Time to Build Around Jones and Barkley

After Eli Manning's rookie season, in the 2005 offseason the Giants signed Kareem McKenzie and Plaxico Burress, who really helped Eli develop and the Giants start winning Super Bowls again.  This time around, the Giants will have a new coaching staff, but the imperative.  But this time, instead of just having a young QB, they have an equally young franchise running back to build around.  So they must fix the OL and add big targets.  It would also be wise to swap out Gallman for a more diverse back-up back.

Whoever becomes the next coach has to be able to take better advantage of the rare movement skills possessed by Jones and Barkley. But he and his staff must also know how to put together a top notch line and scheme.  And he's got to bring in an OL coach who can make the most out of Hernandez, Zeitler and Gates.  In addition to knowing how to develop OL's that must be drafted this year and from now on.

A new coach or OC or QB coach must also fix DJ's fumbling issues. It's a fundamental, and it's almost unbelievable that it lingered all season.  But it did, now someone has to fix it.

The Giants destroyed the second half of Eli's career by drafting scuds like Mitch Petrus and James Brewer, and not getting him better RB's one Jacobs and Bradshaw slowed down.  They shouldn't do it to Jones, and they need a great line for Barkley, too, and not let him have to make the line look better than it is, as Tiki often did.

And, of course, they also have to hire a great D staff, and add some pieces there.

Giants Fire Shurmur - Keep Gettleman

As expected, the Giants fired Pat Shurmur and his coaching staff. In a bit of a surprise, they are keeping Dave Gettleman, for at least 2020.  I bet that's a fluid situation, though. In other news the Giants have asked to talk to long time Patriot weirdo Josh McDaniels. I don't know how he keeps getting interviewed after the Colts fiasco two years ago. He has strong connections to Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Steve Spagnuolo. He might be the next great coach, but hasn't had success away from the Pats mothership, and also did pull that crap with the Colts.

The hope here is that they hire Matt Rule, or another younger coach who has been a winner, regardless of that was as a college coach or at the NFL level. And, unlike the Jets, the Giants must let Rhule or whoever the new coach is, to hire his own staff of coaches.

UPDATE: The Giants have also asked to speak with Matt Rhule and the Chiefs Eric Bieniemy. Rhule is the only candidate who's had success on his own. Although, EB's Chief's O has been insane and fun.

This Week on the Blog

Okay, this week saw the Yanks hold steady, the Giants win behind huge games from Jones and Barkley, the Rangers finish strong, and the Knicks beat the Nets. Not horrible. Let's take a look at what could be coming up.

Yankees: The Yanks don't seem to be in any rush, and may actually be enjoying their holidays.  They lost Betances to the Mets.  So they might want to add another bullpen arm, which could be Josh Hader. They just don't seem to have a match, yet. They also don't seem overly interested in adding any bats. But that could just be regular quiet before a storm - or no storm at all. It does seem like they'll make a trade or two.

Giants: The Giants hope to build on what they did to Washington last week, but tomorrow's result should be immaterial to Monday's needed decisions. Shurmur must go.  The question is should they can Gettleman as well. Opinion on that is, unless someone like Matt Ruhl or Nick Saban refuses to work with Gettleman, they should keep him. The reason to fire Shurmur and his staff is their failure to maximize the talent on the roster or to develop young players. To wit, most of last year's exciting rookies are having down second years, when they should be improving.  So it's possible to look at Jones and Saquon and some of the others as big gets who haven't been coached yet, And that's the case Gettleman should make if they're trying to get rid of him.  Another model is to hire Ruhle, give him lots of control and finally make Kevin Abrams the new GM, and let him just hand cap and contract stuff. We'll see what happens, but this could be another tumultuous week for the Giants.

Rangers: The Rangers beat the Canes again last night, but they lost Brendan Lemieux with a broken hand. To replace him they have called up Steven Fogarty, who I think should have been a key 4th liner for the past few years. He may be out of options and might have to go through waivers before being sent down,  So let's hope he can supplant Haley or someone and become part of the rebuild.  He was the captain of Hartford.

Knicks: with trade season now open, we are seeing all sorts of crazy trade ideas. Most of them center around getting another team's disgruntled star. There's a truth here that needs looking at: if you're disgruntled in one place, you will be so again in the next.  People need to change themselves, because changes of locales will bring all their same problems. So it may not be wise to trade for unhappy guys.  Also, if I were Dolan, and thank god daily that I am not, I wouldn't let Mills make another trade.

So there we are. Yanks in repose, the Giants on the verge of big decisions, the Rangers still getting after it, and the Knicks still the Knicks.  Have a great one!

Btw, I'm sure we'll speak again Sunday Night or Monday, but if we don't the happiest and greatest new years to you all.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, the Yanks stayed patient, the Giants won a game. the Rangers didn't and the Knicks are playing better, even when it doesn't create a win.  Let's take a look at what's still on the close horizon.

Yankees: the Yankees are pretty set.  They introduced Cole on Wednesday, and they have their white whale. Cole knocked his presser out of the park.  So the Yanks might be set. Sure they'd like another lefty bat, but they don't seem willing to overpay for that, or anything, in trade talks. They probably will still make a trade or two if something makes sense or they can get what they want for Happ.  Otherwise, they could go forward as is.  Pitchers are catchers report on 2/12/20.

Giants: The Giants won a game last week, which was a nice send off for Eli Manning, Tomorrow, Daniel Jones is back and hopefully, he'll stay healthy through the last two, and play to win.  In other news the Giants put Evan Engram on IR, and replaced him on the roster with WVU legend David Sills V.  Sills is has good size for a wideout at 6'3" and 211, but he's neither fast nor nifty, still he made some plays at WVU. Let's see if he's useful.

Rangers: The Rangers had an awful week, made worse by the news that Kaapo Kakko is day-to-day and Lias Andersson has formally requested a trade. Both of these situation are of concernbut Kaapo's injury doesn't seem serious, but Andersson's trade request is. Right now, the NHL is in it's Holiday Roster Freeze. so nothing can happen till after the holidays, but Gorton said they will assess the market for Lias during the break. While this is alarming, not everyone who requests a trade gets traded and sometimes the situations just need a little time and space. We'll see what happens.

Knicks: The Knicks have generally played a lot better under Miller, than they were under Fizdale. Julius Randle doesn't seem to have gotten any better, and that could make him harder to trade. Also, the Knicks hired David Blatt, the ex-Cleveland coach and former teammate of Mills at Princeton, in an advisory capacity. I don't know how Dolan let Mills add another pal, and I also don't know why they've hung the sword of Damacles over the Knicks new coach already. This just seems stupid.

So there were are, the Yanks may or may do something else, the Giants have their QB back, the Rangers can't make a move, and, the Knicks still aren't all rowing in the same direction. Hope you're all headed in the right directions.  Happy Holidays.

Yankee Stuff

Tomorrow morning the Yanks will introduce Gerrit Cole at Yankee Stadium.  They could have done it Thursday or really any time, but doing it tomorrow means that have to make room on the 40 man roster.  So, unless they are willing to DFA someone from the 40 they set up ahead of the Winter Meetings, the Yanks have to make a little trade between this evening and tomorrow morning. This situation bears watching.

UPDATE: To make room for Cole, the Yanks DFA'd Chance Adams.  Chance was a promising prospect a few years ago, but he hasn't regained his stuff after surgery.  Maybe they can re-sign him or maybe he'll have better luck elsewhere.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, this week the Yankees got their man, the Giants lost a Monday Nighter, the Rangers were a little up and down out West, and the Knicks actually won two games in a row.  Let's see what could be coming up.

Yankees: the Yanks signed Gerritt Cole to a record breaking deal.  But you know what?  It's still a better deal than the lesser deals they've given Ellsbury and others over the years. Here they got an elite, in his prime ace, and we've seen how hard it is to trade for or develop them when you never pick first.

So what else might the Yanks do. They need to make room on their 40 for Cole and Gardner, so they probably have a small trade or two to make - or a big trade because they are kind of oversupplied in areas like RHP and infielders.  There were rumors of a Josh Hader trade as the Winter Meetings were breaking up, but there may not be a match there.  Still, they probably are looking for another reliever, and may be looking for some help at first base.

Giants: The Giants cut Janoris Jenkins this week over something he said to a fan on social media and the way he tried to explain himself rather than apologize.  This was a bit of a travesty, and the Giants should have cut Jenkins weeks earlier after the absolutely played like he didn't care. So enough on that.  Today the Giants will play the resurgent Dolphins and they could start 4 rookies in the defensive backfield. The only questions left this season is whether they fire Shurmur and Gettleman or just Shurmur.

Rangers: The Rangers lost a shootout yesterday.  That was a ghastly way to end what had been a pretty exciting Western swing.  Panarin and Mika Z have been incredible. And kids like Chytil, Fox and Kakko are starting to step up, even if it's not always evident on the score sheet.  In general, it seems the team plays better in front of Georgiev than in front of Hank, and Shesterkin looks ready.  They can call him up and sort of rotate 3 G's.  This is what happens when you give players NMC's.

Knicks: The Mike Mitchell Knicks are on a winning streak.  Wow.  A lot of it has to do with a suddenly more coherent defense.  In the fourth quarter they've found a group that can switch without inadvertently picking each other. We'll see how long they can keep it up. It would be nice if they've already found their coach. This is sort of what happened with Holzman.

Oh, and as of today the Knicks can trade the free agents they signed in July.

So there it is, Yanks might not be done, Giants are done, the Rangers are fun and who are these Knicks?   Have a great one.

The Rangers Big Day

Yesterday,  erstwhile top prospect, Vitali Kravtsov, indicated he was leaving his KHL team and presumably returning to Hartford. This is much sooner than expected and is a credit to whomever it was in the Ranger organization who stayed on this.  Having a top prospect abandon the brand new development centered organization in the AHL was not a good look. This is just great news and it probably didn't hurt his decision that the Wolf Pack have developed a strong, winning culture in his absence.

That was during the day, then, last night they pulled off another huge comeback win against the Sharks.  First they fell behind 1-0 late in a pretty good first period.  In the second, the Rangers tied it up on a beautiful pass for Chytil to Fast.  Then Panarin scored from Strom and Skjei.  Then the Sharks tied it up and 2, then pulled ahead 3-2 early in the third.  Then the Mika and Bread show took off.

Mika Zibanejad scored two goals in a row: first from DeAngelo and Panarin; next from Kreider and Fast.  These goals tied it and gave the Rangers a lead.   Then Panarin  iced it with two more goals of his own, to complete his first Ranger Hat Trick.  Chytil and Kreider had the helpers.  Panarin's last goal was unassisted. 

It was a huge win. And doesn't it seem like Georgiev is in goal for a lot of the big wins?  Also,. why did they ever use Chytil at forward?  That kid is a center and could someday be a great one.  Also, though neither Fox nor Kakko ended up on the score sheet, they were both making smart plays and I think both had touches on possession where goals were scored.  I think it's slowing down for them, and this could get fun.

`Yanks Re-Sign Gardy

The Yanks just re-singed Brett Gardner on a one year deal with a team option for a second year. It's $10 and $10 with a 2.5M buyout.  This is fine. They still need left handed hitting and Gardy can still go Yardy, even if he doesn't get on base as much as he did.  And his D is still solid. At the same time, he is credited as being a team leader. It seems like he just doesn't want to be anything but a Yankee.  Who would?

Let's see what else they can do.

Cole and Yankee History

Let's exhale. The Yanks passed on a heck of a lot of free agents pitchers in the 11 years between signing CC Sabathia and locking down Gerrit Cole. In the interim, they've tried, however haphazardly to turn Severino into an ace, find an ace in IFA  in Tanaka, and trade for a burgeoning ace in Paxton. It will be interesting to see how Cole and the other three guys mesh together and mesh with the Yankees new pitching hierarchy.

In a sense, Cole, when sent to the Astros, has already experienced and become the poster boy for the advanced biomechanics that the Yanks have now moved to throughout the systems.  If he is a leader, he can help the others or, at least serve as an example for the major league staff and the kids in the system.

What's more, Cole is 29. When the Yanks traded for Roger Clemens, he was 36. When the Yankees traded for Allie Reynolds, the Super Chief 29 or 30 - and really should be in the Hall of Fame for what he and the Yankees did in winning the NEXT FIVE World Series in a row.

Yanks Sign Cole 9/324

The Yanks, tonight, have come to terms with RHP Gerritt Cole on a 9 year 324 million dollar deal.  This was 11 years in the making. So the Yanks finally have the kind who wouldn't meet with him.  Now let's hope this size of this deal doesn't prevent them from keeping Judge, Sanchez, Torres and whoever may come.  They can't let it.  What's more, let's hope the new pitching brain trust can keep Cole healthy and effective till he's 38. Now let's see what else they can get done.

Btw, it seems like they didn't want to go above 36m aav so they just kept adding years.

This Week on the Blog

Okay, this was an up and down week for the Rangers, a fateful week for David Fizdale and the Knicks, a losing week for the Giants and could end up with a big bang from the Yankees.  Let's take look at what might be coming.  

Yankees:  Yankee haters, like Peter Gammons (god bless the old rascal, btw) seem to be indicating that Gerritt Cole could finally be on the way to the Yanks. The Yanks had drafted Cole in 2008 and he never even met with them. He has now and may still be. This would end 11.5 years of rage here.  So let's see what happens. The Winter Meetings start tomorrow and because the Yanks haven't done much besides hire pitching and hitting coaches for the organization we could see a flurry of activity from the Yanks this time.  They've already priced everything, so this could be fun.  And we could also gain valuable insight into how the new metricians and performance scientists view things.  I think the Yankee Phasers are on Kill.

Giants: The Giants are slogging through another December.  And Eli Manning has to play this week because Shurmur kept playing a slightly injured Daniel Jones last week. Shurmur is Fizdale without the charm. Another guy who can't teach his players how to win or finish off opponents.  This is sickening.  Watch Monday at your own risk.

Rangers: The Ranger won a game metrics said they should have lost on Thursday, then lost a game they should have won on Friday,  This is because they pass too often and shoot too infrequently and still have extremely variable defensive performances.  Quinn still seems like the right coach, because they are young and winning enough, but he needs a new defensive coordinator, so to speak. Still their rebuild is stunningly more successful than the versions of same the Giants and Knicks are running.

Knicks: The Knicks addressed a relatively minor issue, yesterday.  The greater problem - that David Mills is moron and a phony - remains.  And until that changes nothing meaningful can happen. Let's hope they can move some of the vets whenever December 15 rolls around.

So there it is.  Could be a big week for the Yankees, while our other teams are just treading different depths of water.  Have a great one, peeps!

Knicks Fire Fizdale

Reports are flooding in that the Knicks have fired David Fizdale. This was never a question of if but when. They asked him to tank last year, and the Knicks did.  They loaded him up with a passel of passable veterans this year - as well as the #3 overall pick in this year's draft - and asked him to compete.  But he still tanked.  He's an affable guy - but you are what your record says you are and so he's gone. No word if the have a replacement or if Mills and Perry will even be allowed to name one as Ujiri might be doing the honors - in which case, we'll see and interim coach for the rest of the season.   At least, that's the bet here.

UPDATE: The Knicks have named Mike Miller interim Head Coach. He's their G League guy who's had success and isn't part of Fizdale's hapless coterie of coaches.

Is Cole Finally On the Way

11.5 years later, is Gerritt Cole finally on his way to the Yankees?  The beats are reporting they Yanks are all in, and have been authorized to set a record. And the semi-pro prognosticators are all saying it's happening. This would be a sensational turnaround for the team and for Cole, whom after the Yanks drafted him refused to even meet with them back in 2008. Instead he went to UCLA.  That had to make everyone wonder what baseball factories like UCLA and Vanderbilt really offer these kids.  Money?  Last year they offered my nephew the Sun, the Moon and the Stars to attend but he still picked Williams because he wanted the education.  Let's see what happens here.  Winter Meetings start Sunday.

Yanks to Meet with Cole and Strasurg

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yankees will meet with free agent pitchers Getrit Cole and Stephen Strasborg between today and tomorrow.  This is interesting. The Winter Meetings start next Monday in San Diego. Both Strasburg and Cole are from Southern California, with Strasburg coming specifically from San Diego and Cole hailing from Orange County. It's unclear where the Yanks are meeting with the two pitchers, but they might want to get an exposure away form their respective hometowns.  Perhaps the Yanks really are ready for Shock and Awe 10 Years After. We'll see.