This Week on the Blog

Well, the week just started out right with an UGLY Giant win in Cleveland.  The Rangers go against Ottowa later, the Knicks are off and the Yanks still haven't done anything stupid.  Let's take a look at this week.

Giants:  Giants just won, but were basically awful outside of OBJ and JPP.   This was really ugly against a Cleveland team that should be contracted.  OBJ had two TD's and would have had as many as 5 had Eli not missed him twice and if the punt return TD hadn't been called back on a ticky tack penalty that had no effect on the play.  JPP had three sacks, a forced fumble and a interception for a TD.   The missing sacks from earlier this year are now coming in bunches.  Eli was awful till about the 4th quarter.  He was missing everyone and it's unclear if it was wind, an injury or decline.  They couldn't run the ball well against the #31 run defense in the league and it's unclear when and even if this Offense will ever come together this year.  They are now 8-3, but their 5 final games could leave them at 8-8 or 9-7.  They haven't looked like a team that can beat good teams and they have the Steelers next.

Rangers: The Rangers are showing the effects of losing Mika and Buch.  Even though Matt Puempel, whom they grabbed off waivers and was a big time scorer in the OHL, scored in his first game, they can't expect to replace the prodcution Mika and Buch were giving them.  And it is really exposing their D.  They still need to make a deal for a defenseman, though playing Clendening could help in the short term.  They have Ottawa later today and it's a game they should win, but they haven't been as automatic lately.

Knicks:  The Knicks are a work in progress, and while they've become a dynamic home team, they are now 1-6 on the road.   They lost a close one last night where Rose and Melo tried to do too much in their second of back to back games.  I do feel like those two are missing KP a lot and KP's disappearing for stretches as a result.  Billy and Kuz continue to step up, and regardless of anything being written, Lance Thomas has not been missed.  They're next job is to learn how to win on the road, while the three young Euros are still learning D.

Yanks: Agents are saying the Yanks are in on every free agent.  They're probably just doing  their due diligence.  Matt Holliday's name has come up several years too late, as has Beltran's, but I see no reason why the Yanks want an old bat, the kids will need all the AB's they can get.  I'm also wondering if the new CBA negotiations are slowing down the signings and trades.  I do expect them to sign Chapman, but I have no idea who they will trade for, though I do suppose they could trade for a starter.  We'll see.  They seem unlikely to move the big prospects they've collected.

Could do some updates this week.  Have a great one, everyone.

This Week on the Blog

Giants won, Knicks won, the Rangers lost in a shootout, and the Yanks haven't done anything dumb.  Just slightly suboptimal, but it could get tougher as we get into the week.  Here's why:

Rangers: Rangers lost tonight and start a Monday/Wednesday home and home with the Pens tomorrow.  What's more it looks like Mika Zibanejad took a bad leg injury tonight at the beginning of overtime and could be gone for a long time.  He was starting to score again, too. Then they have to play Philly on Friday, and Buch is getting an MRI tomorrow.  So, we could be in for a great deal of sudden adversity.

UPDATE: It's a broken Fibula for Mika and that's a 6-8 week ride. UGH.  Rings of harmony around his speedy recovery.

Giants:  The Giants just won their fifth straight game, and they still have not played as well as they can or should.  That said the first to second year improvement in Landon Collins is nigh on miraculous.  I waited entire careers for Mark Collins and Will Allen to learn how to catch, and Landon has!  Also, JPP is looking better and better.  So this team could have some upside this year.   But as we've been saying, it depends on the OL, and they keep getting hurt.   That said, Paul Perkins looks like the kind of back who could be a real weapon with a good OL.

Knicks: the Knicks had a full team, coaches and Phil meeting yesterday, and then made short work of Atlanta today.  They are a work in progress and they still need to share the ball and defend better most nights, but there are little periods of dominance that could grow into something.  Their D has been improving and they are 4-1 lately.   KP may be generational.  Easily our best pick since Patrick.

Yankees: The Yanks have talked a lot about pitching, which is what it is.  But this weekend pundits started talking about big bats and big bats who will cost a pick. No thanks.  We're nowhere near that yet, and we don't even know what the new rules are as the CBA is still up in the air.  I'm not even sure if that will effect `17 or start in `18.  Hopefully Cash will protect the pick.  We could get more trade news or a signing this week.  Also, Gleyber Torres won the AAFL batting title as well as the MVP and became the first teen to do so.  Let's hope they don't sandbag him an extra year like they did Sanchez, and instead let him rise as fast as his 5 tools can carry him.

The Ranger week will be tight, and the Knicks are still in process.  If there's no sudden news let me take this opportunity to with you and your's the happiest of Thanksgivings.   Thank you.

Yanks Make Roster Moves

The Yanks tonight have dumped Eovaldi, Mantiply Ackley, and Rumbelow, and added Jorge Mateo, Dietrich Enns, Miguel Andujar, Gio Gallegos, Rony Herrera and Yefrey Ramirez.  They also traded James Pazos to Seattle for RHP Zack Littell, who was their Mariners #14 prospect and didn't need 40 man protection.  Offhand it looks like they're letting Brady Lail and Tyler Webb face the Rule 5, but they may not be done.

Yanks Trade McCann to the `Stros For a Pair of Fireballers

The Yanks just undid, perhaps completely, an old mistake.  Three years ago I spent a lot of time warning the Yanks not to sign McCann, who'd been in decline since his mid twenties and to instead hold onto that first round pick.  Today they moved McCann and 11M of the remaining 35 he was owed to the Astros for RHP Albert Abreu and RHP Jorge Guzman.  Abreu has topped out at 99, while Guzman has clocked in at 101.  Abreu is 21 AND Guzman is just 20 and I'm not sure either has pitched in High A yet.  But, Abreu was the Astros #7 prospect and they've been known for their big farm after losing for so long.  Now, the Yanks have added two more power arms to their big farm, to go along with the likes of Domingo Acevedo and a few others.  Not a bad haul, and if either of them makes it, that makes up for the first the Yanks gave the Braves when they signed McCann.  Nice move, nice savings.  Now to get rid of Romine, so that Higgy can back up Sanchez.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, so the Ranger are good all over, the Knicks are good at home and terrible elsewhere and the Giants have been muddling on as we all wait for their offense to ignite.   And the Yanks still haven't done anything stupid in awhile.   Let's take a look at what's coming up.

Giants: The Giants face another must win game against the Bengals in a couple of hours.  Every game remains a must win because they dug themselves an early season hole by losing three games, two of which they should have won.  If they have improved they should win tonight, but that will be tough without Justin Pugh, who's grading out as the best OG in the league this year.  He's gone for the next for or so.   Also, Cruz doesn't look like he'll go, so we really need Sterling Shepard and a TE or a back step up to help Eli and OBJ in the passing game.   Sterling has to trust his speed.  That's something Jim Skipper spent two and a half years teaching Tiki to do, before his career took off.   Sterling should get there sooner.

Rangers: The Rangers are good, and though we've felt they'd trade for a pucking moving D all year, who would you trade?  All the kids are excelling, and they can't aford to trade anymore picks for the foreseeable future.  They have one more game on their sojourn to Western Canada, and should have Bouch back, but not Kreider who has left the team for further analysis on his neck.  So they'll probably call up a forward.

Knicks: People are getting really impatient with the Knicks. Sometimes they've looked like a playoff team, while other times they've looked like the Knicks.  In any event, they're still figuring out how to play D, and Noah's defensive acument and leadership hasn't really shown up much yet.  But it's a long season and kids like Billy and Kuz and starting to look like rotational steals, so that's fun.   And KP still isn't getting the ball enough most nights.  Hopefully, they'll figure things out.  Both Rose and Jennings have shown why the offense could end up being quite formidable.

Yanks:  I don't think that the Yanks have added Enns to the 40 yet.  They should.  And the only upshot from the GM meetings was that the Yanks want pitching and may be in the market for a DH/1B.  I'd rather have the kids take all the at bats, and I've never understood the utility of an Old DH.  Why not have a young DH or young kids splitting DH while they approach and get into their primes.  They won't be missing at bats that.  Oh, and meanwhile, Gleyber Torres might be even better than we thought when the trade was made.  Oh, and Kap seems healthy and still has the velo he's picked up the end of his junior year and the beginning of his pro-career.   The injury didn't dull it.

So let's get a Giants win tonight and exhale.  Wishing you all the best of weeks.

This Week on the Blog

Okay, so last week we saw the Rangers display more dominance, the Knicks play like a team that hasn't jelled yet, the Yanks stay out of trouble, and the Giants stay home.  This week has already started with a Giant win and another Knick loss.  Let's see what's up with the rest of the week.

Rangers:  I told you last week that Pavel Buchnevich was getting ready to score.  Last night he finally did and it was a great shot.  Right now, everyone on the Rangers is contributing and I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but that's almost always a really good sign.  So far they remind me most of the `79 Rangers who went to the cup finals and might have won had Ulf Nillson, their #1C, not gotten injured by Potvin.  It was the Ratelle situation all over again.  I think Grabner's bigger than Bobby Sheehan was, but his speed and timely goals are adding a similar dimension.  And I think everyone has to be pleased by the assists being piled up by Skjei and McD.  It's never been this fun this early - oh and they play again in a few minutes.  Go Rangers!

Giants:  The Giants won a game today that they would have lost last year.  I don't know if that's progress or not. The Eagles have a rookie QB who made some early mistakes and gave the Giants a boost.  Still the Giants were plagued by drops as well as predictable play call and a defense that varied between making tough stops, dropping int's, and giving up 30+ yard passes.  The Giants are now 5-3 and haven't played well yet.  Pugh and Cruz got hurt today and I don't know if they have it in them to play well this year.  I guess we'll see.

Knicks: How patient are we prepared to be?  They are now 2 and 4 and either looking good and hard to match up with, or looking totally disorganized.  Today was a game they should have won, but the refs really seemed to have it in for them, especially KP who was red hot to start, scoring 14 points through midway in the first quarter, then getting into ticky tack foul trouble and only finishing with 28 as it took his teammates some time to get him back involved when he could get back in the game.  The starters had left with a 10 point lead and Horny went with 5 backups at a time, wich he hadn't been doing and eventually cost them the lead.  But, the truth is KP is getting better and will continue to as long as the refs and the other Knicks let him, and both Carmelo and Rose both look dangerous.  So, if everyone stays healthy, they could become a problem for other teams.

Yanks: The Yankees added Higgy to the 40 man roster, which is great, because they won't be losing an MLB level catcher in the Rule V, and also, now they don't have to think twice about trading McCann and Romine.  They still have till the 20th to protect more players, so don't count on losing Enns yet.  The GM meetings are coming up, but this past week Cash already said he had talked to every team that's wasn't in the WS, so maybe he's still feeling the hot hand had at the deadline.  Cash also implied it will be all about pitching, though I think unless they find a bargain, they should stick with what they have, and keep the prospects they've already collected.

Let's hope the Rangers keep dominating, the Knicks and Giants improve, and the Yanks don't do anything crazy.  Have a great week.