Big Apple Sports: All New York Sports. All The Time.

Since news has been slow lately, I figured I would check in with each of our local teams and see how things are going for them.

I was listening to WFAN very early this morning to the Boomer and Carton radio show and heard Carton drawing up plans for an actual Yankee funeral if the Yankees fail to make the playoffs this year. This is the same guy who is convinced that the rally that he lead demanding Brett Favre to the Jets was the reason they got him. He sounds like an absolute idiot, but I must say that it would be pretty amusing to see a Yankee funeral and the publicity that it would get. Also, Bill Slattery’s favorite Yankee Carl Pavano seems like he is in line to make his first start with the Yanks in more than a year. Thank god that it is on the road, I could only imagine what the Yankee fans would do to that guy if he stepped on the mound. My guess is that he bows out with some ridiculous injury before his first game back in the Bronx. It will also fulfill his quota for pitching at least one game a season.

Things for the Mets are going well, finishing off the lowly Pirates and Nationals and having a nice road trip for once. However, they received some terrible news today, finding out that they would not be getting Billy Wagner back any time soon, as the soreness in his arm has not subsided at all. This begs the question on how the Mets are going to proceed with their bullpen. If you watched the game yesterday, you would come to believe that Duaner Sanchez is never going to be the guy we came to know and love in 2006, so he is obviously not stepping in. I also don’t think recent pickup Luis Ayala is the answer either, although I think he can be one of those guys who you buy low on and get a ton out of down the stretch, ala Guillermo Mota in 2006. After watching John Maine’s performance yesterday, it just seems like things are not right with his arm. He was grimacing more on the mound then on a usual day for him, and didn’t seem like he was comfortable at all, even though he did a great job over the five innings that he pitched. Maybe to relieve the wear and tear on his arm, they can slide him into the role. Ted Berg at SNY made some good points about Maine’s stats the first time through the order, coming in second behind only Wagner in averages and OPS. Maybe he could be this year’s Brett Myers.

Brett Favre mania contines throughout New York, especially after his good performance in his first start as a Jet. I think that Favre is going to have a great year personally, but the effect that he is going to have on other players on the team, is what is going to make or break the Jets’ season. Look for Thomas Jones to have a gigantic year, especially with the presence of Favre, as well as the revamped offensive line, built around Alan Faneca. Mike and Mike over on ESPN 1050 seem to think that the defense is what is going to make or break the Jets’ season, which is interesting and could very well be true. There is no more excuses now for Eric Mangini, since now he has the personal to implement his 3-4 defense.

The Giants absolutely manhandled the Browns last night at the Meadowlands. I know the score was only 37-34, but the score was 30-3 after the starters from both teams left the game. Eli Manning looked terrific during his snaps. He hooked up twice with Dominick Hixon, who also ran back a kickoff for a touchdown. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hixon jumps past Super Bowl hero David Tyree on the depth chart, especially considering the fact that Tyree is on the PUP list right now. I was a little disappointed in the running game last night though, especially since Brandon Jacobs still can’t seem to figure out how to hold on to the damn football. Maybe he should give Tiki Barber a call.

The word on the street is that Mats Sundin has made it known that he wants to play for the Rangers and the Rangers only. If this is the case, then the Rangers need to lock it up. Him and Markus Naslund would be quite a dynamic duo together, as would Chris Drury and Scotty Gomez. The only problem with bringing Sundin into the fold is that the Rangers would need to drop the salary of Michael Rosival. I know that Rosival isn’t the best defenseman in the world, but with only six other NHL defenseman on the roster, I think they need to keep him in the fold. Also, I’ve been left to wonder who the Rangers captain is going to be this season. My guess is Chris Drury, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if a guy like Gomez or Naslund got it, given their past experiences. The guys over at SNY.tv seem to think that there might be three assistant captains, and the guys over at Blueshirt Bulletin seem to think that a guy like Brandon Dubinsky or Dan Girardi deserve the role.

The Islanders hired Scott Gordon as their new head coach. Gordon won AHL Coach of the Year this past season. I think the Islanders hired him so they can bring back those hideous uniforms with the fisherman on them, and market Gordon as the Gordon’s Fisherman (the fish stick company). Whatever the case may be, the Islanders are in for yet another long season, especially with that terrible roster (Doug Weight? What is this, 1998?)

The Devils have been very quiet this off-season. Lets hope that Marty Brodeur has taken up an offseason training program with Jenny Craig.

The Nets? All they have done this off-season is make room for LeBron James in 2010. They must really be banking on the fact that LeBron has a mancrush on Jay-Z. If this backfires, we are going back to the days of the Nets where Derrick Coleman was running the show, and the Nets were wearing those wannabe Harlem Globetrotter uniforms.

Finally, Knicks owner James Dolan said the other day that the Knicks aren’t going to be sold, regardless of how Cablevision is performing in the public eye. All I can say is…damn.