Retraction of my Knicks statement

I have to retract my statement saying the Knicks will make the playoffs. They are playing horribly against the mediocre teams too. Say goodbye to the playoffs Knicks!

Ma Bu Li out in China

Former Knicks star Stephon Marbury is already winning new friends in the grimy coal city of Taiyuan, China, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

"Ma Bu Li," as he is now known, launched an unlikely career with the Taiyuan Shanxi Zhongyu Professional Basketball Club, one of the worst teams in the league. He is the biggest NBA star to have played professional basketball in China.

Back home, Marbury's run-ins with coaches and teammates on the Knicks and other teams battered his reputation. After terminating his contract in New York early last year, Marbury played briefly for the Celtics, and according to Zhongyu, he accepted an offer to move to China after he did not get a satisfactory offer in the NBA.

But his falling out with the Knicks was not publicized as much in China as it was in the United States. Though die-hard Chinese fans said they were aware he had less playing time in recent years, Marbury's reputation as a top-notch point guard is relatively untarnished here.

The 32-year-old posted a greeting to Chinese fans on his blog Tuesday, attracting more than 4,000 subscribers within hours. One user wrote a response to Marbury that said, "I think you can do better in China, because we love you."

Marbury told reporters Tuesday night when he arrived at his hotel, "I really didn't know that much about China other than what I've seen on TV about Chinese NBA star Yao Ming."

"I thought this was the right place to be," he added.

He turned out for the first time with his new team at a game Wednesday. Although he did not play, at halftime he appeared on court dressed in a designer jacket to present gift bags to a group of children. Chinese reporters ran onto the court and mobbed him as the crowd cheered.

Marbury, though, said he is not playing in China for the money. He is here to promote his shoe and apparel brand, called Starbury after his nickname, featuring low-cost sneakers for $15.

The market in China is potentially huge, where the NBA estimates 300 million people play basketball.

Goodbye Captain Caveman

With the signing of Randy Winn, the Yankees have chosen to part ways with Johnny Damon. It was a great four years and hopefully the Yankees do not regret later down the road. Brian Cashman stuck to his $200M budget and Damon would have exceeded that by 3-4M.

Honestly, I think Cashman just did not want to deal with his agent Scott Boras. Damon came off a great year in 2009 and was tremendous in the World Series. With his swing taylor made for Yankee Stadium, Damon might regret not coming back to the Yankees. At the end, it was probably pride that prevented both sides from coming together.

Jeter to Surpass Pet Rose as All time hits king?

Derek Jeter currently has 2,747 career hits meaning he would likely reach 3,000 hits in early 2011. He  is also close to matching Pete Rose's hits output at the age of 35 which was 2,762 hits. At the age of 35, he would need to average about 190 to 200 hits a season for the next 8 years in order to reach Pete Rose's record of 4,257 hits.

According to Bill James' Favorite Toy method, Jeter has not established a measurable chance to break Rose's record. That said, he does have a six-percent chance of reaching 4,000 hits. Which leads to the obvious question: Is 4,257 hits really so many more than 4,000?

And the obvious answer: Yes. When you're 43 or 44, 257 is an awful lot of hits.

The other problem is one of context. It's not just incredibly uncommon for a player to collect nearly 1,500 hits after turning 36, as Pete Rose did. It's also incredibly uncommon for a player to play regularly or semi-regularly into his mid 40s, as Rose did. And of course he was able to do that because a) he played first base, and 2) he managed his own team for the last 203 games of his playing career.

I would absolutely love to see Derek Jeter replace Pete Rose in the record books. But estimates are that he'll finish his career with 3,692 hits.

WFAN Super Bowl Ticket Giveaway

 WFAN is giving away tickets by Superbowl. I'm trying to compile a list of the questions. Anyone else have answers?

Score of Super Bowl 42?
17-14

The only # 1 pick to start a Superbowl and lose it. 
QB - Drew Bledsoe.

Score of Bowl Bowl 43 or last year's Super Bowl
27-23

5 coaches who have taken 2 teams to the superbowl:
Holmgren, Shula, Reeves, Vermeil, Parcells

Audio 4-1: Everyone hit their blocks
Not sure


Audio 4-2:
Not sure


4 Jet QBs who started Super Bowls for other teams?
Neil O'Donnell, Boomer Esiason, Tony Eason, Brett Favre

How many receptions did Tyree have in Super Bowl 42?
3

How long was the Manning to Tyree reception "The Catch" in Super Bowl 42?
32

most games coached to finally reach Super Bowl
tom coughlin

3 players to score 2 TD touchdowns with 2 diff teams in the Super Bowl?
Muhsin Muhammad became the third player ever to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl for two different teams, joining Ricky Proehl and Jerry Rice.


Max Magee, the man who caught the first TD pass in Super Bowl history for the Green Bay Packers started what chain of stores after retiring?
Chi Chi's
 
Who wrote the book: "I can't wait until tomorrow because I get better looking every day"?
 Joe Namath (with Dick Schapp) 

Who did Bill Parcells succeed for the NY Giants coach?
Ray Perkins

Last player to have a 50 yard rushing play in a Super Bowl?
THomas Jones

Who were the 2 RBs to rush for 100 yards in a Super Bowl?
Rhodes and Jones

First Steelers to carry the ball?
Rocky Bleier 

Steelers Backfield in their first Super Bowl?

Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris

Which two Super Bowl coaches went to U of Minnesota?
Dungy and Marc Trestman

Which referee worked at 4 Super Bowls?
Jerry Markbreit

QBs for the Redskins?
Thiessman, Rypien, Doug Williams, bill kilmer

Which Super Bowl coach played college football at Fordham?
Lombardi

Which 2 teams lost a Super Bowl and then won the following year?
Dolphins and Cowboys

Who intercepted Eli Manning in Super Bowl 42?
Ellis Hobbs

Who went to Carol University?
Don Shula

4 Raider QBs have started the Super Bowl?
Gannon, Jim Plunkett,Stadler, Lamonica

Which super bowl coach went to Syracuse?
 Tom Coughlin

Super bowl MVP of Super Bowl 21?
Phil Simms

Who had the first carry in  Super Bowl 1?
Jim Taylor

3 players with 11 receptions in a superbowl:
Dan Ross, Cincinnati vs. San Francisco, XVI
Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs. Cincinnati, XXIII
Deion Branch, New England vs. Philadelphia, XXXIX
Wes Welker, New England vs. NY Giants, XLII

Who scored the Jets only TD in superbowl III:
Matt Snell

of 4 NYG Superbowl opponents, which didn't the Gmen play in regular season that year:
Baltimore

Oldest Superbowl winning head coach:
Dick Vermeil

How many carries did Ottis Anderson have in Super Bowl XXI:
2

What was the last superbowl with both teams having 100+ yard rushers:
Super Bowl XLI

Who led the Jets in receiving in Super Bowl III:
George Sauer Jr.

Youngest player to appear in Super Bowl:
Jamal Lewis (Super Bowl XXXV)

Longest Span between Super Bowl apperances:
Junior Seau

Only Team to not score a TD:
Dolphins (Super Bowl VI)

Last QB to throw 2 TD passes in 4th Quarter:
Eli Manning

Lowest QB Rating by a Super Bowl Winning QB:
Ben Roethlisberger


3 Giants SB Coaches?
Parcells Fassel Coughlin

Mets going after Ben Sheets and John Smoltz

For a team that has had such a backlash due to injuries last year, you would think the Mets wouldn't pursue someone who has been injury prone his entire career. Chances are if they sign him, the first time he is injuried, he would be chewed up and spit out by the NY media and fans. So I'm not sure if it is a good idea for them to go after him. Then again Smoltz is a washed up pitcher as well and the Mets are going after him as he is their savior too.

In addition, if Sheets signs with the Mets, the Brewers would get their second-round pick next June, not their first. The Mets already have surrendered their first-round pick to the Angels for signing closer Francisco Rodriguez. Sheets' ranking among Class A pitchers is 79.038; Rodriguez's is 87.196. Thus, because Rodriguez is ranked higher, the Angels would get the Mets' first-round pick, not the Brewers. That's the way the system works. 

That would mean that the Brewers would get only second-round picks from the signing clubs for both CC Sabathia (Yankees) and Sheets, not exactly what they had in mind when those Class A free agents hit the market. The Brewers still get sandwich picks between the first and second rounds as well but it wouldn't be the first-round bonanza anticipated at the outset of the winter.

Sheets' situation remains perhaps the most intriguing of any free agent because of economic cutbacks, his history of injuries and his Class A status. Any team signing him -- including the Brewers -- would be taking a calculated gamble.

Not the same ole Jets

Impressive showing for the Jets. I must admit that I am a Giants fan but the Jets look like they will be a force next year to deal with. But in football it is always hard to say. Injuries make big differences. Look at the Giants who had their defense decimated by injuries. Kenny Phillips, Justin Tuck, Chris Canty, Corey Webster, etc. Only a couple of teams have been able to design their teams to sustain and maintain success. Look at the Colts and the Patriots who have been successful for the past six to ten years.

Turn off the Knicks game

The Knicks are getting a good old fashioned ass whooping by the Mavericks. They are down 50 points with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. They should get that game off the television. My goodness, Jason Kidd isn't even playing. How do they stay so competitive against the Lakers and then just not show up to this game.

Potentially Damon Sighting in Pinstripes

Johnny Damon and the Yankees spoke again within the past few days, and Damon now has been given the weekend to decide whether he wants to come back on a bargain deal. The chances he will accept a low-base contract for a few million dollars (probably no more than $5 million guaranteed) from the Yankees still appear slim, so Damon's tenure with the team could officially end early next week. I am unsure if he would accept an 8 million drop in salary but for the Yankees sake, lets hope he does. It would give us a great team for 2010.

Jets Rally

New Yorkers had a Jets rally in NY. Lets hope it gives them the miracle it would need to beat the Colts. I'm not sure if the New Yorkers really thought they deserved to win in Week 16 when the Colts decided to rest their starters. Its similar if the varsity team sits and lets the junior varsity team play. However, many Jets fans still believe they rightfully won. This is their chance to prove that.

In order for them to win respect from the league, I think they will need to beat the Colts. If they do that, I think they have a good chance of winning the Super Bowl and going in on a hot streak.

Starbury to China

Stephon Marbury is facing tough times as he is going to play in China's Chinese Basketball Association or the CBA (not to be confused with the one in the US). It seems like this one time superstar could not get a contract with an NBA team that would give him extended minutes. His NBA career has taken a nosedive since feuding with the Knicks. This is hard to imagine considering he is only 32. On the bright side, he said that he would be able to market his Starbury shoes in China, which does not seem to be a bad idea considering China's potential market.

Underdog Jets win again

Wow, go Jets! They surprised me and did enough offensively to win. They contained Darren Sproles and did not allow him to get any big gains offensively. Although, the score would have been close to my prediction if their kicker, Nate Kaeding, actually made 2 makeable field goals. The miss before the first half ended was a bit on the long side. Kaeding, a great kicker during the regular season, seems to not to be dependable in the playoffs.

Could this be a repeat of when the Giants won in 2008? Bring on the Colts!

Thank goodness there was at least one good football over the weekend.

NFL Playoffs

The NFL playoffs have been a disappointment so far with most of the games other than the Packers-Cardinals game last week being anything exciting. All of the other games seemed to be over by halftime.

This week:
Colts 20 - Ravens 3
Saints 45 - Cardinals 14
Vikings 34 - Cowboys 3
Lets see how the Jets game is.

Last week:
Jets 24 - Bengals 14, this game was still a game at halftime with it being 14-7 Jets.
Ravens 33 - Patriots 14
Cowboys 34 - Eagles 14

Go Jets!

Let's hope for a miracle and see if the Jets beat the Chargers. I don't think they'll win but it should be a game at least. The key will be stopping Darren Sproles and Antonio Gates. Prediction: Chargers 24 - Jets 17.

David Lee' success bittersweet for the Knicks

David Lee has become the Knicks' go to guy down the stretch. Look at the last game where he hit a shot in the last seconds and put the Knicks up by a point against the 76ers.

David Lee's agent is drooling at the mouth nowadays!

David Lee is probably playing as good as any player in the league over the past few games.

He has added a new element to his game every year! He came back his sophomore year a 80% FT shooter up from 50%, his 3rd season he had to play behind Curry and Randolph and still was the most consistient player on the team, last year he picked up a somewhat reliable jump shot, now he has a pretty reliable jumper, plus a knack for scoring the ball proving he is more than just a rebounder!

David Lee is a testament to work ethic! And outside the mega-stars this off season David will the top FA this summer, the safe bet for Donnie is to sign Lee to extension before the bidding war begins on him. However, that would cut in the Lebron James fund. Who knows if they will be able to sign Lebron and David Lee now.

Carl Crawford to the Yankees?

It seems the Yankees are holding strong and not signing Johnny Damon since they are looking towards next year's free agent class. Below is the potential class for 2011.

Potential Free Agents for 2011

The following players have contracts expiring or should have the six years of service necessary to become free agents after the 2010 season.

* - player whose current contract includes 2011 option

Player Club
First Basemen
Lance Berkman HOU *
Wes Helms FLA
Jason Giambi COL
Ross Gload FLA
Paul Konerko CWS
Derrek Lee CHC
David Ortiz BOS *
Lyle Overbay TOR
Carlos Pena TB
Albert Pujols STL *

Second Basemen
Eric Bruntlett PHI
Willie Bloomquist KC
Mark Ellis OAK *
Esteban German TEX
Akinori Iwamura TB
Jose Lopez SEA *
Kaz Matsui HOU
Aaron Miles CHC
Freddy Sanchez SF

Shortstops
Alex Gonzalez BOS
Christian Guzman WAS
J.J. Hardy MIL
Omar Infante ATL *
Cesar Izturis BAL
Derek Jeter NYY
Julio Lugo STL
Jhonny Peralta CLE *
Edgar Renteria SF
Jose Reyes NYM *
Jimmy Rollins PHI *
Ramon Santiago DET
Ramon Vazquez PIT
Jack Wilson SEA

Third Basemen
Garrett Atkins COL
Wilson Betemit CWS
Jorge Cantu FLA
Eric Chavez OAK *
Pedro Feliz PHI
Bill Hall SEA *
Brandon Inge DET
Maicer Izturis LAA
Mike Lowell BOS
Melvin Mora BAL
Nick Punto MIN *
Scott Rolen CIN
Ty Wigginton BAL

Catchers
Josh Bard BOS
John Buck KC
Ramon Hernandez CIN
Gerald Laird DET
Victor Martinez BOS
Joe Mauer MIN
Miguel Olivo KC
A.J. Pierzynski CWS
David Ross ATL
Yorvit Torrealba COL
Matt Treanor DET
Jason Varitek BOS
Gregg Zaun TB

Outfielders
Alfredo Amezaga FLA
Pat Burrell TB
Eric Byrnes ARI
Frank Catalanotto MIL
Carl Crawford TB
Coco Crisp KC
Michael Cuddyer MIN *
David DeJesus KC *
Adam Dunn WAS
Jermaine Dye CWS
Jody Gerut MIL
Jose Guillen KC
Willie Harris WAS
Brad Hawpe COL *
Geoff Jenkins PHI
Austin Kearns WAS
Jason Kubel MIN *
Magglio Ordonez DET *
Marcus Thames DET
Jayson Werth PHI

Starting Pitchers
Bronson Arroyo CIN *
Josh Beckett BOS
Joe Blanton PHI
Jeremy Bonderman DET
David Bush MIL
Daniel Cabrera ARZ
Matt Cain SF *
Jorge De La Rosa COL
Jeff Francis COL *
Jon Garland LAD
Aaron Harang CIN *
Tim Hudson ATL
Cliff Lee PHI
Ted Lilly CHC
Braden Looper MIL
Noah Lowry SF
Kevin Millwood TEX
Jamie Moyer PHI
Vicente Padilla LAD
Tim Redding NYM
Nate Robertson DET
Ian Snell SEA *
Jeff Suppan MIL *
Willy Tavarez CIN
Javier Vazquez ATL
Brandon Webb ARI
Jake Westbrook CLE
Dontrelle Willis DET
Chris Young SD *

Relief Pitchers
Jeremy Affeldt SF
Grant Balfour TB
Doug Brocail HOU
Neal Cotts CHC
Jesse Crain MIN
Scott Downs TOR
Chad Durbin PHI
Alan Embree COL
Kyle Farnsworth KC *
Pedro Feliciano NYM
Jason Frasor TOR
Brian Fuentes LAA *
Chad Gaudin NYY
Geoff Geary HOU
Jimmy Gobble CWS
Matt Guerrier MIN
Aaron Heilman CHC
Mike Lincoln CIN
Javier Lopez BOS
Seth McClung MIL
Brian Moehler HOU
Scott Proctor FLA
J.J. Putz NYM
Chad Qualls ARZ
Jon Rauch MIN
Arthur Rhodes CIN
David Riske MIL *
Mariano Rivera NYY
J.C. Romero PHI *
B.J. Ryan CHC
Bobby Seay DET
Scott Shields LAA
Brian Shouse TB
Justin Speier LAA
Huston Street COL
Matt Thornton CWS *
Luis Vizcaino CLE
Tyler Yates PIT
Tyler Walker SEA
Kerry Wood CLE *

I've highlighted in bold the players that the Yankees will probably go after next year. Also notice that Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are on the list. Expect the Yankees to lock them up for a couple of more years though. Having an outfield and a lineup with Curtis Granderson and Crawford would make the Yankees extremely dangerous not only with power but with a lot of speed. Assuming they keep Brett Gardner (either coming off the bench or playing right field), they would have one of Crawford who is a menace on the base paths and another either in right field or off the bench. This would also be one of the fastest outfielders in baseball. Alex Rodriguez and Jeter would also bring 15-20 steals a year assuming they are healthy.


That would mean 5 out of the 9 players in the lineup would be a threat to run. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixiera are average baserunners. On days where Francisco Cervelli is as catcher, it would add another better than average running catcher as well, leaving only Jorge Posada as the base clogger.

Excuses Excuses for Braylon Edwards

All these athletes like to make excuses these days instead of taking responsibility of their own actions. Braylon Edwards indicated that he drops balls because he is not targeted too much. I'm sorry but he is paid to catch the balls that are thrown his way. What the hell is up with these athletes.

In addition, he has a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez. He does not throw the ball that often anyway. Most of their offense is through the run. Catch the ball Braylon!!

Injuries already starting for the Mets!

Hoping for a new beginning after the disaster of a year by the Mets in 2009, it seemed like it was going well with the signing of Jason Bay. But lo and behold, the injury bug comes back and bites the Mets again. Carlos Beltran got surgery for arthroscopic surgery on his knee and will be out until at least mid April. On the bright side, the surgery was done now. However, this may be the start of a slow down in Beltran's production since he plays a speed position. Beltran still has two years left on his contract that is paying him a lot of money. This does not seem to bode well for the Mets.

On another topic, Omar Minaya didn't even give the press conference regarding the surgery that Beltran had. This seems like a restructuring is about to occur.

Yankees to get another outfielder?

It seems certain the Yankees will add an outfielder before spring training, doesn’t it? But who? Obviously, they were telling the truth about not signing either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay to play left field, but I don’t think they’re going to just hand the position to Brett Gardner, either. Just remember when Cashman entered a 2006 stating that Bubba Crosby would the center fielder before signing Johnny Damon. Speaking of Damon, it sounds like Johnny Damon hasn’t got a shot unless he’s willing to play on the seriously cheap, which isn't likely to happen.

There aren't too many players available. The options are Reed Johnson, Xavier Nady and Jerry Hairston. However, their contracts may be even too high. The word is that the budget remaining is $2M. The Yankees ought to give Brett Gardner a real chance. He’s got a compelling set of skills - there aren’t many guys who can create that kind of havoc on the bases. He has gotten on base at a decent rate (.345 in 108 games last year, career .389 in the minors). He will catch the ball. If it doesn’t work out, you have your Johnson/Hairston, Jr./Nady type take over and Brett is relegated to OF No. 4. He’d be their No. 9 hitter. Starting Brett Gardner in left field wouldn’t cause the Yankees to miss the playoffs next season, that’s for sure. If they don’t make the post-season next year, they’ve got bigger problems than left field. A lot bigger problems.

Steroids again!!!

I will stray away from speaking about NY sports teams since steroids seems to be at the topic of the week in sports land. Right when I thought that the steroids topic was behind us, Mark McGwire has to go and bring it back and make it a hot topic. Honestly, its probably a ploy to see if he can get into the Hall of Fame by innocently stating that he used it only to recover from injury. Are we really to believe that he didn't know this. I think he is just following Andy Pettite's excuse since the public seemed to let it slide with him. However, he admitted his problem almost instantaneously. McGwire never admitted anything for almost 5 years. MLB should not let him become a hitting coach and get back into baseball. It will become just another media circus that is not necessary.

Are the Knicks pretenders or contenders?

Given the weak Eastern Conference, do you think the Knicks can make the playoffs? Well, they still haven't been able to beat the elite teams yet. In fact, yesterday they were killed by the Thunder. Given that though, the East is horrible and even with a losing record seem to have a chance at making the playoffs. I believe they will make the playoffs given that none of the key players get injured for prolonged periods of time. Hope they give some hope to the NY fans who have dealt with horrible NY basketball teams for the last several years.

Jets the Favorites to the Super Bowl?

Who is into the hype that the Jets are now the favorites to get to the Super Bowl? I think Rex Ryan is absolutely ludicrous with his predictions but they did win against the Bengals somehow. OchoCino will need to change his name back to Chad Johnson after he got owned by Darelle Revis. Lets hope they continue their success against the chargers even though the Chargers have many more offensive weapons than the Bengals.