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The New York Mets will keep the face of the franchise around through the rest of this decade. David Wright and the Mets agreed to a seven-years $122 million extension, Friday morning that will keep the third baseman in Flushing through the year 2020 . The deal will also include Wright's $16 million option for 2013, bringing the total of the deal to $138 million. This was a deal that the Mets had to get done. With all of the bad PR that had enveloped the franchise thanks to the actions of Fred and Jeff Wilpon, losing David Wright one-year after allowing Jose Reyes to walk away without a substantial contract offer would have led to a total mutiny at Citi Field. Wright, who has been encouraged through out his career to take more of a leadership role with this franchise, will now have to become the leader of the Mets whether he likes it or not.  He is the lone star on a team of fringe major league players, if the roster remains virtually unchanged from 2012. How Wright perf...

Yankee fans, its time to cue up "Enter Sandman." Mariano Rivera is on his way back. When Mariano Rivera fell to the warning track of Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium clutching his leg, everyone associated with the Bronx Bombers held their collective breaths. Rivera was lost for the season. While Rafael Soriano did a terrific job in Rivera's stead, there is only on Mariano. And Yankee fans will get an opportunity to see him return to the mound, possibly, one more time. The Yankees and Rivera agreed to a one-year $10 million deal. The deal, financially is a little excessive for a 43-year old pitcher coming off a season ending injury, but Rivera's resume speaks for itself. He is the greatest closer in baseball. Whether he can return to his old form at 43 remains to be seen, but lets remember that Rivera has found ways to defy Father Time in the past.

Give kudos to the New York Mets. For the first time in several years they are going to make an effort to try to keep one of their more productive stars on the ball club. After years of embarrassment and total buffoonery by ownership, the Mets are rumored to by offering third baseman David Wright a lucrative eight-year $137 million contract to remain with the Mets for the rest of his baseball playing career. The contract would make Wright the highest paid player in Mets history if he indeeds signs it. The question though, should Wright sign the contract? If David Wright puts pen to paper then Sandy Alderson must have done a yeoman's job of convincing Wright that the Mets are willing and able to make moves to become a contending team rather than the inept-average bunch of losers the club has become the past five years. He will have to be assured that the Mets are going to surround him with legitimate major league players who can make plays. That means building a winner ...

Apparently the Yankees just can't get enough of old age, or Old Timer's Day for that matter. The Yankees are reportedly close to inking lefty Andy Pettitte to a brand new 1-year contract worth $11 million, according to ESPN. The amount of money the Yankees are willing to throw at a 40-year-old pitcher who missed most of the season on the disabled list speaks volumes about how little the Yankees care about money or even payroll for that matter. Pettitte is a known quantity; one of the best pitchers in the history of the postseason, but that alone should not warrant an $11 million contract. Last season, Pettitte came out of retirement to pitch for the Yankees, and did fairly well posting a 5-4 record with a 2.87 ERA in 12 starts. Not bad for someone who took a year off in 2011. Pettitte will rejoin an already shaky Yankees rotation that has only two stalwarts in CC Sabathia and newly re-signed Hiroki Kuroda. While having Pettitte's name on paper looks nice, it also ...

NETS 96 KNICKS 89 The Knicks had their shot. With :04 seconds remaining the Knicks had a golden opportunity to pull out a victory from the rejuvenated and revamped Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks had made a spirited comeback, trailing by as many as five points after Brook Lopez nailed a two-point jumper to send the Barclays Center into a frenzy; the Knicks rebounded and looked poised to reclaim New York as their own. A huge three-pointer by Carmelo Anthony cut the Nets lead to two, before hitting a free-throw shot to cut the Nets lead to 81-80 with 2:45 to play. The Knicks had the momentum; a shooting foul on Lopez and bad passes by Joe Johnson and Deron Williams quieted the Nets offense. The Knicks made their shots count: a jumper by Raymond Felton put New York on top 82-81. Tyson Chandler's dunk added two more for good measure. However that is where the good feeling ended for the Knicks as Brooklyn rallied back to tie the game on a layup and foul shot by Lopez when the fourt...

Add Fireman Ed to the long list of fed up Jets fans. The long time "mascot" of the Jets, who made a second career for himself leading the famous "J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!" chant during Jets home games, will no longer patrol the lower bowl of MetLife Stadium to lead the Jets fans in their ritual chant. Ed Anzalone, (his real name), wrote an editorial that was published for Metro New York , in which he stated that he had had enough of the back-biting from fellow Jets fans at the ball park. Anzalone, who, for whatever reason decided to go to games wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey, left Thursday nights debacle against the Patriots because of "confrontations" with other Jets fans. "This is an indication of how society has lost and is continuing to lose respect for one another. The stadium has become divided because of the quarterback controversy as well. The fact that I chose to wear a Mark Sanchez jersey this year and that fans think I am on the...

GIANTS 38  PACKERS 10  Throw out all of the scenarios that have the Giants crumbling in the NFC East, only to watch either the Dallas Cowboys or Washington Redskins catch them for the division title. The Giants took a major step toward their second consecutive NFC East title on Sunday when they blew out the Green Bay Packers 38-10 at MetLife Stadium. The Giants entered Sunday's game with lingering questions about their offensive line, their defensive front seven, and the quarterback; but, Big Blue answered each question in bold caps and exclamation points. THE GIANTS ARE ALIVE AND WELL!! From the onset the Giants quickly put away any doubts that this offense can get it done as Eli Manning looked crisp for the first time since mid-October. He led Big Blue on a snappy six-play, 74-yard touchdown, highlighted by a 59-yard screen pass to Ahmad Bradshaw that almost went to the house. After Green Bay tied the game on a 61-yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson, th...

PATRIOTS 49 JETS 19 This Thanksgiving Day the New York Jets were in a very giving mood as the Gang Green Turkeys watched the New England Patriots take advantage of costly Jets' turnovers en route to a 49-19 smack down on Thanksgiving night. The Jets were once again listless, careless and totally dreadful; New England ran up 21 points in a matter of 52 seconds in the second quarter building an insurmountable 35-0 lead; in fact, all 35 first-half points for New England came in that second quarter. Typical of recent Jets performances, quarterback Mark Sanchez was at the forefront of the debacle. In a still scoreless game, Sanchez threw a costly interception with New York driving deep into New England territory. As a result, the Patriots took advantage of the Sanchez miscue and turned it into points when Tom Brady led New England on a 15 play, 66-yard drive culminating in a Wes Welker 3-yard score, giving New England a 7-0 lead. Then, in a New York minute, the Jets went from...

In the first hour of the Open Mike Program from November 21, host Michael Cohen welcomes Karen Vankat of the Warning Track to talk about the New York Giants as the team tries to rebound after their bye week. Can Big Blue do enough down the stretch to hold off the Dallas Cowboys? Open Mike 11-21-12 pt1 In this second hour of the Thanksgiving edition of Open Mike, host Michael Cohen welcomes in MTRradio.com CEO Bill Zeltman to talk about MTR Radio Hurricane Sandy Benefit, which will take place this Saturday from 1-5 p.m. at Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro at Somers Point, N.J. Bill also dishes a little Thanksgiving football about his prized Cowboys! Michael then takes a look at the Jets-Patriots match-up. Can New York avoid becoming turkeys for the New York media for another week? Open Mike 11-21-12 pt2 1

JETS 27 RAMS 13 Well, at least the Jets can always say they beat the horrific St. Louis Rams when this 2012 season is over. In a game that was not exactly a match-up between two juggernaut football teams, the Jets found a way to outlast the St. Louis Rams 27-13 on Sunday.  While the effort by Gang Green wasn't sparkling and will do very little to quell the sense that this is a team spiraling out of control, the win does soften the sharp attacks on this team after a full week of turmoil. It wasn't pretty, and to be frank the game could have gotten out of hand very early, as the Jets offense slogged through the opening two quarters. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was sacked three times early on, and was even stripped of the football, as the Jets offense stalled on its first four possessions. Trailing 7-3, the Jets had a great opportunity to take the lead after Sam Bradford was picked off by Eric Smith at the Rams 17-yard line. However, the Jets couldn't punch it in, as S...

Over his 12 years as owner of the New York Jets, it has become apparent there are two Woody Johnsons. There was the Woody Johnson who was a hands-off owner who hid in the background from 2000-2006 when he let the likes of Al Groh, Herman Edwards and Eric Mangini do their jobs. Yet, once the 2007 season came and went in a horrific 4-12 disaster, the other Woody Johnson was revealed. This is the Woody Johnson who thinks and acts like Jerry Jones. From Brett Favre to Rex Ryan, and now to Tim Tebow, Johnson has done everything in his power the past five years to keep the Jets in the subconsciousness of football fans everywhere, for better or worse. He transformed from quiet owner who let the football people do their jobs to Mr. Hands-On. The result has been a debacle of the first magnitude. This week, Johnson had to defend himself against claims that he cares more about selling PSLs rather than winning.  "This, I really want to clean up,” Johnson said. “You guys have...

As if it couldn't get more bizarre for the New York Jets, it just did! On Wednesday a report came out that several annoymous Jets players lashed out at back-up quarterback Tim Tebow, asserting that they felt the lefty, single caller was a terrible football player and they wouldn't trust him if he took over for struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez. "Both offensive and defensive players have that they hadn't seen any improvement in Tebow's quarterback skills since he was traded to the Jets in March," according to the Daily News . Even embattled right guard Matt Slausen, who has been a culprit on the Jets horrific offensive line, took time to rip Tebow and also slap Sanchez at the same time: "It's not even close; all other quarterbacks know it. I have all the confidence in Mark; we don't really have a choice." In other words, the Jets players recognize they have no choice but to stick with Sanchez even though they know what we all know: h...

In hour one of the Open Mike program from November 14, host Michael Cohen takes a look at the fractured New York Jets locker room, as several anonymous Jets think that back-up quarterback Tim Tebow is “terrible.” Has Rex Ryan lost complete control? Michael is joined by Dan Feuerstein and Karen Vankat in the opening hour. Open Mike 11-14 pt1 In hour two of the Open Mike program from November 14, Michael Cohen brings in the roundtable with Karen VanKat, Mike Sanfilippo and Dan Feuerstein to talk about the Tim Tebow fiasco, as well as the Giants current struggles to stay in first place. Michael then welcomes Zig Fracassi of Sirius XM radio to talk about the NFL landscape heading into week 11. open mike 11-14 pt2 1

It has been a long, long road for Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey.   A guy who struggled to find a home in Major League Baseball, bouncing around as both a spot starter and reliever in the majors and minors, Dickey was this close to finding himself on the way out of baseball. Nobody understood the potential Dickey possessed in that right arm of his, and in turn it took time for him to hone the skills of the knucker. Since coming to the Mets in 2010, Dickey has found a home, becoming one of baseball's most reliable and consistent starting pitchers. While his win-lose record didn't indicate it in 2010 and 2011, Dickey was quickly becoming the ace of the New York Mets staff. His uncanny ability to not only fool hitters, but blow them away with his hard-knuckler solidified his spot in the Mets rotation. Now R.A. Dickey has a Cy Young award to show for his efforts. After a fantastic 2012 season, in which Dickey won 20 games for a beligurered Mets team was quiet an accompli...

SEAHAWKS 28 JETS 7 Maybe Pete Carroll was right, Mark Sanchez should have stayed one more year in college. It certainly looked that way on Sunday, as Carroll's Seahawks pounded Sanchez and the Jets 28-7 on Sunday, as New York's listless offense once again could not take flight, and the Jets maligned quarterback is at the center of the storm. The Jets managed only 185 yards of offense, and were virtually shut out by the Seahawks. The only Jets touchdown came on a fumble recovery by Muhammad Wilkerson. The Jets have only scored once in their last eight quarters, and it was the second time this season that the offense has been blanked. Sanchez was again awful. He was inaccurate with his throws, and when the team needed him to make a big play, he stunk. With the Jets poised to take the lead in the second quarter, Sanchez once again threw a red zone interception killing the Jets drive and costing them points. Then in the third quarter on a crucial third down play with N...

BENGALS 31 GIANTS 13 It didn't take long for the Giants to find themselves behind in this contest. In fact the Giants fell so far behind, so fast that the rest of the game became elementary as the Cincinnati Bengals waltzed to a dominating 31-13 victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. It only took five plays for the Giants to find themselves in big trouble, when Andy Dalton found A.J. Green wide open down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown, after he blew past Corey Webster en route to the end zone. After Big Blue went three-and-out on their opening possession, Cincinnati stuck it right down the Giants throats when Adam Jones brought the punt return back 68-yards to the Giants 11 yard line. Smelling blood in the water, the Bengals attacked aggressively, as Dalton attempted two striaght passes before connecting with Andrew Hawkins for the score to bury the Giants 14-0. With only four minutes elapsed in the first quarter the game was basically over. The Giant...

Jason Bay we hardly knew ye. The New York Mets and outfielder Jason Bay agreed to part ways, as New York terminated his contract and agreed to pay him the remaining $21 million he is owed over the next several years. This will allow the Mets to spend a few bucks on other free agents this winter, however it won't be a significant amount of extra cash. Basically the Mets had to get rid of Bay, and Bay had to leave New York. It was a imperfect marriage that turned into a colossal albatross for both parties. Bay spent much of his three years as a Met either underachieving at the plate or on the disabled list with various ailments. In three years, Bay hit less home runs for the Mets, 26, than he did in his one-year in Boston, 36. He never acclimated to New York, and became an automatic out every time he came to the plate. Perhaps someone will take a flyer on Bay, but let's be honest, the guy looked done as a major league player during his forgettable stay as a Metropolitan. ...

STEELERS 24 GIANTS 20 Don't say I didn't warn you. A week ago, the Giants barely walked out of Dallas with a 29-24 victory over the hapless Cowboys. The victory raised plenty of red flags about this Giants team, from the poor play of the Giants secondary, to Eli Manning's inconsistency that Giants fans should not get all worked up about a repeat trip to the Super Bowl just yet. Those fears were confirmed on Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers manhandled the Giants in the second half of a 24-20 beat-down at MetLife Stadium. In fact, this game was never really that close. The Giants were gift wrapped two touchdowns by horrible calls by the officials. First, it was the so-called illegal hit on Victor Cruz that wasn't, which led to Andre Brown doing his best Vinny Testaverde impersonation, scoring a touchdown while he was clearly down at the 1-yard line to tie the game at seven. On the Steelers next possession, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was appare...

It was more than a season opener for the New York Knicks. It was a chance for New York fans to get up out of their seats and cheer. For the past week all of New Jersey and New York City was devastated by the power of Hurricane Sandy leaving millions without electricity, thousands displaced and many more looking to rebuild their homes, their businesses, and their lives. This game wasn't even supposed to be the season opener. That was supposed to be in Brooklyn when the Knicks took on the new look Nets on November 1, but that game was pushed back to November 26 out of respect to those who were still struggling in New York City. To say that it was too soon to play a game while so many people were still struggling is fair. New York already canceled the New York Marathon on Sunday, and there has been rising questions whether the Giants-Steelers game should have been delayed or moved as well. But New York needed to have this game. They needed a distraction. They needed to show, a...