Tucker Carlson believes Michael Vick should be executed

Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson is notorious for sticking his foot into his mouth. Now he has a real problem on his hands.

While substituting as a guest host on the Sean Hannity television program on Fox, for some reason Carlson takes issue with President Barack Obama's congragulating the Eagles and Michael Vick on the quarterback's rehabilitation.

Watch this...

Carlson believes that Vick should have been executed for killing dogs in a dogfighting ring that put the quarterback behind bars for two years.

Carlson's guest speakers on the "Great American Panel" seem shellshocked that Carlson brings up the Vick case; even one person tells him to get over it, since Vick has been working to cleanse his image.

Last night Vick and the Eagles were busy lossing to the Minnesota Vikings 24-14 to cost the team the number two seed in the playoffs.

Giants season on the brink after disaster in Green Bay

PACKERS 45
GIANTS 17

The New York Giants 2010 season is likely dead, after suffering a 45-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers that drops Big Blue to 9-6, and a half game behind the Packers for the final playoff spot in the NFC.

Even if the Giants win next week in Washington, it won't be enough, if the Packers take care of business against the Bears at Lambeau Field next weekend.

For the Giants this season has seen some incredible highs and incredible lows. There was a lot of optimism when the G-men were 6-2 and in first place in the NFC East, but losses to the Cowboys and Eagles in back-to-back weeks started a slight panic in Giant land.

A three-game winning streak gave the Giants hope, heading into an NFC East showdown against the Eagles. Big Blue held a 31-10 lead, then it all slipped away. Everyone knows that the Eagles stormed back to steal the game from the Giants 38-31.

Then tonight, the Giants watched as Aaron Rodgers ripped apart the Giants defense for 404 yards and four touchdowns through the air.

Rodgers' 80 yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson, and his three yard TD to James Jones set the tone as the Pack grabbed a 14-0 lead.

The Giants did tie this game on an Eli Manning 85 pass to Mario Manningham, but the Packers answered when Jon Kuhn scored from eight yards out to make it 21-14.

Then the Giants couldn't hold onto the football. Eli Manning was picked off four times, and the Giants turned the ball over six times on the evening.

Overall the Giants were ripped up for 515 total yards of offense, and could never get off the field against the Packers.

So now what? Will Tom Couglin face the slings and arrows of his team's misfortune? The hot seat is smoking, and the bars are turning red hot. Will should know Coughlin's fate in about eight days.

Jets Clinch Playoff Spot Anyway

Rex Ryan should consider sending a late Christmas card to Redskins coach Mike Shananhan.

The Redskins defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-17, in overtime, Sunday to help propel the Jets through the back door into the postseason.

What's a Jets season without entering the postseason without some help? In 2004, the Jets needed the Steelers to lose to Buffalo in order to get into the playoffs. Then last season, the Jets needed the Colts and Bengals to waive white flags, by taking their starters out of the contests in order to qualify.

Just another typical Jets season if you ask me.

Jets downed by Bears in Shootout in Windy City

BEARS 38
JETS 34

It's never a good thing when a team gets into a shootout, especially on the road, and as a result it cost the Jets a very big game.

All the Jets needed to do was win and they would clinch a spot in the postseason. Instead they will have to hope for either Jacksonville, or Indianapolis to lose on Sunday for them to get in this weekend. If that doesn't happen, the Jets will have to beat Buffalo next weekend to get into the playoffs.

After falling behind 10-0, the Jets rallied to score 21 straight points, highlighted by a 20 yard interception return by Dwight Lowery to give the Jets a 21-10 lead in the second quarter.

The Jets hurried Jay Cutler in the first half, and found ways to keep the ball away from Devin Hester on special teams. Even the offense looked crisp throughout the first half as the Jets piled on the yards and points.

But, in the second half the Jets forgot how to play defense, as the Bears shredded the Jets in the third quarter. The tides started to turn when the Jets failed to convert a fourth and five, with a trick punt, as quarterback Mark Sanchez lined up as the fullback, took the snap and threw an incompletion to Brad Smith to give the ball back to the Bears with great field position.

On the Bears first play, Jay Cutler hit Johnny Knox in stride for a 40 yard touchdown to tie the game at 24.

The Bears started to pour it on. Cutler hit Devin Hester from 25 yards out for another touchdown to give the Bears a 31-24 lead. After the Jets answered with a tying touchdown to Santonio Holmes, Culter hit Knox once again from 26 yards out to give the Bears a 38-31 lead.

For the Jets, they just couldn't find a way to answer. The Jets had a nice 45 yard drive that consumed five minutes in the fourth quarter, and were forced to punt, when the drive stalled at the Bear 35.

After the Jets forced the Bears into a three and out, the Jets got another chance to win the game, but couldn't move the football inside their own 45 yard line. Finally, inside the final minutes, Sanchez was picked off by Chris Harris to end the game.

Doubts Mount That Sanchez Will Start Due to Injury

Mark Sanchez may not play against the Bears, Sunday when the Jets visit Chicago with a playoff berth on the line.

Sanchez who suffered some torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder after getting drilled into the ground on a scramble in Pittsburgh last week, is being termed by Rex Ryan as a game time decision.

“This could be more of a game-time type decision than I thought it would be,’’ Ryan said. “I think I underestimated where he was with that injury (on Wednesday). He’s sore. He’s got a sore shoulder, no question about it. But I thought he would have been ready to go if we had to play (the game) yesterday. I talked to (head trainer) John Mellody and he said he wouldn’t be able to go. I misspoke.’’

Ryan was not optimistic that Sanchez will play, reducing his status from 99 percent likely to 80 percent likely to play.

As a result, Mark Brunell will have to play in his stead. Brunell has not started a game since 2006, when he threw for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns in Washington. Since that time Brunell has watched his skills decline, and has been reduced to a back-up role in Washington, New Orleans and New York.

Brunell didn't throw a pass in 2008, and threw only 30 passes in mop-up duty with the Saints last year.

Is he the best option if Sanchez can't go? He is better than Kellen Clemens, but I am not sure if he isn't better than Brad Smith at this point. At least Smith can bring another dimension that the 40 year old Brunell can't bring -- that's the ability to make plays with his legs.

Struggling Devils Fire Coach Jon MacClean

New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is at again, firing another Head Coach.

Only this time he has a good reason to do it. The Devils are a horrible 9-22-2 this season, and have been hovering around last place with the New York Islanders all season. As a result the club fired coach Jon MacClean, who was in his first year coaching the Devils.

The Devils had high expectations, since the team had qualified for the postseason every year since 1995-1996.

The Devils will now turn to Jacques Lemaire to coach the team for the rest of the season.

Rex Ryan Calls "Foot-Fetish" videos a Personal Matter

Jets coach Rex Ryan tried to deflect questions regarding videos that feature a woman that looks like his wife showing off and rubbing her feet in a "foot fetish" video montage. The controversy is really coming from one video where a male voice, that sounds very similar to Rex Ryan's talks to the woman outside of their vehicle.

"I understand that I am going to get asked this question frontways, sideways, backways, and all this, but it's a personal matter," Ryan told the media.

Deadspin.com which broke the story, has posted additional videos some of which are quit disturbing and even somewhat graphic. Parents be warned, please!

The NFL has called the situation a "personal matter" and did not delve into the idea of an investigation.

Rex Ryan and the tale of his Foot Fetish

Rex Ryan loves football. We know that since we see it virtually every single day as he coaches the New York Jets, and is on the precipise of leading them back to the postseason for the second straight year.

Well, apparently, Rex also loves feet, as in women's feet.

A story that broke on Dead spin.com, and later in the New York Daily News, Ryan is heard talking to a woman that is obviously his wife, Michelle, as she is sticking her feet out of their car. Rex poses as a police officer, stopping Michelle for a violation when he asks if smell her feet, which she obliges, and we see Ryan meticulously touching her toes.

The video later shows Michelle reading a book in the living room, while displaying her feet to Rex's camera. Finally we see Michelle poising seductively on the sofa with a beer in hand while posing with her bare feet.

Really weird.

Watch Video.

Seems like every week there is something with this guy and the Jets. Whether it is Ines Sanchez incident, when players were making cat calls at the Mexican reporter for wearing tight cloths, and when Ryan and his assistants threw footballs over her head.

Then it was Braylon Edwards DWI incident in late September. Controversy over Ryan's profanity laced speeches in "Hard Knocks", and then the Sal Alosi controversy last week.

The Jets just find ways to stay in the news.

Truth is though, if Ryan and his wife enjoy looking at her feet, they have every right to it, but it's a little strange to allow their fetish to hit the internet.

Rumors: Bill Cowher Interested in Giants

ESPN was reporting Monday that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher is set on returning to the NFL, and like any good boy during this holiday season has created a wish list.

According to the report, Cowher is interested in coaching either the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans or New York Giants.

These rumors come just a day after the Giants blew a 31-10 lead to the Eagles, only to watch Philly score 28 points in seven minutes. The lose has been so crippling that many are wondering if coach Tom Coughlin will be fired at the end of the season.

However lets take a look at the record, Cowher is as good a coach as Coughlin. Both have won a Super Bowl title, and both coaches have reputations as disciplinarians. Cowher owns 149 career regular season wins, while Coughlin owns 132 regular season wins. Very similar.

Upon hearing the Cowher talk, Giants owner John Mara called the rumors ridiculous.

Houston would be an ideal location for the former Steeler. They have an established offense with quarterback Matt Schuab, receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster. They also have pieces on defense led by Mario Williams and Brian Cushing. All the Texans need is some discipline and renewed motivation, something Cowher could bring them.

The Dolphins are a bit of a surprise. Tony Sparano has done a good job in Miami, having won a division title in 2008, and has his team in contention to finish with a winning record this year. He has turned around a Dolphins team that was 1-15 before he arrived.

However with GM Bill Parcells leaving South Beach, it could make Sparano expendible. The Dolphins would be a project, considering they may want to look for another quarterback with Chad Henne struggling so much this season.

Jets stun the world, beat Steelers to end thoughts of collapse

JETS 22

STEELERS 17

It was the biggest game of their season.

With their backs to the wall after two straight divisional losses that cost them any hope of winning the AFC East, as well as the now infamous Sal Alosi tripping scandal, as well as people questioning the compentency of Mark Sanchez, the play-calling of Brian Schottenheimer, and speculation that Rex Ryan will eventually lose his team, the Jets had to get a win in Pittsburgh, PA, a place they have never won before.

And they got it done.

The Jets showed ture Gritt in their 22-17 victory over the Steelers.

It started 12 seconds into the game, when Brad Smith went 92 yards for the opening touchdown to give the Jets a stunning 7-0 lead.

For much of the day the Jets defense found a way to frustrate Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, putting just enough pressure on him, and forcing incompletions, as Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie did a decent job in coverage against Mike Wallace, and Heins Ward. In fact Wallace only had two catches in the first half.
With the game tied at 10 in the third quarter, the Steelers drove the ball down field on an impressive five minute drive that culminated in a two yard touchdown by Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall ran for over 100 yards, the first running back to do that to the Jets since Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars last season.

Still the Jets hung tough. Mark Sanchez led the Jets down to the Pittsburgh 7 yard line. Facing a crucial fourth and one, the Jets decided to go for it. Gang Green had not scored an offensive touchdown in 11 quarters up to this point.

Sanchez took the snap and faked the handoff to Shonn Greene. The Steelers bought it, and Sanchez rolled to his left and scored untouched to tie the game at 17.

After a Pittsburgh three and out, the Jets connected on a Nick Folk 34 yard field goal to take a 20-17 lead.
Late in the fourth quater, the Jets pinned the Steelers down at their own three yard line. On the first play, Mewelde Moore was grabbed and tackeld in the end zone by Jason Taylor for the saftey to give Gang Green a 22-17 lead.

But, Pittsburgh got one more shot.

On a huge thrid and 24, Roethlisberger hit Eric Sanders for 29 yards to mid field to move the chains with 52 seconds left. Roethlisberger then connected with Mike Wallace for 18 more to drive deeper into Jets territory. The Steelers got the ball to the Jets 10 yard line with nine seconds to go. All they needed was another sharp Roethlisberger throw and the Steelers would break the Jets hearts.

It never came. Roethlisberger threw two incompletions in the end zone as the clock expired giving the Jets the win.
Get your hands off the panic button Jets fans, the Jets looked poised for a playoff run.

NOTE: Coming into the game the Jets were 0-11 all time in the state of Pennsylvania., 0-7 vs. Pittsburgh and 0-4 vs. Philadelphia. Now they are 1-11.

Giants Suck Wind as Vick & Jackson Lead Eagles Comeback

EAGLES 38
GIANTS 31

It was the greatest comeback of the season, and the Giants were the victims in a game that will be remembered for years to come as the Eagles erased a 24-3 Giants lead to win the game on the final play of regulation 38-31 to stun the Giants.

For three plus quarters the Giants had smacked around Michael Vick, sacking him three times, and picking him off once, and kept Deshawn Jackson quiet holding him to three catches for 52 yards for the entire day, but in spite of their best efforts, the Giants just couldn't close the door.

Leading 31-10 after Eli Manning hit a wide open Kevin Boss in the end zone, the Eagles began their relentless comeback.

Vick hit a wide open Brent Celek in stride at midfield, and the tight end rumbled into the end zone for a 65 yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 31-17. Then, Andy Reid took the biggest gamble of the day when he decided to try the onside kick with still plenty of time in the fourth quarter. Turned out it was the gift that kept giving, as Philly recovered the kick.

Then Vick took over. He hit Jackson on a 13 yard crossing route to spot the ball at the Giants 44. Then Vick dashed up the middle for 35 yards to the Giants nine. Four plays later Vick scored to cut the Giants lead to seven.

After Big Blue failed to do anything with the football, Vick stole the show. On a third and long, and he squeezed his way out of troubled and ripped up a 33 yard gain for a first down. Later, he gashed the Giants for 22 more yards to move the ball to the Giants 20. Two plays later, Vick hit Jeremy Maclin from 13 yards out to tie the game at 31.

As regulation was heading to a close, all the Giants wanted to do was punt the ball out of bounds with :00 left on the clock and go into overtime. Instead the snap was high to punter Matt Dodge. Dodge picked it up and kicked it down the middle to Jackson. Jackson dropped the ball, picked it up, bobbed and weeved his way around a few tacklers and was gone for a 65 yard punt return to stun the Giants with :00 remaining!! WATCH HERE!

What's the lose mean to the Giants? 1) It means Philadelphia will win the NFC East. 2) This game was so crippling it could be the end of the Giants. They have road games against the Packers and Redskins remaining. Both of those teams have quarterback issues; Aaron Rodgers is injured, and Donavan McNabb has been benched. Can the collapse happen to Big Blue too? We shall see.

Knicks Show heart in typical Knicks defeat

CELTICS 118

KNICKS 116

They are not the same ole' Knicks...at least they are not the Knicks that we have grown used to seeing over the last 11 years.

The Knicks were just a Amar'e Stoudemire three pointer with 0.4 of second remaining in regulation from beating the hated Boston Celtics, and making believers out of their cynical fan base.

However, even in defeat the Knicks showed that they will be a team to reckon with.

The Knicks had the Celtics right where they wanted them all night, holding a 90-83 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and even held a 113-111 lead with just two minutes to go in the game.

Stoudemire had his ninth straight 30 point game, scoring 39 on 15-of-22 shooting with 10 boards. He was unstoppable on the nets, as the Celtics just never had an answer to cover him.

Danilo Gallinari, 20 points, and Raymond Felton, 26 points, were right behind Stoudemire.

Now in the final minutes, the Celtics took the lead on a three pointer by Ray Allen to give Boston a 116-113 lead. The Knicks tied it on a three point play by Gallinari as he was fouled on the way to the hoop.

Finally, Paul Pierce scored a on a jumper with .04 to go in the game to give the Celtics a 118-116 lead. The Knicks had one more play. Stoudemire got the basket on the inbounds, and took his shot. It went in to give the Knicks a 119-118 win, but, after further review, Stoudemire held the ball a tenth of a second too long, as the buzzer sounded before he ever released the ball.

The game was awarded to Boston, their 11th win a row, but the Knicks made the statement they needed to make. The Knicks play LeBron James and the Heat on Friday at the Garden.

Sal Alosi Story Not Going Away as Jets Suspend Coach

Sal Alosi will spend the rest of his life wishing he had never stuck his knee out during a punt return, when he tripped Nolan Carrol of the Miami Dolphins injuring the player.

The images which have become the rage on YouTube, and have angered hundreds of people and is now being called TRIPGATE, has taken a new twist.

After the Jets suspended him for the season, without pay, the club now changed their stance and suspended him indefinitely after it was learned that Alosi told inactive players to form a wall on the sideline to keep players from crossing over the sideline during punt and kick returns.

the Jets uncovered information that Alosi told the inactive players standing near him to form that wall. One player, Jeff Cumberland, told ESPN.com that Alosi has been telling inactive players to do that all season.

"We've been doing that since the beginning of the year, standing right there. Sunday was not the first time that we'd been doing that," Cumberland said.

Alosi will likely never work for the Jets again, and with this controversy the Jets have become the most hated team in football as they are being called cheaters by many pundits.

Giants & Vikings bore Detroit to tears

GIANTS 21

VIKINGS 3

The most interesting part of Monday's Giants/Vikings had more to do with the collapsing Metrodome roof, and Brett Favre's iron man streak of 297 straight starts coming to an end than the football game itself.

The Giants won, mostly because the Vikings are atrocious.

Eli Manning wasn't great for Big Blue throwing two first quarter interceptions, and really never got into a grove all night. It was up to the running game of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to lead the G-Men to victory.

Jacobs led the team with 116 yards and a touchdown, including a 73 yard run in the second quarter to set up the Giants first touchdown.

The Giants ate up the awful Tavaris Jackson, sacking him four times and allowing him to complete only 50 percent of his passes for 118 yards.

The Giants get ready for a huge showdown next weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) at New Meadowlands Stadium. The winner will win the NFC East.

Yankess out of Cliff Lee Sweeps, as Lee signs with Phillies

Rumors coming out of ESPN are reporting that the Yankees are out of the running for free agent pitcher Cliff Lee, and a "mystery team" has taken their place.

Word is the Philadelphia Phillies have signed Lee to a contract pending a physical.

Lee pitched the Phillies to the World Series last year in 2009, and beat the Yankees in games one and four. Then last winter the Phillies traded Lee to the Seattle Mariners in a three way trade that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia.

Now it appears the Phillies are ready to make up for lost time and bring Lee back to join Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in a Phillies rotation that could be the greatest rotation ever!

The Yankees offered Lee a seven year deal worth $160 million. Lee has yet to get back to the Yankees, with many speculating that he would stay in his home town of Arkansas and pitch for Texas.

Yet, Lee is going home. As in going home to Philadelphia to a team and city he fell in love with a year ago.

Jerk Jets coach trips Dolphins player Nolan Carrol

Watch this video as a Jets assistant coach sticks his leg out to trip a Dolphins player named Nolan Carrol.

The coach has to be reprimanded and fined immediately, after injuring the kid. WATCH.

Jets season on the brink after lose to Dolphins

DOLPHINS 10
JETS 6

As seen on Bleacher Report:

Here we go again? Maybe.

Once again the New York Jets are on the precipice of completing another second half collapse to cost the team any hope of making the playoffs.

The Jets put together a heartless, punchless, and ineffective performance against the Miami Dolphins, losing to their division rival 10-6. It was the third straight season that the boys from South Beach came to New Jersey and delivered a huge blow to the Jets season.

Two years ago the Dolphins and Chad Pennington were the ones who danced over Brett Favre and the Jets, as New York watched an 8-3 season fall to a 9-7 finish and missed the playoffs. Looks like Sunday's game will have similar repercussions.

No matter how you slice it, the Jets will miss the playoffs in 2010...Read the rest at Bleacher Report.com.

Giants vs. Vikings Moved to Detroit

Well the roof of the Metrodome couldn't hold the snow much longer. Around 5 am eastern, the roof collapsed at the dome, as the mesh bubble ripped to shreds allowing snow to come onto the field. WATCH THE ROOF COLLAPSE. It is like something out of a disaster movie.

The NFL has determined that the site of Monday's Vikings/Giants game, which was originally postponed Sunday because of the snow, will now be played in Detroit a 7:20 pm eastern. The game will be televised on Fox.

Giants vs. Vikings Postponed Because of Snow

Snow! Snow! Snow!

Sunday afternoon's 1 pm kick-off between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings was postponed to Monday Night because of 15 inches of snow that hit Minnesota on Saturday.

The Giants tried to take off for Minneapolis earlier on Saturday morning, but had to be re-routed to Kansas City.

The Metrodome also saw some damage from the heavy snow. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission had some serious concerns about employees digging snow off the bubble roof of the stadium.

The move gives both teams an extra day to rest. Brett Favre could use it. The 41-year-old vet was TKO' ed last week against Buffalo and has not really practiced much this week because of a injuired shoulder.

A few years ago, a game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs was postponed on a Sunday and moved a Friday night because of a pending hurricane that was to hit Miami; last season a game between the Ravens and Bears was bumped up three hours because of snow in Maryland, however these changes are rare.

Fans in New York and Minnesota markets will see the Giants game on Monday, which will be broadcast on Fox, and will go up against the Ravens/Texans game on ESPN.

Red Sox nab Crawford in off-season's biggest deal

While the Yankees diddle daddle with their own free agents, i.e. Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, the rival Boston Red Sox have been busy this week. First they landed a trade for San Diego's powerful first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, now they have a new lead-off hitter in left fielder Carl Crawford.

Crawford agreed to a seven year $142 million deal with Boston, Wednesday to compete with the Yankees who are still waiting to hear back from Cliff Lee on a potential five to six year $140 million deal.

If Lee doesn't come to the Yankees, it will be a huge blow to their off-season plans, and it will give the Red Sox a huge early edge, at least on paper.

Not Much To Say: Jets Don't Show Up Against Patriots

PATRIOTS 45
JETS 3

What can you say about the Jets lackluster and gutless effort Monday night against the Patriots, losing 45-3, ending any hopes that the team will clinch a division title, and the AFC's number one seed.

The Patriots put this game away in the first quarter, when Jets coach Rex Ryan stupidly decided to kick a 53 yard field goal into the wind with a unreliable kicker in Nick Folk. Folk missed the field goal, giving the Pats the ball at their own 43 yard line. After a 36 yard pass interference on Eric Smith, BenJarvis Green-Ellis scored to make it 10-0.

Later in the quarter Tom Brady hit Dieon Branch on a 25 yard pass for a touchdown to make it 17-0.

Brady was near perfect, completing 21-of-29 passes for 326 yards, four touchdowns and a 148.9 quarterback rating. He was sacked four times, but when the Jets got to him the game was well in hand.

Everyone stunk it up for the Jets. From the defense which yielded 405 total yards of offense, to Mark Sanchez who was picked off three times, to the coaching which was just awful on the part of Ryan. Ryan managed not to lose the game instead of playing to win.

For a guy who likes to boast about how great his team is, he coached the game like a scared rabbit.

The Jets will have to settle for at least a wild card if they make the playoffs. Now the Jets have to avoid another late season collapse starting Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who are 5-1 on the road. After that the Steelers and Bears are on the docket. A tragic lose like this could snowball into a four game losing streak which will certainly kill the Jets season.

Playoff scenarios.

LIVE BLOG: Jets Trail Big in Foxboro

PATRIOTS 24
JETS 3

The Jets now trail the New England Patriots 24-3 at halftime.

Coach Rex Ryan put his team in a huge hole with some risky gambles on wasting a challenge when he didn't need to, and kicking an impossible 53 yard field goal into the wind, that gave the Patriots great field position.

The Patriots took a quick 10-0 lead on those managerial miscues by Ryan. BenJarvis Green-Ellis added a one yard run to give New England a 17-0 lead before the first quarter ended.

Tom Brady then completed a four yard touchdown to Ben Tate to give the Pats a 24-3 lead. That touchdown was questionable, but Ryan never challenged it, probably because he was afraid to get it wrong again.

LIVE BLOG: Rex Ryan Costs Jets Season

PATRIOTS 17
JETS 0

As they say in New York: Fudgetaboutit!

You can say all the cliche's you need to, such as SAME OLE' JETS!

Rex Ryan overmanaged in the first quarter of Monday night's Jets vs. Patriots contest. With New York trailing 3-0, he decided to challenge a questionable quarterback sneak by Mark Sanchez on third and one, only to lose the challenge and cost his team a timeout.

The Jets bailed him out when Sonn Greene converted the down on fourth and short, but the Jets had no reason to use that challenge at all.

Then after the Jets drive stalled at the Patriots 40 yard line, Ryan elected to kick a 53 yard field goal with the most unreliable kicker in the NFL in Nick Folk. The Jets should have punted the ball and pinned the Pats back at their own 10 yard line, but no, Ryan thought it was an ingenious idea to try to tie the game.

Of course Folk missed the field goal, and the Patriots, got great field position. After a 36 yard pass interference play on Eric Smith, the Pats scored to make it 10-0. Ball game over! AFC East division title belongs to New England. AFC's number one seed belongs to New England.

The Jets will likely make the playoffs, (barring another historic collapse) but will have to travel to either Kansas City or San Diego (two very hot teams right now) in the wild card round.

43 years and counting Jet fans...

Josh McDaniels Becomes 3rd Head Coach Fired This Year

The Denver Broncos have canned controversial head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels was caught in Spygate II last week, when revelations came out that he had his staff video tape the practice of the San Francisco 49ers back in October.

That and the fact that the Broncos are a dreadful 3-9 in the mediocre AFC West was enough for owner Pat Bowlen to fire the former Patriots assistant.

Under McDaniels the Broncos are 11-17, but 5-17 after a 6-0 start to the 2009 season.

McDaniels is now the third head coach fired this season, behind Wade Phillips, Dallas, and Brad Childres, Minnesota.

Giants Stamped Punchless Redskins

GIANTS 31
REDSKINS 7

How nice is it to have the punchless Redskins on the schedule. With a tough stretch of games coming up for the New York Giants, the G-Men got a nessecary break by pounding the Washington Redskins 31-7 to improve to 8-4, and remain tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East.

Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw were the stars of the afternoon rushing for 200 yards and four touchdowns between them. Jacobs got it started with an eight yard touchdown to give Big Blue a 7-0 lead. Later, in the quarter Bradshaw scored from four yards out to make it 14-0.

Donavan McNabb was lousy once again. He threw for 296 yards, but was sacked four times, picked off twice, and fumbled the ball back to the Giants. More and more McNabb is looking like a quarterback who was a product of Andy Reid's offense in Philadelphia. If you doubt it, just look at Michael Vick.

In the second half the Giants put this one away when Jacobs broke free of tacklers and rumbled into the end zone for a 28 yard score to make it 28-0!

Yankees Re-Sign Derek Jeter

For those paranoid Yankee fans that thought for a second that the Derek Jeter negotiations were the end of the world, can relax.

The Yankees and Jeter came to terms on a three year $51 million deal, that would pay the shortstop $19 per season. The Yankee intially offered Jeter a three year $45 million deal, while the Jeter camp wanted $24 million per year. The two sides came to an agreement in the middle.

Their is also an option for a fourth year worth $5 million, boosting the contract to $56 million.

Yankees Show Interes in Carl Crawford

The Yankees may not be willing to pay Derek Jeter top dollar, but they are willing to go all the way for free agents like Cliff Lee, who the Yankees are pursuing strongly with the possibility of either a five or six year deal, depending on what Lee's current team the Texas Rangers offer.

Until then, it appears that Carl Crawford has grabbed the eye of Yankee nation.

According to ESPN, A baseball source with knowledge of the team's intentions said Friday that the Yankees are "going to throw their money out there and whoever's the first to take it will take it" when baseball's winter meetings get under way Monday in Orlando.

Crawford is the top outfield free agent on the market. He can play either left field or center field, and is know for a great outfield glove, as well as terrific speed on the base paths.

Crawford is 29 years old, hit .307 with 19 homers, 90 RBI and 47 stolen bases. He has 409 stolen bases in his career. Adding Crawford would make him the Yankees best outfielder, considering they have Nick Swisher, a decent hitter who is a terrible outfielder, Brett Gardner who is a scrappy hitter, who is really undersized for an outfield position, and Curtis Granderson who the Yankees best athlete in the outfield, who missed most of the 2010 season due to injury.

Yankees willing to improve Jeter offer

The Yankees are willing to improve their initial offer of three years $45 million to short stop Derek Jeter. The Jeter camp is looking for a contract in the area of $24 million per year, meaning that the two sides have been about $10 million apart.

The Yankees told Jeter to explore other teams offers if he didn't feel the Yankees offer was good enough, and so far no other team has really jumped into the Jeter mix.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that the team did submit an improved offer but could not say whether the money or years had been improved.

"We certainly hope we get something done," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Friday morning. "Both sides are working hard to try and find common ground. You just have to go through the process."

There have been several reports in recent days that the team was open to slightly increasing the number of dollars in its offer, though not necessarily guaranteeing more than three years.

The Yankees insist that Jeter has to decide what to do. It is interesting that no terms of the new and improved contract were released.

I can't blame the Yankees for their stance on Jeter. He is 36 years old, and had one of the worst seasons' of his career, batting only .270 with 10 homers and 67 RBI, with a .370 slugging percentage.

I know he is the face of the Yankees, but $15 million per year over three years is a very generous offer for a player at his age.

Yankees Sign Mariano Rivera to 2 year Deal

The Yankees have taken care of one of their aging veterans today, when they completed negotiations on a two-year extension for closer Mariano Rivera.

The contract is worth upwards of $30 million over the two years. Rivera has defied father time pitching to a 1.88 ERA with 33 saves at age 41. He has proven to be one of the most valuable pieces to the Yankees dynasty over the past 15 years.

Unlike his teammate Derek Jeter, the Rivera contract negotiations were consistently behind closed doors, and didn't contain the kind of bitterness that the Jeter contract has garnered.

Jeter is still not re-signed to a contract.

Giants Find A Way Against Stubborn Jaguars

GIANTS 24
JAGUARS 20

If it wasn't for Kevin Boss' efforts, the Giants could be looking at a three game losing streak.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Jaguars holding a 20-17 lead, the Giants needed a huge drive to hold off a Jaguars team that had spent the entire afternoon running up and down the Giants defense with Maurice Jones-Drew and his 113 yards rushing.

For three quarters the Giants offense had done very little. They managed only three field goals, and Eli Manning struggled, while the ground game was virtually powerless.

Then it all changed. Manning hit Mario Manningham for an 18 yard gain to midfield; then Brandon Jacobs gashed the Jags for 18 more yards to move it the Jaguars 32. After two straight Manning incompletions, it came down to one play. Manning hit Boss wide open between the numbers, and the athletic tight end rumbled down field for a 32 yard touchdown to give Big Blue the lead.

The Giants defense suddenly woke up, forcing Jaguars quarterback David Garrard to throw four incompletions, and even sacked three times on a 10 play drive to give the Giants the victory.

The Giants entered the fourth quarter trailing 17-9, and it appeared that the lose was well in hand, until Manning hit Manningham for a 26 yard touchdown to cut it to 17-15, and Ahmad Bradshaw dove into the end zone for the two point conversion to tie it.

The Jaguars quickly moved the ball down field on a 10 play 42 yard drive to set up Josh Scobee with the go-ahead field goal to give the Jags a 20-17 lead.

With the win the Giants are now tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East at 7-4. The Eagles lost to the Bears 31-26 Sunday evening, creating the tie. However, the Eagles win the tiebreaker having beaten the Giants head-to-head last week.

Brad Smith Speeds Past Bengals As Jets Pull Away

JETS 26
BENGALS 10

When the New England Patriots erased a 24-17 deficit to the Detroit Lions for a impressive 45-24 victory Thanksgiving Day, the pressure was squarely on the shoulders of the Jets to get a win to keep pace with the Pats. A win over the Bengals and the Jets would still hold first place in the AFC East, and the AFC; a lose and everything could be lost.

The first half of the Jets Thanksgiving Night game against Cincinnati didn't look very good. They trailed 7-3 at the half, played a full half of mistake football with terrible penalties, bad decisions by quarterback Mark Sanchez, and another missed field goal by Nick Folk.

The Jets needed to show a spark. They needed momentum badly before they took a week and a half off to ready for the Pats. Then, just 30 seconds into the third quarter, the Jets got their spark from Brad Smith.

On a reverse to Smith, the speedy utility man, broke free of tacklers for a 53 yard touchdown run to give New York a quick 10-7 lead.

Later in the third quarter, Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes on a slant for a 13 yard touchdown to give the Jets a 17-7 lead.

The Jets defense picked it up nicely in the second half. They sacked Carson Palmer twice, and forced him into a safety, and picked him off twice. The Jets secondary combo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie held T.O. (3 catches 17) and Ocho Chinco (4 catches 41) respectively.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, Smith returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. The highlight of the play was Smith losing his shoe at the 50 and still running at high speed with one shoe on and one shoe off to the end zone. Smith had 200 total yards on the evening.

Now the talk is all about Jets/ Patriots, with the two rivals set to battle Monday Dec. 6. Let the hype begin.

Mets Make It Offical, Collins Is Manager

The Mets made it official Tuesday, announcing that Terry Collins would take over as Mets manager this season with a two year contract.

"I'm not as evil or a devil as some of you might think. I learned to mellow a little bit," Collins said with a laugh. Nobody laughed with him by the way.

"We want to be the last team standing in October," Collins concluded. OOOH AHHHH! Echos of Rex Ryan. I'm shaking in my boots already hearing this from Collins who came across as timid and tense in his opening press conference.

The Mets signed Collins for only a two year deal, probably because they are afraid he will wear out his welcome with his players the way he did in Anaheim when the players on the Angels petitioned to have him fired.

I can't stress enough what a terrible move this is for New York. They will be looking for another manager by this time next year, if not by July -- I promise you.

Giants Lose Hakeem Nicks for Three Weeks

Already hurting with loses on the offensive line to David Diehl and Sean O'Hara, as well as losses at wide receiver without the services of Steve Smith, the Giants got even worse news when lead receiver Hakeem Nicks was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome in his lower right leg; consequently, he will miss the next three games against the Jaguars, Redskins and, oh yeah, the Eagles.

This is a huge loss for the Giants. Big Blue had one of the more dynamic passing attacks this season, led by Nicks who had 800 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. Without him, the Giants will have to scrape to find someone on the team who can replace not only Nicks but Smith as well.

If the Giants didn't look destined for another second half swoon after a 27-17 loss to the Eagles, Sunday, they sure look dead right now.

Giants Get Socked By Vick and Eagles

EAGLES 27
GIANTS 17

It was a brutal night in Philadelphia as the Giants and Eagles spent much of the night head hunting each other in the Eagles 27-17 victory to move into first place in the NFC East.

The story of the day for the Giants -- fumbles. The Giants turned it over five times, including three picks by Eli Manning, and four team fumbles, two by Ahmad Bradshaw and two by Manning.

Yet, in spite of all the problems, the Giants had their chance against the Eagles. Trailing 16-3, Manning hit back-up tight end Travis Beckum from two yards out for the score to cut the lead to 16-10. Then, at the start of the fourth quarter, Manning hit Derek Hagan from five yards out to give Big Blue the lead.

But the Eagles soon cashed in on the Giants turnovers. After a Bradshaw fumble, LeSean McCoy went 50 yards to the house to give Philadelphia a 22-16 lead. Michael Vick then converted a two point conversion with a pass to Jason Avant to give Philly a 24-16 lead.

On the next Giants possession, Manning fumbled the ball back to the Eagles giving Philly great field position. Then, McCoy did it again, cutting up field for a 40 yard gain to move the ball to the Giants 20. Three plays later, the Eagles kicked a field goal to ice it 27-17.

The Giants have lost two in a row which were two straight divisional games. Are the Giants beginning to fall apart again? It sure looks like it.

Santonio Holmes & Mark Sanchez Lead Jets to Thriller Again

JETS 30
TEXANS 27

It wasn't supposed to be this suspenseful. With the New York Jets holding a 23-7 lead on the Houston Texans at home, it appeared that Gang Green would be on its way to a much needed "rocking chair" victory.

Not so.

The Texans put up 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stun the Jets and their fans at the Meadowlands grabbing a 27-23 lead with 59 seconds to go in the game. Typically, fans began to file out of the stadium, leaving only a third of the 78,000 who came to the ballpark.

The fans sat on their hands, waiting for 59 seconds to tick away to a heartbreaking lose. Maybe the Texans will intercept another Mark Sanchez pass? Maybe Sanchez would heave up three straight Hail Marys only to have them knocked down? What it was going to be, it wouldn't be good; right?

Never say never again, Jets fans.

Sanchez completed two passes to LaDainian Tomlinson for a total of 24 yards to move the ball to midfield. Then Sanchez put up the Hail Mary. He had tried to do this earlier in the quarter, after the Texans regained the lead at 24-23, but his pass to Braylon Edwards sailed over the receiver's head.

This time it worked. Sanchez hit Edwards in stride at the Texans 30, and the receiver ran all the way down to the Houston six yard line. Then on the next play, Sanchez connected with last week's hero, Santonio Holmes, for the game winning score with 10 seconds to go. The throw had to be perfect; it was. Holmes had to be precise with his feet, and he was perfect, getting both feet in bounds in the corner of the end zone.

The Meadowlands broke into utter bedlam as the Jets drove down field for the winning score; Holmes even did a Jets version of the Lambeau leap after the score.

The Jets now stand at 8-2, keeping pace with the New England Patriots who also won against the Colts. The Jets will host the Bengals, Thursday night, while the Patriots play Detroit Thursday afternoon. If both teams win, they will collide at 9-2 on December 6.

Mets Name Maniac Terry Collins Manager

The New York Mets are never short of making fools of themselves, they are experts in that department for a reason.

The Mets continue to make dumbfounding moves, the latest being the naming of Terry Collins manager of the major league club.

In case you're wondering Collins has a horrible history as a major league manager. He managed the Astros for three years from 1993-1996 and led them to three straight second place finishes, including a late season collapse in 1996. After getting fired by Houston, he went to the Anaheim Angles to manage that team into the ground. By 1999, he was fired again after his players petitioned to have him fired.

He went 444-434 in his six years as a manager. He is like Tom Coughlin only minus the notable victories.

Not exactly a great move for the Mets, who have a clubhouse of malcontents. Can Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Collins survive a season without trying to strangle one another? We shall see.

Sandy Alderson Hopes to Have New Manager by Thanksgiving

The Mets managerial search is now down to four people: Terry Collins, Bob Melvin, Wally Backman and Chip Hale. Sandy Alderson hopes to complete the second round of interviews by next Thursday.

Clint Hurdle took himself out of the running, when he took the Pirates job on Monday, leaving the Mets with a bunch of inside candidates for the job.

Collins and Melvin remain the favorites. Collins managed the Astros and Angles to minor success in the 1990's, and was known as a guy who was hated by his players. Melvin is a very mellow personality, cut in the same cloth as Jerry Manuel; however he has won two division titles, one in Seattle and one in Arizona.

Backman is the people's choice, if for no other reason than he played on the 1986 World Series championship team. Yet, Backman's background of personal issues will likely eliminate him.

Giants Crushed by Cowboys in Blackout

COWBOYS 33

GIANTS 20

The lights went out literally and figuratively at New Meadowlands Stadium as the Dallas Cowboys pounded the New York Giants, Sunday afternoon 33-20, exposing Big Blue as a Big Fraud.

Early in the third quarter, the lights in the Stadium went out, leaving 80,000 fans and the teams in total darkness for a few minutes. Once play was resumed the Cowboys turned out the lights on the Giants for good.

Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns on the day, highlighted by a 13 yard score to Dez Bryant. Bryant is turning into a heck of a player, he hauled in three balls for 104 yards on the day. He is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball, and is turning heads the way a young Randy Moss did 12 years ago in Minnesota.

The big play of the day came in the second, when Bryan McCann picked off an Eli Manning pass in the endzone and went coast to coast for a 101 yard touchdown to give Dallas a 19-3 lead.

So now the G-Men get ready for a clash with Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick lit it up last night in Washinton, throwing for 333 yards and four touchdown passes, as well as rushing for 80 yards and scoring twice. No quarterback as ever done that in the 90 year history of the NFL.

The Eagles are looking like THE team to beat in the NFC, and with the inconsistency in the Giants pass defense, as well as their own inability to control a game on the ground, Sunday night's game will tell us a lot about the 2010 Giants.

Jets beat Browns in OT thriller

JETS 26
BROWNS 20

It will go down as a classic game that will be talked about for years to come. With 23 seconds left in overtime, the Jets pulled out a amazing victory when Santonio Holmes hauled in a Mark Sanchez pass and sprinted down the sideline for a 37 yard game winning score.

The win puts the Jets at 7-2 on the season, and has since risen debate about how good these New York Jets really are. Are they lucky?

The Jets had their chances to win the game in regulation. After completing a 10 minute drive in the third quarter, Nick Folk missed a cheap shot field goal that would have given New York a ten point lead, but it didn't happen.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Browns marched down the field to tie, when rookie Colt McCoy hit Mohammad Masoquai for a 7 yard touchdown to tie it.

The Browns had a shot to win it in the OT, but former Jet Chansi Stuckey fumbled the ball down the sideline as he made his move for the Jets 35 yard line. The Jets recovered, and drove down the field for another Nick Folk missed field goal.

The Jets lucked out near the end of OT, when Mark Sanchez's pass was intercepted at the Browns two yard line, giving the Cleveland the ball in horrible field position. If only the corner had knocked it down, it would have given the Browns a better shot at driving down the field to win it.

Read this Bleacher Report slide show for more details on the win.

Rex Ryan dresses up like his brother Rob

There are many headlines to follow for this weeks Jets vs. Browns match-up on Sunday.
It is Browns' coach Eric Mangini's chance to inflict revenge on the team that fired him two years ago, and it is also a homecoming for Braylon Edwards who was traded from Cleveland to New York a year ago.

But the biggest story (pun intended) is the match-up of Jets coach Rex Ryan and Browns Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan. The two are twins, and will square off against each other for the third time in their NFL careers, but this is the most high profile of the match-ups because of Rex's head coaching position.

During a press conference, Wednesday, Rex came out dressed up as Rob Ryan with a Brown shirt, wig, and a Browns hat. As Rob Ryan, Rex cracked jokes that he had put a$5 bounty on his brother's head, and that he thinks Rex is a very "handsome" guy.

Watch Press conference.

Meanwhile, the real Rob Ryan spoke to the media in Cleveland. Listen. He sounds exactly like his brother. Now you know they are related. Enjoy.

Dallas Cowboys Fire Wade Phillips

I broke this story on Bleacher Report, after hearing about it on WFAN.

Wade Phillips is done as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Phillips was fired this afternoon by Jerry Jones.

Jerry Jones threatened that there would be major changes after a gutless 45-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers that dropped the team to 1-7 on the season.

For weeks Jones has been asked about Phillips' job status, either refusing to comment, or even dancing around the question that Phillips was safe.

Not so.

Jason Garrett will take over as the Cowboys head coach. The former Dallas backup quarterback was once looked upon as a potential head coach in the NFL, but with Dallas' struggles the last three years, his stock has gone down.

Garrett has eight games to show Jones that he can become the full-time head coach.

The Cowboys have had a terrible season, headlined by a broken collarbone for quarterback Tony Romo, which will sideline him for most of the season.

The Cowboys showed little fight in Green Bay falling behind 28-0, before Dez Bryant hauled in a desperation touchdown pass before halftime.

Will things turn around under Garrett? Not likely.

If things don't work out with Garrett, it will be interesting to see if Jones can lure either Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden to Dallas to take over the team. The Cowboys have a lot of talent; they just need a proven leader to discipline them.

ESPN report.

Giants Demolish Seahawks Early & Often

GIANTS 41
SEAHAWKS 7

The Giants look like world beaters right now, after their dominating 41-7 performance in Seattle, Sunday. The Giants rolled up 30 first downs, 487 yards of offense, and held the ball for 42 minutes.

The Giants left little doubt that they would walk away from Seattle with the easy victory, as they posted 21 points in the first quarter, and held a 35-0 halftime lead.

Eli Manning was solid, completing 21 of 32 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. His first TD came on 46 yard touchdown catch by Hakeem Nicks. Nicks, who is definately deserving of a pro bowl nod, hauled in six passes for 128 yards and the touchdown. He left the game with an ankle injury, but the Giants report that he is fine and will be available next week.

Ahmad Bradshaw didn't have a chunk of yards against Seattle; he only ran for 57 yards, but did have two touchdowns in the first quarter.

The Giants benifited once again from facing a team without its starting quarterback. Matt Hasselbeck missed the game with a concussion leaving the team in the hands of Charlie Whitehurst, who was awful.

The Giants have cashed in big time this year against some terrible football teams. They have beaten five teams that are a combined 12-28, and the one theme these teams have in common, they can't keep their quarterback healthy (Dallas, Seattle, Detroit), and they have awful offensive lines, (Carolina, Detroit) or their defenses are dreadful (Houston, Dallas).

So who are these 2010 Giants? Are they really the best team in the NFC? Currently the Giants are 5-0 in conference, best in the NFC, but they have yet to play a good team on their schedule from that conference. When they did play good teams, Indianapolis and Tennessee, the Giants melted faster than ice cream.

After facing the terrible Cowboys again on Sunday, it will get very interesting with games against the Eagles, Redskins, Packers, and Vikings still on the horizon.

After Sloppy Game, Jets Find a Way in Detroit

JETS 23
LIONS 20

If the Jets are going to make the playoffs, they have a lot to clean up. From penalties, lack of discipline, bad play calling, and bad player judgment, the Jets did everything in their power to lose their game against the Detroit Lions, in Detroit, Sunday.

Trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Jets had been flagged 11 times, some of which were of the unsportsmanlike conduct variety, they ran the ball only 22 times, the same number of times they ran the ball in a 9-0 loss to Green Bay a week ago. Mark Sanchez had been awful, and the Jets defense did nothing to stop Matthew Stafford.

After a five yard penalty on the Jets offense with 4:26 to go, suddenly the Jets fortunes changed. Sanchez shrugged off the bad karma, and delivered an 18 yard strike to Jerricho Cotchery, then hit Dustin Keller and LaDainian Tomlinson for six yard each. Sanchez finally hit Keller again on a 25 yard completion down the middle to spot the ball at the Detroit six yard line.

Two plays later, Sanchez scored on the quarterback keeper to cut the Lions lead to 20-17.

After Detroit went three and out, the Jets got one more shot to try to tie or win the game. Sanchez hit Tomlinson for a 10 yard gain, then Keller for 11 more. He went back to Tomlinson again for a 15 yard gain, which was followed by a 15 yard personal foul on Detroit for pushing Tomlinson out of bounds to put the ball at Detroit 20.

The Jets ran the clock down to four seconds, before Nick Folk put through the game tying field goal to draw the Jets even at 20.

The Jets won the coin toss in overtime, and typical with the horrid overtime rule, the team that gets the ball first usually wins.

Sanchez hit a wide open Santonio Holmes for a 52 yard gain to get the Jets deep into Detroit territory. After a couple short runs by Tomlinson, Folk kicked the game winner, an easy 30 yarder to give the Jets the comeback victory.

Sanchez threw for a career high 352 yards, and was 10 - of - 13 in the final three scoring drives for the Jets, including the rushing touchdown. He was clutch when he needed to be.

The Jets needed this win.

The Patriots were defeated by the Cleveland Browns 34-14, meaning a Jets victory over the Lions would catipulte the Jets back into first in the AFC East. Now the Jets are back in first, and will get ready for those same Browns next weekend, and their old coach, Eric Mangini.

Mets hire J.P. Ricciardi as Alderson's right hand man

The Mets officially announced the hiring of former Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, to the position of assistant GM.

This means that Jon Ricco is out of the picture for the most part in the Mets front office (thank God, one less Omar Minaya stooge).

Ricciardi and Alderson go back to their days in Oakland, when the worked together in that team's front office, before Ricciardi moved to Toronto to lead that club. Even though Ricciardi didn't make the playoffs during his eight year tenure in Toronto, he always fielded a competitive team that was a thorn in the side of the Yankees and Red Sox.