Yankee fans spit on Cliff Lee's wife, does this mean he won't sign with Bombers?

If Cliff Lee doesn't sign with the New York Yankees, Yankee fans should look at themselves.

A report came out earlier this week, that Lee's wife Kristin was spat on, and had beer thrown at her by unruly Yankee fans during game three of the ALCS.

Lee had some harsh words for the Yankees:

"I know it's been made into a big deal, but that's really all it is. Two, three or four people acting like fools in 50,000. You can't group them all together. There's always going to be a couple of goofballs in the crowd that thinks they have the right to do that kind of stuff. Some people get a little alcohol in them and act inappropriate. It is what it is.

"I don't know the guy that did it; it could have been anyone," Lee said. "Who cares? They're at home right now."

Does this mean Lee won't come here? He says it won't be a factor, but if his wife is that uncomfortable with New Yorkers after this, and adores living in Texas than it is getting highly unlikely that Lee will come to New York.

Sandy Alderson Named Mets GM

The New York Mets will officially announce that Sandy Alderson will be the next Mets GM, in a press conference on Friday.

Alderson was best known for building the Oakland A's dynasty in the mid 1980's, and was also a CEO of the San Diego Padres, and was involved in redeveloping baseball in Latin America for the MLB office.

He has vast baseball experience, and was the obvious right choice over Josh Byrnes, who was fired by the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this year.

According to Joel Sherman, Alderson wants to bring Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi on board. Both of these guys, you’ll recall, worked under Alderson in Oakland before going off on their own GM frolics.

Giants TKO Tony Romo, and hold on against Cowboys

GIANTS 41

COWBOYS 35

It was a sloppy start, and a sloppy finish, but in between the Giants blew past the Dallas Cowboys, building a 38-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter, en route to a 41-35 victory.

The game was not a classic, and is now overshadowed by Tony Romo's collar bone injury, which will cause him to miss 6-8 weeks, or basically the entire season, after taking Michael Boley drove the quarterback into the ground.

On the Giants side, the first half was marred by miscues. In the first quarter, Eli Manning threw two interceptions on the Giants first two drives, which led to a Romo touchdown pass to Jason Witten and a David Buehler field goal to give the Boys a 10-0 lead.

Then in the second quarter, Brandon Jacobs fumbled, giving the ball back to Dallas. On the next play of the game, Romo was injured, and replaced by Jon Kitna. After the drive stalled for Dallas, the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal and a 13-7 lead.

After another Giants three and out, Dez Bryant returned an amazing 93 yard punt return for a touchdown to give Dallas a 20-7 lead.

Suddenly things changed. Manning hit Steve Smith for a 32 yard gain to move the ball into Dallas territory. Three plays later, Manning hit Hakeem Nicks from eight yards out for a touchdown.

After an ineffective drive by Dallas, Manning was working his magic again. He hit Smith for a 14 yard touchdown to give Big Blue a 21-20 lead. The Giants tacked on three more just before the half to take a stunning 24-20 lead.

On the Giants first drive of the third quarter, Manning hit Mario Manningham for a 25 yard touchdown to extend the lead to 11.

After another Dallas three and out, Brandon Jacobs chugged down field for a 30 yard score to make it 38-20.

Then, the Giants got really lazy. Their defense stopped tackling, and the play calling from Tom Coughlin and his coaches were beyond questionable. Late in the fourth quarter, with the Giants driving and running the clock out, Coughlin decided to have Manning throw on third and five, instead of running it for the first down. Result -- interception.

Keith Brooking picked off the Manning pass and rumbled 41 yards to the Giants 15. Kitna hit Dez Bryant in the flat, before he cut up-field for the score. The Cowboys converted the two point conversion to get back in the game.

Finally, inside two minutes, the Giants were in position to end the game. All they had to do was convert a fourth and one at the Cowboys five. Instead the Giants kicked a field goal to keep the game interesting.

Result -- Cowboys scored another touchdown to cut the Giants lead to six.

Luckily for Big Blue, the Cowboys couldn't recover an onside kick, or this game could have turned from a blowout victory to a historic defeat.

Yet, the Giants are 5-2, the best record in the NFC. They are 4-0 in conference and 1-0 in the NFC East. The Giants will have a bye week.

World Champion N.Y. Yankees KO'd, Rangers Advance to World Series

RANGERS 6
YANKEES 1

The Yankees lose. DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Yankees Lose!

The season is over for the New York Yankees; the world champions have been dethroned.

In a series where they had very little bite, and little in the way of guts, the Yankees fell to the Texas Rangers 6-1 last night in Arlington, as the Rangers advanced to their first ever World Series!

The Yankees never had a shot in game six. Colby Lewis didn't allow a hit through the games first four innings, and went eight innings giving up only one run on three hits while striking out seven.

The game ended in a propos fashion, with Alex Rodriguez, the former Texas, who demanded a trade to the Yankees six years ago, the same Rodriguez who has developed a reputation for coming up small in October, struck out, looking for the third out.

With the score tied at one, the Rangers put this baby to bed, when Vladimir Guerrero launched a double into the left center field corner to bring in Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton to give Texas a 3-1 lead.

Then, Nelson Cruz cracked a two run homer to deep center field to give the Rangers a 5-1 lead.

The Yankees have a lot of work to do. They will look to buy Cliff Lee from the Texas Rangers this offseason, and will try to re-sign Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter to multi-year contracts.

Look for the Yankees to try to cut ties with Javier Vasquez, trade A.J. Burnett even though his contract is very expensive, and say good-bye to Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.

As usual, it will be a busy winter for the Bronx as they look to buy ... (oops, I mean) ... win another World Series in 2011.

Don't Mess With Texas: Rangers put Yankees on brink of elimination

Rangers 10
Yankees 3
Tex leads ALCS 3-1

Later today, the 2010 season could be over for the New York Yankees.

The defending world champions are going down in flames, after another gutless effort against the Texas Rangers last night in the Bronx.

Much had been made about A.J. Burnett making the start instead of CC Sabathia on short rest, but you have to give Burnett credit, he did hold a 3-2 lead heading into the sixth inning. Then it went down hill from there on one pitch to Bengie Molina.

Molina cracked a three run homer to left to give Texas a 5-3 lead, shocking Yankee Nation. Molina went 3-for-4 on the day with that homer. In fact the entire Texas lineup teed off on Burnett and the Yankee bullpen in the late innings.

Josh Hamilton blasted two homers, giving him four in this postseason, as the Rangers built an 8-3 lead. Vladimir Guerrero went 4-for-5 with a run scored and Nelson Cruz was 1-for-4 with a two run homer.

The Yankees couldn't muster any offense after the fourth inning. They had a chance to do damage, with the bases loaded in the seventh, but Nick Swisher popped up to second, and Lance Berkman sharply grounded out to Michael Young at third to end the threat.

The big key for the Yankees failure is the middle of the order. Mark Teixeria hit .000 in this ALCS, and injured his hamstring while running to first base. He is likely done for the season, which could be just one game today.

Alex Rodriguez has been in his usual October slump. A-Rod is hitting .133 in the ALCS, and .192 in the postseason. So much for all the good feeling A-Rod developed last year; the guy just can't hit when the lights are brightest.

The Yankees will try to stave off elimination when Sabathia takes the hill against C.J. Wilson. I would be shocked if this series is heading back to Texas.

Cliff Lee works his magic against Bronx Bombers

RANGERS 8
YANKEES 0
TEX leads ALCS 2-1

Maybe one day Cliff Lee will wear the pinstripes, but right now, Lee is too busy enjoying beating the Yankees.

For the third time in his postseason career, Lee shut down the mighty Yankees lineup, as he propelled the Texas Rangers to an 8-0 victory and 2-1 series lead in the ALCS.

Lee, who beat the Yankees twice in last season's World Series, was brilliant. He strung out the Yankees for eight shutout innings, giving up only two hits, while striking out 13. While Lee, isn't the game's best pitcher, a la Roy Halladay, or Tim Lincecum; he is certainly one of baseball's best postseason pitchers.

This year alone, Lee is 3-0 in the playoffs for the Rangers, having give up only two runs and striking out 34.

With the lead in the series the Rangers are guaranteed a trip back to Texas if necessary. However, with the way the Yankees have played in this ALCS, who is to say that the Rangers won't finish them off in the Bronx?

The Yankees are fortunate not to be down 3-0 in this series, if it were not for a five run eighth inning in game one that erased a 5-0 deficit to Texas.

Josh Hamilton continues to be clutch for the Rangers. His two run shot in the first inning was all Lee needed tonight.

Andy Pettitte, was solid for the Yankees. The Hamilton homer was the only damage done on the veteran lefty, as Pettitte went seven strong, before giving way the Yankees suspect bullpen. The combination of Boone Logan and David Robertson gave up six Ranger runs in the eighth inning as Texas built an insurmountable 8-0 lead.

Tonight, the Yankees will give the ball to A.J. Burnett, arguably the Yankees worst pitcher this season. Burnett lost 15 games this year with an ERA of 5.26 for the Yankees. Maybe the postseason will bring the best out of A.J., but if it doesn't the Yankees could fall to 3-1 down in the series, meaning it will be all but over.

New York Jets Excel in Adversity Against Denver

As seen on Bleacher Report.

The New York Jets are 5-1.

They own the best record in the NFL and have found ways to win games in every way possible.

When Rex Ryan and his players boasted that they were the favorites to win it all during the off-season, everyone laughed. "You can't win the Super Bowl in July," a lot of people criticized. "All the Jets do is talk," remarked others.

In Week One, Ray Lewis, the Ravens' future Hall of Fame linebacker, said that Ryan was writing "blank checks" that his players would have to sign and warned them to tighten up their chinstraps for the bumpy ride ahead.

The Jets had the bulls-eye on their backs from their wonderfully entertaining run on HBO's "Hard Knocks," where a boastful Ryan said, "I want to lead the league in...(bleeping)...wins."

Then, bad news provided more distractions in the form of the Darrelle Revis' holdout and eventual hamstring injury, the Santonio Holmes suspension, the Ines Sainz situation, and the Braylon Edwards DUI arrest.

By October 17, the only one laughing is Ryan and the Jets, after they pulled a rabbit out of their hats in a 24-20 victory over the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field in Mile High to capture the league's best record. If the season ended that night, the Jets would be the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, even though the Jets did everything humanly possible to lose the game:

• Mark Sanchez had his worst game of the year with two interceptions, and it could have been four if the Broncos didn't drop a couple of his passes early in the game.
• The Broncos, who owned the 32nd-ranked rushing offense, carved up the Jets for 145 yards on the ground.
• Kyle Orton was under ZERO pressure for most of the day. The Jets sacked Orton once, and whenever they got any pressure on him, he would get out of the pocket and eat up yards with his legs.
• Tim Tebow scored his first NFL touchdown.
• The Jets were flagged for six penalties.
• The Jets turned the ball over three times, after turning it over once all season.

Suddenly the tide turned. When facing a fourth and six at midfield, Sanchez heaved a pass down the sideline to Holmes, then Renaldo Hill made himself into a Jets trivia question by first pushing Holmes and then grabbing his facemask to commit a 46-yard pass-interference penalty.

On the next play, LaDainian Tomlinson plowed his way through for the go-ahead touchdown. Then on the Denver's next possession, a bad snap by the center put the final nail on the coffin as the Jets recovered the loose ball.

Luck? Yes. Divine intervention? Maybe.

A year ago, or any year for that matter, the Jets would have found a way to lose the game. Jet fans know that the quarterback, whether Sanchez in his rookie year, Chad Pennington, Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre, hell, even Richard Todd would have thrown a costly interception right there, breaking the hearts of Jets fans everywhere.

And even if the Jets scored a touchdown to take the lead, in any other year, the Jets defense would have choked and allowed the Broncos to pull off a last second miracle. Dan Marino and the fake spike anyone?

"It wouldn't have gone our way," Sanchez said when comparing these games to last season. "Last year, I would have kept nose diving; this year, I am doing everything to pull the nose right back up."

Rex Ryan pumps his fist into the air as his Jets find a way to comeback against a highly motivated Denver Broncos team.
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Sanchez is absolutely right. A year ago he would have forced the ball into coverage or held the ball a second or two too long, taken a big sack, or even tried to run for extra yardage and gotten stripped of the football.

This is the third time this year that Jets have pulled one out of their hats. Against Miami, Chad Henne carved up the Jets secondary for 363 yards and was on the doorstep of throwing a potential game-tying touchdown, when his final pass was picked up in the end zone by Drew Coleman to solidify the Jets victory and end a three-game losing streak to Miami.

Against Minnesota last week, the Jets offense stalled five times deep inside Viking territory, and were forced to settle for five field goals to take a 15-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Then Brett Favre, who the Jets defense smacked around for three quarters, woke up and threw a touchdown to Percy Harvin to cut the Jets lead to 15-13.

In any other year, the Jets would have shrunk under the pressure and lost, but they didn't. They rammed the ball down the field, as Shonne Greene galloped into the end zone from 23 yards out to give Gang Green a 22-13 lead.

After Favre drove the Vikings in for another touchdown to cut the Jets lead back to two, and after the Jets offense went three and out on their next possession, Favre was given one more chance to stick the dagger into his former team's heart.

Mark Sanchez points to the sky after the Jets hold off the Vikings on a Monday night in New Jersey.

Last season, adversity = a loss. This season, adversity = no problemo.

Favre was picked off by Dwight Lowery, who went coast to coast for a game-clinching touchdown, sending a defeated Favre home beleaguered, and the Jets victorious.

Credit is due to Rex Ryan. For all the boastful speak, the coach has kept his team focused on each and every game. If a team has Super Bowl expectations, then every game is a must-win game, just to keep pace with other top flight teams in the battle for AFC home field advantage.

A few weeks ago against Buffalo, the Jets could have laid down a bit against the lowly Bills, but Ryan was quoted by CBS as saying that "our most important games are division games."

The good teams win games they are supposed to win. However the championship teams win the games they are supposed to win, and win the games they have no business winning.

The defending Super Bowl Champion Saints won a lot of games last year where they didn't play well; their 33-30 overtime win in Washington last December, and their 46-34 come-from-behind win at Miami are examples.

The 2008 Steelers, who won the Super Bowl in the greatest of adverse conditions, had five wins by five points or less, including a wacky 11-10 victory over San Diego.

For a team to have the "IT Factor," they have to be able to persevere through the toughest times and the toughest of circumstances to pull games out. The more often they do it, the harder they are to beat as the season moves on.

Every game matters to Rex Ryan and the Jets, and if that attitude continues, the Jets could find themselves in the very spot Ryan expected when he took the job.

Giants escape Lions 4th quarter comeback

GIANTS 28

LIONS 20

You are what your record is? At times, yes, but right now the 4-2 Giants are lucky not to be 3-3 after escaping with a 28-20 victory over the Lions at the Meadowlands.

The Giants built a 21-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, only to watch the Lions, who were without Matthew Stafford for the fifth straight week, and without Shaun Hill, who was knocked out of the game in the first half make a case for a breathtaking fourth quarter comeback.

Third string quarterback Drew Stanton hit Calvin Johnson in a broken coverage down the left side for an 87 yard touchdown to make it 21-17 G-men.

After the Lions held the Giants to a three and out, the Lions moved the ball efficiently from their own 13 to the midfield, converting two huge third downs in the process. It looked like the Lions would grab a 24-21 lead and steal the game, but then Nate Burleson fumbled a completion and the Giants recovered at the 50.

Then Big Blue rammed Ahmad Bradshaw down the throats of the Lions with a 45 yard run to the Lions 13. Two plays later, Brandon Jacobs scored his second TD of the day, this one from six yards out to give the Giants a 28-17 lead, all but ending the game.

Eli Manning was sharp for the most part. 20 of 30 for 177 yards and two touchdowns, Manning did just enough to get the Giants past a fiesty Lions team.

For the Lions this is their fourth loss of eight points or less. They have been a play here and a play there away from being 5-1, but then again remember, you are what your record says you are.

No comeback this time; Yankees fall to Rangers to even up series

RANGERS 7
YANKEES 2

There was no amazing comeback this time around for the New York Yankees. For the second straight day, the Bombers fell behind 5-0, but this time the Rangers held on for a 7-2 victory to even up the ALCS at a game apiece.

David Murphy had a big day for the Rangers. His solo homer in the second gave Texas a 2-0 lead; then in the third Murphy doubled to right to drive in Nelson Cruz to give the Rangers a 4-0 lead.

The Yankees tried to make a comeback when Lance Berkman's single drove in Ronbinson Cano to cut it to 5-1, but the Rangers bullpen shut down the Yankees for the final four and a third innings to close out the victory.

Game three will feature Cliff Lee against Andy Pettitte, Monday night.

Yankees Stun Rangers, Take Game One

YANKEES 6
RANGERS 5

This is the M.O. of the New York Yankees. No matter what the score. No matter what inning. No matter whether game is at Yankee Stadium, or on the road, the Yankees are never ever out of a game.

The Texas Rangers learned that the hard way as they watched their 5-0 lead over the Yankees in game one of the ALCS erased in the eighth inning as the Yankees stole the game 6-5 to take a 1-0 series lead.

The comeback started in the seventh when Robinson Cano homered to cut the Rangers lead to 5-1. Then the Yankees poured it on in the eighth. Derek Jeter's double down the third baseline brought home Brett Gardner from second to cut the lead to three.

Later in the inning Alex Rodriguez's single plated both Jeter and Nick Swisher to cut the lead to 5-4. The Yankees tied it on a Cano single to drive in Mark Teixiera to stun all in attendance in Arlington. Finally, Marcus Thames who has been clutch all postseason came through with the game winning hit, on an RBI single to drive in Cano.

Cano went 3-for-4 with the homer and two RBI. The potential AL MVP was brilliant yet again in the clutch for New York.

Mariano Rivera shut down the Rangers in the ninth to close the game out.

Kudos to the Yankees bullpen of Joba Chamberlain, Dustin Moseley, Kerry Wood, and Rivera, who shut the Rangers out for the final five innings of the game, after CC Sabathia was shelled by the Rangers for five runs in four innings.

Favre throws away comeback, as Jets beat old QB & Vikings

JETS 29

VIKINGS 20

It wasn't pretty, but for the Jets revenge was sweet as the Jets avenged Brett Favre, the quarterback that used them as a pit-stop between Green Bay and Minnesota, and was the reason for the Jets collapse in the 2008 season, with a 29-20 victory, highlighted by a interception thrown by Favre to seal the deal for the Jets.

Typically, NFL players are used to playing in the rain, but thunder and lightening ravaged the area for more than two hours beginning at 7:30, postponing the start of the game to 9:18.

The Jets greeted Favre, who had inundated with a sexual harassment controversy about former Jets employee Jen Sterger and a masseuse, rudely with a load ovation of boos from the crowd, and constant pressure all night long from the Jets defense.

The Jets sacked Favre four times on the night. In the first half alone the Jets blitz the heck out of the 41-year-old, knocking him down repeatedly as he was in the process of letting go of the football. Drew Coleman got the first sack of Favre early in the first quarter, charging in from the corner blitz, spun Favre around and smashed him to the turf.

Offensively, the Jets had some problems. Whether it was the wet ball, or great coverage by the Minnesota secondary, the Jets receivers just could not hold on to the football. Santonio Holmes had two huge drops in the first half, and Braylon Edwards dropped what would have been a first down at the 10 yard line. Even Dustin Keller and Jerricho Cothery were dropping Mark Sanchez's percise throws.

As a result, the Jets were forced to settle for field goals; three of them in the first half to take a 9-0 lead into the locker room.

Then, it got really interesting.

With New York up 12-0 in the third the Vikings offense awoke, when Favre hit his newest weapon Randy Moss from 37 yards out to cut the deficit to 12-7.

The Jets caught a break after the botched kickoff by the Vikings, spotting the ball at the Minnesota 19 yard line, but the Jets offense stalled, and was once again forced to settle for three points from Nick Folk.

With 9:30 remaining it was more than enough time for Favre to work some late fourth quarter magic.

First Adrian Peterson ripped off runs of 30 and 10 yards to move the ball to the Jets 25, then Favre hit a wide open Percy Harvin, who broke the blown coverage of Darrelle Revis for the touchdown. The Vikings tried to tie the game, but Favre's pass was picked off by Antonio Cromartie, preserving the Jets slim lead.

The Jets had to answer and they did. Two big catches by Braylon Edwards (16 yards) and Jerricho Cotchery (10 yards) set the Jets up at the Minnesota 39. LaDainian Tomlinson chugged for 16 yards to the 23, and Shonn Greene finished it off with a 22 yard touchdown to make it 22-13.

It appeared that the Jets had escaped, but not so fast.

Favre led the Vikings right back down the field, keyed by a 33 yard pass to Greg Lewis to the Jets six. Two plays later, Favre found Harvin again for the touchdown to cut the deficit back down to two.

After the Jets failed to move the football, the Vikings got one last shot at completing the comeback. It appeared that the Favre would get away with it, but the Jets put a nice rush on Favre to force some incomplete throws, including one huge incompletion to Harvin on second and 10. It was big because Revis fell down. If Havin caught that ball, he would have had 40 yards of clearance to run.

Then in typical Favre fashion, the quarterback ended the game the only way he knows fit, throwing a interception. He did so in the NFC title game in 2007-2008 against the Giants. He destroyed the Jets season two years ago with costly interceptions late in games, and last year threw a game ending pick to New Orleans in the NFC title game.

Dwight Lowery came up with the pick and dashed into the endzone for the game winning touchdown, killing Favre's hopes of a comeback.

The Jets are now 4-1 with a commanding lead on first place in the AFC East. Minnesota falls to 1-3.

Giants decimate Houston's high powered offense

GIANTS 34

TEXANS 10

The Giants have been a strange team to watch this year. At times lifeless, and two weeks removed from a 29-10 meltdown to the Tennessee Titans, the Giants creamed the Houston Texans 34-10 in what could be a turning point to their season.


Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks won the day for Big Blue. Nicks had 130 yard receiving and two first half touchdowns as the Giants built an insurmountable 21-0 lead early. Manning threw for 297 yards, three TD's and two INT's on the day.



Even Brandon Jacobs got into the action, carrying the ball ten times for 41 yards and a touchdown.



The Giants defense was spectatular. They shut down Andre Johnson holding him to five catches for 95 yards, and blanking him for zero catches in the first half. Adrian Foster, the Texans dynamic running back did nothing; held to 25 yards on 11 carries.



Matt Schaub the Texas Pro Bowl quarterback? Putrid. 16 of 34 for 196 yards and an interception. The Giants sacked him three times, two belonged to Osi Umineyora and one to Justin Tuck. Box score.

The Giants 3-2 are now tied with the Washington Redskins for first in the NFC East. What looked so bleak a couple weeks ago, looks so promising now for Big Blue. The Giants face the 1-4 Lions at new Giants Stadium next week; if they should be 4-2, the Giants will be set to roll before facing their first divisional clash, against the Dallas Cowboys on a Monday night.

Yankees sweep Twins again, move on to ALCS again

YANKEES 6
TWINS 1

The Yankees find ways to make October boring sometimes don't they.

The Yankees once against swept away the punchless Minnesota Twins in the first round of the American League playoffs, to advance to the ALCS for the second straight year.

Unlike last season's ALDS which had some drama, this series was over after game one. The competitive nature of the series went out the door on Mark Tiexiera's go-ahead homer in game one that led to a 6-4 victory.

Game three was fait accompli, as the Yankees blasted the Twins 6-1. There was no excessive on-field celebration. No champaign sprayed on the fans, it was business as usual for the Bronx Bombers as they now have to wait at least a day to find out whether they will play the Texas Rangers or Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS.

Everyone in the Yankee lineup got a hit in game three, with its biggest star being Marcus Thames. Thames' two run shot in the fourth put the Yankees up 4-0. Jorge Posada and Teixeria had the first two RBI on the day. Then in the seventh, Nick Swisher cracked a solo shot to make it 5-0.

Phil Hughes, making his first postseason start was brilliant. Seven innings of four hit ball, walking one and striking out six. Hughes is 19-8 on the season, as he displayed the command and poise that he has all season.

Suddenly the worts, i.e. A.J. Burnett, Ian Nova, and Javier Vasquez, the inexperience of Hughes and Andy Pettitte's injury are long distance memories for the Yankees. Their pitching staff looks solid, and they look destined again to go to the World Series.

Jets to Honor Monday Night Miracle at halftme

The Jets are pulling out all the stops to honor their most recent past.

At halftime of the Jets/Vikings game, the Jets will honor the 2000 Jets team who came back from a 30-7 deficit to stun the Miami Dolphins 40-37 in the Monday Night Miracle.

Most remember that game for Jumbo Elliots juggling touchdown catch that tied the game and sent it into overtime.

The Jets will welcome back 20 members of that team including Vinny Testaverde, who is to speak to the crowd at halftime, Elliot, Curtis Martin, Wayne Chrebet, Laverneous Coles, Ray Lucas, John Hall, Victor Green, Marvin Jones and Dedric Ward among others. The biggest name missing from the list is Kevin Mawae, the Jets long time center.

Yankees putting nails on Twins coufin

YANKEES 5

TWINS 2

This baby is all but over.

Once again the sight of the interlocking NY is too much to bare for the Minnesota Twins, as the Yankees grabbed their second striaght game from the Twins in less than 24 hours to take a 2-0 series lead in the ALDS.

The Yankees are getting contributions from everyone. Last night, Mark Teixiera's two run blast put the Bombers in front for good, 6-4; tonight it was Lance Berkman.

With the game tied at one in the fifth, Berkman cracked a solo homerun to center to give New York a 2-1 lead. Berkman has come under a lot of scrutiny for his hitting since coming over from the Houston Astros, July 31, but tonight he was 2-of-4 with the homer and two RBI. He is offically a Yankee.

Things weren't easy. Orlando Hudson, that's right the same Orlando Hudson who wanted to come to the Mets, homered in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at two.

Andy Pettitte had his best start since coming off the DL late last month, going seven innings giving up five hits and two runs, while striking out four. Pettitte is 12-3 on the season.

In the seventh, Berkman broke things open with a RBI double to left to drive in Jorge Posada to make it 3-2. Then, Derek Jeter knocked in Berkman with a single to right-center.

Mariano Rivera came into close the door in typical Rivera fashion in the ninth to give the Yankees the victory.

The series moves to the Bronx for game three where the Yankees look to shut down the Twins, Saturday night. Phil Hughes gets the start.

WATCH OUT FOR TEXAS: Don't look now, but the Texas Rangers hold a 2-0 series edge on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rangers return to Texas on Saturday looking for the sweep. The Rangers have never won a playoff series in their 38 years of existence.

Randy Moss to be traded back to Minnesota Vikings

In a move that will not only shake up the AFC East, but will have serious repercussions on Monday nights Jets vs. Vikings match-up, the New England Patriots are close to trading Randy Moss to Minnesota.

Moss has ruffled feathers in New England with his demands for a better contract, highlighted when Moss told the media he was unhappy in New England after a week 1 victory against Cincinnati.

Three weeks ago, Moss hooked up against Jets cornerback Darrell Revis; the two have become quite the rivalry over the last couple years, as Moss caught a one handed touchdown over Revis, who injured his hamstring.

With Revis healthy he will once again cover Moss, only this time it will be earlier than expected. With Moss in Minnesota it adds another dimension that the Jets have to game for. They already have to deal with Adrian Peterson, and their ole' mate Brett Favre. Now Moss will be added to the mix.

It figures to be a night full of starstuded action come Monday when the Jets and Vikes collide.

Is New England committing suicide here by trading Moss? Essentially yes! Without Moss, Wes Welker, who is really a slot receiver becomes that number one target that people will cover. This opens the door for Julian Edelman, who is a nice possession receiver in his own right, as well as tight end Aaron Hernandez who has been a big contributor for the Pats this year.

Were the Pats scheming to trade Moss to Minnesota in time for him to reek havoc on the Jets, thinking that Revis wouldn't be a 100%, so they can gain ground, even with a bye week? Umm, that might be reaching a bit, but with Bill Belichick, A.K.A." Mr. Paranoid" you never know.

Sack machines: Giants D destroys Jay Cutler & Bears

GIANTS 17
BEARS 3

The Giants rebounded in a big way from their 29-10 loss to the Titans with a dominating defensive effort against the Chicago Bears, as the G-Men racked up 10 sacks of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

Osi Umineyora and Justin Tuck led the way with three sacks each, as the Giants had their biggest sack day in three seasons when Umineyora recorded six sacks of then-Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb.

The Giants needed Tuck and Umineyora to step as the leaders of this defensive unit. They are the most visible returning defensive players from the Giants Super Bowl XLII title run, and with Michael Strahan and Antonio Pierce no longer at Giants Stadium, the G-Men need these two to play like this more often.

The Giants held the Bears to six first downs and 110 total yards of offense on the night.

Offensively the Giants didn't do much. They held a 3-0 lead into the third quarter, before getting touchdown runs from Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs to pad a 17-3 lead.

Are the Giants all the way back? Not sure yet, they have a big test this weekend in Houston, when the face the offensive firepower of the Texans. If the Giants win that game, then we will be talking.

Rays win AL East title; Yankees have to settle for Wild Card

With the Yankees losing to the Boston Red Sox 8-4, Sunday, it opened the door for the Tampa Bay Rays to take advantage and capture the division title away from the World Champions.

The Rays were down 2-0 to the Kansas City Royals before coming back to tie the game on Carlos Pena's double in the ninth. After Jeff Neiman struck out the side in the 11th, Kelly Shoppach reached on an error to drive in Rocco Baldelli with the winning run.

The Rays celebrated their AL East clinching day later...

Where does this put the Yankees? The Yankees are now the wild card and will head to Minnesota for the start of the division series starting Wednesday. Last season, the Yankees beat the Twins in four games in the division series en route to title number 27.

This time it will be a new season. The Twins may be missing Justin Morneau,again, but they have the second best record in the AL, and will get a chance to play the Yankees in their brand new stadium to start the series.

The Twins have gotten great performances all year from the likes of Jon Rauch who closed games in the first half of the year for the Twins when they lost Joe Nathan for the season, and former Yankee Carl Pavano has been great for the Twinkies this season.

The Yankees enter October in a big slump. They have lost two in a row, and lost 17 of their last 25. Pitching has been a concern. Andy Pettitte hasn't really been himself since returning from a groin injury. Phil Hughes has logged in a ton of innings, and A.J. Burnett and Javier Vasquez have been putrid. Even Derek Jeter had a big slump during the month of September.

The best thing about the Yankees right now is C.C. Sabathia and his 21 wins. They will need him to get win number 22 Wednesday if they want to get their season turned around in the right direction.

Tomlinson leads Jets to victory over Bills

JETS 38
BILLS 14

LaDainian Tomlinson has reversed the aging process. Tomlinson rushed for 133 with 19 carries and two touchdowns to lead Gang Green to a 38-14 smackdown of the Buffalo Bills, as the Jets improved to 3-1 on the season.

Tomlinson, who got the start at halfback, was running with a purpose from the get go. On the opening drive Tomlinson had carries of 13 and 15 yards to set the Jets up at the Bills 26. After catching a 10 yard swing pass from Mark Sanchez, Tomlinson dove into the endzone for a 1 yard run to give the Jets a 7-0 lead.

Mark Sanchez had another stellar performance. Sanchez was 14-of-24 for 161 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He has yet to throw a pick this year, compared to eight touchdown passes. In the second quarter, Sanchez hit a wide open Braylon Edwards down the sideline for a 45 yard touchdown to give the Jets a 17-0 lead.

Fast forward to the third quarter, the Jets scored three touchdowns in three minutes. Brad Smith hit Dustin Keller from two yards out; then Sanchez hit Keller from three yards out to make it 31-7. Finally, Tomlinson capped off the day with his signature 26 yard sprint as the Jets poured it on.

Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya To Be Fired

Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel will not return to the Mets in 2011, according to WFAN/SNY/ Sports Illustrated baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Minaya will have an option to stay in the organization in a reduced role, depending on who the Mets bring in to be the GM.

John Ricco, who served as Minaya's assistant GM, could be the favorite to land the job, but, then again the Mets could go outside the organization.

If the Mets get a GM from the outside, one would hope they can pick their own manager. Rumors are that Wally Backman could be the Wilpons choice to be the manager since he is cheaper, in spite of the fact that Bobby Valentine and Joe Torre are also available.