Knicks Win!

Knicks just beat Memphis to win their home opener.  It was a game that wouldn't have been close if they hadn't missed double digit free throws. It was the Garden debut for Rose and Noah and neither disappointed.  When they were in together, the Knicks shared the ball and easily handled Memphis. Noah missed a bunch of time with fouls but still managed 10 boards and 7 assists.  Rose was not trying to score like he once did for the Bulls, but still managed some explosive highlights.  KP and Melo are going to go off playing with these two.  KP had some foul trouble, too, but still manage 21 points on limited shots.  Lee was solid on D and a big recipient of the quality ball movement in the first half.  This first unit could really turn into something if all 5 can stay healthy.  Also, the defense becomes about a million times better whenever Noah is on the floor.   KP and the other bigs really need to learn from him, because they are all game to play D, but the know how is lacking to one degree or another with all of them.

On the second unit, Jennings was, at times, out of control.  Justin Holliday had a decent night and played contentious D, KOQ was pretty solid, and Billy flashed but still made a few mistakes.

In all a big win over a quality opponent.

This Week on the Blog

This week saw the Rangers play well but still lose a game, the Knicks play well for about a quarter and get blown out, the Giants cut bait on Brown, and the Yanks avoided doing anything stupid. This week we have more Knicks and Rangers, but still no Giants and Yanks.  Let's take a look.

Knicks:  The Knicks played poorly for most of Tuesday's opener, and kept turning the ball over and guys who had not played together looked very much like guys who had not played together.  They ended up getting blown out.  Having said that, if the league allows Cleveland to keep three defenders in the key way beyond the 3 second limit, they're going to blow out anyone who misses jump shots.  It was ridiculous.  The Knicks open at home tonight, and this will be another tough one.  The good news so far is that Rose looks explosive.  We'll see who else flashes as the games go on and the chemistry develops.

Rangers: The Rangers lost for the third time last night, but once again outplayed the team that beat them only to get robbed by a hot goalie.  The three losses have thus been really frustrating.  But Buch was back last night and assisted on the first goal.  I suspect he will score his first goal this week.  He's got a crazy skill level.  Also, Vesey looks like he'll keep it going, and Kreider should be back.  The Rangers still need to improve their D.

Giants:  The Giants made a meal out of the Josh Brown situation, but otherwise stayed out of the news during the first part of their bye.  We'll see if they sign anyone Tuesday, but won't know till next Sunday if they've made any constructive adjustments to their O or D.  There's plenty of room for both as a team that can't run or get to the QB will not make it to the playoffs.

Yankees: At some point in the near future the Yanks will have to sign Enns and Higgy to protect them from the rule 5.  I actually think Higgy is a free agent whom they should just sign as the backup to Sanchez and to more easily facilitate the trading of McCann and Romine.  Enns may be a crafty lefty, but he has flat dominated the minors and there are crafty lefties in the HoF so they shouldn't give up on him till they find his ceiling.

So there it is, games for the Rangers and Knicks, hopefully productive practices for the Giants, and some housekeeping needs for the Yanks. Hope all of you have a great week!

Rangers Waive Dylan McIlrath

Today, in an exapmple of their selflimiting foolishness, the Rangers placed Dylan McIlrath on waivers, where he'll either be claimed or report to Hartford. This can be looked at a few ways: first, was selecting Dylan McIlrath 10th overall in a draft loaded with skillsier guys an atavistic grab at a game that no longer existed? Or have have they given AV too much leeway with playing or not playing their key prospects?

While Dylan certainly is a capable old school fighter, he's also developed into a solid defensive player.  If AV had a defensive zone to back up his offense, McIlrath could be outstanding.  But, AV insists on playing man, and he insists on playing some of his worst men.  Thus we have this situation, where once again, it looks like the Rangers are willing to sacrifice young assets for short term goals.  This has been and will be what stops them from winning it all.

This Week on the Blog

This week has started off well with a Giant win as they head into their bye.  Rangers play again later, and the Knicks start their regular season on Tuesday.  The Yanks haven't done anything dumb in awhile, and we're in pretty good shape.  Let's take a look.

Giants: The Giants just beat the Rams to move to 4-3. They're heading into a much needed bye.  Though they won today, the offense still looks like crap and Larry Donnell tried to give the game to the Rams by fumbling on the first possession.  He's got to go.  So does Brown, and that's all I'm going to say about that.  In general, they're still not getting a passrush, nor can they consistenly rush the football.  Beyond that they make too many undisciplined errors, and that does not reflect well on the new coach.  On the bright side, Landon Collins is starting to look like a pro-bowler.  He actually caught two balls today, and scored by returning the first one is a romp that saw him run about 60 yards on a 41 yard score.  DRC also had two picks, including one to ice the game.  They have a lot of work to do over the bye.


Yankees:  The Yankee kids are doing pretty well in Arizona, and Gleybar Torres looks like a future star.  Bird isn't playing first yet, but he's hitting. Reporters are already trying to pimp old players like Encarnacion to the Yanks, as well as naming every young pitcher as a trade target.  Let's hope the Yanks have a better plan than what's being guessed at.


Rangers: Jimmy Vesey had a break out game last night as the Rangers came back to beat the Caps, 4-2.  Vesey scored twice including the game winner and Pirri had his second, and Nash hit on an empty netter. They play the Coyotes later today, and let's hope they can keep it going. And they still need to trade for a defenseman.

Knicks:  The Knicks will start their season Tuesday against the Cavs.  It's unclear if Rose, who missed all that time, or Jennings will start at the point. Not exactly an ideal opponent to show how far they've come, but we should get some idea of how they will compete.   I have high hopes for the new coach.

And that's about it.  Congrat again to Michael on the new arrival.  I hope baby and eveveryone has a great week.   I think I'm going back to bed.

Knicks Get Down to 15

The Knicsk, today, waived Cleanthony Early, Chasson Randle, and Lou Amundsen, and flat out cut J.P. Tokoto and Damien Inglis.  Randle seems like the only loss, and they might be able to sign him when he's once again able to play.  Meanwhile,  Early and Inglis were always though to be headed to the D League.  I've been a bit surprised by Early's lack of development.  Of course, getting shot didn't help it.

These moves also mean that for the time being the Knicks are down to two PG's, including Rose who basically missed playing camp.  It also means Bakers, N'Dour and Plumlee will provide a younger bench than we are used to seeing with the Knicks.  Baker and N'Dour showed willind D and in Baker's case tough shooting and  O in preseason, and Plumlee looks, at the very least, like 6 hard fouls, and limitless enthusiasm on a nightly basis, if no other particular skills.

With the additions of Hernangomez, Kuz and Jennings, the Knicks will be more talented than they were last year even if Rose and Noah keep getting hurt or don't bounce back.

OBJ Saves the Day

The Giants' season could have effectively ended today.  But Odell Beckham, Jr. just wasn't having any of it.  The Giants feel behind 10-0 early in the first after a opening drive FG by the Ravens, then an immediate fumble by OBJ set them up for a TD.  But the Giants didn't give up.  Eli was kind of scatter-armed early, but then turned his blood to icewater on the two throws that gave OBJ his 75 yard TD then his 66 yard game winning TD.   Meanwhile, the NFL has to do something about the refs as far as their bias against OBJ goes.  He's a good kid, and they keep calling nonsense and misdirected fouls against him.  That not only hurts the Giants and OBJ, but it hurts the league brand.  They're shooting themselves in the foot. Learn from the NBA and protect your stars NFL.  Sheesh.

Threre still was no passrush, and dumb plays by guys like Larry Donnell, who always makes dumb plays and should be off the team.

Landon Collins and Jon Cassillas both had some big plays for the Giant D.

Eli finished with over 400 yards and Odell with over 200. Roger Lewis had his first NFL TD to make it a 10-7 game.

The Giants might be able to build from this, but they need their dbacks back from the injured list if they're really gonna right things.

This Week on the Blog

This past week saw more Bad Giants, as well as good start for the Rangers, almost no Knicks, and several Yankee prospects get off to nice starts in the AzFL.  Rangers play again today, and the Knicks finally have another preseason game, while the Giants try to right their season tomorrow, and the Yankee kids will keep getting their extra work. Let's hope this week is better.

Giants: The Giants have an early season must win game.  They have been catastrophically awful for the past three games and now is the time to right things, or start start looking for spoiler credibility in another lost season.  We've talked enough about the OL here for the past several years, and it's not only made the Giants unable to run, but the bad play of the line seems to either have gotten Eli injured against Washington, or given him a case of the permanent yips.  It's been that ugly.  It would be nice if they could also get a passrush going.  Seriously, what would Vernon and JPP charge for that?   And I know Vernon has a wrist, but he has to either let it heal, or learn to make plays with it. Here's hoping they can fix some things tomorrow.

Yanks: The great news here is that James Kaprielian was lights out in his 3 inning return to competition.  He was sitting 95-97 and his command was good.  That's very exciting news.  Oh and Gleybar Torres is starting to show more power at the plate and had a walk of hit last night, after hitting a loooong homer the night before.  Tate has been up and down but his velo is back in the 95-97 range and that can only help. Don't know if they have or haven't had their organizational meetings, but I suspect they have since Rothschild got a new one year deal, and reporters saying the Yanks will target high end relievers.

Rangers: The Rangers looked quicker and faster in their opening night win against the Isles.  Tonight they're in St.Louis to take on the Blues with the same lineup, so no McIlrath, again.  I think they wanted to see if Clendening could move the puck during the regular season, but he and Vesey were actually the only two newbies who didn't score the other night.  So we're still expecting a trade for a puckmover, even though it's been a tiny sample.

Knicks: Noah will finally make his Knick debut in tonight's pre-season tilt against Boston.  Other than that, they're looking deeper and more talented and the kids look like better depth than they've had with the retreads of the last several years.  Rose is still away from the team, and thus will have to make some quick adjustments upon his return.  But let's see how Noah's debut fits tonight.

Don't let the Giants determine your weeks for you, and I hope you have great ones.  Thanks for posting.

Rangers Beat Islanders on Opening Night

Wow, the Rangers looked faster and quicker and shot more in game one of the 2016-17 season as they beat the Islanders 5-3 at the Garden.  Seven guys were making their Ranger debuts and 5 of them ended up on the score sheet.  Goals were scored by Grabner, Zucc, Kreider, Pirri and an empty netter for JT Miller.  Mika Z had two assists (Zucc and Pirri) and looked excellent.  Buch sprung Kreider for his runaway train goal.  Kreider looks fantastic.  Pirri scored on the PP, and also had an assist on Grabner's goal, as did Fast.  Skjei had the other assist on Zucc's goal, and Holden had the other assist on Kreider's.

They blew a 2-0 lead, before Kreider gave them the lead again, so D is still sort of shaky and something needs to be done there.

But in general, they looked aggressive, and passed a hell of a lot better than they have over the past few years.

Just an excellent start to the season, and I still think they'll trade for a D.

This Week on the Blog

Last week was a drag as the Yanks began their offseason, the Giants embarrassed us, and the Rangers and Knicks did what they could to try to cheer us up.

This week could be better, if for exampe the Giants were to win, or the Rangers get off to a good start in the regular season, or the Yanks continue acting with intelligence, and the Knicks keep gelling. Let's take a look.

Giants: the Giants have looked careless and stupid while making the same errors over and over again.  Eli hasn't played well yet, and the WR's haven't dominated like they should, yet.  And the multi-million dollar DL has been a bust when it comes to rushing the passer. It's been despicable, and this mught just be how things go after a long term coach is replaced. Is it work harder or is it recess?  Oh, and the injuries are already out of control again.  It's game five and sort of a must win against the Pack tonight. Let's hope some coaching and coaching acceptance took place after the dsgrace against the Vikes.

Rangers: The Rangers will start the real games this week, and we may finally be seeing what Chris Kreider can really do.  It used to be considered common knowledge that power forwards take longer. In the preseason, paired with Mika and Buch, Kreider looked like a monstrously dominant PF.  There's word that they will start the season with 8 D, and I still can't believe they haven't made a trade.  They seemed so close to multiple moves back during draft weekend.   We'll see what happens, but they feel incomplete.

Knicks: The Knicks are deeper and more talented than they have been in quite some time.   The new pieces that have played have looked good, and Noah hasn't even suited up yet, but is being a vocal cheerleader. He's supposed to play in preseason game 4.  Meanwhile, the kids (including 27 year old Kuz) have looked useful. This could be a really fun year.  Go Knicks.

Yankees:  Cashman and Hal spoke seperately about staying the course, and looking to add pitching.  Cash said he'd be unlikely to part with any of the July take, and that he expects to get calls on McCann, whom he should trade.  They still haven't had the organizational meetings that tend to set the agenda for FA, the GM Meetings and the Winter Meetings, so as long as the don't do anything short sighted or downright stupid, we should enjoy more building.

Have a great week, everyone!

This Week on the Blog

This was kind of a crappy week for the Giants and Yanks, and a more encouraging one for the undefeated Rangers and Knicks.   Yanks season ends tomorrow, and then the Giants play Monday night.  So they have a chance to right things.  Anyway, the Rangers will continue to get ready, and the Knicks will start their preseason games on Tuesday.

Yanks: The Yanks lost the ability to make the playoff when Baltimore beat Toronto the other night, and played like they were feeling it last night.   Hopefully, they'll just play the kids today and tomorrow, which I believe will be Tex day.  Word started leaking out that the offseason plan will be all about pitching.  Since there are no good FA pitchers that is worrisome indeed.  They cannot start trading their top prospects just because they finally have some, and would be much better off using next year as a testing ground for Severino, Mitchell, Cessa, Enns, Montgomery and the guys who could be ready by mid-season.  Anyway, with the memory of trades for young "studs" like Jeff Weaver and Javier Vazquez x 2, the Yanks should really think long and hard (and effectively) before acquiring another young "stud" at the cost of actual young studs.

Giants: The Giants are doing the things that undisciplined teams do.  The PF's are ridiculous and were also an issue under TC, so many of these players need constant reminding.   That, and a dishonest replay official, cost them the game last year.  Monday, they play the Vikes, who have looked great on D.  There's no way for the Giants to beat them if they keep playing like they have been, and with injuries on the DL and at S, they might not have enough healthy bodies to get it done even if they show discipline.  However; whenever we're supposed to beat the Vikings, we lose, and whenever they're favored to beat us, we win.  So we've got that going for us Monday.

Knicks: Reports have been a little mixed coming out of camp, as far as style of play goes.  The ones and twos apparently look great in Horny's breakneck transition game, but, the new guys especially are having trouble picking up the intricacies of the Triangle in the half court set.  We'll see how this plays out.  KP spent the offseason strengthening his legs and core, and is up to 240.  Be afraid, other teams, be afraid.   Kuz and Willy also seem to be having good campsbut we'll have to see in the games.

Rangers:  The Rangers play again today, so far there's a problem brewing with the Forward group.  Pavel Buchnevich will go back to the KHL if he doesn't make the team.  Thus Vesey and Pirri are sort of competing for one spot.  And though Vesey is the more exciting prospect, Pirri has scored 3 times in two game. Vesey is the only one of the three in tonight's lineup.  This is another situation to keep an eye on and another reason we could and should still see a trade for Trouba or another D.

So there we are. Yanks hotstove starts Monday, and the Giants must win that day, too.  We get to see the Knicks on Tuesday, and I really hope everyone has a great week, around these games and happenings.