MIAMI BOUND: Irish off to the National Championship; Knights Upset Again; Giants Beat Up Green Bay

       On Saturday night, Notre Dame came into L.A. to play USC at 11-0 and win away from an undefeated season and a likely spot in the Title Game. The Fighting Irish got it started in the 1st quarter, as a Kyle Brindza kick and a Theo Riddick 9-yard run game them an early 10-0 lead. The 2nd quarter was a different story. The Trojans scored 10 points of their own with a Robert Woods 11-yarder and a field goal. However, Notre Dame answered back with 2 more Brindza FG's, including a 52-yarder to end the 1st half and it was 16-10 at the half. In the third, the only scoring was another Irish field goal as they had reached the 19-point mark. Both teams scored 1 FG each in the 4th quarter, and wi thin the final 5 minutes, the Irish stopped about 10 points on the goal line. The final score was 22-13, and the Fighting Irish had a perfect season. Now, they're still at the #1 slot, and they will likely play the winner of the SEC Championship Game (Alabama and Georgia) in Miami on January 7, 2013.
       Rutgers was out for the Big East crown on Saturday with a win in Pittsburgh or a Louisville loss as they faced UConn. However, it was not a very good game played by the Scarlet Knights. With the game scoreless in the 2nd quarter, the Panthers scored 3 TD's in a 13-yarder to Mike Shanahan, a 1-yard run by Ray Graham, and a 13-yard pass to Ed Tinker (one of the coolest names in College Football). Rutgers' only score was a Nova 11-yard pass to Brandon Coleman, and the Knights as well missed the 2-point attempt. Other than that, Pittsburgh scored 2 field goals, and that was the game. 27-6 your final. However, there is still hope for the Scarlet Knights, as Louisville suffered a home loss to UConn. The two squads will fittingly meet on Thursday in a game viewable on ESPN for the Big East tughest title and a spot in the Orange Bowl.
       Last night, the New York Football Giants came off a much-needed bye week after a 2-game losing streak and took on their toughest test of the season: the Green Bay Packers, a re-match of last year's NFC Divisional Game. The Jints got it started on their first possession with a quick run by Andre Brown to give New York an early 7-0 lead (Brown would later learn he had a broken fibula and is now out for the season). The Packers responded on their next possession with a Jordy Nelson TD to tie the game. New York would take the ball right after that, and would never look back with a Ruben Randle 16-yarder, a Victor Cruz 9-yard pass (his first TD in a while), an Ahmad Bradshaw 13-yard run, and a Hakeem Kicks 13-yarder. The final score was 38-10, as the Giants got a much-deserved win. Also worth noting is that Eli Manning surpassed Phil Simms on the Giants' all-time TD pass list with 200 to Simms's 199.

Where Are the Sox Going?

       After a blockbuster August trade with the Dodgers that took Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford off their roster, the Boston Red Sox may not b e on "Project Re-Build". After signing David Ortiz to another short-term deal this offseason, Boston is supposedly in talks with the Texas Rangers' 2 biggest free agents: CF Josh Hamilton and C Mike Napoli. In fact, Napoli is just about a signature away, as he's in serious talks for a 4-year deal. With all of this and the managerial change in firing Bobby Valentine, it's hard to tell which way the Red Sox are going. A-Gon, Beckett, and Crawford did cause some trouble in the clubhouse, but they were big game-changers on this club. Gonzalez had the perfect swing for Fenway, Beckett and who knows what Crawford could've done with a healthy body? Now, the Sox are after Hamilton, Napoli, Johnny Gomes (who just signed on for the next 2 years), and whoever else they can get their hot dog water-filled hands on. So, it's kind of hard to tell where the Red Sox see in their own future.

Notre Dame Demolishes Wake Forest Then Claims #1 Spot; Knights Win Nail-Biter

       The Fighting Irish came into Saturday back at the #3 spot and hosting Wake Forest, going for a perfect home season. The game was practically over by the end of the 1st QTR after 3 touchdowns for Notre Dame: Ciere Wood, Tyler Eifert, and John Goodman, and the score was 21-0. Everett Golson hit another man in the numbers for the score midway through the second quarter, this time to TJ Jones, and made it a 28-point lead. A Kyle Brindza field goal would make it a 31-point deficit. Golson came out after the first half with 300+ yards and 3 passing TD's. In the 3rd, George Atkinson III ran for 6 yards and put the game way out of reach in the final score of the game as the final was 38-0 on Senior Day. Additionally, Senior TE Tyler Eifert became the all-time Notre Dame leader in career receptions by a Tight End during the game. The next day, both AP and the BCS ranked the Irish the top team in the FBS, as both of the other undefeated teams were upset. On Saturday night, the Irish will have their toughest test of the season, as they will try to get themselves into the National Championship by going to L.A. and taking on USC.
       Rutgers came into the week at 22 and went to Cincinnati for a tough matchup. With the game scoreless mid-way through the 2nd, Scarlet Knights QB Gary Nova found Mark Harrison for 71 yards and it was 7-0 all the way until the fourth. With about 8 minutes left in the game, Nick Borgese made it a 10-point game with a 42-yarder, and Cincy's only scoring was an FG with 11 seconds remaining, and the Knights had yet another win by the score of 10-3. After that huge win, Rutgers not only keeps their lead in the Big East standings, but moved up to #18 in all of the land.
       The Giants had their bye week after 2 straight losses, and they will host the NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

M - V - P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       On Thursday night, the AL and NL MVP's of 2012 were announced, and there were quite a few things that made fans turn their heads:

IN THE NL: Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants came out on top over the other 4 final contenders: Yadier Molina, Chase Headley, Ryan Braun, and Andrew McCucthen. However, a familiar face to New York fans came out right behind those top 5: Mets 3B David Wright, who hit .306 with 21 HRs and 93 RBI and tied with Nationals' Adam Laroche for the 6 spot. NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey finished tied with Reds 1B Joey Votto for 14th on the final ballot. Congrats to Posey on an award he very much deserved, as there is no way the Giants get anywhere close to the World Series without their MVP catcher.

IN THE AL: Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers unrightfully took home the prize over Angels rookie CF Mike Trout. Surprisingly, it wasn't as close as most people thought with Cabrera taking the first-place votes 22-6 in a shock to all sabermetric fans including myself. Many voters didn't vote for Trout because he and his team failed to make the Postseason while Cabrera's team went to the World Series.
       I'm going to use an example Brian Kenny used on MLB Network's Clubhouse Confidential: Many used the beginning of September, when the Angels collapsed, as a tie-breaker between the two. Kenny went back to the Angels-Tigers series in early September. In the first game, Trout went 0-2 but had 2 walks, stole 2 bases, and scored from 2nd on a wild pitch. The next night, Trout went 1-3 with a homer, a stolen base, and robbed Detroit 1B Prince Fielder of a HR to end the game. Also, Trout had the most extra bases in the AL. Obviously, Mike Trout had the better overall season and deserved this special award.
       Yankees 2B Robinson Cano as well was in the Top 5, finishing 4th overall in front of Texas CF Josh Hamilton.
   

Story of the Season Becomes Best Pitcher in the NL

       After a tremendous year on a not-so-tremendous team, Mets starter Robert Allan Dickey won the 2012 NL Cy Young on Wednesday night and became the first knuckler to do so ever. He is also the first Met to do it since Dwight Gooden back in 1985. R.A. went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA. Dickey as well had 8 shutouts including 1-hitters in back-to-back starts in June. There were many people in Baseball, however, that believed that Dickey shouldn't win the award because he was on a bad team. Let me tell all of those people that R.A. being a Metropolitan helps him even MORE. To think that a pitcher could win 20 games on such a terrible offensive team is quite astonishing feat. Seattle's Felix Hernandez can't do that, and he plays for a little better of an offensive club.

       What Mets fans should worry about most is that this accolade will raise Dickey's price tag quite a bit. In the recent days and weeks, there have been some rumors about the Mets shopping for him. Alderson and the organization have said that trading Dickey or David Wright would be a last resort, but if Dickey and Alderson can't find an extension agreement, I could definitely see the Mets looking for options, even if it isn't willingly.

       

       Here are some of the best moments of R.A.'s magical season:

      

"The Mystery of the Miami Marlins: The Saga Continues"

       It hasn't even been 3 months since all of Baseball was shocked by the Red Sox-Dodgers trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford to L.A. Now, those busy GM's were at it again last night, as the Miami Marlins have dealt Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, and John Buck to the Toronto Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar and some prospects. I first read of these talks on the MLB Network bottom line and as the words "Blue Jays" passed by the screen, I could hardly think. It's amazing how quickly this Miami team gave up with a bright future. Hardly ever will you find a club go on a huge shopping spree and have it all work out in the first. Sure, they finished last and lost 97 games, but what can you expect from a team playing in a city like Miami with a troublesome manager and a brand new stadium with a brand new attitude? With a huge trade like this, Marlins fans will think this is a fire sale and be devastated about how the organization just threw it all away. Therefore, Miami will have trouble selling out for years and will probably have to move again. This trade might've turned the Miami Marlins into the newest Houston Astros.

"Holy War" Goes the Irish's Way; Knights Route Navy; Giants Fall to 6-4

       Saturday night, while Alabama lost for the first time since the "Game of the Century", Notre Dame was off to storied rival Boston College to try and reach 10-0. The scoring started out in the first with a Everett Golson 2 yd run that put the Irish ahead by 7. After a Nate Freese 36-yard kick and a 7-yard pass to Troy Niklas (both of those being in the second quarter), Notre Dame went into the half leading the Eagles 14-3. The 2nd half was not much different, as an 18-yarder to John Goodman and another Freese FG (this on for 45 yards) would not change anything, as the Irish remain undefeated beating Boston College 21-6. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish will go for an undefeated home schedule in South Bend by taking on 5-5 Wake Forest.
       Meanwhile, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights looked to get back on track after a bye week and an upset loss to Kent State against Army. The Black Knights got it started about halfway through the first with a Trent Steelmen ran for a 1-yard TD, putting them up 7-0. After that, it was all Scarlet Knights with a 16-yarder to Brandon Coleman in the 2nd and 3 touchdowns in the 4th, them being another 31-yarder to Coleman, a 2-yard run from Savon Huggins, and Duron Harmon 73-yard fumble return made it a final of 28-7 Rutgers. They are now #22 in the nation and will go to Cincy on Saturday.
       On Sunday, the New York Football Giants tried to end their recent skid by traveling to Cincinnati to play the Bengals. It wasn't much of a close game as the Giants only points came from 2 20+ yarders from Lawrence Tynes and a 4th QTR TD by Andre Brown. Everything else was the "Andy Dalton Show". Dalton made a great Jints defense look like the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing 4 touchdown passes: 10-yard passes from Jermaine Gresham and former Scarlet Knight Mohamed Sanu, an 11-yard pass to Andrew Hawkins, and even a 56-yarder to A.J. Green. The final was 31-13, and New York will have another challenge after their current bye week, as they will go back home to take on Green Bay.

The Irish ARE Legit!!!

       Throughout the past few years, there has been much talk that the BCS and AP Rankings have been too "Notre Dame happy", that meaning they've been ranking the Irish a little too high in the Top 25. In past years, I have agreed with that including last year when the team went into the BCS #16. However, this year, as they are now in the #4 slot, the 2nd-highest point of the year, they seriously are for real. First of all, their offensive line has seriously improved. Last season, the offense surrendered a total of 29 turnovers, near the very bottom of the FBS. This year, however, they've only given up 11 with only 3 games remaining. So unless they average 6 turnovers in their last 3 games>, consider the O-Line improved.
       Moving to the other side of the Line of Scrimmage, the defense has been untouchable. They've only given up 1 rushing TD this year, the least in the FBS. Most importantly, the Irish defense as a player who's a serious Heisman Trophy contender: Manti T'eo. He's been responsible for 6 turnovers and has 87 total tackles.
       Probably two of the most important parts of  this #4 team are the coach, Brian Kelly, and the young QB, Everett Golson. Kelly has been a huge part of this school's squad since he became the main man in  2010. He's won everywhere he's gone, and he's proved that this year at South Bend with one of his best creations so far. Every single move he's made as worked, one of them being giving Junior Tommy Rees some time as the starter.
       Then there's Everett Golson, the starter at Quarterback for this team. First of all, he's a Freshman and he's 9-0. He makes less mistakes than Matt Barkley of USC, who's a Senior! Golson has shown he can hand off the ball to his RB's such as Sierre Wood and can hit receivers pretty well, such as Tyler Eiffert. He's been a QB who's come up HUGE in the clutch and is the most important part of the 2012 Fighting Irish!

Clear Waters Ahead!!! The Troubled Bay Behind!!!!

       After 3 upsetting years for Mets fans, the pain has come to an end as on Wednesday, New York terminated Jason Bay's contract 2 years early. In 2012, Bay hit .165 in 70 games and hit .223 in 288 games as a Met. Like many other people who follow the Mets, I could not be happier that the agreement finally came. He has been absolutely holding back a young team that has been improving since the start of last season shocking all of Baseball by going into the All-Star break 6 games over .500. With Sandy Alderson and the organization having to keep him up on the Big League 25-man roster, it has made the team have to make crucial decisions on which of their young stars to send back down such as Lucas Duda, Jordanny Valdespin, and Kirk Niuwenhuis. In fact, he struggled so much that Terry Collins officially made him a platoon player, only to be used in certain situations.
       It's not only the organization that was struggling with Bay, the fans absolutely despised him and his contract up to the very last day. From the countless concussions to the underperformance, the boos from the Citi Field crowd became overwhelming. Looking on, I would think to myself "How could you not feel bad for the guy?".
       To me, the Mets should've done this earlier. If New York had made this decision during the season, it would've given Valdespin more time as the full-time left-fielder. Also, there would've been an extra spot on the September Call-Up Roster that could've gone to Zach Wheeler.

Notre Dame Makes Huge Comeback Then Falls in Rankings; Giants with Disgusting 4th Quarter

       On Saturday, the Fighting Irish was up to #3 in the country, their highest point this season, and were back to South Bend to take on the 4-win Pittsburgh Panthers. The score was 20-6 in favor of Pitt heading into the 4th quarter when a 11-yard pass to TJ Jones from Everett Golson that made it 20-12, but the extra point  attempt was no good. Then came a Red Zone situation for the Irish inside the 10, when an End Zone pass from Golson was intercepted for a Touchback. After that was a "3 and Out" for the Panthers, Notre Dame started at the 50. Then Golson unleashed a 45-yarder that brought the Fighting Irish to the 5. The very next play was a 5-yard TD pass to Theo Riddick and a 2-point conversion run by Golson tied the game as OT was on its way. Both teams' kickers, Notre Dame's Kyle Brindza and Pitt's Kevin Harper, kicked 35 plus-yard FG's to send it to 2 OT. The Fighting Irish had the first possession and it had looked like Cierre Wood had ran into the End Zone through Pitt's D-line to give Notre Dame a lead, but Wood fumbled and lost the ball in the End Zone and Pitt picked it up for a turnover. It was 4th Down for the Panthers and it looked as if Harper would lock up a huge upset with a FG, but his kick was wide right. In 3 OT, Harper kicked a 44-yarder, but a 1-yard run from Golson gave the Irish a hair-greying win, 29-26. However, since they went into 3 OT with a 4-4 squad, they fell 1 place in the BCS Rankings as Oregon is now the #3 team.
       The Giants were as well back home to play Ben Rothlisberger and the "Big Bad" Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 2nd QTR, Emmanuel Sanders caught a 4-yard pass, and Pittsburgh was up 7-0 before a 1-yard run from Andre Brown and a Lawrence Tynes PAT that ties the game at 7. Then Michael Boley picked up a Rothlisberger fumble and ran 70 yards to make it 14-7 Jints. In the final seconds of the 1st half, Shaun Suisham kicked a 30-yarder and it was a 4-point game. The 3rd quarter was all Giants as all the scoring was 2 field goals by Lawrence Tynes as New York was doubling up Pittsburgh heading into the 4th. Then in the 4th, the Steelers scored 2 TD's from Mike Wallace and Isaac Redmanthat gave Pittsburgh a 24-20 lead. The last 3 possessions for the Giants were "3 and Outs", as New York took the loss, 24-20.
       Rutgers had this week off after their upset loss to Kent State, and after completely falling from the Rankings, the Scarlet Knights are back on as #23 with a 7-1 record. They will host Army on Saturday.  

Notre Dame Gets it Done; Knights End Remarkable Run

       Saturday night, the Fighting Irish got their toughest test of the season: the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked #8 in all of the land. OU got it started in the 1st quarter after Michael Hunnicutt knocked through a 28-yarder, and it was 3-0 Sooners. Then, Notre Dame started their parade with a 62-yard run by Cierre Wood for the touchdown that gave the Irish a 7-3 lead going into the 2nd quarter. With 6 minutes left in the half, Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza extended the lead with a 34-yard field goal, so it was a 7-point affair. Then, within the final seconds of the 2nd half, Oaklahoma was threatening to tie the game as it was 1st and Goal on the 1. It had seemed like the Sooners had just tied the game with a 1-yard run, but a late flag was thrown onto the field for a Holding penalty on an offensive lineman that brought them back 10 yards. After this, the Sooners would have to settle for a FG, and it was a 4-point affair after the 1st half. After a scoreless 3rd, a Kyle Brindza field goal put the Irish up by a touchdown. Then a 1-yard run by Blake Bell tied the game with a little over 9 minutes left. After that it was all Irish.  Touchdowns by Everett Golson and Theo Riddick, another Brindza kick, and a huge interception by Manti T'eo wrapped it up with a final of 30-13 Notre Dame. After the new BCS Standings, they are now #3 in the country, right behind Alabama and Kansas State.
       Meanwhile, Rutgers was at home facing Kent State, who to that point had never won a game against a Big East team. The Scarlet Knights got it started as Nick Borgese kicked a 42-yard field goal and gave themselves a 3-0 lead. Not much later, Zack Hitchens scored on a 1-yard pass and gave Kent State a lead they would build on in an upset win. Touchdowns by Mark Farkler, Dri Harcher, Traylon Durham, and Josh Boyle built up 35 points for the Golden Flashes. Rutgers was able to counter with Tim Wright, Brandon Coleman, and Jawan Jamison TD's to make up for many of those points given up, but it would not be enough as Kentucky State pulled off a major upset against the #15 team in the country in New Jersey in a 35-23 rout of the Knights. With this crushing loss, Rutgers has completely fallen off the rankings heading into a Week 10 bye.
       I apologize for such a late weekly College Football update as I was one of many affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Isles Brooklyn-Bound!

       The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday that after the 2014-15 season, when their lease  is up on the Nassau Veterans Coliseum, they will be moving to Brooklyn's Barclays Center, current home of the Brooklyn Nets, after 45 years in Long Island. The move has been in talks for quite a while as quite a few venues have been in talk for this falling franchise, such as Brooklyn, Kansas City (who already has an arena ready), and even Seattle (which is getting an arena built). Personally, I could tell a move was well in the making and wasn't very far away. However, what surprises me most is that the Islanders owner Charles Wang has already announced that the team's name and logo will not change after the move.
       "We are the New York Islanders." Wang was quoted saying.
       I know that Brooklyn is technically a part of Long Island, but since 1972, this team has been representing Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, as their one and only team. In fact, Long Island can even be seen in the back of the Isles' logo. If they move to Brooklyn and keep everything the same, it would be somewhat of a mockery to Long Island. Also, if they're moving in with the BROOKLYN Nets shouldn't they be named Brooklyn as well like the Knicks and Rangers. Well, there's still a couple of years until the move, so maybe Wang will rethink keeping the Islanders the Islanders.      

Irish Sneak Past BYU; Rutgers Dominates Again

       On Saturday, Notre Dame headed back to South Bend after being ranked #5 in all of the land to take on BYU for the first time since they became an independent. However, the Fighting Irish were without their starting Freshman QB Everett Golson, so Junior Tommy Rees, who was the starter last year, got the start for Brian Kelly's squad. In the 1st quarter, Tyler Eifert caught a 4-yard pass from Rees that gave Notre Dame a 7-0 lead. That was all of the Irish's scoring in the first half as the Cougars scored 14 points with TDs from Cody Hoffman and Kanekua Friel, and it was 14-7 at the half. In the 3rd, Notre Dame kicker Kyle Brindza booted a 24-yarder through the posts that made it a 4-point game. Then came the deciding score early in the 4th quarter when George Atkinson III ran for 2 yards to give Notre Dame a 17-14 victory to remain undefeated at 7-0. However, after scoring 17 points against a tough Cougar defense, they are still #5 in the country.
        Meanwhile, #15 Rutgers took the short drive up the Turnpike to take on un-ranked Temple. By the end of the first half, the Scarlet Knights were down early after Cody Booth caught a 4-yard pass from Chris Coyer and a 49-yard FG by Brandon McManus. But in the 2nd half, Rutgers blew it open  with 3 touchdowns in the 3rd by Tim Wright, Jawan Jamison, and mark Harrison and 2 in the 4th with a 10-yard reception from Gary Nova and a Khaseem Greene 20-yard fumble return to give the Knights a 35-10 win. However, Rutgers as well did not move on the rankings.

Yankees 2012 Postseason Recap

       After a 95-win season and a win of the AL East on the final day of the year, the Bombers went into the Postseason as the #1 seed in the American League and began the Division Series against the Orioles after their Wild Card victory over Texas. After 8 innings in Game 1, the game was tied at 1 when Russell Martin smacked a solo shot that gave the Yanks a lead they wouldn't surrender as they went into Game 2 with a 1-0 series lead. In that game, a great start by Andy Petite was wasted by the Bomber offense as a Nate McLouth single was all it took for a 2-1 win for Baltimore. Then it was back to the Bronx where it was 2-1 Orioles in the bottom of the ninth in Game 3 before a solo shot by Raul Ibanez tied the game. This was the score until the 12th when "Mr. Oct-Tuuuuuuuu-Bre" did it again to put the Yankees 1 win away from the ALCS. Game 4 was a pitcher's duel won by Baltimore which kept them alive for at least another night. So, it all came down to Game 5, where Carston Charles Sabathia showed why the Yankees signed 4 years ago with a complete-game 3-hitter that put the Yanks in the American League Championship Series against a familiar foe in the Detroit Tigers, who beat the Oakland A's in 5 games to get to the ALCS.
       In Game 1, it was all Detroit until the bottom of the ninth. With the score 4-0 Tigers, Ichiro hit a 2-run shot that made the game 4-2. Then, with 2 outs, Raul saved the Yankees again with a game-tying 2-run homer to tie the game and save the Yankees. In the 14th, the Tigers took the lead in the game and the series 1-0. In the 14th as well, Yankee captain Derek Jeter slid on his ankle and broke it  to take him out for the rest of the season d will needth 4-5 months to recover. The nest night, a blown call helped the Tigers pounce on Hiroki Kuroda and win the game 3-0 and take a 2-0 lead back to Hockeytown.The Yanks would fare no better there as they were swept by Detroit who is off to the World Series for the first time since 2006. In the ALCS, New York never lead in a game and was outscored 19-6 in the series.

Game 1: Bombers Get it Started

       4 days after winning their division on their last day of the year, the Yankees were in Baltimore for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Orioles. New York got it started in the 1st when Ichiro continues to prove why the Yanks traded for him, hitting a double into left that scored Jeter and put the Bombers up 1-0. In the bottom of the second, starter CC Sabathia was in a jam and gave up a single to Nate McClouth that scored 2 and gave the Birds their first lead. In the top of the fourth, with runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Mark Teixeira hit one of the scoreboard in right that scored Alex Rodriguez that nodded the game up at 2. This was all until the 9th, when Russel Martin broke the tie with a solo shot off Orioles closer Jim Johnson to break the tie, 3-2 New York. An Ichiro RBI infield single and a Robinson Cano RBI double broke it open as the Yankees scored 5 runs in the top of the ninth. Sabathia went 8 2/3, only one out shy of the complete game as the Yankees took Game 1 by the final score of 7-2. Tonight, Andy Pettite takes the mound at 8:05 pm ET as the Yanks try to take both games in Baltimore.

Yankees-Orioles: The First Intra-Divisional Series

       After a Yankee win on the final day of the regular season, New York clinched the AL East on Wednesday. Last night, the Yanks learned they would be playing the Baltimore Orioles, the team they were racing all September, after beating the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card Game. With this year's hectic schedule, the first 2 games of the series will be played at Camden Yards where both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettite will start. Those 2 guys will always give you a legit start every 5 days. With those two big guns starting at a place where the Yankees score a lot of runs will be very helpful when you're starting the series on the road. If the Yankees win both of those matchups, they can go back to the Stadium for 3 games and only have to win 1. Of course, pitching doesn't get you through a 5-game series alone. Another key point for the Yankees not only in this series but throughout all of the Playoffs is to keep the bat in the hands of Robinson Cano scorching at all costs. Cano has always been a big part   of the Yankees-Orioles rivalry and is one of the best hitters in the 20-year history of Camden Yards so that is important. If the Yankees can keep these important keys running and remain playing like the Bronx Bombers of the past few years, New York has a real good chance of advancing further on into the Postseason.

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.