Swings (and maybe some misses)

-I am big fan of Brad Richards joining the New York Rangers. The fact that he took less money to join the Blueshirts says it wasn't all about the money, as with some past free agents who came to Broadway. He knows John Tortarella and has proven he can win in that system. He brings a playmaking ability, both on the power play and in even strength situations, that the Rangers have been sorely lacking for a couple of years now. While this doesn't necessarily mean that Lord Stanley's Cup is in this team's future, it does mean that at least, as of right now, that gleaming silver has caught the attention of the Rangers. There are still some things that need to happen with the Rangers before we pencil them in. Marian Gaborik has to prove he is tough enough to handle New York and Torts' system. Youngsters like Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Del Zotto, Michael Sauer, Dan Girardi, and Marc Staal, Derek Stepan, and a host of others have to keep improving. And, in the case of Callahan, stay healthy. However, for the first time since Scott Gomez and Chris Drury signed on the dotted line a few years ago, there is real talk of contention. It is my opinion that the Rangers are much better now than they were then.

-Phil Hughes makes his first start since April tonight. He had shown increased velocity during his rehab outings in Trenton so there is always the hope that he comes back and regains the form he showed in the beginning of last season. If the Yankees get that pitcher back they significantly bolster their pitching staff which consists of C.C. Sabathia and the two surprises of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. If Hughes is the same pitcher he was at the beginning of last season then A.J. Burnett becomes the fifth starter by default which isn't a terrible thing. And, if anything happens to anyone there is always Ivan Nova waiting in Scranton.

-I can't help but wonder when Derek Jeter is finally going to reach 3,000 hits. If I had to guess it will come at home against Tampa Bay tomorrow or Friday. Yeah, I know I went out on a limb. I'm also betting that it come on a ground ball.

-The more I think about what the Yankees did with Ivan Nova the more I get a little miffed at the Yankees. Here was a guy who was really starting to turn the corner in his pr career and could be blossoming into a solid #3 starter and then bam! Down to the minors. The Yankee leadership said it was best for his development. Really? Giving the kid the impression that no matter how well he does he was never in the Yankees plans. Telling the kid that basically Freddy Garcia has more upside than you do? He seems like a level-headed enough youngster that maybe this doesn't really bother him. But, then again, he is young and was pitching the best baseball of his MLB career and he still couldn't hold down a job with the Yankees. Can't be good for anyone's confidence. With all that said, I don't envy the choices Brian Cashman has to make. Nova was pitching well but so was everyone else except A.J. Burnett. It probably wouldn't be the best thing for Nova to move to the bullpen because he takes a while to warm up and it also is a different form of pitching. Personally, gun to my head, I probably move Garcia into the bullpen, or Colon. Colon hasn't pitched this many innings in years and has had several injuries to his arm over that span. Garcia is having what is basically a career year and he is like 50 years old at this point. I just don't like "rewarding" kids with a demotion when they are playing well. Nor do I like stunting their development so that an aging veteran who doesn't have near the amount of upside can live off a Yankee Legacy like Jorge Posada is doing. Sure, Posada is hitting right now but is this Jorge really better than a Jesus Montero right now? No. Or, the Yankees could ease Montero into the bigs by sending Frankie "Throw it to Centerfield" Cervelli down to AAA and letting Montero catch a game or two a week and get a start at DH every now and then like the Yankees did with a young Posada.

-Added to the Yankee prospects to watch list are Cito Culver, the Yanks first round draft pick last year and Mark Montgomery, a relief pitcher with Low A Charleston who has struck out 16 batters in 6 innings. Culver, the man whom Keith Law said had no business being a first round pick is hitting .299 with 15 RBI's in 18 games. I'm not saying Culver is going to be the next Jeter but he is making real strides. And, for those interested, this year's first round draft pick Dante Bichette, Jr. is hitting .159 but has 15 walks in 13 games and only has 9 K's. He has something you can't teach there and for an 18 year-old kid thats not a bad start. However, it's Mason Williams that will soon be rocketing up prospect lists, especially if he keeps hitting like he is.

-Mets fans have something to be excited about and the name is Matt Harvey. Here is what ESPN's Keith Law said about Harvey as he heads into the Futures Game "Harvey was the seventh pick in last year's draft and came into pro ball boasting a plus fastball with good downhill plane and a solid average-or-better changeup but struggled with both breaking balls. Reports this year have the breaking balls improving but the changeup regressing -- which would still leave him a three-pitch guy, plenty to be a front-line starter given the strength of his fastball. Harvey tore through high Class A, which is what you'd expect a first-rounder drafted out of the ACC to do. He has made one start in Double-A, giving up four runs and allowing 11 baserunners in four-plus innings." The stuff is there with Harvey and I personally think he will be a future ace for the Mets, especially if they the ballpark as it is.

-For those of you expecting some sort of rant about the All-Star Game rosters, sorry. I just enjoy the game for what it is nowadays. It's always nce to see certain guys make it but its not like not making an All-Star team is like like losing a Gold Glove vote to a DH like Tino Martinez did to Rafael Palmeiro who only played 25 games at first.

Layups

-The Yankees signed Brian Gordon today and announced he will make the start on Thursday in place of Bartolo Colon. Gordon, who has 4 innings of Major League experience under his belt, was pitching well for the Phillies AAA team, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Gordon owns a 56/7 K/BB ratio in 55.1 innings so far and a 38% groundball rate. Gordon appeared in 4 innings with Texas back in 2008 and fared pretty well in 3 relief appearances. He was born August 16th, 1978 in West Point, New York. He does have 15 minor league seasons under his belt. Personally, I would have started Hector Noesi and signed Gordon as bullpen insurance, just like the Yankees did with Corey Wade and Greg Smith this past week.

-Is it me or is most of the news about the Finals about the Heat losing rather than the Mavericks winning? Seriously, do we really need all this LeBron coverage? What about Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki...don't they deserve some credit here? Don't the Mavericks deserve their time in the sun? Has any losing team ever received this much credit? Enough already. Let the Mavericks enjoy their moment and shelve the LeBron talk until next season.

-Marc Berman wrote in the New York Post today that the Knicks should abandon the 3-star plan taken by Miami this offseason. Wait, what? The Knicks should avoid signing Chris Paul or some other big free agent in 2012 because Miami fell two games short of a championship? That might be the dumbest thing I have ever heard from a sports columnist in years, or ever. What Miami did is not exactly new. Having three stars is not new. Miami just overpaid for Chris Bosh and instead should have signed several role players to fill needs around the court. They didn't. But does that mean Miami will never win a championship? No. It is asinine to assume anything in sports after one season.

-Mets pitching prospect Matt Harvey is dominating the Florida State League. It is time for the Mets to bring him up to AA and see how he does. I understand why the Mets are taking it slow with Harvey after watching Jenrry Mejia go down for Tommy John Surgery. However, the Mets should be reservedly aggressive with Harvey. He has the makings of a number 1-3 starter, something the Mets don't really have right now. I don't know where Dillon Gee is going to be in three years but if this year is an early indication Gee could be a decent starter. The Mets could have three decent starters in Mejia, Gee and Harvey. At least one of them should become a good MLB starter.

-Ryan Zimmerman is back after missing 58 games due to an abdominal strain. Zimmerman is the face of an up-and-coming franchise. The Nationals missed his bat and his glove over the past 2 months but have kept their heads near the waterline. They won't compete this year but when Bryce Harper, Tyler Moore, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg all come up or come back from their own injuries the Nationals might be a force in the NL East.

-Who comes back first? Johan Santana or Rafael Soriano? Santana might be back by August or September. That's too late for the Mets to try and trade him this year. However, if Santana comes back, does well and stays healthy the Mets might be able to dump him next year for some very good prospects. If I'm the Mets I do that because they aren't winning anything anytime soon and Sanatana isn't getting younger, or healthier for that matter. A team like the Yankees might part with a couple of prospects. If I'm the Yankees I'm staying away though. Not worth the money he is being paid right now.