Granderson To Play Tonight For Yankees

Curtis Granderson is expected to return from the DL tonight, when the Yankees host the Cleveland Indians. Granderson will play center field, and Joe Girardi didn't rule out the idea that Granderson could bat second in the lineup. Read about Girardi's idea.

Meanwhile, Jorge Posada (hairline fracture) could be returning to baseball activity soon. He is not expected back until mid-June.

Carlos Beltran Not Even Close to Returning

Carlos Beltran is not close to rejoining the Mets. In fact he has not been cleared for baseball activities.

According to GM Omar Minaya, Beltran is hitting in the cage, but not running at full speed. At this rate Beltran won't be back with the Mets until late July.

In the off-season, Beltran had a second knee surgery, that has not totally healed, preventing him from playing this long into the season. Who knows if we will ever see Beltran this season.

Mets Sweep & Shut Out Phillies

METS 3
PHILLIES 0

How about 'dem Mets?

The Mets are red hot after sweeping away the Philadelphia Phillies to complete a 5-1 homestand against the Yankees and Phillies.

Of key note, the Mets not only swept Philadelphia, they shut them out in all three games, a feat that the Mets have not accomplished since 1969, when the swept and shutout the Phillies in late September.

Today, Mike Pelfrey was brilliant. Seven shutout innings, surrendering only three hits, while walking five and striking out five. Pelfrey is now 7-1 on the season.

Offensively, the Mets did just enough against Cole Hamels. Jason Bay's double in the second inning brought in Jose Reyes for the first run of the night. From there Hamels worked his way in and out of trouble until the seventh, when Reyes laced a double into the left field corner to score Henry Blanco and Fernando Tatis.

K-Rod struck out Jason Werth swinging to end, sealing the deal for the Mets as they head to Milwaukee for a huge Memorial Day weekend series.

New Giants Stadium To Host Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014

This is a treat of all treats!

New Jersey will get a chance to host the biggest game of the NFL season on the biggest stage - the Super Bowl in New York in 2014. The Jets and Giants new Meadowlands stadium which has already hosted college lacrosse this spring, and will be ready for football this fall.

The Meadowlands went up against Tampa Bay and Miami in the vote, but it was pretty clear that New Jersey was going to get the game, due to the appeal of New York City, as well as the thousands of dollars in revenue both New Jersey and New York will make on the game.

Many critics have panned the idea, saying that it would be too cold, and it would snow. BAH! Football is made for cold weather. Some of the greatest games in NFL history have been played in winter conditions, i.e. the Packers/Giants NFC title game was played in minus-3 degree weather in Green Bay two and a half years ago. The Giants/Redskins NFC title game was played in a blusty Giants Stadium in 1986, and who can forget the "Tuck-Rule" game in Foxboro Massachusetts that set off the Patriots dynasty. All of those games were played in the dead of winter.

Football should be played in the elements, and if the rich big wigs who get the tickets are so worried about it, than they should give the tickets up to die hard football fans, who will go anywhere to see their team play.

Santana and Bay Lead The Way For Mets

METS 6
YANKEES 4

So much for the Yankees coming waltzing to an easy sweep of the crosstown rival Mets. Instead the Yankees walked into a hornets nest, as the Mets took two of three in the first round of the 2010 Subway Series.

After Mike Pelfrey and David Wright frustrated the Yankees on Saturday night, Johan Santana and Jason Bay led the way for the Mets tonight.

Santana was brilliant pitching seven and two-thirds innings giving up six hits and only one run. He kept the Yankees off-balance all night long, and looked dominant at times. His most important inning coming in the top of the first when he struck out Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeria to get around a lead-off single by Derek Jeter.

Meanwhile, Jason Bay and Jose Reyes decided it was time to come to the party. Reyes had two hits on Sunday, including a run scored in the second inning. But the story has to be Bay. In the second Bay cracked a two run shot to left center to give the Mets a 4-0 lead. Then in the fifth Bay blasted a solo shot to the deepest part of the part, right center, 415 feet from home plate to give the Mets a 5-0 lead.

C.C. Sabathia just didn't have it for the Bombers. He gave up 10 hits and six runs, five earned, and two homers. This was easily his worst outing of the season. Sabathia is now 4-3.

There was high drama in the ninth. Ryota Igarashi put the Mets in quite a hole; he walked Nick Swisher, and gave up a single to Francisco Cerevilli. He then gave up an RBI single to Juan Miranda to make it 6-2.

K-Rod came in and it got even more interesting. Derek Jeter doubled into the corner to drive in another run. Brett Gardner grounded to David Wright at third, who threw him out on a very close play for the second out. Another run scored, it was now 6-4. Teixeria then singled to move Jeter to third to set up K-Rod vs. A-Rod. K-Rod went 3-1 on A-Rod, before he came back with two nasty curveballs to strike out A-Rod to end the game.

The Yankees head to Minnesota, the Mets welcome in Philadelphia this week.

No More Lima Time, Pitcher Dies At Age 37

Jose Lima, the once colorful pitcher of the Houston Astros, who also spent his last major league season with the Mets in 2006 has died of an apparent heart attack at age 37.

Lima earned the moniker "Lima Time" for his eccentric personality in the dugout and on the mound. He won 21 games in 1999 for Houston.

"Popular with fans and animated on the mound, his merengue music became a familiar fixture in the Astros clubhouse.

"He was a man full of life, without apparent physical problems and with many plans and projects on the agenda," his wife, Dorca Astacio, told ESPNdeportes.com.

On Friday night, he attended a game at Dodger Stadium, where he was introduced between innings and received an ovation from the crowd" (Associated Press).

Vazquez Dominat, Second Base and Wright Do In Mets Again

YANKEES 2
METS 1

Once again second base did in the Mets in the Subway Series.

No it was not Luis Castillo this time around.

Alex Cora's throwing error in the top of the seventh helped spearhead the Yankees surge, allowing the bottom of the Bombers order to score two runs in Friday's series opener. With Nick Swisher on first, Francisco Cervelli grounded to second. In what should have been an easy double play, Cora threw the ball past Jose Reyes at short, allowing Cervelli and Swisher to remain on base.

Kevin Russo. WHO? That's right Kevin Russo doubled to right to bring in both runners to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Javier Vazquez, who entered the night with a 8.01 ERA, was brilliant for the Bombers. He gave up only one hit in six innings against the clueless Mets lineup; he struck out six and walked two to get his third win of the year.

Hisanori Takahashi was excellent for the Mets. He befuddled the Yankees lineup for six innings, giving up only five hits and no runs. Takahashi got the no decision, and earned a second start.

Fast forward to the ninth, Mariano Rivera on the mound for the Bombers looking for save number eight, and he got into some trouble. Jason Bay lined a double off the left field wall, and Ike Davis doubled to right to bring in Bay to cut it to 2-1. Then, David Wright, as usual, failed to come up big in the clutch grounding out on the first pitch from Rivera to end the game.

Jerry Manuel to Stay Mets Manager for Forseeable Future

Jerry Manuel's job security is safe...for now.

The New York Post is reporting early this morning, that owner Jeff Wilpon flew down to Atlanta last night and had a 90 minute meeting with Manuel, GM Omar Minaya, pitching coach Dan Warthen, bullpen coach Randy Niemann, and Assistant GM Jon Ricco.

The meeting was not about firing Manuel, or the status of his job, according to inside sources. It was in regards to the Mets poor play of late, as well as the problems with the starting rotation, after Oliver Perez was relegated to the bullpen, John Maine's implosion on Saturday, and Jon Niese's latest injury.

The Mets beat the Braves 3-2 last night.

Mike Francesa Challenges Jets Owner Woody Johnson

Listen to this opening of Mike'd Up from Thursday afternoon. This was Mike's reaction to the New York Post article about Woody Johnson threatening to black out Jets games, if he didn't sell out the remaining PSL's. This is priceless. LISTEN HERE!

Revis & Mangold Want Extensions From Jets

You knew this day was coming Jet fans.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis and center Nick Mangold want to get paid. Revis who had a breakout season in 2009, shutting down most of the NFL's top receivers has two years left on his contract, and wants an extension. The Jets have to pay him -- he is too special of a player. The Jets have been known to drop the ball in this situation, when the refused to extend Leon Washington before last season. Luckily for the Jets front office, Washington broke his leg - making it easy to trade him.

Mangold is a Pro Bowl center that must be resigned this year - he is in the final year of a five year deal. There are not too many centers as good as Mangold and the Jets have been very fortunate the last decade plus with Mangold and his predecessor Kevin Mawae.

The two players join a long list of other Jet free agents, i.e. Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes to name a few.

Woody Johnson Won't Cut Jets PSL Prices

Woody Johnson is a stubborn man.

In an interview with the New York Post, the Jets owner stated that he would not reduce the price of his PSL's which are not exactly selling - even if it means the Jets would be blacked out by local television this fall.

The Jets have a reported 17,000 unsold tickets, and it could be more. Mike Francesa of WFAN stated his sources told him the Jets have more than 22,000 unsold seats.

Even though the franchise brought in LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor and Santonio Holmes into camp, and signed a lucrative deal with HBO for a TV series, the Jets still can't sell tickets.

As most ticket holders know the Jets have been calling fans up demanding that they buy PSLs. One WFAN caller stated that he was told to buy the ticket or risk having the Jets blacked out on TV.

Johnson said the team has ruled out cutting the price of the unsold PSLs, which range from $5,000 each to as high as $30,000 each for club seats and from $4,000 each up to $20,000 each for lower-bowl seats not in club sections or suites.

“[They are] fairly priced right now,” Johnson told The Post when asked about dropping the PSL cost. “[They’re] selling, and [they’re] selling right along our trendlines, so we’re good to go” (NYP).

The Jets feel they will sell the tickets before August. But it is May, and nobody is biting -- bad news, especially considering the Giants have only 1,500 unsold seat, and are even willing to cut the prices and sell tickets on an individual game basis. The Giants know how to run a business and the Jets don't ... as usual.

To add to the misery, the Jets are charging $250 for parking this year -- an upfront payment due by June 1.

Teixeira Blast Three As Yankees Burry Red Sox

YANKEES 14
RED SOX 3

It is only May 8, and the Boston Red Sox look dead in the water.

The New York Yankees spanked the Red Sox for the second straight game against Boston, as Mark Teixeira blew out of his annual early season slump, belting three home runs in the victory. Teixeira who was batting .135 at one point, is batting .393 in the last seven games to raise his average to .207.

I guess college kids are not the only one who love the month of May, because Teixeira seems to always turn it on during this month. Teixeira now has five homers and 20 RBI on the season.

C.C. Sabathia coulda, shoulda gotten the win in this one, if it were not for a rain delay in the bottom of the fifth with two out. Outside of a Victor Martinez homer, Sabathia pitched well enough for the win.

Still this day belonged to a Yankee offense that ripped apart the Red Sox pitching staff. Fernando Cerevelli drove in five on a 3-for-5 day, highlighted by two separate two-RBI singles in the fifth and eighth innings. He has been solid since replacing an injured Jorge Posada.

The Yankees have won six in a row and nine of ten. The Yankees have done this without the services of Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte, all out with nagging strains and injuries. Just goes to show you what a team with excellent depth can do.

Blanco Sends Mets to 2nd Straight Walk-Off

METS 5

GIANTS 4

During the winter much was made about the fact that the Mets were unable to sign Bengie Molina to a contract, instead settling for Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco. Why would the Mets rely on these two guys and not an All Star in Molina? many thought.

Well, this weekend the duo has answered that question. First it was Barajas who belted a walk-off homer on Friday against the Giants, and, then it was Blanco, today, who hit a walk-off homer to give the Mets a 5-4 victory.

Earlier in the day, the Mets built a 4-2 lead over San Francisco. Johan Santana pitched extremely well giving up two runs through seven and two-thirds, but it was the bullpen that blew it for him. The combination of Fernando Nieve and Pedro Feliciano, gave up a sac. fly to Pablo Sandoval, and a RBI single by Aubrey Huff tied the game at four.

This set the stage for Blanco's heroics, who took ex-Met Guillermo Mota yard for his first Mets homer. "It was the first time New York had won consecutive games on game-ending homers since Robin Ventura and Mike Piazza(notes) did it July 28-29, 2001, against Philadelphia, according to STATS LLC" Yahoo.

The Mets will face San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum tomorrow.

Lawrence Taylor Arrested in Rape Charge

Former Giants great Lawrence Taylor just can't seem to avoid trouble.

The Hall of Famer is in the news yet again, this time Taylor is convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl, who was a prostitute brought to him by a pimp. The arrest and charge was made in Suffern N.Y.. Ramapo N.J. police filed the charges, and a statement is coming from Ramapo headquarters at 3 pm.

Stay tuned for further details.

"Taylor was troubled off the field by drug and alcohol problems.

He was suspended by the league several times for drug use and following his retirement as a player was arrested in 1996 for trying to buy cocaine from undercover police officers.

Following stints in drug rehabilitation, Taylor re-emerged saying his drug and alcohol problems were in the past and appeared as a sports commentator and actor.

Taylor was arrested for leaving the scene of a road accident in Florida in November." (yahoo news).

If the allegations are true, and Taylor will likely be tried for statutory rape, and could be sentenced to serious jail time.