COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

On Saturday the Jets announced that they had no intention of bringing back Braylon Edwards to the team; instead, Number 17 will be worn by former Giant Plaxico Burress . Burress signed with the New York Jets in a one year $3 million deal to become the team's deep threat wide receiver this season. Burress, who finished a 21 month sentence for shooting himself in a New York nightclub back in 2008, returns to New York as a Jet. Burress met with Giants coach Tom Coughlin on Friday, and it was reported that it was a good meeting between the two. However, Burress always felt uncomfortable around Coughlin, not taking well to the coach's disciplinary ways, harboring a strong desire to rebel against him: he was always late to meetings, and, at times, he lacked a strong work ethic on the field and in practice. While some in Giants circles wanted Burress back, some didn't, especially Eli Manning who never called Burress to recruit him back to the Giants, and, when asked about it, Mann...

BREAKING NEWS: Prized free agent corner back Nnamdi Asomugha has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. This was the team that many thought that would sign him when the lockout was in place. The Eagles hid in the weeds, as it was speculated that the Jets and Cowboys were the favorites to land him. Now the Eagles have a sick secondary with Asomugha, Dominic Rogers Cromartie, and Asante Samuel. Wow.

The Jets are no longer in the sweepstakes for Nnamdi Asomugha according to NFL Network. The former Raiders cornerback dragged the Jets along all week long, to the point that Gang Green was risking the possibility of losing out on its most important free agent pursuits --- its own players. The Dallas Cowboys have heard two things. One they heard that they are the team, and they have also heard that they are out of the Asomugha sweepstakes as well. The Jets have to focus on their own players. They must sign Braylon Edwards, have to re-sign Antonio Cromartie, a defensive end and even a back-up quarterback. The Jets have bigger fish to fry. They really didn't need Asomugha. They had the top corner in the NFL in Revis, and all they needed to do was bring back Cromartie or a comparable cornerback. Some Jet fans will be disappointed that they won't have the dynamic duo of Revis and Asomugha in their secondary, but fact is, banking $30 million in two players who play the same position ...

A month and a half before they play each other on opening day, the Jets and Cowboys are going at in a bidding war for cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. After the Houston Texans fell out of the bidding for Asomugha last night when the signed former Bengal Jonathan Joesph, it was assumed that the Jets and 49ers were the favorites for Asomugha's services. Now it appears that San Francisco is out of the bidding, and in their stead the Dallas Cowboys have swooped in. For the Jets, this situation couldn't get worse. Gang Green has made it their mission this week to sign Asomugha, even negotiating with him on Wednesday, and they have yet to hear back from him. That is not a good sign for the Jets, considering the team has pushed its more valuable chips in Brad Smith, Braylon Edwards and Antonio Cromartie to the side to get this done. It was stunning to say the least that the Jets decided to go so hard for Asomugha. They didn't have the money to make him the top corner in the NFL, and al...

The worst case scenario for the New York Jets has played out with regard to wide receiver/kick-returner/quarterback Brad Smith . The versatile football player will return to the AFC East this year, but not with the Jets. He will play for the rival Buffalo Bills this season, after growing tired of waiting for the Jets to come to him with a contract offer. The Bills offered Smith three years for $15 million, and he will serve in various capacities for the Bills, from a return man to wide receiver and quarterback. Don't be surprised to see Smith under center more often in Buffalo. The Bills quarterback situation is quite muddled with Tyler Thigpen and Ryan Fitzpatrick ahead of Smith on the depth chart. Smith has a big time arm, and his scrambling ability will make him a dangerous weapon. While Smith had his moments with the Jets, he was underutilized with them. The Jets had a hard time finding the right schemes and packages to use Smith, and now under the tutelage of Chan Gailey, an o...

Mathias Kiwanuka will return to the Giants this season. Big Blue and the defensive end agreed to brand two year contract, even though the deal is incentive laden, considering Kiwanuka 's injury history. Last fall Kiwanuka missed most of the year with a herniated disc in his neck, but is healthy now. The Giants need Kiwanuka even more now, especially with Osi Umenyiora holding out once again because of his contract. Umenyiora will hold out of camp this year until he gets a new contract. He did this once before, until ultimately getting a restructured deal. Perhaps it is time for the Giants to move on without Osi; Big Blue is usually laden with outside linebacker/defensive end talent, and they don't need this crybaby on the team. Meanwhile New York continues to negotiate with Ahmad Bradshaw, Kevin Boss and Steve Smith. They are all free agents, and it appears more and more likely that they will return. If they do, this has been a fantastic job by Giants GM Jerry Reese. The Giants...

The Carlos Beltran era is almost over in New York, as the Mets are on the cusp of completing a deal to send the right fielder to the San Francisco Giant s for Zach Wheeler and other prospects to be named. Beltran has been the jewel of the Giants eyes for weeks now, which were heightened around the All Star break when Beltran was wined and dined by Bruce Bochey and the Giants, when Beltran traveled with the Giants contingent to Arizona. The Giants need Beltran's bat in the middle of their lineup, they have one of MLB's worst offenses. With Beltran in town, the Giants will be a huge favorite to return to the World Series. Beltran has solid postseason numbers. He is a lifetime .366 hitter in October with 11 homers and 19 RBI with a .485 OBP. Beltran had a huge postseason for the Astros in 2004, carrying that team to the brink of the World Series that season. However in 2006 with the Mets, Beltran was best remembered for striking out looking against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinal...

It is now official, the Jets will retain Santonio Holmes long term, after both sides agreed to a five year contract extension . Details of the deal are not available, but the Jets can rest easy knowing they have their number one receiver locked up. Holmes became a crucial part to the Jets success last season, hauling in clutch catches and game winning scores like it was going out of style. The former Super Bowl MVP with the Steelers, was the jewel of the Jets free agency plans all off-season. Now the Jets are looking to re-sign the likes of Brad Smith, Braylon Edwards, and maybe maybe Nnamdi Asomugha, free agent cornerback of the Raiders. Great job by the Jets for getting the deal done. There were concerns that the Redskins would nab Holmes, but when Washington re-signed Santana Moss, it was clear that Holmes' chances of remaining a Jet were very high.

Multiple sources are saying this morning that the New York Jets are busy talking to two of the NFL's biggest free agents. First, and more importantly one of them is their own free agent in Santonio Holmes. ESPN reports that Gang Green is busy working with Holmes in contract talks. There is nothing imminent. Holmes was on the Redskins wire as their top free agent target, but Washington re-signed Santana Moss last night to a mega deal, which could put a damper on them signing Holmes too. We shall see, especially with Dan Snyder's pockets. Meanwhile the Star Ledger is reporting that the Jets are in negotiations with Nnamdi Asomugha, the talented cornerback from the Oakland Raiders. Asomugha is considered the second best corner in the NFL behind Darrell Revis, and the Jets want to pair both of them together long term. Asomugha is looking for a deal over $11 million per year, which is what Revis is making; the Jets probably don't want to exceed that much, especially considering...

In a move to get younger on the offensive line, the New York Giants released both Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert in the first of many moves by Big Blue today. Both Seubert and O'Hara were mainstays on the Giants offensive line for the past decade, but last season dealt with various leg injuries that caused them to miss significant time. The Giants are $6.1 million over the salary cap, according to ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton. O'Hara was due $3.45 million in base salary for this season. Seubert was scheduled to make $2.25 million in base salary. It is uncertain whether the Giants may bring one or both back at less money. There is the chance that both players could return once the Giants get under the cap, however, getting younger is going to be very important for big blue. The Giants drafted only one offensive lineman in the draft, and the Giants will have to look around in free agency if they want to fill those key spots. Seubert was huge for the Giants last...

For months we have heard how important this free agent period would be for the New York Jets when the lockout was lifted. Well with the lockout a thing of the past, NFL teams are now welcome to begin signing free agents, as training camps begin to open this week. The Jets don't open training camp until Sunday, and by that time this team could have a drastically different feel to it. The Jets have 17 free agents, most notably Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith, Antonio Cromartie and David Harris. While Harris has a franchise tag, and is likely to return to Gang Green this season, the others are not. Speculation is rampant that Holmes, the Jets number one free agent priority, is heading to Washington to play for the Redskins. Even though Holmes' agent says the wide receiver would love to return to New York, Washington owner Dan Snyder is notorious for nabbing Jets wide receivers, and is not shy about spending big money. Lossing Holmes would be a disaster for the Jets. W...

The New York Giants are entering a critical juncture in their 2011 season, and the league year is only a couple hours old. Once the lockout was lifted late Monday, all training facilities and football operations were back in business Tuesday morning, and teams are now free to begin signing their own free agents. Every team has a plethora of free agent talent waiting to be signed, but right now the Giants are in a tough spot. With 16 free agents, most of whom are key contibuters to the Giants chances, Big Blue has to find a way to keep their stars in place. Ahmad Bradshaw, the talented running back, who burst open as a starter with over 1,200 yards rushing is a free agent. The Giants liked employing the two back strategy, using Bradshaw as its primary back, and Brandon Jacobs as the change of pace back. Jacobs, although a malcontent is still with Big Blue, but that might not be the case with Bradshaw. Rumors swirled last week that Bradshaw would sign with the Miami Dolphins, which would...

Apparently the Philadelphia Eagles want to become the latest team that becomes a breeding ground for the NFL's escaped convicts and total morons. We have grown used to the Bengals, Raiders and Jets for this distinction, now the Eagles are set to join them, especially if they convince Brett Favre out of retirement. Yes, the same guy who can never say never to playing football, and loves to take photos of...ummm...himself could be wearing Eagle green in a few weeks. And yes, the dog boy wonder himself, Michael Vick is endorsing the move. Favre who has been silent on a possible return, would fit into the Eagles plans as a back-up quarterback to Vick, should they trade Kevin Kolb. This would be the stupidest move in the history of the NFL. Why would the Eagles, who have a terrible offensive line to begin with, hinge their season on Brett Favre, should Michael Vick gets injured? And trust me, Vick will get hurt especially with all the hits he takes on a night in-night out basis. Favre ...

The NFL lockout is now a thing of the past...finally and officially! The NFL owners and players struck a deal Sunday afternoon to end the four and a half month long lockout, now all that waits is the ratification of the document on Monday and training camps and free agency are free to begin this week. Owners tentatively agreed to a players-recommended plan for the NFLPA to bring players into team facilities starting as early as Wednesday to physically vote on whether to recertify the current trade association as a union, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton. The players' executive committee will meet in Washington on Monday, a move that, according to a high-ranking NFLPA official, was not communicated to the NFLPA executive committee until Saturday morning via phone. Following that, a recommendation has to be made by the 32 player representatives, likely via conference call. As of late Saturday night, no time had been set for that vote, but it is expected to occur Mo...

Hold your horses everyone, before you go out and start hunting for tickets to football games this fall, the NFL lockout is still very much in place for the foreseeable future. The NFL Players Association refuses to vote on the new CBA that was passed by the owners last night, claiming that the owners had changed several things in the proposal without consulting the players first. The players also claim that the owners are violating federal law by proposing a 10 ye ar agreement to recertification of the union, which would shield the owners from anti-trust litigation for the next decade. "The owners hoped that call would end in a ratification vote, but it ended instead with the players breathing fire about a perceived last-minute power play designed to rush them into a quick decision or risk the wrath of public opinion. So much for the owners' hopes of lifting the lockout for player workouts as soon as tomorrow and starting a shortened free-agency period next Wednesday,...

The 2011 season is set to begin after the owners ratified the new collective bargaining agreement by a vote of 31-0 , with only the Oakland Raiders abstaining. It figures that the Raiders would be the one team to not vote, considering how badly Al Davis has been running that franchise, but it is kind of surprising that all the other teams voted in favor of the CBA, considering the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals were all against the initial drafting of the CBA last month. Now it is up to the players to ratify the CBA and the lockout will end. There are still some difficulties in the way. The players have to recertify as a union, then they have to get all of the plantiffs in the lawsuits to agree to drop their charges. Once that is d one, the players union will vote on the CBA, and pass it. If the players pass the 600 page agreement as soon as possible, then the NFL preseason, especially the Hall of Fame game on August 7 will be saved. There...

The NFL owners are in Atlanta tonight and are prepared to vote on the new Collective Bargining Agreement and will send it to the players to vote on it either tonight or tomorrow. On Wednesday the players were expected to vote on the CBA, but didn't do it. The players have some obstacles in the way before the ratify the piece of NFL legislation. The players have to vote on clearing past all lawsuits and settlements, such as Brady et al. vs. the NFL, then they have to agree to recertify as a union. The players decertified in March as a move to sue the NFL at the beginning of this fiasco. At 8 pm tonight the players are expected to hold a conference call where a vote could take place. Keep in mind that DeMaurice Smith TKO'd all momentum today, when he said that there would not be a major announcement, and that recertifiy as a union is a big issue that has to be resolved. Once the players recertifiy, if they do it today, tomorrow, or Saturday, then they can vote on the CBA. "....

When free agency begins next week after the new CBA is ratified by the players union and owners, the Jets could come up snake eyes when it comes to re-signing their most important players. Reports have surfaced this week that the Washington Redskins are hot on the trail of Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Redskins owner Dan Snyder is no stranger to nabbing ex-Jets, he did so successfully with Lavernous Coles, John Hall, and Santana Moss over the years, and now it appears he is ready to make Holmes one of the games top paid players during this blitzkrieg off-season. Snyder loves to throw money around, even if the results blow up in his face. With the salary cap around $123 million for 2011, Snyder will have the cap room to make big moves this season, especially if the Skins let go of malcontent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Meanwhile, Antonio Cromartie said that he will not sign with the Jets, when he is given 72 hours to sign with them in a "take-it-or-leave-it" neg...

While the NBA remains in complete lockdown over their players/owners lockout, the NBA revealed its schedule for the 2011-2012 season, and with it, both the Knicks and Nets have some intriguing matchups for the new season. The Knicks were resurrected last year with the additions of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Even though they finished 42-40 and got swept by the Celtics in the playoffs, it didn't do much to dim what was a promising step forward for the Knicks. For the first time in years, the Knicks were a watchable basketball team, and it should get better if and when the NBA returns later this year. Of course there are the front office issues, as usual, with the Knicks especially after Donnie Walsh left the team without an extension. Is this the return year for Isiah Thomas? I sure hope not. Anyhow, the Knicks open the season in grand style with a matchup at the Garden on November 2 against the (cough ... cough) Miami Heat, A.K.A. the Kings of the Choke. That's right ...

Peter DeBoer will be the latest person to call himself head coach of the New Jersey Devils, or at the very least, the latest to keep the seat warm until Lou Lamoriello changes his mind and fires him like he has done with just about everyone else. DeBoer, 43, spent three years as head coach of the Florida Panthers, a team he never led to the playoffs. He hopes for a fresh start in New Jersey, taking over a team that missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. It should be interesting to see how long DeBoer lasts, taking into consideration Lamoriello's impatient trigger finger. Case in point: they have had four different head coaches the last two years combined! In fact, the Devils have had only one head coach last more than three years: Pat Burns 2002-2005. DeBoer shouldn't get too comfortable, if you know what I'm sayin'.

In a extremely fast turnaround, NFL owners and players have gone from canceling the entire pre-season to possibly ending the four month long lockout as soon as early next week . Sources say today that both sides are moving closer to a completed deal that will take effect almost immediately, and bring football back. When the league announces that the deal has been struck, free agency will begin almost immediately, with training camp following. The new CBA will be 7-10 years in length. Issues that could be holding things up are resolution in the Brady et al vs. NFL lawsuit. On Thursday the two sides agreed to a new rookie wage scale . Another hurdle they agreed on was a $120 million salary cap for this up coming season. ESPN reports that they will put together the paperwork over the next two days, and then head to Minnesota to work with the judges to end the litigation process that submerged this lockout into very bleak conditions. By Thursday of next week , after the players and owners ...

The first chip has fallen for the New York Mets this evening. While the NL was busy beating the AL in the All Star game 5-1, the Mets pulled off their first trade of this busy July 31 trade deadline, by shipping troubled closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for two players to be named and cash. Rodriguez will not close for the Brewers, but will instead set up for John Axford. Milwaukee was one of the destinations that K-Rod had no power to veto, making it easier for the Mets to get rid of him and his vesting $17.5 million option. This means that he will become a free agent after this season. Rodriguez wore out his welcome in New York when he beat up his ex-girlfriend's father outside Citi Field, leading to his arrest. He pitched well this year, but it was clear the Mets wanted him off the team. Next up is Carlos Beltran and possibly Jose Reyes, who will be dealt this month as the Mets try to cut payroll because of their bankrupt ownership.

When Derek Jeter's 3000th hit landed in the stands, it was a question of who caught it, and what he would do with the ball. Would that person hold the ball up for big money? Would he try to keep it? Thankfully, 23 year-old Christian Lopez didn't leave us hanging for long. Lopez did the right thing and willingly gave Jeter the baseball. He didn't want any money, didn't want any glory, he just wanted to reward Jeter for a career of hard work. "He deserves this; he's worked hard for this . . . I'm not the type of person to take this away from him," Lopez told Michael Kay during the YES Network broadcast. Lopez, who works for Verizon Wireless, got the magical game tickets from his girlfriend. Lopez will get four passes to a suite for the rest of the regular season, including post season and World Series tickets. He will even get front row tickets to Sunday afternoon's contest in the Bronx. Don't think the accolades will stop there. WFAN wanted to ...

Some players shrink under the pressure of a milestone, going on long hittless droughts before they finally get that magic hit. Whether it be 3,000 hits, 400 or 500 homeruns. Consistently we see players choke up on the bat as they approach that milestone. Not Derek Jeter. Not the man who made pressure situations look routine through the course of a 16 year major league career, that includes five World Series rings and a World Series MVP in 2000. After singling in the first inning to capture 2,999, Jeter didn't let the sell out crowd at Yankee Stadium wait too long for that magic 3,000th hit. With the Rays leading 1-0 in the third inning, Jeter cracked a no doubt-about-it homerun into the the left field bleachers to tie the game and capture his 3,000th hit. Three men battled for the ball, and at this point it is unknown who has the ball, and whether or not Yankee Stadium security found that person to retrieve the ball for Jeter. After crossing home plate, Jeter was mobbed by his Yank...

In the first at bat of today's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter lined a single to left center to capture his 2,999th career hit. He is now just one hit away from 3,000. Yankee Stadium stood up and cheered each pitch during the eight pitch at bat against Rays' ace David Price. The game is scoreless in the bottom of the first inning.

Hence another example why optimistic rumors from this insane NFL Lockout should be taken with a grain of salt. For the past week, the NFL spewed out information that the owners and players were very close to putting an end to the lockout and that discussions would continue through the entire weekend. Well, late Friday word comes out that the discussions have become "frustrating" as " little to no progress has been made on the core issues," according to NFL.com. That means that the players still feel they are being cheated out by the owners when it comes to revenue, and that there are still owners who feel they aren't making enough money. Now what appeared to be the end of the lockout will continue deep into next week, most likely, with talks now set to resume Monday morning. Most of the owners have enforced a strict July 15 deadline to get a deal done. If a new CBA is not reached, then summer training camp and pre-season football will likely be canceled. The NFL...

Of what should be of no surprise the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out a ruling to lift the NFL Lockout, citing that the NFL conducted the appropriate measures in locking the players out of the league due to no new CBA. Where does this leave the NFL, its players, owners, and fans? Well, both sides have to continue to negotiate. That's it. Both sides have been meeting as recently in New York City, and plan to meet through the weekend to hammer out a possible deal. The huge point of contention has been revenue sharing. The owners initially agreed to share moneys 52-48 with players getting only 48 % of revenue. However, once the NFLPA calculated the funds they would receive, it came out to less than 45 % of actual revenue, causing the discussions to fall apart last week. Both sides feel a ton of pressure to get this deal done. Rumors are that Tuesday or Wednesday of next week could be the final days to hammer out an agreement. If the two sides don't have a deal in pl...

Only the Mets would do something this sneaky as a way to decrease the value of their superstar short stop. When Jose Reyes strained his hamstring, Saturday night against the Yankees it was not a good sign, at least for the on-the-field play of the Mets. Reyes, who is hitting .354, is having the year of his life, and has been a catalyst in the Mets surprisingly good season thus far. Even though the Mets haven't missed a beat over the past four days, winning the finale against the Yankees, and three in Los Angeles to climb to a season high three games over .500, they would love to have Reyes in the lineup. The Met aren't ready to DL Reyes. Reports from ESPN state that the Mets will try to keep Reyes active, with the hope that he is ready for their season against Philadelphia after the All Star Break. In a way the injury comes at a good time, with teams set to break up for four days for the All Star festivities. Thus giving Reyes more time to rest and heal. Still the injury is a g...

Ahhh, what is a summer without the, now, annual Favre Watch. Brett Favre might be getting that itch to make a return to the NFL, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Brandt believes that Favre is looking forward to the idea of another comeback, possibly with the Vikings, who drafted Christian Ponder in the draft, and still have Joe Webb, who impressed down the stretch last season. It's hard to believe that any team would be interested in the 42 year old quarterback, who ended his iron man streak of consecutive starts last December because of a shoulder injury. Favre looked like a defeated old man, and any team that brings him in would risk hurting the development of any young quarterback. Rumors have also spread that Carolina, Minnesota, and an NFC West team (think Arizona, or San Francisco) would be curious about Favre. I doubt Carolina will go for him, considering they drafted Auburn's Cam Newton. San Fran and Arizona would be the best places for Favre to go, especially the C...

Another annual addition of the idiotic MLB All Star Game has its rosters set, and to say the least the American League leans heavily toward the New York Yankees . The Yankees are sending a league high six players to the Mid-Summer Classic. Derek Jeter, who is injured is scheduled to start at short for the AL, while Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano round out the All Star infield. Curtis Granderson who is having a monster season with 21 homers is the starting center fielder for the AL. Mariano Rivera will make his annual return to the game as the league's closer. Russell Martin, who has play surprisingly well for the Yankees this year, will be the All Star reserve at catcher. Meanwhile the Mets are sending only two players to the game, two players, ironically, who probably won't be on the team by the end of the month in Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. Reyes who is first in the NL in most batting and on base categories has put together an MVP type year in the walk year of his cont...

So much for all that good will and happiness that was supposidly going on in the NFL. When the owners agreed to divey up a contract that would pay the players far less than what they were making the previous five seasons in the revenue stream, you had to figure that a quick resolution was too good to be true. Well, as it turns out the players are upset yet again. "Players calculate that under the owners' proposal, it would leave them with approximately with a 45 percent take on revenue, an "unacceptable" amount that one player source said "sets us back to March 11 ... before the lockout"(ESPN). Apparently... "Player sources contend the owners' terms changed when the two sides convened a day after owners met June 21 in Chicago. A source said the players went into Thursday's negotiating session with owners at the table, hoping to "get them back on track. They wouldn't move. It's disappointing"(ESPN). So here we go again. ...

Well, now two major professional sports are on lockout mode. The NBA joined the NFL in locking out its players from all team facilities for the foreseeable future after the NBA's collective bargaining agreement expired at midnight, July 1. The NBA, which had its most successful season in years, maybe even in a decade since the last NBA lockout in 1999, is now in as much limbo as the NFL is right now. "We had a great year in terms of the appreciation of our fans for our game. It just wasn't a profitable one for the owners, and it wasn't one that many of the smaller market teams particularly enjoyed or felt included in," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "The goal here has been to make the league profitable and to have a league where all 30 teams can compete." While the owners and players, again, battle over the share of billions of dollars, fans, sponsors, businesses and the journalist professions, in general, all lose out. Fans who have been paying...