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HEAT 100 KNICKS 67 MIA leads 1-0 Nobody expected the Knicks to win their playoff series against the Miami Heat. The Heat are a perennial powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, that has had NBA Championship expectations for two years now, while the Knicks have been a team with so many transitions and moving pieces, that the match-up wasn't a good thing for New York. That being said, nobody expected New York to run out of the building like it was a match-up between Duke and some sub-par Division I-AA school. The Heat stampeded over the Knicks, turned Carmelo Anthony into a pumpkin and and made every Knicks offensive possession into a farce. It's easy to forget that the Knicks were actually winning this game 11-10 at one point. Eventually the power of the Heat proved to be a bit to much to handle, but even with that, the Knicks still trailed by one point 30-29. Then it all fell apart. A 32-2 run by Miami, highlighted by 12 Knicks fouls on Heat players, and 10 Knicks t...

Leave it to the Jets to screw up a draft. It's their MO. With their VP of college scouting on the way out the door, Joey Clinkscales leaves the Jets with another questionable defensive player from the draft in Quintin Coples. Coples possesses great size and ability at defensive end; however, there has been plenty of criticism about his work ethic. Some out there think he doesn't have the desire to play consistently at a high level. Sound familiar? Vernon Gholston was a guy with great ability but lacked the motor to play. The Jets could have, and probably should have, taken Chandler Jones, a highly touted defensive end out of Syracuse, but once the Jets passed on him, leave it to Bill Belichick and the Patriots to nab him. Watch Belichick turn him into a stud defensive player. The Jets could have also drafted Melvin Ingram, a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker who has the versatility to play both positions. He's a dominate player out of South Carolina and headin...

In the first hour of "Open Mike" from April 25, 2012, host Michael Cohen breaks down the injuries that have afflicted both the Mets and Yankees this past week. The Mets lost Jason Bay to the 15 DL, and Mike Pelfrey for the season with ligament damage to his elbow. Meanwhile, the Yankees lost Michael Pineda for the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Were the Yankees sold damaged goods? Michael welcomes in Dan Feuerstein of "Triple Coverage" and "Feuerstein's Fire" to investigate. The two also talk about the Rangers and Devils playoff hopes. Listen on Posterous .  In hour two of "The Open Mike Program", host Michael Cohen imparts his take on the Darrelle Revis contract situation since the star corner plans another holdout. Then Michael welcomes in James Flippin of "Turnpike Throwdown" to talk about the NFL Draft. Will Andrew Luck be the real deal? Who will the Giants take and can the Jets trade for running back Trent Richard...

It has been a bizarre offseason for the New York Jets. First, they gave Mark Sanchez a ridiculous five year contract extension coming off a mediocre season. Then they traded for Tim Tebow and have tried to deny that he will challenge for the starting quarterback job, even though everyone knows better. Next, Darrelle Revis came out and hinted that he would hold out again, with two years left on his contract. Truly a selfish move by a selfish player who cares more about his wallet than the team. It was only two years ago that Revis held out of Jets camp which became a focal point in the Jets infamous "Hard Knocks" appearance. Now, Gang Green is parting ways with Joey Clinkscales . If that name doesn't ring a bell with you, fear not: Clinkscales is the Jets Vice President of College Scouting, and he plans to leave the Jets for the Oakland Raiders mere days before the NFL draft is to commence. For a team that has so many needs at different poisitions, the last thing they ...

It figures that only the Mets would suffer from another round of obscene injuries that cripples its major league roster. This time Jason Bay and Mike Pelfrey, two Mets who had to prove themselves this season have been bitten badly by the injury bug. Bay landed on the 15 day DL with a rib fracture on his left side. While Bay has three homers this season, he still has struggled in the clutch, and has drawn the ire of Mets fans this year for his inability to hit consistently. Still, without him the Mets outfield turns into a quagmire. New York now has to rely on the dregs of its minor league system, i.e. Mike Baxter, Kirk Nieuwenhui , Jordany Valdespin, Lucas Duda, and Ronny Cedeno. Sounds wonderful. The Mets already had problems when they traded Carlos Beltran last year only to watch his replacement in center field, Andres Torres, injure himself in the season opener.  To add insult to the injury, Mike Pelfrey may have suffered a worse fate. Originally diagnosed with elbow infla...

SENATORS 2 RANGERS 0 PANTHERS 3 DEVILS 0 So much for all of that talk that the second round playoffs would be a war between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. It appears that neither team will make it out of the first round of the playoffs. For all of the Rangers and Devils fans who complain that their teams don't get enough attention in a town dominated by the NFL, MLB and NBA, take note; if your teams continue to stink it up when it counts, no one will pay attention to your team. The expectations for both franchises this season were very high, but now it could be over. For the Rangers, this is a big punch in the stomach. They were the best in the Eastern Conference during the season, but, as we all know, it doesn't matter until you get to the playoffs. The Rangers were soft offensively . They took 41 shots on goal yet couldn't find a way to get even one puck into the net. Give credit to Ottawa's Craig Anderson, who shut down the Rangers offense an...

YANKEES 15 RED SOX 9 It was only an innocent solo homerun in the sixth inning of a Red Sox blowout. With the Boston Red Sox up 9-0 on the New York Yankees, and having chased Yanks starter Freddy Gracia out of the game in the second inning, Mark Teixiera's solo homer to make it 9-1 didn't seem to amount to much at the time. I repeat: at the time. Little did anyone know that homer was the beginning of a Yankee barrage that would leave the Boston Red Sox and manager Bobby Valentine completely bewildered; the Bronx Bombers scored 14 unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings combined, stealing the game 15-9. It all began to fall apart when Valentine inserted former Philadelphia Phillies flameout Vincente Padilla to pitch against the Bronx Bombers; I am sure that Valentine would love to have that decision back. Padilla gave up singles to Edwardo Nunez and Russell Martin, and walked Derek Jeter, loading up the bases for Nick Swisher. Swisher, who has gotten off to...

YANKEES 6 RED SOX 2 What is the best tonic for a baseball team with high expectations that has watched its starting pitching struggle out of the gate and watched the middle of its order struggle out of the gate, a la the New York Yankees? The Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox are in complete free-fall. The Bobby Valentine experiment, granted only 12 games into the season, is looking more and more like the biggest failure in baseball in some time. Valentine was brought into Boston with the plan that he would discipline a rambunctious clubhouse that basically chased out the mild-mannered Terry Francona. Instead, it has completely backfired. Not only are the Red Sox losing and losing badly, but Valentine is having difficulty getting along with both the players and the general manager; moreover, Valentine's support is waning with the fans up in Beantown who are booing him louder every time he sticks his head out of the dugout. Valentine's status didn't get any b...

In hour one of this brand new edition of Open Mike, host Michael Cohen welcomes in John Silva of Hudson Hockey to talk about the Eastern Conference of the NHL playoffs. Are the Rangers and Devils in for a collision course? Or are both teams on pace for another failed spring run. Michael also talks about the Knicks playoff chances, and whether the Mets are for real. Listen on Posterous ! In hour two of Open Mike from Wednesday April 18, Michael Cohen welcomes back John Silva for another segment to discuss the Western Conference of the NHL playoffs. Michael wraps ups the hour talking about the Giants and Jets schedules for the upcoming NFL season. Listen on Posterous !

The NFL has released its 2012 regular season schedule. The World Champion New York Giants will open their campaign at home against the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, September 5 on NBC. The game would have been broadcast Thursday night, but President Barack Obama's DNC acceptance speech is on that Thursday, so the network decided to move the game up. A "leaked schedule" that hit the web 11 days ago turned out to be exactly what the NFL said it was hours after its release: phony.  That schedule had the Giants playing against Cleveland in Week 2 when, in fact, they are playing Tampa Bay. That will be an interesting match-up only because former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano returns to New Jersey as coach of the Bucs. The Giants will play the Carolina Panthers in Week 3 on Thursday Night Football before heading to Philadelphia for a Sunday night clash in Week 4. The Giants will have their NFC Championship rematch with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6 on Fox and won't see ...

RANGERS 1 SENATORS 0 NYR leads 2-1 For those expecting a typical New York Rangers choke job, temper those expectations a bit, for those same New York Rangers put a stranglehold on their series against the Ottawa Senators, winning 1-0, taking a 2-1 series edge, and capturing home ice in the process. For a game that remained scoreless for two whole periods, the Senators had plenty of opportunity to bury New York, taking 39 shots on goal. Fortunately for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist picked the right time to pitch a shutout, recording all 39 saves, thus proving why he is the Rangers' best player. New York finally scored with 7:35 to go in regulation with a Brian Boyle goal. Ottawa attempted five shots in the final two minutes, but none went even close to the net. The Rangers play game four on Wednesday; if they should win, they can clinch the series victory Friday night in New York.

METS 5 PHILLIES 2 The Mets are at it again. Just when everyone thought the Mets were dead meat on a platter for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Metropolitans fool us again! That is why they are the Amazin's; they amaze you when they win and even more when they lose. But in this case, the Mets limped into Philly with their Triple-A lineup without David Wright in their lineup, who is likely heading to the DL with an injury to his pinkie finger, to confront Phillies ace number two, Cliff Lee, and still, they beat the Phillies. It didn't take long for the Mets to set the tone for the rest of the evening. Ruben Tejada led off the game with a long double to left field, and was driven in immediately by Daniel Murphy who doubled to right before anyone could settle in their seats. The Mets continued to tatoo Lee later in the first inning, when Jason Bay, that's right Jason Bay, cracked a two run homer to right center, his first of the year, to give the Mets a 3-...

YANKEES 5 ANGELS 0  Does anyone remember when the Yankees were 0-3 anymore? Didn't think so. After the Yankees did away with their personal slapping boys the Baltimore Orioles, during the week to get back to .500, the Bronx Bombers flexed their muscles against an American League favorite, the L.A. Angels of Anaheim; Hiroki Kuroda settled down nicely as the Yankees number two starter, and Alex Rodriguez woke up from his week 1 doldrums. The day began on a high note; Jorge Posada, who retired over the winter, threw out the first pitch to delight of the sell out crowd at Yankees Stadium. Then the Yankees went right to work. In the bottom of the first after an A-Rod single and walks to Robinson Cano and Mark Tiexiera, Nick Swisher cracked a pitch to deep center for a three run double to give the Bombers a quick 3-0 lead. WATCH VIDEOS ! With the big lead, Kuroda did the rest. He struck out Vernon Wells, and induced a ground ball double play in the second inning; then struck out Chr...

The Open Mike program of MTR radio.com is officially moving to Wednesday nights at 7 pm. The fun begins this Wednesday April 11, at 7 when Michael Cohen is joined by Triple Coverage co-host Mike Sanfilippo in studio B. Call in at 609-910-0687. Open Mike will air every Wednesday from CSB studios from 7-9 pm.

When the New Orleans Saints break for training camp this July they will do so without Sean Payton as head coach. The NFL has upheld a previous ruling to suspend the Saints head coach for the entire season for his involvement in a bounty scandal that rocked the NFL landscape over the past month. Assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt will still serve a six week suspension during the regular season, and GM Mickey Loomis will still serve an eight week suspension beginning September 5. This means while Loomis will work in the Saints front office during the draft and in training camp, neither Payton nor Vitt will have any access to the team. Thus, forget the scenario where Vitt has his suspension shortened to act as Head Coach through training camp, serve a short suspension and then take over as the HC of the NO Saints in October. Therefore the Saints will have to decide, allow either Pete Carmichael or Steve Spagnoluo to become the head coach, or go out and get Bill Parcells. Payton has been...

Rays 3 Yankees 0 Woebegone is the life of the Yankees. Who would have thunk this: not only are the Mets undefeated after three games, but the Yankees are winnless and have looked just plain awful after their first series of the season. Concerns about the Yankee rotation were augmented after a hideous three game stretch that can't make anyone in the Yankees front office comfortable as the Yankee season limps out of its start. For the Yankees, this is the first time they have begun a season at 0-3 since 1998, the same season that saw the Yankees win 114 regular season games, en route to a sweep of the San Diego Padres in the World Series, so all ended well the last time this had happened to the Bronx Bombers. But the difference between that team and this one is significant: the starting pitching. That '98 team that started 0-3 had crafty veterans from David Cone to David Wells and Andy Pettitte in the rotation. This year's rotation, outside of CC Sabathia, is a gigantic qu...

Maybe it's a sign of the apocalypse? Maybe we all fell asleep and woke up in the Bizarro World? Quick, someone, slap the nearest Met fan ; he's trying to wake up. Yes, believe it or not, the New York Mets are undefeated, 3-0. That's right, UNDEFEATED!! The Mets best start since the 2007 season, and if New York should win the next two games against the Washington Nationals, it will tie for the best start in franchise history with the 1985 Mets! So who would have guessed that this Mets team, which is arguably the worst collection of talent in the history of the franchise; the worst talent since the dark days of the mid-to-late 1970's and the Mets inception of 1962; yet here they are, 3-0, in sole possession of first place in the National League's Eastern division.  Granted, the Atlanta Braves are no better. Everyone knew that this would be a tough year for Atlanta with Chipper Jones near retirement, and Tim Hudson, once again injured, but nobody thought they woul...

RAYS 7 YANKEES 6 For 15 years Mariano Rivera has established himself as the greatest closer in the game of baseball. While there is no doubt he still has something left in the tank at age 42, Rivera's opening day was alarming. Blowing a 6-5 lead and giving up two runs as the Rays sped past the Yankees, Rivera cost New York a chance at opening the season on a winning note. The disastrous inning was alarming because Rivera has been so good for so long; now fans will wonder how much he has left. While not time to panic, after all it's only one blown save, but for it to come on the grand stage of the first game of the year is all that more surprising. Rivera's cutter wasn't cutting; in fact, it stayed up when Ben Zobrist nailed a game-tying triple to get things moving for Tampa Bay. Then Joe Girardi did something that was pure mystery: He told Rivera to not only walk Evan Longoria, but he told him to walk Luke Scott too, loading the bases in the hope of securing a pl...

It's the final Friday edition of "The Open Mike Program." Host Michael Cohen is moving the show to a new day and time, likely either Wednesday night at 7 pm or Saturday afternoon at 1 pm beginning next week. Michael opens up the show with a recap of the Mets 1-0 Opening Day victory over the Atlanta Braves; he is joined in the CSB studio by "Triple Coverage" host Sean Bretherick, who attended the Mets opener on Thursday, to gauge his reactions to the team's victory. Listen on Posterous !   In hour two of this final Friday edition of "The Open Mike Program," Michael Cohen and Sean Bretherick listen to the entire Greg Williams audio that recorded in the New Orleans Saints locker room prior to their playoff game at San Francisco. The boys react and discuss what the Saints ought to do about Sean Payton once and for all. Updates on the Yankees season opener game, along with breaking news about the N.Y. Jets 2012 schedule, leaked online, follow with NBA...

Shazam! Only in the world of mainstream media and the internet can this happen. While surfing through Facebook, I ran into a post that revealed the Jets' upcoming home schedule for the 2012 season. After doing some quick research, the entire schedule was revealed. JetsTwit .  It's hard to know if this is the real deal or not. If it is real, here is what it looks like: Week 1: Dolphins @ Jets 1 pm CBS Week 2: Jets @ Patriots 8:20 NBC  Week 3: Bills @ Jets 1 pm CBS Week 4: Jets @ Rams 4:15 CBS Week 5: BYE Week 6: Jets @ Dolphins 1 pm CBS  Week 7: Cardinals @ Jets 4:05 FOX Week 8: Jets @ Seahawks 4:15 CBS Week 9: Jets @ Steelers 8:20 NBC Week 10: Colts @ Jets 8:30 ESPN Week 11: Chargers @ Jets 1 pm CBS  Week 12: 49ers @ Jets 1 pm FOX Week 13: Jets @ Titans 1 pm CBS Week 14: Jets @ Jaguars 8:20 NFLN Week 15: Jets @ Bills 1 pm CBS  Week 16: Texans @ Jets 1 pm CBS   Week 17: Patriots @ Jets 1 pm CBS   In spite of all their problems...

METS 1 BRAVES 0 Holy Cow, who would have thunk it, there was actual footage today of the Mets winning a baseball game. Even though victories will likely be a rare occurrence for New York this season, the Metropolitans found a way to hold off the equally putrid Atlanta Braves in a 1-0 pitchers duel to open the season. The most important factor in today's game however was the status of ace Johan Santana. Santana missed all of 2011 with a leg injury, was solid in his first outing back on the mound. He went five innings of shutout baseball, holding Atlanta to hits, while striking out five, and at one point retired 12 striaght batters. Santana did get into some trouble in the fifth inning, when he gave up a double to Matt Diaz, and walked Tyler Pastornicky and Tommy Hanson to load up the bases, but, he was able to get out if it by inducing a ground ball out by Michael Bourn to get out of the inning unscathed. Offensively, it was an uneven day for the Mets. While David Wright and ...

While the NFL regular season schedule won't be released until April 17, the league released it's preseason schedule last night, and even though the games don't count there are still some interesting match-ups. Specifically, the annual Jets-Giants clash has now been moved to week 2 of the preseason to accommodate nationally televised games for both the Jets and Giants in week 3. The Jets play the Carolina Panthers in week three of the preseason on Sunday Night Football on NBC, while Giants play on Saturday night against the Bears on CBS. That's right CBS carrying a NFC game! Here are the preseason schedules: GIANTS @ Jacksonville.....7:30 NBC @ N.Y. Jets ..........8:00 CBS CHICAGO ...........8:10 CBS NEW ENGLAND..7:00 NBC JETS @ Cincinnati ........8:00 CBS N.Y. GIANTS.......8:00 CBS CAROLINA..........8:30 NBC @ Philadelphia......7:00 CBS Interestingly the Giants hold their Super Bowl rematch against the Patriots in the final week of the preseason when...

As if owner Woody Johnson didn't receive enough publicity the past two weeks when the New York Jets traded for controversial quarterback Tim Tebow, the star-struck owner didn't rule out a Gang Green return to HBO's "Hard Knocks." "I've heard (the speculation), but we've yet to receive a formal invitation," Johnson said during a promotional appearance to launch the NFL's new pop-up store in Manhattan. "And when we do, we will take a look at it." Johnson said there have been informal talks with HBO, but he declined to speculate on an outcome because "we can't react to anything unless it's a real invitation." In case you need to be reminded, the Jets flipped "Hard Knocks" on its head in the ratings department after Rex Ryan spewed more F-bombs than Tony Soprano in an entire episode of "The Sopranos." The Jets were truly entertaining when they did "Hard Knocks" two years ago, and a re...