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.

Fly Balls

-Imagine you are the manager of a team that just rattled off 11 wins in 12 games, your team is 15-6 in the month of June and you are without your best pitcher who is still rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. Your best player just came back after spending over 50 days on the DL. What do you do? Resign of course. That is exactly what Nationals manager Jim Riggleman did after his team beat the Mariners 1-0 on Thursday afternoon. Riggleman didn't want to be a lame duck manager, said he wanted job security, so he quit his job. Wait, you wanted job security so you quit your job? If I am a baseball GM I wouldn't even consider a guy who literally quit on his team. Something tells me his heart just wasn't in it, wasn't in this team. If it was he wouldn't have quit, he would have let the numbers do the talking and forced GM Mike Rizzo to re-sign him. Well, stupid is as stupid does and stupid did.

-I am getting really fed up with the Yankees handling of Jesus Montero. There is no way Francisco Cervelli is better than Montero in any facet of the game. Brian Cashman even admitted as much recently. When Jorge Posada was a youngster they didn't keep him at AAA until Joe Girardi was ready to leave. Nope. they brought Posada up and allowed him to learn on the job. If the Yankees want to see what this kid is really made of bring him up, allow him to spell Russell Martin a couple of days a week, thereby keeping Martin fresh, and allow him to DH against lefties. That's 3-4 games a week he could be playing in. And when he sin't playing he could learn from Tony Pena, Russell Martin, Jorge Posada, and Joe Girardi, all former catchers how to better field his position. Right now Montero is batting over .290 at AAA and people around him, including former All-Star catcher Butch Wynegar, think he is bored. Wynegar even said the kid was MLB ready. C'mon Cashman, bring him up!

-Ron Artest has filed for a name change. His new name? Metta World Peace. Ummm, yeah.

-With the 17th overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft the New York Knicks took Iman Shumpert, a 6-6 PG from Georgia Tech. The Knicks passed on Chris Singleton from Florida State to get Shumpert. Wait, wasn't Iman a model from the 1990's? Anyway, the kid is supposed to be a good defensive player, something the Knicks need but will not use under Mike D'Antoni.

-The last pick in the NBA draft, the Mr. Irrelevant of the NBA was Isaiah Thomas, Jr. We knew Isaiah Thomas was irrelevant in the NBA for quite some time. At least Jim Dolan didn't order the Knicks to draft him, now that would have been interesting.

-The New Jersey Nets had a very nice draft. They traded with the Celtics for Marshon Brooks, a pretty good scorer who can slide right into the #2 guard position. In the second round they traded for Bojan Bogdanovic, who ranked second in the Euroleague in scoring. I don't think he will be around for a year or two but the Nets needed some extra scoring punch. The Nets then went for defense and rebounding when they took Jordan Williams from Maryland. He is small at 6'9" but he has the instincts. I'll give the Nets an A- for their draft.

-The Knicks draft wasn't as exciting. They could have something if their first rounder Iman Shumpert learns from Chauncey Billups all that he can in running an NBA offense. Until then they have a perimeter defender who should at least contest opposing ballhandlers when Billups is off the floor. They obtained big man Josh Harrellson from Charlotte in the second round. Harrellson is big, has little offensive talent, and will be lucky to crack D'Antoni's strict rotation. Knicks grade is a B- but if Shumpert develops into their PG of the future then this becomes an A.

-There are rumors swirling around the New York Rangers and Jason Spezza of the Ottawa Senators. Depending on what the Senators would want in return for Spezza he would be an excellent fit on Broadway. However, I don't think a deal will happen, not with Brad Richards a free agent. Spezza had knee issues last year that limited him to 60 games but he is a playmaker and goal scorer, just what the Rangers need. I can't see Ottawa wanting to trade him though, nor do I see the Rangers wanting to part with a lot of the kids they have patiently developed.

-I am not understanding Joe Girardi and his insistance on playing Andruw Jones over Brett Gardner in left against left-handed pitching. Gardner is hitting .278 against lefties with more walks (5) than strikeouts (4) in 36 at-bats. Andruw Jones is hitting .241 against lefties in 58 at-bats but has 21 strikeouts and only 6 walks! Oh, its because Jones has homered 4 times off of lefties this year? Crap Girardi! Look, Joe, I don't disagree with a lot of what you do but give Gardner the playing time. He has earned it. If it makes you feel any better Joe, Gardner and Jones have the same amount of homers (4) but Andruw is only hitting .213 while Gardner is hitting .286 now. C'mon man! Be smart! Put the best lineup out there!

-Don't look now but Ivan Nova is now 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA. He is 3-1 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in June. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for this kid.

Just Some Stuff Around Sports

-Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals was amazing. I still think Raffi Torres was offsides by a hair though.

-The Brad Richards era in Dallas may be coming to an end. He announced on Thursday that he won't re-sign with the Stars until the ownership situation there is resolved. This prompted Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk to discuss the possibility of trading his rights before Richards becomes a free agent on July 1. Ummm, Joe, where were you three months ago? You are going to lose your best player, and one of the better players in the NHL, and hope you can trade his rights? Umm, Joe, Richards has a no-trade clause. Good luck.

-There is already heavy speculation that the New York Rangers will attempt to sign Brad Richards this offseason. The Rangers lacked a true playmaking center this season and Richards would give Marian Gaborik someone to play alongside. If Richards does become a Ranger then Chris Drury will probably be gone so that the salary fits in with the Rangers cap. Adding Richards should elevate the Rangers into Cup Contenders as well. But then again, everyone thought the same thing when Scott Gomez and Chris Drury came over.

-Despite Rafael Soriano and his bloated ERA, and then losing him to the DL along with Damaso Marte and the Yanks other free agent signee, Pedro Feliciano, the Yankees have the best bullpen ERA in the majors at 2.88. Pretty amazing when you consider Lance Pendleton, who couldn't stick with the Astros 25-man roster after being selected by them in the Rule 5 Draft, Luis Ayala, Buddy Carlyle, Hector Noesi, and Amaury Sanit have all filled in at one point or another. Not to mention Joba has had his struggles and Boone Logan has looked terrible. Just goes to show you, you never know where bullpen help will emerge from and it doesn't make sense to spend big money on free agent relievers. Didn't work with LaTroy Hawkins, Stave Karsay, Kyle Farnsworth, etc., etc., and probably won't work with Rafael Soriano either.

-Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka will undergo Tommy John surgery. Not sure if that is good news or bad news for the Red Sox.

-The Mavericks tied up the NBA Finals on Thursday night as they came back to beat the Heat a couple of days after the Heat did the same to them. Gotta credit Dirk Nowitzki for not allowing his tendon in his left hand to be an excuse...so far.

-Good riddance to Ohio State head coach, or should I say former Ohio State head coach, Jim Tressel. After calling the Miami Hurricanes program "dirty" a couple of years ago, Tressel has seemingly been on a mission to outdo the 'Canes by racking up NCAA violations. Tressel, in my opinion, should never be allowed to coach in college again. He failed the school, failed the kids he promised to mentor, and failed himself.

-Jason Bay might be one of the worst free agent signings ever made...by any team. He only has 3 extra base hits in his previous 31 games including zero over his last ten games, and on the season only has four doubles and two homers to go with a measly ten RBI's. He is currently hitting .228 this season. As a Met, Bay has 8 homers, 57 RBI's, and only 24 doubles and 6 triples in 129 games. Eddie Whitson, a horrendous signing by the Yankees in 1985 is a close second.

-Nice win by the Mets on Thursday, coming from behind to win 9-8 after being down 7-0. A little side note on that game, not a single Pirates pitcher has an ERA over 3.76 after today's game while the Mets featured three pitchers who sport ERA over 5.00. Those three are, Mike Pelfrey, Tim Byrdak, and Robbie Parnell. The game also featured Chris Capuano being inserted as a pinch hitter in the 8th inning for Nick Evans. However, Terry Collins changed his mind and sent Josh Thole out to hit for Capuano. Thole walked.

-Ivan Nova better start pitching if he wants to keep his spot in the Yankees rotation. Phil Hughes should be off the DL by mid-July and Carlos Silva is waiting in the minors. Nova's days might be numbered right now.

-How long do the Yankees stick with Jorge Posada at DH? He is 0-the year against left-handed pitching, has a batting average that is lower than some pitchers, and cannot play the field too often. Right now, and I hate to say this about one of the best catchers in recent Yankee history, he is just clogging up a roster spot that can be better used on someone else which would give Joe Girardi a little more flexibility when making up the lineup.

-Only three Yankees are not leading in the voting results for their respective positions. Russell Martin leads catchers, Mark Teixeira leads first basemen, Robinson Cano leads second basemen, Derek Jeter leads shortstops, Alex Rodriguez leads third basemen, and Curtis Granderson is second among all outfielders. That leaves Jorge, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner the only three Yankees not leading. However, Swisher is 7th among outfielders and Gardner ranks 11th. Cano leads all Yankees with almost 1.2 million votes.

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy whatever it is you enjoy doing.

The Blitz

Some quick hits on some happenings around the sports world.

-Golfer Ian Poulter had a haunting experience in his Hilton Head, SC rental home.

-The Milwaukee Brewers might have a new mascot. I guess that is one way to get rid of a pigeon problem.

-Jesus Montero left Sunday's game early after taking a foul ball to the groin region. Reports are that he was indeed wearing a cup but it hit him just right. Hopefully, there is no serious injury here. He will miss a few days but was coaching first base according to swbyankeesTT via Twitter.

-The biggest surprise of the NBA Playoffs so far has been the Memphis Grizzles. Seriously, who thought they would have a 2-1 series lead over the Spurs? So far in Game 3 they are trailing by 3 in the 2nd as I write this.

-Wondering who is going to be on the Madden 12 video game cover? ESPN .com is hosting a vote to see who will grace the cover of the popular video game. It's down to Peyton Hillis and Michael Vick. You can Vote Here.

-District Judge Susan Nelson ordered an end to the NFL lockout. The NFL has appealed the decision so there will be more legal mumbo jumbo. Judge Nelson prepared an 89 page opinion and if the decision holds up this is a huge win for the players. Some NFL players like Giants WR Steve Smith and Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco have been posting exuberant tweets on Twitter.

-The Chicago Blackhawks have surprised a lot of people so far in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, taking the Vancouver Canucks, with the league's best record, to a deciding seventh game.

-Today was getaway day for the Rangers. After the series against the Capitals what else is there to say? Sure, there is a lot of potential on the club but, and the players said this a lot according to reports, there is a lack of "star-talent." I honestly think the Rangers are one or two offensive stars away from being Cup contenders.

-Speaking of the Rangers, it is time to close out the Sean Avery era. He makes waaaay to much money for what he brings to the ice. And mostly he brings bad calls that go against the Rangers. I honestly believe the refs are biased against Avery and don't call what should be penalties by other teams when he is involved and call penalties against him when there are none.

That is all for now. Be safe out there, wherever you are.

Slap Shots

Some more random stuff from around the world of sports.

-The Rangers season is now officially over. It looks like the Rangers were a rudderless ship against the Capitals. Losing Ryan Callahan hurt but someone needed to step up and although Brandon Dubinsky looked good it just wasn't enough. I have to wonder about Marian Gaborik's future in New York after his poor showing this season. He just never seemed to get comfortable. Perhaps getting a better play making center like Brad Richards would allow Gabby to flourish. If not, he won't be a Ranger after next season for sure. However, it wasn't all negative with the Rangers. They are still a VERY young team with a lot of grit. This team will be hungry next season and I expect them to win a playoff series if not more. This is a team on the rise.

-Russell Martin is one of Brian Cashman's best ever pickups. His hot start has helped stabilize the transition from Jorge Posada to whatever the future may hold. He has played in 16 of 17 games and now has six home runs after his two-homer performance tonight (and it still isn't over as I write this). For the price the returns are already paying dividends.

-Brandon Marshall is once again having off-field troubles. He was stabbed by his wife in the abdomen with a kitchen knife after an altercation. I'm no psychologist but it seems like he is having trouble dealing with former teammate Darrent Williams' death. IT is documented that Marshall was one of those present at the fight, or disagreement, that preceded the shooting. I honestly think, from an outsiders view, that Marshall might have a form of PTSD and he is trying hard to live with his friends death but is not finding an outlet. I hope he can get through this as he is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

-Kevin Millwood threw seven innings of two run ball for the SWB Yankees today. He never went above 89 on the radar gun and was around 85-87 throughout. It was reported on Twitter by SWBYankeesTT that there was good movement on Millwood's stuff. I guess this is encouraging. I believe there are 8 more days until the Yankees have to promote Millwood to the Yankees or grant him free agency. Could Ivan Nova's time in the rotation be in doubt? Probably. Or a move to the bullpen could be likely.

-So Orioles pitcher Josh Rupe drills Russell Martin in the back. There is no doubt that was intentional. Then, Brett Gardner takes Rupe deep. Brett Gardner of all people. Perfect.

-So, it looks like Jason Bay is happy to be healthy again. The Mets need him to play like this.

-The Pepsi Maxx commercial with C.C. Sabathia arriving "Field of Dreams"-like into a cornfield in Iowa with all the baseball greats hanging out. Great nostalgic commercial and having the three Rickey Henderson's in there is classic. Great job.

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy the rest of the night.

Rangers vs. Capitals a Quick Preview

So here we go, its playoff time in the NHL and the Rangers fought their way in as the eighth seed after missing out on the playoffs last year. It's an all new season now and the Rangers record versus the Capitals this season, 2-1-1. The Rangers have to be feeling good heading into this series, despite the memory of the 2009 playoff loss to the Caps which saw the Rangers blow a 3-1 series lead. First of all, the Capitals are not exactly a juggernaut despite being the #1 seed in the East. Remember, the Caps lost to the #8 seed Montreal Canadiens in 7 games last year so there is history with the Caps not being able to get it done.

As the Rangers get ready, they know they will be without Ryan Callahan, one of their best young two-way forwards. Losing Callahan definitely hurts but there is enough on this Rangers team to help them overcome. Getting Chris Drury back in the last game, and also watching him get his first goal of the year, was a huge boost. Drury is not the player he once was but he does have a history of stepping things up in the playoffs. While he won't single handedly take over a series, as he did as a member of the Sabres against the Rangers a few years ago, I am willing to bet he elevates his game just enough to play a key role. The Rangers can use his grittiness to replace the loss of Callahan and will be counting on their captain to provide the leadership and determination that Callahan put forth night in and night out.

Speaking of stepping up, perhaps no Ranger needs to elevate their game more than Marian Gaborik. He has not had a very good year so far and his performance in the playoffs could decide his future with the Rangers. Gabby spent a lot of time in Coach John Tortarella's doghouse this season and seemed to go months without finding the back of the net before exploding for bunches at a time. He hasn't scored since March 20th, capping a 4 goal in three games stretch. If the Rangers are going to advance they will need Gaborik to step it up, especially on the power play.

Ahhh, the power play. This is the Rangers Achilles heel, converting on 16.9% of their chances. They acquired Bryan McCabe at the deadline to be the point man on the power play and, although it hasn't shown much in results, the power play got a small boost. The Rangers are going to need to translate the chances into goals, something they have not done well all year. McCabe can only do so much from the point. It is up to the finishers to smack in rebounds and find the holes. The Rangers won't need to all of a sudden convert on 30% of their chances in order to succeed but a small increase on their power play could mean the difference between going on or going home.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the Rangers penalty kill. Ranking 10th overall with a 83.7% kill rate, the Rangers have shown to be effective keeping the puck out of the net. They are also very dangerous when it comes to being short-handed with Brandon Prust leading the way with 5 short-handed goals on the season. Brandon Dubinsky also netted two and with his speed he can take the puck down the ice in the blink of an eye. The Rangers will need to be effective on the penalty kill (just like every team in the playoffs) if they are going to advance.

Perhaps nothing can do a team in, or boost a team more, than the play of their goaltender. Henrik Lundqvist is coming off of his finest season with a career high 11 shutouts and career best .923 save percentage. Coach Tortarella did a good job early on of spelling King Henry with Martin Biron who is probably the Rangers most reliable backup since the days of Glenn Healy. However, a broken clavicle put the brakes on Biron and forced Tortarella to ride his best netminder a bit more than he might have wanted. However, the time off between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs should be just enough to give Henry a good rest. He is the key to the Rangers playoff hopes. I expect King Henry to continue his great season with some great play between the pipes.

When all is said and done I think the Rangers are going to show their grit in this playoff series. The players that were here for the 3-1 come back in 2009 will remember how close they came and to see the very team that knocked you out in historic fashion will keep the Rangers blood up. Even though Alex Ovechkin will be suiting up against this Rangers team, I think the Rangers will be hungry considering how close they came in 2009 to advancing and how close they were to making the playoffs last year. John Tortarella has changed the Rangers philosophy and has this team playing hard on both ends of the ice. The core of this team is young and dynamic, perhaps one of the best young groups the Rangers have ever suited up. The top defensive pair of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi is as good as any in the league and are only 24 and 26 respectively. Dubinsky is only 24. Derek Stepan is 20. The oldest Ranger is only 36, and that is Vinny Prospal who is still productive. The Rangers are going to have a bunch of young, hungry players with a sprinkling of gritty vets to get the job done. It won't be easy, having to shut down Alexander the Great and get the puck past Michal Neuvirth. However, Mike Green, the Caps best defenseman is coming off a concussion and although he should be ready to go one has to wonder if there will be any rust on his skates since he hasn't skated since Feb. 25th, a 6-0 loss to the Rangers. If Green is slow to return to form the Caps will be in trouble and could find themselves in a hole quickly.

Overall, the Rangers will slip past the Caps. King Henry has been here and done this while Neuvirth has never gotten into an NHL playoff game. In the playoffs the play of your goalie can make or break a season more so than the regular season. The Rangers will win in 6.