David Wright ties Ed Kranepool

David Wright tied Ed Kranepool for the most hits in Mets history last night against the Pirates. This is a great accomplishment for David. There's no doubt in my mind that David Wright will be a Met for life. There is not a better player the Mets have ever had that is more fit to be a Met forever. He loves it here and the organization loves him. He is a leader, a great player, a great person, and an all-around role model. The Mets know that they can't get rid of him. He is without a doubt a top 3 third basemen in all of baseball. He hits for power, for average, has speed, plays great defense, and can throw. Yes, that makes him a 5-tool player. David Wright will be a Met forever. There's no doubt in my mind.

McKnight Island

The Jets defense could be in big trouble with the loss of the best defensive back in the league. Darelle Revis tore his ACL on Sunday against the Dolphins, sidelining him for the rest of the season. That leaves Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson as the top 2 cornerbacks for the Jets defense. Both of these players have the potential to be great. We've seen it from both Cro and Wilson. They both really need to step up in Revis' absence if the Jets want to play in the playoffs. With Revis going down, the Jets also decided to take an offensive player and make him a cornerback. That player is Joe McKnight. Joe McKnight has great speed and good hands. I don't have a problem with sticking him in a cornerback spot at all. I think he has a good chance to do well as a cornerback actually. With Bilal Powell as the #2 back after Shonn Greene, McKnight has seen his carries diminish. So the Jets, looking to get him more snaps, have decided to give him a shot on defense. He also may see his carries increase. With Shonn Greene's struggles, Rex Ryan said that Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight may get more carries. I personally think Bilal Powell is better than Shonn Greene and should the #1 running back. That's just my opinion though. We'll see how McKnight Island does as a cornerback.

#30 for Ike

Ike Davis reached a milestone no Met has ever done. He hit 30 home runs in a season in which his home games were played at Citi Field. It is an amazing accomplishment for Ike, who started off the season in a miserable slump. On Monday he hit 2 homers and drove in a career high 5 RBI. Back on June 5th Ike was hitting .160 with 5 homers. He now has 30. While his average is still very low, .225, it is definitely not nearly as bad as it looks. Ike didn't play a single game last year after May. It took him a while to get back to where he was, but he definitely got back, and is one of the biggest power threats in the National League. To go along with those 30 bombs, Ike has 88 RBI, another good total, especially considering that he has 21 back on June 5th. All of this trade talk about Ike is silly in my opinion. They can't trade him, and it is very likely that they won't. He is still a very young player and has superstar potential. Ike is a cornerstone player for the Mets, and I think he should be the Mets cleanup hitter for the next 5-10 years. I really hope he is a Met forever.

The Mets can't trade Ike Davis

The Mets cannot trade Ike Davis. He is a star in the making and is a huge part of the Mets future. Trading him would set back the rebuilding process by a lot. He is above average at hitting and fielding. The Mets say they worry about him stayin out too late after games, which isn't even true. Ike said that, since he does not often leave the ballpark until midnight, he is sometimes out a few hours after that -- the norm among many in baseball -- he does not do so in excess. He was surprised and confused when he heard that the Mets were concerned about his nightlife. Ike fired back, saying "I have never missed games or not been ready to work because of anything to do with staying up too late. “I show up every day. I play hard. It is unfair to me, and it doesn’t make sense.” the Mets are trying to decide whether Ike or Lucas duda is the future 1st basement for this franchise. I really don't see how this is even a discussion. Duda is far inferior to Ike in every aspect of the game. Ike is a better hitter and a better fielder. The team won't shop either aggressively this winter, but will be open to the right deal for either. The Mets might worry that Ike costs more money than Duda, and he does, but only because Ike is a much better player and is worth the money. Trading Ike would be a huge mistake for the Mets, and I think they know that. I don't think they will deal Ike. 

8/31/12-9/6/12 Recap

       The Mets started out the week on Friday in Miami with a 3-0 victory on 3 RBI's by Ike Davis, including a 2-run homer while Dickey threw another shutout. On Saturday, they took a 5-3 win, scoring 4 runs in the 9th. They closed it out on Sunday, winning 5-1, bringing out the broom for the first time in team history at Marlins Park. Monday started a tough series for New York. Down 5-4 in the 9th in St. Louis, Andres Torres doubled down the right field line, but the umpires blew a call, calling him out for missing 1st base as the Amazin's lost 5-4. After falling again on Tuesday, Robert Allan Dickey went back out to give the Mets another win, which is exactly what he did throwing 6 1/3 innings as New York finished the week with a win, 6-2 the final.
       The Yankees may be in the middle of the worst current stretch in Baseball, losing some ground in their race with the Orioles and Rays. On Friday, Mark Reynolds homered twice as Baltimore won 6-1. And  after a Saturday victory, Reynolds hit 2 homers again for an 8-3 Orioles win, Then came the third-wheel Tampa Bay Rays as New York headed to Tropicana Field for a 3-game set. After losing the first 2 games 4-3 and 5-2, Baltimore won 2 more, and the division was all tied up. Before the O's dropped one on Wednesday, the Yanks took a victory on a 2-run error on a ball hit by Jeter, and the Yankees remained in control.
       The Giants opened up their regular season with a home game against the Cowboys. Tony Romo played one of the best games of his life, as he had of their full control, leading Dallas and to a score in 4 of their last 5 possessions, including 3 TD's. Cowboys receiver Kevin Ogletree had the night of his life, with 8 receptions, 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ogletree would be the difference between a Cowboys win and loss, as the G-Men fell 24-17 the final.
       Now, the current state of the NHL CBA. As the deadline is only 8 days away, the players and NHL are absolutely nowhere close. So, we all know what this means: lockout time! NHL fans, buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

NYS2D Weekly MVP: R.A. Dickey: 2-0, 15.2 IP, 2 ER, 13 H, 12 K

Terry, That IS an Achievement!!!

       After the Mets 3-2 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday, manager Terry Collins answered a question from a reporter about the rumor that the Mets goal is 3rd place by saying that the goal is to win as much as they can for as long as they can. He went on to say that he "doesn't want his players to come to the ballpark, look at the box score, and see who's in 4th", which got a chuckle from all of the reporters. Honestly, I completely disagree with Collins on this one. A third place finish for this team would be like the Blue Jays winning the AL East! When you look back to the offseason and Spring Training before this year, not one human being that had a job in sports believed in the Amazin's. In fact, when the CBS Sports MLB analysts made their preseason predictions, they all predicted that they would finish dead last in the division, down with the Cubs and Astros. However, they came out of the gate like a Series contender, and for a while they were. The pitching was phenomenal, the youngsters were providing, and David Wright was playing 3rd base like he never has before. Things have changed quite a bit since then as Wright has come back down to his native planet, and the staff has been unreliable and inconsistent. With that said, New York is not playing like the Kansas City Royals or the Colorado Rockies. They are still playing okay baseball. This is a ball club with a bright future and a 3rd-place conclusion would put the Mets in a great spot for the 2013 season!  

Stern Out to Destroy Hockey?!?

       I'm going to come straight out and say this: I am not a fan of the NBA. From guys like Carmelo and Lebron to busy to play any defense to stories like Kris Humphries "making Kardashian miserable" and Bryant saying he can "beat the Dream Team", the players have turned the whole league into a tabloid joke! But it seems like NHL fans like myself have another reason to hate the NBA. Before Gary Bettman was the commissioner of Hockey, he was the senior VP of the NBA, and current commish of the NBA, David Stern, was the one who gave the NHL the recommendation to hire Bettman. Since then, Hockey has had 2 lockouts, one in 1994-95 and one for a whole season in 2004-05. The NHL, of course, is the NBA's only year-round competitor, so one must think that Stern would want Hockey to fail. This may be a little far-fetched, but maybe Stern and Gary Bettman were in on a plan to make Bettman the commissioner so that he could ruin the NHL. I mean, let's look at it: 2 big lockouts and a chance for a 3rd under 1 commish who's only been at his job for 20 years? That just shouldn't happen unless something's up. It may seem maniacal, but maybe David Stern is on an evil mission to destroy his biggest competition!

Irish Cream Navy; 'Bama and Michigan Face Off

       Here's a recap of an exciting Week 1 of the NCAA FBS season:
       Notre Dame came into the 1st week ranked #24 by the Coach's Poll and were in Dublin, Ireland to take on the ironic "home team" in Navy. The Irish got it started on their 1st drive of the season with a TD but missed the extra point, but that wouldn't matter as they would run away with this one. Fill in for suspended Tommy Rees, Everett Golson went 12/18 for 144 yards and a TD. However, the running game carried the Irish, running for 293 yards and 5 TD's. The final score was 50-10 as Notre Dame will probably be ranked higher in the next rankings.
       Bill O' Brian and Penn State were leading going into the 2nd half of their game against Ohio, but were outscored 21-0 in the half.
       BC was ahead 17-14 after the 1st half against Miami, but they fumbled twice in the half as Miami took the victory 41-32.
       In the prime time event on Saturday, Michigan and Alabama had their first ever regular season meeting at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. AJ McCarron completed 11/21 for 129 yards and 2 TD's as Alabama took the victory 41-14.

Giants Final Roster

       Friday evening, the Giants made their final roster cuts to get down to 53 men before their Week 1 game with Dallas. They did lose some veteran experience with guys like D.J. Ware being cut, but overall, the team hasn't changed much since their championship team of last year. David Carr is set to be Manning's backup, God forbid if anything happened to him. With Hakeem Nicks ready to go, the receiving game should be a little more explosive than during the Preseason with one of their most reliable guys who the Giants know will go out there and consistently catch the football. Rookie David Wilson will be the second-team RB to back up Ahmad Bradshaw with the offseason loss of Brandon Jacobs. Wilson will probably help New York's running game, which was the worst in the NFL during the regular season last year.

Big Blue Begins Roster Cuts

       The New York Giants are preparing for the final roster deadline as they have announced that DE Matt Broha and DT Marcus Thomas have been cut by the team, according to a report by Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger. The deadline for the final 53-man roster is tonight at 9:00 p.m. Garafolo also reported that "Word is Adewale Ojomo has made the active roster." However, New York has not made that official. Garafolo also said that he thinks CB/KR Laron Scott will make the practice squad, not the active team. Of course, there will be more moves to come, and I will be here tomorrow morning, posting and analyzing the fully-cut roster as the Giants go for another title!

8/24/12-8/30/12 Weekly Recap

       The Mets have had a better week than they did last with a few callups and walkoffs. They started with a 3-game set at home with the Astros their last together as NL expansion mates. Houston started off the series on Friday with a 3-1 win. On Saturday R.A. Dickey pitched his way to a 17th victory as New York cruised to a 3-1 win. On Sunday an Ike Davis Homer gave the Mets a 1-0 lead going into the 9th but the 'Stros tied it there and could have taken the lead if not for a strong throw by recently called up Lucas Duda to the plate to throw out a runner at the plate. In the bottom of the ninth up came Davis again and he hit one right over the right field wall to win it 2-1 the final. After that the Mets had Monday off and were in Philadelphia on Tuesday to take on the Phillies who had now jumped ahead of New York in the standings. The game was tied at 5 in the top of the tenth before an Ike Davis RBI double a Lucas Duda RBI single and Kelly Shoppach 2-run shot gave New York a 9-5 lead they would hold on to. On Wednesday, Duda had risen to the occasion once again with a 2-run homer that proved to be the winner in a 3-2 Mets victory on a gritty outing by Matt Harvey. Today, Mike Baxter and Scott Hairston both hit solo shots, but Niese was not on his game as New York took the loss 3-2. They currently stand 4th in the NL East.           The Yankees started off the weekend against the Indians and on Friday CC Sabathia came off the DL the right way getting his 13th victory in a 3-1 Yankees win. However Cleveland struck back in the next game winning 3-1 themselves. On Sunday, Curtis Granderson hit his 200th career Homer as the Yankees took 2 out of 3 from the Indians. On Monday the Yanks were back at the Stadium to take on Toronto in a 3-game series. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Derek Lowe cost the Yankees the game as they lost 8-7 on Monday. On Tuesday a stellar comeback performance by Phil Hughes gave New York a 2-1 win. On Wednesday, however, CC was not as dominant as on Friday as the Yanks dropped this one 8-5. Also, Andruw Jones tweaked his fingers diving to make a catch on Wednesday, but he does not expect to miss any time.       The Giants played their 3rd preseason game Friday against the Bears. Eli Manning went 17-21 with 148 yards and a TD and RB David Wilson rushed for 49 yards and caught 2 passes for 26 yards which helped give Big Blue a lead into the 4th. The Giants were leading 17-13 until the Bears scored a touchdown at 8:22 in the 4th to give Chicago a 20-17 lead which would be the final score. On Thursday, while the Jets were at a leadership seminar, the G-Men were off on their final Preseason affair with the New England Patriots, a rematch of last year's Superbowl. It was a strange rematch as Tom Brady didn't play, and 17 Giants were injured. The starting offense for Big Blue was even worse. Manning went 4-8 in passing with 29 yards and a 14-yard sack through 4 series. However, the defense was spectacular. In the 4th quarter with the game tied at 3, Marcus Thomas picked up a fumble from by Pats QB Brian Hoyer, and that set up a game-winning FG at the 14-yard line by New York kicker Lawrence Tynes as the Jints finish up their Preseason with a 6-3 win. Hakeem Nicks saw his first action of the season, with a reception and 6 yards. This Wednesday, it all begins for real as the Giants host the rival Cowboys in the 2012 Kickoff game as Big Blue sets out to defend their title.       This week, the NHL met with their players again to discuss a new CBA. Today, Deputy Commish Bill Daly said that he is hopeful of the new proposal from the NHLPA possibly leading to getting closer to a new CBA as the current one expires September 15th. The league expects a response from the players to their counterproposal when they continue their meetings tomorrow morning.NYS2D Weekly MVP: Nick Swisher .391 BA 2 HR 7 RBI 5 BB

David, R.A. and Terry

Sandy Alderson recently said that he fully expects the team's only two all-stars, R.A. Dickey and David Wright, to be here not only for 2013 but also long-term. The team has options on both players for next season. David has expressed his love to play for the Mets for his whole career and I'm sure the Mets front office feels the same way. He is the franchise player and without a doubt one of the best Mets of all time. After letting Jose Reyes walk this past off-season, David is the one of two remaining players from 2006, along with Mike Pelfrey who had a few cups of coffee in 2006. David is a lifetime .302 hitter with 200 HR and a franchise most 803 RBI. He has made the all-star team six times, won two gold gloves, and two silver slugger awards. He holds the Mets franchise record in RBI, total bases, doubles, and runs. He grew up a Mets fan in Norfolk, Virginia and was drafted by them 38th overall in the 2001 MLB draft. He debuted in 2004 and has been the clubs 3rd basemen ever since. The Mets are the only franchise David has ever known and he wants to stay here and win with the Mets. With Dickey, he isn't in the same situation as Wright, but they both want to stay   and the front office wants them to stay. Dickey is having a career year this year, going 16-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 183 strikeouts, which currently leads the NL. He was an all-star for the first time this year and is thankful to the Mets organization for giving him a chance, and he has taken that chance and has really become the ace of this team. In his three years with the Mets he is 35-26 with a 2.98 ERA. Dickey feels comfortable in NY and loves it here. After a long and winding road to get to the majors, he is happy that the Mets have given him the opportunity to be a regular in their rotation and he has made the most of it. After being drafted by the Rangers 18th overall in the 1996 MLB draft. After a physical, it was discovered that he has no ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, the ligament you get Tommy John surgery on. Doctors tell him that he shouldn't be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain. The Rangers were worried about it, so they only gave him a $75,000 signing bonus, after originally offering him $810,000. As a conventional pitcher Dickey threw a high-80's fastball, an occasional fringy breaking ball, and a forkball which he dubbed "The Thing." He was never able to succeed as a conventional pitcher, so he had to try something else. He didn't know that his forkball was really a hard knuckleball. Dickey started trying to develop the knuckler but really struggled with it. The Rangers, Brewers, Mariners and Twins all gave up on him and he landed with the Mets. In 2010 Dickey was the 1st player the Mets cut in spring training, but pitched great in AAA and earned made his way to the majors in May due to injuries and hasn't looked back every since. He feels loyal to this organization for giving him a chance and loves being in NY. He said he would love to pitch for the Mets long-term. Both of these players are great players to have on any team and they will really be able to help the Mets get everything turned around sooner than if they left the team. They also made the decision was to keep their other all-star, manager Terry Collins. There had been talk of Collins being fired but he was reassured that he wouldn't be and that he will also be the manager next season, the last year of his contract. I think Terry has done a wonderful job with the Mets in his two years here and deserves to be for years to come. I think he does a great job getting the most out of his players, which makes him a great manager and a great fit for this young Mets team.

Neil Diamond Pays the Price?!?

       Recently, Penn State Football has announced that they will no longer be playing Neil Diamond's classic "Sweet Caroline" during halftime at games. This is because of the line ".... touching me, touching you....." in the song. Lines like this will probably be avoided in any songs they play due to the recently-revaeled child abuse by longtime football coach Jerry Sandusky. In my opinion, it is just said that it has come to this for such a great tune. This song has been played at many sporting events throughout the years, including during the 7th-inning stretch at Red Sox games, and they even used to play it between the 2nd and 3rd period at Ranger games. However, Penn State is currently under so much scrutiny that they really don't have a choice. When you think about it, it is just depressing seeing what was once one of the greatest football programs in the country be in so much trouble they can't even play one of the most iconic songs in sports during their games!  

Swisher A Phony?!?

       Last Monday, Sports Illustrated announced the results of a player poll they held about the Biggest Phony in Baseball. Obviously, we all know who was going to be #1: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez getting 26% of the vote. However, in second, with 14% of the vote, was his teammate, Nick Swisher in what shocked most people, including myself. Sure, Nick is smiling whenever you see a picture of him, but that doesn't mean it's fake. There have been many pictures that have been taken over 50 feet away where Swish wasn't even looking and he would be smiling like heck! Also, Nick has used his "real" positive energy to give back to others. In fact, just a few years ago, he recorded a charity album with a children's choir and donated all the profit to the charity. Overall, I think all other MLB players are "phonies" for voting for Swish and not themselves!

In case you were wondering, the rest of the Top 5:

3. Nyjer Morgan, Brewers - 11%

4. Brian Wilson, Giants - 9%

5. Brandon Phillips, Reds - 5%  

Terry Should Stay

       The New York Post reported Monday that Terry Collins will remain the manager of the Mets for the rest of this season and 2013, citing a team source. "There is no chance that he will be fired" the source told The Post. After all, Collins, age 63, is under contract through next season. New York management said that a successful season would be a 3rd-place finish. I agree with the Mets on this decision 100%. Although the pitching staff has been unreliable of late, and the offense has been shameful, recently going on a stretch of eight games without scoring more that 2 runs, he has lead this team to better than most people probably thought. Most writers and analysts had it set that New York would finish last in the East and be right down there with the Astros and Cubs for last in the NL. In fact, before the season, Sports Illustrated predicted that the Mets best-case scenario would to be in the playoff race until mid-June. However, Collins lead this team to an even better result than that, staying in the race until early after the All-Star break. It's obvious they've seriously slacked off since then, but Terry has done a fine job of managing this young club. In fact, this year he's done something the Mets should've done 2 1/2 years ago: he made Jason Bay a platoon player. Collins has finally noticed that Bay will never live up to his New York potential and has been switching off between players like Mike Baxter, recently-recalled Lucas Duda, and Jason. In all, Terry Collins has been a better manager this year than the Mets could've expected.

Rangers 2012-13 Season Preview

       If you were to ask every NHL fan who they think is most likely to win the Stanley Cup in 2013, most would probably say the New York Rangers. With the addition of Rick Nash and an All-Star goaltender in Henrick Lundquvist, who couldn't think they're gonna be there in May and June? However, with most thinking this, the pressure is on for the Blueshirts. As with any team that plays in New York City, this team will be very-well followed, especially since they're many people's Cup favorites. Most people, including myself, believe that this team can win it all this coming year or the next, if not both. However, one of the best trading GM's in Hockey, Glen Sather has done a great job of getting Nash and keeping the young stars in Dan Girardi, Michael Del Zotto, and Derek Stepan to keep the young swagger of this team alive. However, with getting a great forward like Nash and losing two forwards in Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov might shake up the lines a little bit, but I don't think it will mean much. Of course, it will be extremely tough for Lundquvist to repeat what he did last season, I believe the Rangers will win the Atlantic and will go at least as far as they did last year, if not farther.

"Wait, the Red Sox did WHAT?!?"

       The Boston Red Sox have just helped turn the LA Dodgers into the Miami Heat of Baseball. On Saturday, the Sox gave away 3 of their top-paid stars: Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez. They also got Nick Punto and cash from Boston. The Red Sox got back Dodgers 1B James Loney, and 4 prospects, 2 of them to be named later. With the completion of this trade, LA now has an All-Star-calibar player at 4 of the 9 infield positions and a more-stacked pitching staff. With a lineup like this, how could you NOT have them as your World Series favorite? On the Red Sox side, it seems like they are just throwing a lost season down the drain. After the trade, Boston shut down DH David Ortiz after only playing 1 game after coming off the DL. Bobby Valentine will most likely be fired after this season, and the Sox will start all over again next year. Sure all 3 of those players stirred quite a bit of controversy, but could anyone have IMAGINED how successful this club could've been if they would've built around those 3? Of course, Carl Crawford won't play another game this season, and Beckett and A-Gon aren't having the season they dreamed about, these 3 will help the Dodgers be successful this season and well into the future.

Duda returning

The Mets have announced that Lucas Duda will rejoin the big league team after demoting on July 24 to AAA Buffalo. Manager Terry Collins said that Duda will play mostly LF and some 1B when Ike Davis needs a day off. Duda hit .260 with 3 homers, 18 RBI in 96 at-bats during his demotion. He played 18 games in LF, 4 games in RF, and 2 games at 1B while in AAA. Before being demoted by the Mets, Duda had gone 2-his-last-22 at the plate and had been playing subpar defense in RF. With Duda set to be back in the starting lineup everyday, he provides the Mets a much needed power threat, as they scored more than 2 runs today after going 7 games with 2 runs or less. Duda worked on spreading out his legs more while in the minors. In 88 games this year for the Mets, Duda has 12 homers, 44 RBI, 37 runs, a .335 OBP, and a .241 batting average. Duda still has a lot of potential and could be a big piece for the Mets in the future if he can make up for his poor defense and hit a little bit better. In 2011 he hit .292 with 10 homers and 50 RBI in only 301 at-bats. The Mets believe he can be a good player here for a long time and really be a fixture for this Mets team looking toward the future. The Mets will make a corresponding roster move prior to Sunday's rubber game against the Houston Astros.

8/17/12-8/23/12 Weekly Recap

       The Mets have had a most different week with offense that's slacking like heck and a loss of their "Number 1" starter. It started with a 3-game set against the best team in Baseball, the Washington Nationals. A Michael Moorse slam gave D.C. a win on Friday, but the Mets countered the next day after a homer by Ike Davis and a stellar performance by Jon Niese gave New York a 2-0 victory. A rain-delayed Sunday matinee gave the Nats the edge, however, as they took 2 out of 3. Then the Amazin's headed back home to take on a no-name Colorado Rockies squad. Despite a stellar no-decision by R. A. Dickey on Monday and having leads in all 3 games, the Rocks took all of the first 3 affairs. Johan Santana was scheduled to start the series finale on Thursday but was placed on the 15-day DL after an MRI on Wednesday, and looks like he will sit out the rest of the season. So, Sandy Alderson brought up pitching prospect Collin McHough to take Johan's place 4 weeks to the day that Matt Harvey made his debut replacing Santana in Arizona and had 11 K's, setting a new club record. McHough had 9 K's through 7, good enough for 2nd on that list, and held Colorado scoreless. However, he came out with a ND and the Mets lost 2-0 and were swept by the Rockies in a 4-game set at Citi Field for the second year in a row. Tomorrow, New York begins a weekend series with the Houston Astros, the worst team in Baseball.
       The Yankees have had a week of red-hot captains non-Yankee type offense. They started off the week right on Friday when Nick Swisher had 2 solo shots that gave the Yankees a 6-4 win over Boston. However, the next day, David Phelps pitched brilliantly, but one mistake to Adrian Gonzalez cost him the game, and the Sox had redemption 4-1. On Sunday, Ichiro had his 1st multi-HR game as a Bomber and gave New York the win 4-1. Then, the Yankees went to Chicago for a 3-game set against Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Chris Sale and the White Sox. Although Derek Jeter homered in all 3 games, something he's never done before, New York was out-deuled, getting swept by Chicago. Also, on Thursday, New York placed starter Ivan Nova on the 15-day DL due to inflammation in his right rotator cuff. Tomorrow, the Yankees get back ace C.C. Sabathia as he will face the Indians in Cleveland.
       Last Saturday, the Giants looked to take the Metlife Cup from the "hosting" New York Jets. Starting QB Eli Manning completed 7/14 for 62 yards, and Lawrence Tynes had 2 field goals, but it was the defensive line that took the show sacking Sanchez and Tebow 6 times and one by the safety, Will Hill, who I think has the coolest name on the squad. For the 2nd straight week, rookie David Wilson led the team in rushing with 26 yards. Tomorrow, the starters will take the whole show as G-Men play Week 3 against the Bears.
        Additionally, the NHL and the NHLPA met yet again on Wednesday and earlier today, and not to much progress was made. The meetings ended early today and were totally cancelled yesterday, and now a lockout seems like a possible outcome.

NYS2D WEEKLY MVP: Derek Jeter- .375 AVG. 4 HR 4 RBI 7 R 1 BB

Shutting down Johan

The Mets have placed LHP Johan Santana (6-9, 4.85) back on the 15-day DL with back inflammation. It looks like Johan will not pitch again this season. Since his no-hitter on June 1st, the first in Mets history, Johan has not pitched effectively. He came into the season just hoping that he would start the year with the Mets. He didn't pitch at all in 2011, coming off major shoulder surgery. There were no guarantees that he would ever pitch again. He pitched like an ace for the first two months of the season. After the no-hitter he had a 2.38 ERA. Then he threw the no-hitter and has struggled ever since. Since "NO-HAN," he is 3-7 with a 8.27 ERA. The Mets have to shut him down and protect the investment they made for next season. They owe him $25 million next season and they need him to pitch as well as possible. Johan has not been struggling because he is not a good pitcher anymore. His changeup is still one of the best in baseball. He can still get people out with his fastball and slider. Johan is struggling only because he is tired. Johan just needs to rest his arm, take some time off, and come back and make sure he's ready to compete for the mets next season. Johan is still a leader of this team. He is one of the few veterans the Mets have and he knows how to win games. The Mets were successful in the first half for a lot of reasons, and Johan Santana was certainly one of them. He is a great mentor for the young pitchers the Mets have coming up. Prospect Collin McHugh will make his MLB debut on Thursday, taking Johan's spot in the starting rotation. McHugh is 25 years old and scouts describe him as a pitcher similar to Dillon Gee. He was 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA this year for AA Binghamton and 2-4 with a 3.39 ERA for AAA Buffalo.