas at home in August. Let's hope for those results to come back. Keep the faith New York.

PITCHING MATCHUPS:

                  TB (77-66)                     NYY (81-62)
Friday: D. Price (17-5, 2.54) vs. C. Sabathia (13-5, 3.56)
Saturday: J. Shields (14-8, 3.71) vs. I. Nova (11-7, 4.92)
Sunday: M. Moore (10-10, 3.68) vs. H. Kuroda (13-10, 3.17)

9/11: How Sports and New York Saved the Country

On September 11, 2001, our country suffered through terrible tragedies due to terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and the  United-93 hijacking. Although we remember the ones who lost their lives during that day, we also can appreciate how sports saved the United States during this time of mourning and self reflect. 

 September 21, 2001. After a long road trip for the Mets, they came back home to play the Atlanta Braves, the first major sporting event since the terrorist attacks. Although many recognize the Yankees as the team that saved baseball since they made the World Series that same year, there is not an iconic moment that is greater than Mike Piazza's home run that shook Shea Stadium that very night. The home run gave hope to families who lost loved ones and to those who sympathized, and gained hope and relief from the pain. Mike Piazza came through when New York needed him the most, and for that we thank you.

President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch during Game 3 of 2001 World Series between the Yankees and Diamondbacks. Fans who witnessed the game remember Bush standing on the rubber, giving a thumbs up, telling everyone is silence that everything is going to be alright. Seconds later, he threw a perfect strike that lead to a Yankee win. The next night, Tino Martinez hit a home run off of D-Backs reliever Byung-Hyun Kim that tied the game in the 9th inning. This lead to Derek Jeter's "Mr. November" walk-off home run that won the game. Just when things seemed crazy enough, Scott Brosius hit a game tying home run that rocked the Bronx, leading to a Yankee victory, taking a 3-2 lead in the Series. Unfortunately, the D-Backs fought back with two wins in Arizona after a blown save by Mariano Rivera in Game 7. It was a story book ending planned for the Yanks, but the Bombers reunited the city as one, representing the country in baseball's Fall Classic. The ball players jobs were to try to make everyone's life just a little bit easier, even if it was for a limited amount of time.

February 3, 2002. Super Bowl XXXVI took place between the favorite St. Louis Rams and the underdog New England Patriots in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The halftime show featured Paul McCartney, singing his signature song, "Freedom", along with U2 playing their top hits as the slideshow began that included the names of the victims who passed during 9/11. Bono then proudly showed the crowd his jacket with the American flag embroidered on the inside to the nation.  It was an iconic performance for both bands, and is remembered in a very special way. Ironically, the Patriots won the game 20-17 on a time expiring field goal made by Adam Vinatieri. The Patriots were champions of America, and no one could ask for a better team to win during the 2001 season. Patriots owner Robert Kraft went on to say, "We are all Patriots, and tonight, the Patriots are world champions." Couldn't explain it in a better way. 

No matter where you go, what you do, or who you're with, September 11 brought depression and war to this country that we fight to live in every single day. Sports gave the men and women who lost loved ones a sense of hope, knowing that there is always something that can make you feel better, whether it would be for one hour, or possibly nine innings. Whether it was Paul O'Neill and Joe Torre wearing the FDNY/ NYPD baseball caps, or Michael Strahan wearing the FDNY fire helmet, sports saved the United States during the 9/11 attacks. It may be just a game, but sports are a wonderful thing that saved more lives than believed. 

30 Days in the Hole

Top of the eighth inning: Yanks down 6-1. A-Rod, Ichiro, Cano, and Chris Dickerson delivered clutch at bats, including walks and extra base hits. The Yankees were tied going into the bottom of the eighth with the score 6-6.

Right before all the craziness began late in the ball game, the Yanks dug them selves into a hole, down 4-0 after the first inning. Many TV sets went off in Yankee households after that inning, and victory seemed slim to none, along with one of the largest Baltimore Oriole crowds in their last fifteen years. At Camden Yards, the Bombers have been used to a majority Yankee crowd, since the Orioles haven't made a playoff push since 1997. Last night's atmosphere was overwhelming and intense. Ironically, the fans were there to celebrate Cal Ripken Jr.'s "Iron Man" record for the seventeenth season. Who would've expected in Spring Training that there would be a Yankees and Orioles pennant race?

David Robertson pitched the bottom of the eighth, and on a one-two count to Orioles center-fielder Adam Jones, Jones drove a fastball that was right in his wheelhouse, right into the left-center field seats for a home run. Mark Reynolds then continued his Yankee killing spree with another home run, which brought another two runs in to make the game 9-6. The Yankees lost the game 10-6. Who would've thought that possibly the best Yankee win of the year could turn into the worst loss of the season.

Does Baltimore deserve the division? Have they earned it more than the Yanks? Is Buck Showalter the AL Manager of the year while Joe Girardi is placed on the hot seat?

This last month of Yankees baseball has been a list of terrible adjectives; panicky, stressful, devastating, and most importantly, embarrassing. It's time for the younger players to step up and for the veterans to set an example and perform to their fullest. No need no sugar coat it, it's been ugly. All I can ask out of all the Yankee fans is just to do one thing: Keep The Faith.

Week 1: Giants vs Cowboys

The 2012 NFL season begins Wednesday night in the Meadowlands between the visiting Dallas Cowboys and the Super Bowl defending champion New York Football Giants.


Words cannot describe this bitter NFC East rivalry. The Giants have the bragging rights after sweeping the series in 2011, winning 37-34 on a blocked field goal attempt credited to Giant's DE Jason Pierre-Paul. The blocked field goal as time expired saved the Giants' 2011 playoff hopes. The G-Men went on to defeat the NY Jets on Christmas Eve, which lead to a rematch between Dallas and New York to determine the East champs. On a cold, bitter New Year's Day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Giants tortured the Cowboy's playoff dreams after beating Big D 31-14.

After winning Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants went through 2012 training camp as true underdogs as they are every year. The NY Jets took the limelight of Manhattan, and even though it upset Giants fans, Big Blue seemed to enjoy less pressure and attention coming into the new season.

The Philadelphia Eagles continue to be the favorite to win the NFC East, predicted by many experts as a possible Super Bowl XLVII candidate. Questions still remain for both Dallas and New York. Can the Cowboys be taken seriously with Jason Garret behind the helm? Can the Giants survive their brutal second half schedule?

It's September, and football is in the air. The New York Giants are ready to defend the Vince Lombardi trophy for the 2012 season. Who else would you want to beat in the first week of the season? I think the Cowboys win the debate. MetLife Stadium will be rocking Wednesday night, and expect a GIANT win in week one.