Reyes to the Giants?!?!

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6478229

Now obviously these are only talks, but HOW could the Mets do this?! This is their prime-time player! And with all the struggles they've been having lately, who are the fans going to want to see now? You can't make 40,000 people come to a baseball game just to see David Wright. If the Mets do this they can expect not to bring home a championship for quite some time, so they might as well just start re-building the team.

Osama Bin Laden Killed..

Three days ago, the world found out that Osama Bin Laden had finally been killed. People all around the world rallied by singing the National Anthem and chanting USA USA! Philadelphia Phillies fans were no different....

On A Happier Note....

THE METS ARE STILL LOSING!! Oh wait...that's not happy at all.

Ok, I really hate politically driven debates, but this is ridiculous..

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to use the occasion of Kobe Bryant's gay slur to try to stop homophobic remarks in basketball.

The team and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced a working relationship on Friday, the same day Bryant apologized again.

Mike and Mike in the Morning

NBA commissioner David Stern says he was comfortable with his punishment of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for using a slur on the bench during a game. Plus, Stern says the finances they shared with the players show that some teams are losing money.

More Podcasts »

"What happened in Tuesday night's game is not representative of what the Lakers stand for," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "We want to reaffirm our commitment to all our fans and our appreciation for the support we receive from all segments of society.

"We also understand the importance of positive messages in helping us convey this," Black added. "We appreciate the input we've received from GLAAD the past two days and will look forward to working with them on ways to help educate ourselves and our fans, and to help keep language like this out of our game."

Bryant was hit with a technical foul against the Spurs on Tuesday, stormed back to the bench and uttered a gay slur toward referee Bennie Adams. The moment was caught on camera and quickly caused an uproar.

The league condemned Bryant's words and fined the Lakers star $100,000.

Bryant responded by saying: "The comment that I made, even though it wasn't meant in the way it was perceived to be, is nonetheless wrong, so it's important to own that."

Appearing Friday on "The Dan Patrick Show", Bryant took his apology a step further.

"It was just stupid and ignorant," Bryant said. "In this situation, seeing how many people were affected, it helps you understand the weight that comes from that word. That's why it's very important for me to communicate how sorry I am to use the word."

While vowing Thursday to work with advocacy groups to "prohibit violence, to prohibit hate crimes," Bryant also said that he will appeal the league's fine. And that has one gay former NBA player frustrated.

More on the Lakers

For more news, notes and analysis of the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky Brothers.Blog

"Kobe, stop fighting the fine," said John Amaechi in a New York Times editorial piece. "You spoke ill-advised words that shot out like bullets, and if the e-mails I received from straight and gay young people and sports fans in Los Angeles alone are anything to go by, you did serious damage with your outburst."

Saying that "Bryant isn't some great, bigoted monster, as some have implied," Amaechi also wrote that calling someone gay to denigrate is both common and dangerous.

"Right now in America young people are being killed and killing themselves simply because of the words and behaviors they are subjected to for being perceived as lesbian or gay, or frankly just different," he wrote.

Bryant told "The Dan Patrick Show" that he thinks the "commissioner did a great job" and that he appealed the fine as a matter of process. He said he hopes something positive comes from the experience, which is what GLAAD expressed as well.

"In light of this slur, there is a real opportunity to build support for our community and educate fans of Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the NBA about the use of such words," said GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios. "The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a positive step and we look forward to working with them to create messages from players and coaches that combat bullying. We also suggested and will continue to advocate for zero tolerance policies for anti-gay slurs at home games, similar to what the New York Yankees adopted last year."

...So for those of you who don't know, or for those who just don't want to read this article, Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star player, was caught on camera after receiving a technical foul, saying the word "faggot" directed towards the ref who issued him the foul. Now, everyone is in an uproar, literally over nothing. Kobe was fined $100,000 and now GLAAD is working with the Lakers to "correct" their behavior. Ok, now, I personally have absolutely no problem with the gay community at all. But I absolutely hate how things today are blown so out of proportion. Bryant, in the heat of the moment, said something he probably shouldn't have, but things happen; you say things that you probably wouldn't say on a daily basis. But to "call in the cavalry" by fining him $100,000 and bring in GLAAD to fix the situation is ridiculous. What if the camera wasn't on him? People wouldn't have known and we all could have gone on with our happy lives. If I was actually having this conversation with someone, I would probably be screamed at about how he is a "role model" for kids and shouldn't be saying things like this. First of all, kids who actually look up to sports stars are probably around 6 or 7 years old and have no idea what he was saying any way. Second, I think we all should have learned by now that looking to sports stars as role models isn't the best idea because guess what, they're STILL PEOPLE. They speak the same way we do and say the same offensive language that we do when we're driving in the car and the person next to us cuts us off. I do understand that some people find this word offensive and I think he should have been reprimanded a little, but all of this is ridiculous. 

I think what is most absurd about this is what the representative from GLAAD said at the end of this article, ""The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a positive step and we look forward to working with them to create messages from players and coaches that combat bullying." Ok, now it seems like GLAAD is a doctor and they're treating the Lakers for an illness. "They're taking a positive step," yea, THEY"RE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM! They're player slipped up and it was caught on camera. I really think we all need to stop blowing things out of proportion to the extent that they are, whether it is on the issue of offensive language or whatever else, things can't be taken so seriously, especially with the way people use language today. 

A Look at the Mets first week of baseball

So, after a little over one week of baseball, the Mets season has proven to be as abysmal as I thought it would. Right now, the Mets are in, you guessed it, last place in the NL East with a 4-6 record and are 3.5 games behind the division leading Phillies. As I said in my preview of the Mets season a few weeks ago, it would be the Mets' starting rotation that would decide which direction they head in. I said that Mike Pelfrey and R.A. Dickey would have to step up as leaders of the rotation and shut batters down like they did last season. But, as I suspected, they have not been able to do this. Pelfrey, the Mets' number one pitcher, has an ERA of 10.80 and is 0-1 to start the year. Not what you want from your starting pitcher. Chris Young, however, has really exceeded my expectations. He has stepped up in the rotation and is 1-0 with a 1. 46 ERA. If he stays healthy, I could see him being moved up to the number 1 or 2 spot very soon.

For this first week, I give the Mets a grade of D for their efforts. Its been an awful week for the Mets, both pitching and hitting wise and I definitely think they need to get the ball rolling soon.

UCONN Wins the National Championship!

In quite possibly one of the WORST games in NCAA history, the UCONN Huskies beat the Butler Bulldogs to win the NCAA National Championship game. As I said in a recent post, I believed that Kemba Walker, the star of the Husky team, would ultimately lead his team to a championship; and I was right. However, the team as a whole really rallied behind Walker, who scored sixteen points, in the second half of the game. Jeremy Lamb came out in the second half and started the rally for the Huskies as he scored all twelve of his points in the second half.

The Huskies also played solid defense, limiting the Bulldogs to just 41 points in the entire game. An important part of the Huskies win was their big men down low, particularly Alex Oriakhi. As a whole, the Husky team blocked ten of Butler shots, tying the NCAA Championship Game record. Of these ten, Oriakhi had four of these blocks. Oriakhi, along with Roscoe Smith (who also had 4 blocks) created an impenetrable wall down low, which really depleted the morale of the Butler team.

Ultimately, it was the Butler team themselves that led to this terrible loss. In the whole game, the Bulldogs made 18.6% of their shots, which is just unacceptable in a championship game. As the game went on, you could see the morale of the team start to dwindle as every shot was short, long, left, right, or anywhere except in the basket.

As bad of a game as it was, UCONN deserved to win the championship after winning 11 games in the past 27 days. Kemba is going to be a star in his last two years and I could definitely see him being a highlight performer in the NBA as well.

The Mets start the 2011 season today!!...God help us all

I think Family Guy really shows how difficult it is to be a Mets fan

The Final Four

Well, this years NCAA Men's Tournament has been surprising, to say the least. I mean, who would have expected the VCU, an 11 seed would be in the final four, I don't think anyone did. Also, I am shocked that there are now no number one seeds in the final four, especially when two of those number one teams teams were Ohio State (who I picked to win the whole tournament) and Kansas. But now we have two interesting matchups: VCU vs. Butler and Kentucky vs. Connecticut. These are my picks for the Final Four winners and the National Champion team. First, in the VCU-Butler game, I have to take the underdog VCU. They have showed so much heart and dominance in this tournament and have taken down some of the best teams in the nation that I don't think Butler will be a problem for them. Next, in the Kentucky- Connecticut game, I'm going with Connecticut to win the game here. They are a team that finished 9th in the Big East division and somehow managed to win the Big East Tournament and now have made it to the Final Four led by their superstar Kemba Walker. I don't think it will be an easy matchup for UCONN but I think that they will be headed to the National Championship game. Then in the Championship game between UCONN and VCU, I have to pick UCONN as the National Champion. Sometimes, heart and dominance only get you so far, and I think this is where VCU will meet their match. I think that the leadership of Kemba Walker and the team chemistry that UCONN has will ultimately lead them to a National Championship

It's going to be a fun year for the Mets....

Ken Griffey Jr. and His Retirement

from ESPN.com

Ken Griffey Jr. issued a prepared statement when he suddenly retired from baseball last June -- and didn't say another word about it.

Finally, at spring training Wednesday with the Seattle Mariners, Griffey discussed his reasons for leaving the game and the way he did it, insisting it will be the only time he addresses it.

"I just felt that it was more important for me to retire and instead of being a distraction, it no longer became the Seattle Mariners, it became, 'When is Ken doing this? When is Ken doing that?' and that's something I didn't want to have my teammates, who I truly cared about, having to answer these types of questions day in and day out," Griffey said in Peoria, Ariz.

“

There are a lot of people that are friends of mine that would have tried to talk me out of it. And I just felt that it was best for me and the organization to retire.

”-- Ken Griffey Jr.

Griffey reminded reporters that he previously had said when it came time to walk away, he would do it quickly and quietly.

"You want me to apologize for something that I felt was right? I had to do what I thought was right for me," he said.

Griffey was batting .184 with no home runs and seven RBIs when, on June 2, he issued a retirement statement through the Mariners, got in his car and drove home to Orlando, Fla., abruptly ending a 22-season career.

Griffey said Wednesday that he previously had told the Mariners' front office "that if I become a distraction or feel that I would be a distraction, then I would retire, because that's the one thing that I didn't want," according to the Seattle Times.

"Second, I gave myself a little bit of a head start. There are a lot of people that are friends of mine that would have tried to talk me out of it. And I just felt that it was best for me and the organization to retire. Through no fault of its own. Things happen. I'm not upset," he told reporters. "I think people thought I was upset about certain things, but that's not the case."

Griffey, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Mariners in 1987 and played 13 of his 22 seasons with Seattle, said he was happy to be back with the team as a special consultant. He reported to camp Wednesday after fulfilling earlier commitments and said he will be working with the club's minor league prospects and make an occasional appearance in the TV booth.

"I'm happy to be back. I'm glad the Mariners gave me an opportunity to be part of the future," Griffey said. "This is the organization I grew up in. If there was going to be an opportunity for me to be in baseball, it was going to be here."

He said his message to the team's prospects will be: "Hard work doesn't start during the game. Hard work starts the night before," according to the Seattle Times.

Amid Griffey's struggles last season before he retired -- and a report that he had fallen asleep in the clubhouse during a game in May -- he also had a strained relationship with manager Don Wakamatsu, who was fired two months after Griffey left. Griffey said they haven't spoken.

"My phone rings," Griffey said. "That's just the way it is."

He ended his career with 630 home runs -- fifth all-time -- as well as 2,781 hits and a .284 career batting average. His 1,836 RBIs are 14th all-time and led all active players when he retired.

Many believe Griffey would have challenged Henry Aaron's 755 home runs -- a record since surpassed by Barry Bonds -- had he not been dogged by numerous injuries late in his career.

A 13-time All-Star, Griffey was American League MVP in 1997, led the AL in home runs four times and earned 10 Gold Gloves.

... When I heard about Griffey Jr.'s retirement last year, I was STUNNED to say the least. All I could think about was my childhood days when Ken Griffey Jr. graced the cover of Nintendo 64's "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr." and dominated the MLB. Even though his career dwindled towards the end of his career there is no doubt in my mind that Griffey Jr. is a Hall of Famer. He was the face of baseball in the early-mid 90's and the numbers he put up were absolutely incredible. I wish that more players would be more like him and retire when there time is up instead of becoming a distraction to their teams and prolonging the inevitable. Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the best players to play the game in the early 90's and will always have a place in baseball. 

President Obama's Pick for the NCAA Champion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqIvp4RxMD8

It's March Madness Time!

It's that time of year again! The time of year when every college basketball fan in the country fills out multiple tournament brackets to see if they can pick the winner of the National Championship. Personally, I find it very hard to keep track of every college basketball team so I just wait for March Madness to begin and make my picks from there or just watch the highlights on ESPN and gauge who is good and who isn't from there. This year, I have to pick Ohio State win the National Championship. Even though they did look shaky at some points during the season, I think they have the talent to win the National Championship in Houston.

Bad Calls Give the Johnnies a win over Rutgers

With only 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, St. Johns was up one point over Rutgers in the first round of the Big East Tournament. As the game started to wind down and get closer and closer, the refs really started to miss calls for both sides. They missed three crucial foul calls that would have given Rutgers the ball back and a chance to win the game. With just four seconds left in the game, Rutgers inbounded the ball and threw it across the court were the player from Rutgers was clearly fouled and the ball was turned over to St. Johns. But following this missed call, the refs missed yet another crucial call when the St. Johns player traveled, stepped out of bounds, and threw the ball into the stands all with 1.7 seconds left on the clock. The refs didn't even acknowledge this happened and ended the game with St. Johns winning by two points.

The refs clearly blew this game for Rutgers. With all of the blown calls, I could have seen Rutgers winning by at least four points. Once again, St. Johns pulled off another close win and will go up against Syracuse on the next round.

Knicks Cool Off the Heat with a Huge win in Miami

Honestly, up until this year when a Amare came to New York, I never had a reason to watch the NBA. I always thought, and still think that there is no point in me watching teams not play defense until the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter so they can win. But what I saw from the Knicks tonight made me want to watch them more and more. I found myself cheering and screaming at the TV as if it were the Super Bowl or an MLB game. It was unreal. The Knicks put on a show tonight and showed the desire to win the whole game, which I think more teams need to do.

The Knicks big three of Anthony, Stoudemire, and Billups shut down Lebron and Co. tonight in a big way. The defense stepped up and held the Heat to 86 points while Anthony dropped 29 points for the Knicks. But the big player was not Anthony or Amare tonight, it was Chauncey Billups. Billups rallied the Knicks back in the fourth quarter coming up with big steals and difficult contact shots (which should have been called as fouls) to fire the Knicks up late in the game.

What I saw tonight was solid NY Knicks Basketball. They played hard and wanted to make a statement to show that they can contend. Of course, it is going to take time for the team to get "in sync" with one another, as they are, in essence, a new team. But I think if they can win with a small amount of team chemistry, give them a few weeks and they will become a huge threat in the NBA.

Get Him Out of New York!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6164981

Here is a video of New York Mets pitcher Oliver Perez after his first spring training start of the season in which he gave up 4 runs in two innings which is absolutely ridiculous. Here you have a pitcher who was a solid part of the Mets rotation a few years back, who can't even seem to pitch to players who most likely won't even be making the team and who will be starting the year in the minors. I never understood why they gave this man a contract extension last year. He not only has control issues, but Perez struggled to throw over 90 MPH, something that is expected of most major league pitchers.

Also in the video when asked how he thought he pitched, Perez responded with, "It was the first outing, I was excited and nervous at the same time." These are not words you expect to hear out of your veteran pitchers. You're not supposed to be nervous, especially in a spring training game, when you have experience pitching in big-time situations. These are words you expect to hear from an inexperienced rookie pitcher. Unless he's nervous about getting cut, which he should be, he should be buckling down and stop making excuses for himself.

The Mets need to dump this guy NOW. Bring up some young prospect who has the velocity and control that you're not getting out of Perez or trade him...to whatever team decided they want a pitcher with no ability whatsoever. But hey, if there is some poor sucker of a team out there who will take him, good for the Mets..its less baggage they need to deal with.

This sounds harsh, yes. But the excuses coming from Perez are ridiculous and they've been heard too often from him. I guess its the frustration that comes with being a Mets fan.

Melo-Drama ends with Carmelo Anthony coming to the Big Apple

Carmelo Anthony finally got what he wanted from the start of the season: to become a New York Knickerbocker. But was it a good trade? Well for the superstar who has played with the Denver Nuggets since his entry into the league in 2003, the Knicks had to give up some big time players. Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov along with 3 million dollars in cash and the Knicks 2014 second round pick. In exchange, the Knicks received Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Anthony Carter, and former Knick Renaldo Balkman. Seem fair? Well in my opinion, yes and no. The Knicks NEEDED to get this trade done to be actual contenders in the East. Stoudemire could not have carried this team on his own. Granted, Gallinari, Felton, and Chandler were doing a stellar job at their respective positions but everyone is replaceable; especially if it means bringing in Carmelo Anthony. In the case of Felton, he is replaced with an equally good, if not better player in Chauncey Billups, who, although he is getting older, has won previous championships. Criticizers would say that the Knicks gave up too much, especially in the case of Gallinari, but particularly in the case of Mozgov. I have to 100% disagree with this statement. Mosgov is in his first year in the NBA and, in 34 games played has averaged 4 points per game...4!. Why not give him up?! Sure, he might have shown them something in the future, but why not get people that have already proven themselves? Carmelo should help the Knicks at least be a contender in the playoffs this year and who knows, maybe an NBA Championship will come to NY this year (although that is very unlikely).

Blake Griffin and the Dunk Contest

With the 2011 All-Star Game coming up in the next few days, NBA fans will be able to see the always highly anticipated Dunk Contest. This year will feature the NBA's human highlight reel, Blake Griffin. It is Griffin's rookie season and not only has he made it to the All-Star game as a rookie, but he has also brought Clippers fans much excitement during the year as they watch him soar through the air and slam it home like they have never seen before. Here is just a taste of what could be in store for this year's dunk contest

Griffin's 137 Dunks

Albert Pujols and Cardinals unable to reach deal for next season

Albert Pujols, the face of the Cardinals franchise, has not reached a deal with the Cardinals for next season. Pujols, whose contract is up at the end of this season, wanted to have an extension or new deal done for next season by last Wednesday so that there would not be any distraction for the ball club during this season. He was quoted as saying "You have to put a deadline because you don't want to bring distractions to the ball club." (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/news/story?id=6131069). Pujols is absolutely right. He did the right thing by setting this deadline so that the team could focus on the season and not have to deal with questions about his status for next year. I believe it is the little distractions that take away from a team's chances of winning.

With that said, I do not know what the Cardinals are thinking here. Pujols is their number one player and quite possibly one of the best players to ever play the game. You have to sign your franchise player in this situation. You do whatever it takes to bring back the player that the fans come to see play who is keeping you in the playoff hunt year in and year out. I understand that you need money left to pay the rest of your players, but signing Pujols for what he wants is a deal that the Cardinals absolutely need to get done at the end of the season.

Pujols has not said that there is no chance that the talks will reignite between ownership and himself, but for now, he is focusing on the season and will deal with his contract later.

Big Baby's Big Flop

In their game against the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics delivered a huge win (their third in a row against Miami) against their rival team. However, there was one laugh out loud moment that left even the Celtics players in tears of laughter. Watch it for yourself.

Chances of Jose Reyes reutrning to the Mets after the 2011 Season?

Via ESPN New York

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said "it's unlikely" contract extension talks with shortstop Jose Reyes would take place during spring training.

Alderson added that he did not expect the $1 billion lawsuit against Mets ownership would affect his ability to sign Reyes to an extension if the GM wanted to pursue it. Reyes will earn $11 million this season and is eligible for free agency next winter.

"Now, I'm confident I can do anything with any one individual player," Alderson said. "Anything we do is going to be viewed through the prism of what's going on in New York. There's no question about that. All I can do is try to make the best baseball judgments. And at this point I'm not facing any limitations. At this point I don't expect to."

Mets: Spring Training 2011

As all eyes turn to Port St. Lucie to watch the Mets prepare for the 2011 season, ESPNNY.com has you covered!
Spring Training Center | Mets blog

By "what's going on in New York," Alderson was specifically alluding to trustee Irving Picard's lawsuit against Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz seeking to recover money to disburse to victims of convicted swindler Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. Mets ownership has denied any advance knowledge of wrongdoing by Madoff.

"What do you think I'm referring to -- the snow?" Alderson said.

Alderson also disputed any suggestion Reyes is not his type of player. The GM comes from the sabermetric philosophy that does not place a high value on stolen bases.

"I had a lot of different players on a lot of different teams, many of whom had very different profiles. That probably alludes to his reliance on speed and my sense that maybe speed is not as critical," Alderson said. "But he brings so many different things to the table, as I've said earlier, that you can't just focus on the speed element. The speed element is a plus. There's no question about that, and well-appreciated by me, by the way."

Alderson said he wants to review Reyes in-season before making any decision whether to sign him to an extension, although he doesn't necessarily need the full season.

"I'm the kind of person that likes to get a feel for people and how they tick and be around them a little bit," Alderson said. "So this isn't just about scouting evaluations. This is getting comfortable with Jose and other people who are in camp as someone who hasn't been around."

Does Alderson worry he would lose exclusivity and expose the Mets to an outside bid for Reyes' services from a team willing to offer a deal similar to the one Jayson Werth signed with theWashington Nationals (seven years, $126 million)?

"The answer is no," Alderson said. "I understand given any approach to things there are positive and negative consequences. We happen to think that approaching it as we are on a net basis is the right way to go."

...I am a HUGE fan of Jose Reyes and really would hate to see him leave this organization. He is a high energy player that can really get the team going in need to win situations. Over his last seven years with the team, Reyes has stayed around the .300 batting average mark, averaging .286 over the seven years. He is in the tope tier of all players in the MLB in stolen bases every season which adds to his value greatly. But unfortunately, sometimes that doesn't fit into a new GM's overall plan for the club. It is no question that the Mets do need to make some MAJOR changes in the squad and get some big time players to bring a championship to the team, but I do not think that getting rid of Reyes should be part of this change. I think by combining Reyes with some of the more talented players in the league could bring the Mets a much better chance at a World Championship.