Knicks May Have Found Their Big

Timofey Mozgov ended the Knicks big man hunt tonight by coming off the bench and putting up 24 and 13. He played with much more poise and looked like what we were hoping for. The Knicks pulled away after halftime to beat the Pistons on big game from Gallo, Amar'e and Mozgov. Now, he probably won't get those numbers every night, but there's no reason not to use him and his 6 fouls in the rotation. They are not going to find anything better on the trade market. Go Knicks!

UPDATE: The Knicks have apparently hired former Denver GM Mark Warkentein to an unnamed senior consultant position. Has Walsh finally chosen a GM? And what's this got to do with Carmelo?

Whither Andy?

It's been announced that the Yanks are out of the Duchscherer sweepstakes. Getting out at this stage strongly indicates they have either an assurance or other reasons to believe that Andy Pettitte will be coming back to stabilize their rotation. This would be great news and new I'm sure we are all eager to hear . Go Yanks!

Knicks Beat the Heat!

The Knicks electrified the Garden tonight by beating the Heat for the first time this year. 93-88. Once again they missed a lot of open shots, as in the Laker game earlier this month, but this time they didn't let it get them down and played spirited defense all over the court. Landry Fields may have had his best game yet, and finished with a double-double. Gallo made some big shots down the stretch and Ray Felton hit 4 clutch free throws to put the game away late. Amare was Amare, which is to say, our all star. He had 23 and 8 facing a number of defensive tactics both legal and illegal designed to slow him down. He should have gone to the line more. But, in the NBA, it seems you have to earn the respect of the refs before you start getting the calls you should, and the Knicks are just coming off of a decade long run of losing respect. But, they overcame everything tonight and came away with a mighty big W. Go Knicks!

Rangers Win Shootout

Marian Gaborik scored to tie the game at one late in the third, and Artem Anisimov won a long shootout. Biron was in net and had a bunch of big stops against the Caps big talent. Still, the Rangers played hard and smart, and Gabby, who can come up big against the big guys, did just that. This team is the most fun Ranger squad in some time. And the kids are all helping. Go Rangers!

Knicks Win!

Amar'e, Gallo, Chandler and Raymond Felton all played well and the Knicks finally got back on the winning track against the Wiz tonight. As they did rumors continues to swirl involving the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. An unattributed source said a deal could be done by week's end. But what's that worth? Go Knicks!

Knicks Drop Their 6th in a Row

Seems like the trade rumors are effecting Gallo and Chandler. The Knicks need to get things resolved one way or another. They are playing their way out of the playoffs at this point and they shouldn't let that happen. Go Knicks!

Rangers Win Shootout

In a gritty effort, while sustaining even more injuries, the Rangers came back from two one goal deficits to beat the Thrashers on a shootout goal by Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. They desperately needed two points and got them. Boyle tied the game late in the 3rd with his 17th. Girardi went down after sticking up for Staal, who'd sustained a cheap shot. Great to see that from Girardi, let's hope it's nothing serious. The Rangers are limping into the break, and have to hope they can find two or more points in their last two games. Go Rangers!

Yanks Sign Jones

The Yanks have signed Andruw Jones to a one year deal for 2M. Once the greatest defensive CF of all time, he declined young, but is still a good corner fielder who pounds lefties. Marcus Thames with a glove. If he shows up in shape, he could still surprise. Go Yanks!

Rangers Win a Big One

The Rangers just beat the red hot Canucks on a goal from Wolski, the young wing they got in the Rozsival deal. See what happens when you do the right things? Go Rangers!

Whither Carmelo?

Apparently the Knicks may be closing in on acquiring Carmello Anthony, afterall. I'll have to see the deal, but it would mean the end of seeing good teams stop our pick and roll cold or triple Amar'e. We'll see what happens. With the Knicks stepping up, I can't see Carmello agreeing to sign an extension anywhere else.


UPDATE: Apparently the Nets have pulled out of conversations with Denver. This could get interesting.

Yanks Land Soriano

The Yanks set their bullpen for kill today by signing Rafael Soriano to a three year deal, that he may be able to opt out of after 1 year. They gave up a first rounder to get him, but they have a sandwich pick, that's not too far back from the pick they gave up. This should give the Yanks the best bullpen in baseball. That's always a good thing to have. Go Yanks.

Fox Redux?

It's looking like Giant DC Perry Fewell might be heading to Carolina to replace John Fox as the new Panther coach. If that happens, do not be the least bit surprised if John Fox returns to the Giants with a title like Assistant Head Coach - Defense, and becomes the heir to Tom Coughlin. Giant ownership is very fond of John Fox, and coincidentally, he is the best 4-3 defensive coordinator on the market. This could work out very nicely over the next few years for the Giants, if Fewell does leave and Fox comes in. For those who fret about LB play, Fox is a big believer in having some of your best players at LB. He does tend to like lighter, faster LB's than we have been drafting, but Boley is his type. We'll see what happens. The situation bears watching. Go Giants!

The Baseball Hall of Fame Gets Two Right

For the first time in a few years, the Baseball Hall of Fame avoided embarrassment by electing two worthy candidates: Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven. Alomar should have gotten in on the first ballot, but spitting at an umpire apparently costs you one year. Blyleven was a long term embarrassment for the voters. Good to see both errors addressed. Now where the heck is Rock Raines? Yikes! Deepest congrats to Robbie and Dutch.

How `Bout Them Knicks?

The Knicks took an excellent Spurs team behind the woodshed last night at the Garden. Wow. That was an impressive win, and it wasn't just Amar'e. Wilson Chandler continued to breakout and Raymond Felton nailed shots in the second half that he wasn't making in some of those December losses. They decimated the Spurs' zone and made them play at the Knicks' pace. The Knicks should really consider standing pat and looking for help in the D-league if the team continues to gel as it has been doing. Coach D'Antoni is once again showing he is one of the best and most innovative coaches in the league. And Donnie Walsh hasn't done anything nutty since the `09 draft. Go Knicks!

Giants are Eliminated

The Giants needed help today to make the playoffs and they didn't get it. It looks like they will have gone 10-6 with nothing to show for it. That would be there second non-playoff year in a row, and a window that was once wide open now seems cracked. Once again, they collapsed during crucial late season games. It will be interesting to see what the owners do vis a vis the coaching staff. Can wild inconsistency be tolerated? And what of a turnover problem that was allowed to linger - quite poisonously - all year long? Will anyone be held responsible, or will the Giants stay the course, and never find out what Eli, Nicks, Manningham and that others might look like in a less complex, more wide open offense? And what of Perry Fewell? At times it looked like he had the Giants defense back on track, and at other times - especially against WCO's - the defense looked like it did under Sheridan. Lots of questions, and the answers are bound to be interesting. They'll be drafting late. Here's to a positive and constructive offseason. Oh, and Happy New Year, everyone. This promises to be the best one yet.