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Showing posts from March, 2012

Jeremy Lin likey out for the season

Linsanity has ended as quickly as it began. Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who sparked a dying franchise and revitalized a frustrated fan base during the month of February, spawning "Linsanity" across the New York area, will likely miss the rest of the Knicks season with a torn meniscus in his knee. Lin will have surgery this week and will miss six weeks, which means that unless the Knicks win their first round playoff series at the end of the month, Lin won't see the court again this year. This is a huge blow to a team that has been struggling with injuries lately. While the Knicks have played well since Mike Woodsen took over, posting a 9-2 record including a 91-75 victory over Cleveland on Saturday night, the Knicks had already learned this week that they would be without the services of Amar'e Stoudemire for the remainder of the season with a back injury; meanwhile Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony have played through groin injuries. Said Lin before the Kni...

Michael Pineda gets bombed in final effort to make Yankees squad

When news came out Thursday that Yankees manager Joe Girardi was considering heading North with a rotation of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia while leaving either Ivan Nova or Michael Pineda out, it was enough to raise some eyebrows. Why? The Yankees spent the off-season expecting that both Nova and Pineda would be mainstays in the Yankees rotation once the 2012 season began. While that may still happen at some point this year, the fact that neither Pineda nor Nova have established themselves this spring leaves the question open as to which will start the year as the Yankees number five starter and which will toil in the minors. Nova pitched well on Thursday, dropping his astronomical ERA to 6.88, but Pineda was bombed Friday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. Pineda has struggled with his control all spring. He has had a hard time getting his fastball to the upper 90's, and he hasn't truly developed that secondary pitch. Against Phila...

Open Mike 03-30-12 Major League Baseball Preview

In the first hour of "The Open Mike Program" of March 30, Michael Cohen takes a look at the prospective rosters for both the Yankees and Mets. Can the Yankees get their starting rotation issues straightened out before the regular season? Are the Mets capable of overachieving this year?  Listen on Posterous ! In hour two, Michael welcomes in Warning Track co-host Karen Vankat to preview the entire MLB season. Listen via Posterous !

Giants will open 2012 vs. Cowboys

Atypical of the NFL owners meetings, they love to give NFL fans a small glimpse of what's to come this fall by highlighting a couple NFL games a month before the schedule is announced. Accordingly last night, the NFL made it known that the World Champion New York Giants will play host to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday September 5 at 8:30 on NBC. As most know, the game was originally scheduled for Thursday night, but since President Barack Obama is delivering his DNC speech on Thursday, NBC and the NFL decided to push the game back to Wednesday. This will mark the third straight Dallas-Giants game to be broadcast on NBC, which must be driving executives at FOX Sports nuts. This also marks the second straight year that the Giants open the season against the same team they closed out the previous season. In 2010, the G-Men finished the year at Washington, then opened 2011 in Washington. This past season, Big Blue closed out the regular season at home against Dallas, and now ...

Tebow introduced to New York/ New Jersey media

The bizzaro show that has become the New York Jets took a new wacky turn Monday when Tim Tebow was introduced as the new quarterback, er, back-up quarterback for Gang Green. While Tebow said a lot of the right things, like complimenting the Denver Broncos as a class organization and expressing the hope to develop a good relationship with Mark Sanchez, he share some interesting thoughts. 1) Tebow admitted that it was the Jets front office that wanted him to do this press conference. Neither Rex Ryan, Mike Tannenbaum nor Woody Johnson showed up for this presser, forcing Tebow to do a solo. Apparently, the trio was in Florida for the NFL meetings, but it leaves no excuse for them not to be there to support their coveted quarterback ... er ... back-up quarterback. 2) Tebow said that he wants to work hard and expand his role in the wild cat. Translation: Tebow expects to compete for the job with Mark Sanchez. There is a reason why Tebow chose to come to New Yo...

Joba Chamberlain likley out for 2012 season

Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain's road back to the Bronx made a wrong turn late last week, leading to debate about whether he will play at all this season. In a year when he was coming off Tommy Johns Surgery, Chamberlain did something only a Mets player could conceivably do, get injured while on a trampoline!  It happened Thursday night. While the image of a 250 pound man bouncing off a trampoline may cause an uninhibited giggle, the story is quiet serious.  Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle, and the bone burst through his skin; reports early on said the Yankees reliever lost a "life-threatening" amount of blood. Chamberlain was released from the hospital on Sunday after successful surgery and will be in a cast for six weeks. Joe Girardi is optimistic that Chamberlain could see mound-time by June. However, it is hard to imagine that Chamberlain will return this year. He was coming back from elbow surgery, which cost him the entire 2011 season...

Open Mike 03-23-12 Tim Tebow & N.Y. Jets

On this edition of "Open Mike," host Michael Cohen takes the Jets front office to the woodshed after the team acquired cult sensation Tim Tebow to be the "wild cat" quarterback. Are the Jets for real? How long will it take before Tebow overtakes Mark Sanchez as quarterback? Karen Vankat of "The Warning Track" joins Michael on the discussion. Listen to Part I ! In hour two of Open Mike from March 23, 2012, Michael Cohen and Karen Vankat welcome in Zig Fracassi of Sirius XM NFL Radio to talk about the Jets move for Tim Tebow, as well as a break down of the stiff penalities on the Saints bounty program. Mike and Karen then talk baseball with the Yankees, and Mets. Did Fred Wilpon get off easy in the Madoff case? Listen to Part II !

It's official: New York Jets acquire Tim Tebow

A wild and wacky day has come to a close and Tim Tebow is officially a New York Jet. Earlier today, the Jets swiftly agreed to a trade with the Denver Broncos for a fourth and sixth round pick; however, two hours after they apparently agreed to acquire Tebow, a stipulation in Tebow's contract that the Broncos had to pay $5 million to Denver in order to acquire him, the deal looked dead, and the Jets squabbled over the langauge of the stipulation. Here is the sick joke to all of this: the Jets hadn't read the fine print before agreeing to the trade!! Oops. The Jaguars and Rams jumped into the negotiations as the afternoon wore on, and as of 9:00 pm, the deal was completed with Tebow deciding to pick the Jets over his hometown Jaguars. What is surprising is that Tebow's brother tweeted that Tebow wanted to go home to Florida. But, the idea of the glitz and glamour was apparently too much to pass on for Tebow, who picks the J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS! More important, the...

Jets acquistion of Tim Tebow could fall through

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that there is an apparent hangup in the Jets-Broncos trade for Tim Tebow. Via Schefter's Twitter account : "Filed to ESPN (1): Denver and Jets have encountered hangup in language in Tim Tebow's contract that could nullify trade. (2) If the Tebow trade to Jets falls apart, St. Louis could wind up getting back into play. Sides sorting through details." So while Jets fans have been screaming the past two hours over the deal, it could be null and void fairly quickly.

Jets acquire Tim Tebow from Broncos

Now the Jets have two quarterbacks who can't throw a football into the side of a building. Tongue and cheek aside, the Jets have acquired former Broncos quarterback sensation Tim Tebow for a fourth and sixth round pick in this year's draft. Tebow, who lit the world on fire last season in Denver with miracle comebacks and a heavy dose of religion, became a cultural phenomenon overnight, but his inconsistency in throwing the football, poor completion percentage and awkward style of play became an albatross for Broncos GM John Elway and coach John Fox. Both had to deal with constant questioning about the progress of Tebow and an offense that wasn't getting it done; nonetheless, with smokes and mirrors, the Broncos found a way to win games and get to the postseason. With that, the Broncos were not convinced that Tebow was a franchise quarterback, and the only way they could quiet the Tebow fanatics was to go out and sign Peyton Manning, a future Hall of Famer to take over...

Peyton Manning picks Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning started his NFL career as a Colt. He will finish it as a Bronco. The four time MVP and Super Bowl XLI MVP will take his talents to the Rocky Mountains, after telling his agent Tom Condon to begin negotiations with Denver. Kudos to GM John Elway for pulling this off. He put together a full court press effort to bring Manning to Denver, and didn't let delusional Bronco fans high opinion of Tim Tebow delude his decision making. Manning will take over a team that needs help at several key positions like wide receiver and tight end, but Denver has enough cap room to afford Manning and sign former Steelers receiver Mike Wallace, and Manning's old teammate Dallas Clark, if they should choose. The question now is what happens to Tebow? Tebow's fate could hinge on what former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith does. Smith is negotiating with the Miami Dolphins and may feel spurned by the 49ers and won't return there. If that's the case, Tebow could end up in...

Wilpon's settle in Madoff suite

Either in a move of fear of culpability on part of the Wilpons, or fear they didn't have a solid lawsuit on the Pichard side, Fred and Jeff Wilpon and partner Saul Katz have settled the Irving Pichard suit that was to bring down the Mets owners for $386 million. With the trial set to begin Monday morning, and with the prospect that a jury would force them to pay up $303 million, the Wilpons agreed to pay up $162 million to Pichard and settled the suit. The good news for the Wilpons is that they will not have to pay anything for at least three years and could recoup $16 million if they can force the Madoff party to pay up to $178 million in a separate lawsuit.  Still there is the disturbing fact the Wilpons are basically admitting that they knew something was going on in the Bernie Madoff scheme by settling. There was a prolonged fear that the jury would throw the book at them because of anger over the Madoff scam, and angry New Yorkers who are tired of their dreadful ow...

Andy Pettitte returns to Yankees

Here is story right out of left field. The New York Yankees are set to welcome back Andy Pettitte to the team after both sides agreed to a one year $2.5 million deal. The flirtation to have Pettitte return has been going on for several months according to multiple reports. Back in December Brian Cashman spoke with Pettitte about a possible return, and offered him a shocking $10-12 million, according to ESPN . What in the name of George M. Steinbrenner was Cashman thinking there? $10-12 million for a pitcher who hasn't pitched in well over a year? Pettitte declined Cashman's offer, and the Yankees went ahead a traded for Michael Pineda and signed Hiroki Kuroda. In February Pettitte called Cashman into Joe Girardi's office after Pettitte was invited to spring training as a special instructor. What Cashman apparently didn't know was that Pettitte was working out. The Yankees watched Pettitte slowly throw on this side, and coupled with their sudden rotation concern...

Nets' PG Deron Williams will opt out

After failing to land Dwight Howard in a pretty dubious deal to begin with, the Nets have to get set for a reality check: Deron Williams is going to leave town . The All Star point guard who has lit it up this season with games of 57 points and 38 points in recent weeks is set to leave his misery behind in New Jersey and head for greener pastures. "I'm not going to opt-in. It's not monkey-see, monkey-do," Williams told the New York Daily News Friday morning. "Wherever I go is, hopefully, where I'm going to retire." Williams has been miserable in New Jersey since the Nets acquired him last year. He is the only legitimate NBA player on the team, and with all of the boasting from the front office of Jay-Z, Mikhal Prokorov and GM Billy King that the Nets would be serious players for top free agent talent, they have come up snake eyes time after time. What Williams has realized is something this front office fails to realize: It doesn't matter wheth...

Jets sign Drew Stanton for back-up QB job

A week after the Jets signed quarterback Mark Sanchez to an insane five year extension, there was a understandable fear that they would have a hard time luring any quarterback to back-up Sanchez, since they would not be able to compete with Sanchez for the starting job . The Jets watched as Chad Henne signed with Jacksonville, and Kyle Orton sign with Dallas, but on Friday the Jets settled for former Lions back-up Drew Stanton to the position. Staton did fill in admirably for quarterback Matt Stafford in 2010 when the Lions star quarterback was injured. While his stats are not impressive , he's an improvement over Mark Brunell. Meanwhile, Sanchez has been emboldened by his new deal. On the Michael Kay show, Sanchez ripped into his teammates for criticizing him anonymously, calling their actions gutless. Hey Mark, if you had any class, maybe you should tell that to their faces instead of running to the media and complaining. The Jets zoo continues.

49ers jump into Peyton Manning derby

New developments in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes developed big time on Friday. For starters, the Miami Dolphins were informed by the Manning party that the quarterback will not be signing with them. Not really a surprise, considering the club traded receiver Brandon Marshall to Chicago, and Reggie Wayne opted to stay put in Indianapolis. However, while Manning went to work out with the Denver Broncos, a workout that GM John Elway called productive and comfortable, word got around that a new team has entered the derby: The San Francisco 49ers . Manning gave the Niners a workout in North Carolina this week, and later told the Arizona Cardinals that they should consider moving forward without Manning. This is an interesting development. The Niners just recently signed former Patriots receiver Randy Moss to a contract, and with the team still not sold on re-signing Alex Smith a new contract, bringing in Manning would be a no-brainer. While the 49ers boasted a solid ground attack an...

Open Mike 03-16-12, Peyton Manning, free agency and Andy Pettitte

In Part 1 of this brand new edition of the Open Mike show, host Michael Cohen welcomes back Dan Feuerstein of "Feuerstein's Fire" and "Triple Coverage" to talk about the movers and shakers so far during NFL Free agency. Will Peyton Manning land in Tennessee or Denver? Is there a surprise team in the mix? What about Tim Tebow? The boys also discuss the hot topics in New York football regarding the contract extension of Mark Sanchez with the Jets and Mario Williams signing with the Buffalo Bills. Listen here via Posterous . In Part II of March 16th's episode of Open Mike, Michael Cohen and Dan Feuerstein break down the fallout from Mike D'Antoni's resignation as head coach of the New York Knicks, and what it means for the future of Jeremy Lin. Did Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis get their way, and will Linsanity come to an end? Then the boys talk about the latest revelation that former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte is a former Yankee no longer af...

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni resigns

Hours after several reports surfaced that players inside the Knicks, including Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis, were unhappy with head coach Mike D'Antoni, and wanted the coach out, D'Antoni resigned. No James Dolan didn't come down on him; D'Antoni was unable to get a team full of stars from Anthony to Amar'e Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin and Tyson Chandler, and reliable players, Steve Novack, Iman Shumpert to gel and become a complete unit. Anthony has been miserable offensively. He has not played well with Lin, and his poor play has also carried over to Stoudemire who has been completely lost both offensively and defensively this year. Lin, who lit the world on fire in February, has watched his production go down as the league adjusts to his style of play. Lin has also had difficulty working with Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler, who are basically two centers and a power forward, and can't run the offense he wants; moreover, he has had Baron Davis bearing down o...

The D'Antoni Mutiny: Carmelo Anthony wants out if coach stays

A six game losing streak that has the New York Knicks reeling and hanging on by threads to the final slot in this year's playoffs, are on the cusp of a complete and utter meltdown; word has it from multiple accounts that the memo is: "it's either us or the coach." First, the New York Post reported late Tuesday night that there is an apparent rift that has developed in the Knicks clubhouse between Coach D'Antoni and struggling All Star Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are 2-9 since Anthony returned to the line-up, and the shooting forward has struggled offensively, managing only 39 percent  from the floor. Yet, the Post reported that Anthony wants to be traded if D'Antoni should remain coach. He apparently requested Knicks brass fire D'Antoni after the Knicks were swept out of the playoffs last year; he obviously didn't get that wish. The Post also reported that  Anthony feels that D'Antoni and interim GM Glen Grunwald are buddies. However, Anthony...

Knicks fall to Bulls, losing streak hits 6

BULLS 104 KNICKS 99 Well, at least the Knicks were somewhat competitive this time. That's saying a lot, considering the lackluster performances that New York has strung together for the past week, but even a solid effort was not enough to derail the streaking Chicago Bulls as Derek Rose led the way with 32 points for Chicago and the Knicks lost their sixth straight game. Early on it looked as though this game was going to turn into another blowout loss as the Bulls built a 12-5 lead thanks to a three pointer by Rose, and a long range jumper by Carlos Boozer, but the Knicks fought back. Two huge buckets by Tyson Chandler and a long range two by Carmelo Anthony brought the Knicks in front 14-12. Yet no matter how close the Knicks drew in this game, the Bulls always had an answer, and the two teams jockeyed for the lead throughout the first half ; New York led by a slim 50-48 margin.  The Bulls grabbed full control of this game midway through the third quarter on a Rose ...

Mark Sanchez gets multi-year extension from N.Y. Jets

Here is the good news for Mark Sanchez: he is getting an extension. Here is the bad news for all Jets fans on the Planet Earth: Mark Sanchez is getting an extension. It was reported late Friday night that maligned quarterback Mark Sanchez has received a three year extension from the Jets that will keep him in green and white through the 2015 season, according to multiple accounts. Sanchez will earn $27 million guaranteed over the next two years, which were originally the final years of his rookie contract. He will make $58 million over the course of the contract. After contacting and not hearing from Peyton Manning, the Jets felt obligated to try to patch up their relationship with the sensitive Sanchez with what many believe represents an undeserved extension. Said GM Mike Tannenbaum, "Taking the long view of things, we're excited and encouraged at the trajectory of Mark's career." That trajectory is no ascent or even a bell curve but more a plumb line to the...

Giants cut ties with Brandon Jacobs

The New York Giants have rid themselves of their latest albatross, Brandon Jacobs. The troubled running back, who spent all of last season pouting about playing time, throwing the fans under the bus for booing him, and talking trash to every single Giants opponent will be a free agent after the World Champions decided not to pick up his club option.  Jacobs ruffled a lot of feathers in New York. He was despised by the fan base, and only after Big Blue won the Super Bowl this year, did Jacobs do a complete 180 trying to tell people that he loved being a Giant. The Giants will likely draft a younger and faster running back in the draft. They can't rely too much on Ahmad Bradshaw, who has been slowed by injuries over the past couple seasons.

Manning to meet with three teams immediately

Peyton Manning will be making the rounds this weekend, with the plan of having a team by Tuesday, the beginning of NFL free agency. Manning is schedule to visit the Denver Broncos on Friday night. He will sit down with GM John Elway to discuss the team's quarterback situation. Elway was not convinced by Tim Tebow, in spite of the cult following the quarterback earned through the course of the season. Tebow's inaccurate passes and unothrodox throwing motion is a concern for a lot of people. The Broncos have been looking for Elway's replacement at the quarterback position since he retired after the 1998 season. They have gone through just about everyone from Bubby Brister to   Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, and now Tebow. The Broncos had a franchise QB in Cutler a few years ago, but traded him to the Bears in a dumbfounding move. After Manning meets with Denver, he will meet with the Arizona Cardinals, who have been linked to Manning for months, and finally h...

Peyton Manning will become a free agent

Get ready for Manning Watch! When NFL free agency officially begins next Tuesday at midnight, teams will be lining up to woo the services of Peyton Manning. Even though Manning had four procedures on his neck, making him a very risky gamble indeed for any team willing to bank on him, it won't matter to teams who feel that adding the future Hall of Famer will result in instant success in 2012. The Colts cut ties with Manning Tuesday night, refusing to pay a $28 million roster bonus and his $90 million contract. The Colts instead will go forward with the Andrew Luck era. Luck, who is expected to be the first round selection by the 2-14 Colts in April, will be thrust into the Colts starting lineup almost immediately. Luck to the Colts has been such a lock the last few months that Colts owner Jim Irsay has been talking about getting Luck into the offense and camp for a long time. Now the question is where will Manning end up? The Jets, Redskins, Cardinals, Dolphins, Chiefs, 49e...

Open Mike 03 - 06 - 12 Saints Bounty Program

On a special 1 hour edition of the Open Mike program, broadcast live on MTR Radio on Tuesday March, 6, 2012, host Michael Cohen gives his take on the scathing New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, and what it means for the perception of the NFL. Michael then takes a look at the Fred Wilpon vs. Irving Pichard case as Pichard came away with $83.3 million in the lawsuit. If the Wilpons should lose more money, can they hold onto the Mets? Open Mike 03-06-12

Judge tells the Wilpons to pay up big money to Madoff trustee

Embattled New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon is going to get a lot lighter in the pocket. The Mets owners had the book, or at least a lengthy chapter, thrown at them Monday as they were ordered by Judge Jed S. Rakoff to pay $83 million immediately to trustee Irving Pichard, who initially sued the Mets for $386 million. The Wilpons are not out of the water, however. With a court date set for March 19, if a jury finds the Wilpons guilty of negligence about the Madoff investments, then Pichard will walk away with $303 million of the Mets riches, and, almost certainly to the glee of Mets fans, spell the end of the Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz regime.  Meanwhile, Judge Rakoff said he found it dubious that the case will end in favor of Pichard. "The court remains skeptical that the trustee can ultimately rebut the defendants showing with good faith, let alone bad faith, to all the defendants." He added that the evidence against the Wilpons was not great....

Open Mike 03-02-12, MLB Wild Card & NFL Free agency

In Part I of the Open Mike Program, host Michael Cohen lets Major League Baseball have it for installing the new wild card playoff system into this year's postseason that could take all of the fun out of the final days of the regular season. Michael then welcomes in Warning Track host, Karen Vankat to talk about the Mets and Yankees, as both prepare to open up the preseason.  In hour two of the Open Mike program, Michael Cohen and Karen Vankat discuss the latest in Linsanity, as the New York Post tried to drum up a point guard controversy between Baron Davis and Jeremy Lin. The pair also evaluates Davis' bold prediction that the Knicks will win the NBA title this season. Sean Bretherick of Triple Coverage then joins the jam to talk NFL free agency. The Round Table takes a look at the needs for the Eagles, Giants and Jets. Listen to Part I Listen to Part II