Bleacher Report - Articles by Leslie Monteiro

Jets Finally Get It Right with Mark Sanchez

Leslie Monteiro — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:09:58 -0500

This critic wonders why it took after the Patriots game for Rex Ryan to realize the Jets put Mark Sanchez in a position to fail by giving him too much responsibility.

Ryan decided to scale down the playbook for his struggling quarterback by telling him to throw the ball to his running backs more and only to make passes when it's appropriate.

So far, this strategy has worked. The results have been two wins in a row after the Jets' 19-13 victory over the Bills helped them to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Sanchez played a good game overall before leaving the game with an injury. Sanchez's ability to run for first downs is what helped the Jets be in position to score the game-winning touchdown.

The USC star showed everyone why Mike Tannenbaum liked the guy enough to make a trade in the NFL Draft. He threw accurately and hit Braylon Edwards with a nice pass for a touchdown. He knew how to avoid being sacked by figuring out to run to open spaces.

You can talk about the defense winning the game, but without Sanchez's smart play, the Jets would not be in a position to celebrate a victory.

Ryan deserved his criticism for this losing streak so it's only fair that he gets his props for getting this straightened out.

We waited for the rookie coach to get tough and figure out a way to get the Jets back on track, and he finally did it by being involved with the offensive meetings in an effort to help his quarterback.

Ryan likes to work with his defensive unit, and he takes pride on defense being the story in games like his father's defenses were, but that's not how a head coach should go about it.

A head coach needs to be involved in all facets of the game so it's a good thing Ryan realized that fact.

It's a sign Ryan is growing in his job by being proactive with Sanchez.

Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer screwed the development of the Jets quarterback by forcing him to throw a ridiculous amount of passes based on his success the first three games of the season.

Schottenheimer should have realized that rookie quarterbacks do not become prolific passers this quickly so it's baffling a son of a veteran football coach never understood this concept.

If Ryan did not get involved, there's no doubt the Jets offensive coordinator would keep his quarterback throwing. After all, this is the same guy that told Brett Favre to wing the ball despite the fact he was playing with an injured shoulder.

This begs the question whether Schottenheimer should be running the offense next year.

Ryan talked about how the Jets were going to be an all-weather offense with more running game and less passing game in training camp so it's inexcusable to see Schottenheimer stray away from that strategy.

By setting Sanchez up to fail, it cost the Jets several winnable games in recent weeks. We will undoubtedly look back at this decision if the Jets don't qualify for the playoffs.

It's better late than never that the coach figured it out at least.

We look for progress during a course of the season, and now we've seen it from the head coach.

Classless Nets Force Interim Coach Tom Barrise To Endure Futility

Leslie Monteiro — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:44:33 -0500

The Nets hired Kiki Vandeweghe to be the head coach and Del Harris to be the assistant coach on Tuesday afternoon, but here's the kicker.

Those two won't be coaching until Friday night so the organization forced Lawrence Frank's loyal assistant to go be the victim of history for the wrong reasons.

Rod Thorn assigned Tom Barrise to coach the Nets tonight with the idea that Vandeweghe would coach without the burden of breaking the record for most losses to start the season.

The Nets had no shot against the Mavericks hence why Barrise received the assignment, and as expected, the Mavericks enjoyed a 117-101 victory against them that helped the Nets start the season with the most losses ever at 18 without a victory.

This was no way to treat a loyal organization guy in having him coach a game that he was bound to lose.

Vandeweghe should have coach this game instead of waiting until Friday night. That's what coaches actually do not chickening out.

What difference does it make if he coached and lost this one? No one would care one way or another.

To take an easy way out does not reflect well on Vandeweghe and the organization. Even if Thorn approached him about waiting till the next game, Vandeweghe should have told his boss that he wants to coach now rather than later.

Barrise looked helpless from start to finish in this game. The players barely paid attention to him when he gave instructions in the huddle, and the referee's ignored him when he pleaded to them for some calls.

It sounded like his players expected defeat once the game started.

Of course, the Nets hatched up the intensity by going after loose balls and throwing bodies around along with trading baskets with the Mavericks, but in the end, we knew what would happen, and deep down, Devis Harris and company knew it.

The Nets don't play defense, and it showed when the Mavericks easily went to the paint in scoring their points.

Vandeweghe will have to teach these guys how to defend if this franchise will ever be a championship contending team, and based on his work with the Mavericks and the Nuggets as a developmental coach, one wonders if he is the right guy when it comes to working on defense.

This is going to be his biggest test as coach. He talked about how he expects his team to make progress under his watch, and a good indication of that will come based on how the team defends.

It's going to take a long time until we see improvements when one looks at how bad they are defensively going back when Lawrence Frank coached the team.

When the game was over, Barrise wanted no part of talking to the media or being around anyone.

It's hard to blame him for that.

The Nets can talk all they want about giving a guy a shot to coach at least two games, but from this perspective, it's about humiliating a guy for no reason.

If Barrise wanted to get his true shot, he would coach the rest of the season.

It's unfortunate this happened.

This team deserved to break the record for the way it conducts themselves on and off the court.

Here's hoping Vandeweghe start off his coaching career with 18 straight losses of his own.

It would serve him and the organization right.

Darrelle Revis Offers Reason To Watch Jets

Leslie Monteiro — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:48:05 -0500

Jake Delhomme knew he was in for a long day yesterday afternoon with Darrelle Revis waiting to receive an interception from Delhomme.

Delhomme throws interceptions to cornerbacks going back to a horrible performance against the Cardinals in the playoffs last year at home. To this day, he can't cure his interception woes.

Yesterday, Delhomme continued his frustrating season by throwing four interceptions with two to Jets' beleaguered safety Kerry Rhodes, and two to Revis. With Rhodes, it's news since he has been terrible all year, yet with Revis, it's expected.

This shows the type of year Revis is having when everyone looks at his work as ho-hum.

When one looks at the Jets' roster, when it comes to having a Pro Bowl player, Revis should stand out. It's a good bet he will be playing in Miami this year.

Revis not only has four interceptions, but he shut down the other team's best receivers by forcing incompletions, or missed passes.

Randy Moss can attest to that, even he publicly denies it.

Even if the wide receiver catches the ball, he rarely breaks out with the Jets cornerback shadowing him.

Revis proved he can be a playmaker too by running for touchdown, as he demonstrated yesterday.

He is simply exciting to watch, and he is a player that the team can build around.

What's amazing about him is that he keeps his mouth shut, and lets his play do the talking. That's how a player gets it done.

Rhodes and Bart Scott should take notice to Revis' approach.

Scott likes to talk about how being a trash-talker raises a player's intensity. That's a bunch of hogwash even if it suits Scott well in his career.

If a player needs to talk to create attention and be a good player, one wonders how good he is.

Revis shows he can get it done by being meticulous in his preparation and pushing himself well in practice everyday. He is a football player.

He has a great knack of knowing where to read the ball, and that's something no one can teach.

His teams stinks, but since he plays in a major market, this should help his chances of not just being a Pro Bowl player but being a Defensive Player of the Year.

We all look to like at some bright spots of a lost cause of a season, and it's hard to do most of the time.

In this case, Revis proves it's easy to find something to be excited about.

Regime Change Bound To Happen For Nets

Leslie Monteiro — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:12:53 -0500

Nets basketball boss Rod Thorn fired Lawrence Frank as the coach yesterday morning prior to their game against the Lakers. It was long-time coming, and it was an easy move for Thorn to make.

Frank lasted longer than he deserved. He should have been fired couple of years ago when the team underachieved by not playing defense and losing games to inferior teams they had no business losing to. So let's save that sympathy about him being fired despite having nothing to work with.

In the NBA, no coach survives a winless start after sixteen or seventeen games, especially when it's hard to go through that type of stretch in a league that features a plethora of talent.

The Teaneck native will manage to earn another head coaching job one day because he posted some playoff appearances on his resume and earned respect from his players, so he will be fine.

Frank's firing is nothing more than Thorn trying to save his own job by holding out hope that Kiki Vandeweghe will develop his players better and win games in the process after hiring him this afternoon to be the coach for the rest of this season.

This is a lost cause for David Stern's former deputy.

Nets new owner Mikhail Prokhorov barely knows Thorn to the point that he has never met the guy. It can't be a good thing for Thorn's job security.

The firing of the head coach is only the beginning for this franchise. With Prokhorov waiting for his sale to be approved, expect more moves to be made like a new guy running the basketball operations.

It's been rumored that the Russian billionaire wants his own guys in Russia to run this franchise, and that's his right as the owner of this team. When an owner buys a franchise for the money he paid for, there's no need for him to be loyal to guys that worked for a long time as cruel as it sounds.

Changes can be good sometimes, and now is the right time. As great as Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe has done in rebuilding this team, this franchise might be better off with an international guy that has new ideas.

The NBA features guys playing from overseas, and it's important the coaches relate to those type of guys so it makes sense for the new owner to go to that direction. It's also a safe bet the new owner wants to draft guys from Russia, which is why it's good to hire his people from there.

The franchise peaked under the Thorn administration, and it's hard to believe it will get any better.

With this team on its way to Brooklyn, it's imperative that the Nets become a playoff team when they play in their new arena so it's smart to make this move when it happens.

The last thing the team needs is a new arena with empty seats. Sure they will sell out for Opening Night and maybe the first five or six games, but New Yorkers demand a winner so it would behoove this franchise to be in this type of situation they are currently in when it comes to 2012.

If Prokhorov had his way, his people would be in already, but this transaction takes a long time to be approved for whatever reason.

It does not make sense for them to come in now with several months to go.

The team is terrible so there's no point for those guys to have their losses on their resume right away when they can absorb them for next year.

Let them get a shot of getting a top pick and go from there.

Thorn and Vandeweghe deserved the right to finish out the year anyway especially for giving the new guys a chance to succeed right away.

Even if they know they are going to be fired, they will show their professionalism by displaying a good work ethic and doing what it takes to make sure there is talent in this organization just like what Frank tried to do in getting his team in a position to win some games even if it was a lost cause.

There's no need to be sad about this and throw a pity party. These guys have nothing to be ashamed of, and they are going to be fine.

What's going to happen is something to be excited about.

Another Jets Season Goes To Waste

Leslie Monteiro — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:41:07 -0500

Every year, the Jets express their optimism about how this season will be different and how they are not the same old Jets, but in the end we all know nothing changes. So much so that at this point we've become numb to the routine.

The Jets are playing out the season for the next few weeks, after a recent rough stretch that doomed their playoff hopes.

Everyone can talk about how this year was a rebuilding year with a rookie quarterback. But these same people felt differently after an astounding September start, one that got them thinking about winning the division, so they aren't fooling anyone.

After a decade of disappointment, it makes one wonder why we get their hopes up every year or bother paying attention at all.

The Record columnist Ian O'Connor said it best; he said that the Gang Green are the Cubs of football.

If Brett Favre and Bill Parcells couldn't take the team to championship land, who can?

It's hard to believe Rex Ryan will do this. He can't coach, and even though he is learning on the job, it looks like he is nothing more than a coordinator at best.

Maybe Mark Sanchez can be the man like Joe Namath was, but he has a lot to learn about the role, and it's not just throwing the deep ball to the wide receiver. It's about learning how to lead and how to figure it out in tight spots.

It sure looks like Sanchez is falling on the level of Matt Leinart on the basis of a suspect work ethic. He is only a rookie right now, but he needs to show progress till the end of next season or this will turn out to be a bust. Maybe even to the point where Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum would lose their jobs.

Sanchez would also likely cost Brian Schottenheimer his job as the offensive coordinator, after a disappointing season and a regressing quarterback.

It's imperative that the rookie head coach and the rookie quarterback dole out some wins in the final month of the season, just so there's a reason for folks to believe in those two when heading into next season.

Jets owner Woody Johnson needs to set the tone by expecting results instead of worrying about marketing and selling PSL seats. That type of attitude rubs off on the players and the front office.

If Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan wants to coach Johnson's team all of a sudden, the owner could make a good impression for the organization by showing that mediocrity will not be tolerated.

But that's the problem right there. There is no accountability, and it's no wonder why we see disappointments.

It would be nice if this franchise acted like a professional franchise who knew how to win and run a good operation with competent coaches and players. It would be nice if this team would be at the level of the Patriots, Steelers, and Colts every year.

It seems this team misses out on the playoffs more often than making it. Even when they qualify for the playoffs, its one game and then out.

Even though everyone will keep an eye on them from now till the end of December, what is there to be excited about on a lost season?

The Jets have a loyal fanbase that bleeds passionately for their team, and they deserve more than what they have received these past 10 years.

It's tiring to watch this same old movie year after year, and then reading about it in the paper. Enough should be enough.

Tannenbaum Miscalculates Team's Quarterback Situation

Leslie Monteiro — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:10:51 -0500

Mike Tannenbaum loves to be bold when it comes to making moves for the Jets.

He has done that in his first few years as the Jets general manager, whether it's tampering to get an elite receiver or making a trade to get that big name to run an offense.

A good example of that came in the NFL Draft this year when Tannenbaum made a trade with Eric Mangini's Browns that moved the Jets up in the draft, and that's where he used that pick to draft Mark Sanchez.

It was a brilliant move since the Jets selected a quarterback they can build around for the next 10 years.

With that said, one wonders if it was a right move to have Sanchez start right away.

No one questioned that in September when the team played well to the point Sanchez was called the Sanchise.

But now, it's easy for everyone to question it.

Fans should have tempered their excitement by realizing that rookies go through slumps. The Jets also always seem to be under Murphy's Law which everything always goes wrong for them going back to their star-crossed history.

That's the case with Sanchez these last few weeks, and one wonders why the Jets failed to get a competent quarterback that could give them a chance to succeed while the rookie quarterback learned slowly on the job.

A guy like Jon Kitna or Derek Anderson would have made sense. Either one could have been handy in today's Jets' 34-13 loss to the Patriots.

The Patriots did okay, but the game could have been winnable for the Jets with a competent quarterback. The Jets knew what it was like to have that quarterback last year with Brett Favre, but the team's failures took the life out of him in the end and the team was happy to see him move on.

Sanchez played horrible for the entire game. He threw four interceptions, increasing his total to 16 interceptions this season. Sanchez also failed to move his team to Patriots' territory.

Rex Ryan should have made a quarterback change in the middle of the third quarter for the sake of creating a spark for his struggling team. Kellen Clemens may not be the answer, but it can't get any worse.

Ryan owed it to the team to see what Clemens can do in this type of situation.

It says something about the lack of depth the Jets posses at quarterback when the Jets head coach settled on Sanchez instead of Clemens and Erik Ainge in training camp.

This falls on Tannenbaum for not giving Sanchez an opportunity to earn his starting job. Someone needed to push the former USC quarterback, and that's why Mr. T should have worked hard to find that quarterback that would keep this team afloat when a rookie goes through his struggles.

If the team was going to contend for a playoff spot, then maybe Clemens would be the way to go. Now, Ryan has no choice but to let his beleaguered quarterback figure out how to overcome his struggles.

The Jets need to hope that Sanchez does not completely lose his confidence for the rest of his career.

It's doubtful this will happen to a guy with his arm, physique, and football intelligence. But if that ever happens, the Jets will have no one to blame but themselves for putting the kid in a position to fail.

Motivated Belichick Gives Jets No Chance

Leslie Monteiro — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:40:43 -0500

The Jets knew they were in for a tough game against the Patriots at Foxborough after they outplayed, outworked, and outcoached their counterpart in the second week of the football season.

Now, it gets harder with Bill Belichick using the media's criticism of him as a method to get the Patriots to rally around him after his decision to throw the ball at fourth down in Colts territory turned out to be failure.

Not only will it spur Belichick's team to victory tomorrow afternoon, but it can move them to do better things in the next few months.

It won't be as big blowout as the media make it out to be when one looks at the history of both teams facing each other in the Belichick era, but the Jets don't have a chance in this contest.

The Jets defense showed its vulnerability in the last few weeks with their lack of ability to finish off an opposing team and their failure of blitzing the quarterback. Certain guys on that unit are not playing to their potential.

People can talked about how the Jets rank defensively, but who cares about that. If they can't get it done when it matters, rankings mean nothing. It's hard to take the Jets seriously on defense after their performance in recent weeks.

Tom Brady looked flustered in the first meeting of the season, but he was coming off an injury at the time so he was going to look rusty. Now, he is hitting his stride at the right time.

Brady connects to Randy Moss lately along with the rest of his receivers. With the way the Jets are playing defensively, Brady's eyes should lit up with this opportunity.

Darrelle Revis stopped Moss couple of months ago, but look for Brady's main target to get the best out of Revis this time around with Wes Welker playing after not playing at Giants Stadium. Moss will get more touches with Welker's presence.

Mark Sanchez played okay last week and he managed to make plays against the Patriots in his first ever start against them as the Jets quarterback, but Belichick devises different sorts of schemes when his defensive unit faces the same quarterback for the second time around, so Sanchez will likely have a hard time in this upcoming contest.

Their running game should give the Jets a chance in this game, but their running backs can only do so much. It will come down to the passing game, but the Jets don't have the receivers to match up with the Patriots.

The Patriots succeed when they play at their home turf with their offense scoring more points and the defense displaying its dominance. They look at it as an insult when an opposing team go to their place and play well so they got that going for them.

Belichick hates losing to the Jets, and bet on him to pull all the stops in getting a victory that his team needs to put their hated rivals away for good in the division race just like how Ryan pulled everything out of his playbook to get that well-deserved victory against the Patriots.

Right now, the Patriots are better than the Jets in coaching, defense and offense. They look like they are peaking at the right time despite their mistake on Sunday Night Football.

Gang Green looked like the team to beat in September, but that means nothing. It's how a team does late in the season that counts the most.

In recent years, they start off well just to falter at the wrong time in November and December, while the Patriots play their best in the final two months of the season.

That's the difference between a pretender and a contender, and that's why the Jets and the Patriots are heading to different directions.

It's easy to see who is winning this game.

The game should come down to the fourth quarter, but this time, the hoodie gets the last laugh over an amateur coach.

NY Sports Radio Lacks Intelligence

Leslie Monteiro — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:46:47 -0500

Daily News media critic Bob Raissman loves to call New York Sports Radio as the Valley of the Stupid. He use that moniker on them for the way the hosts and callers act stupid on the radio.

It's been years since this New Yorker listened to sports radio. He stopped listening in 2000 after he got tired of hearing ignorance from the fans and the talk-show hosts when it comes to sports in this city.

Surfing through the message boards the other day, the drive-time talkies on WFAN and WEPN talked about how they encouraged Allen Iverson to go play for the Knicks by saying the team has nothing to lose by going after him, and fans drink it up.

No wonder New York sports fans get their stupidity.

One wonders if these hosts did their research about Iverson in the last few years. All they said was that Iverson would create a buzz to an irrevelant team, so he's worth the signing.

If that's their reasoning to get him, well, then it shows that sports radio lacks credibility.

It's disappointing to hear alleged basketball junkie Brandon Tierney campaigning for Iverson, but then Tierney is not exactly the smartest guy on talk radio, and it shows if anyone watched him on Sportsnet New York's Wheelhouse.

Michael Kay said those exact same words along with Mike Francesa.

Talkies always talk about buzz when they need to sign a player. It should never be about that.

Iverson showed in the last couple of years that he offers nothing to a team. He never adapted well playing for couple of great teams, and he struggled to fit in with the team.

His skills deteriorated to the point he does not have the blazing speed to get past defenders. That happens when he took so much beating on his body by exerting himself a lot in his first few years in the league.

So in that regard, it's funny to hear these well-paid hosts talk about why Iverson would be valuable. No one is going to get excited to see a washed-up guy doing nothing on the court no matter how much he accomplished something in the game.

It makes one wonder why sports radio attract folks when these hosts don't know what they are talking about, and we see this too often from them. They act like cheerleaders when they talk about teams in town; often times, they show lack of knowledge about the other teams.

The hosts showed zero respect to the other teams during the Yankees playoff run. It was all about Yankees good and everyone else bad.

When Cliff Lee pitched a shutout against the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series, no one talked about him. They savaged the Yankees for coming up lame against him. Talk about ignorance right there.

Lee should have been praised for his work not being derided.

It's got to the point now where blogs and message boards provide better analysis than the radio. It's a sad commentary.

Sports radio should be about doing their due diligence and being knowledgeable about this topic not spewing from the mouth because it drives ratings.

It's about reporting and finding the truth by being at the games not watching the game from the sofa and then jotting out talking points.

Unfortunately, it's a different era than what it used to be.

It's no wonder why sports radio here turned out to be the Valley of the Stupid.

Jets in Crisis: Ryan and Sanchez Unravel

Leslie Monteiro — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:57:49 -0500

Losing causes people to do stupid things. New York York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez have demonstrated that in recent days, as the Jets are in crisis mode, having lost five of their last six games.

On Monday, Ryan cried in a team meeting. Soon after, he fired one of his coaches and release a backup cornerback.

Meanwhile, Sanchez was immature by setting up his own press conference and attempting to avoid questions after the Jets' frustrating loss on Sunday.

These actions are evidence of the turmoil the Jets are in. These sorts of actions are never good, especially with several weeks to go until the regular season is over.

Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum should be very concerned with the way Ryan is approaching his team's slump. While everyone thinks the rookie head coach is showing his passion, his recent actions send the wrong message to his players, that he is frustrated with what is going on.

Players look for coaches to lead, to stand tall and direct them when the team is in a slump. They expect solutions out of Ryan, but so far, he hasn't been able to provide many answers.

When a coach starts losing it, players tune him out. Ryan must make sure he doesn't lose his player.

It's okay to cry in a spontaneous fashion, but if Ryan keeps doing it, well then this is nothing more than grandstanding, and that seems to be the case with what we have here.

Great coaches offer encouragement. When asked about the questionable coaching decision of Bill Belichick against the Colts last weekend, Junior Seau mentioned yesterday on SportsNet New York's Daily News Live that Bill Belichick expects his players to have a short memory about both good and bad times.

Ryan would have been better off discussing how this is an opportunity for the Jets to get back in the division race with a win against the Patriots. He should have preached about the importance of the game on Sunday.

The Jets head coach screwed up by firing defensive line coach Kerry Locklin and cutting Ahman Carroll. He made these moves in an attempt to cover himself and showed that he is doing something about the losing.

Making these moves will not make this team any better and it won't send a message to his players. These players are not smart enough to execute or perform certain plays. They can't seem to finish so it's ridiculous to blame them.

As for Mark Sanchez, one wonders what exactly was he thinking when he held that bizarre press conference after the game. He rambled incoherently when he talked about what took place in the game, and then he got testy with some of the questions that reporters asked of him.

That's not how a quarterback should be behaving, and it's a good bet Ryan and Tannenbaum talked to Sanchez about it.

Sanchez has shown flashes of greatness on the field, but being a quarterback is more than just showing up on Sundays.

He needs to be a proper spokesman to his team and he needs to be held accountable when things go bad, not shy away or act like a fool. Answering questions when he has a bad game is part of his job.

This is not the first time he acted like a child. He cried and pouted in an awful performance against the Bills.

Sanchez will learn as he grows into the job, but it's certainly something the Jets don't want to see in a time like this.

Obviously, both the rookie coach and the rookie quarterback were going to have some rocky times in their first year, but that doesn't get them off the hook.

They should not have been so naive to think that a great start would be a steppingstone to a great season. A rookie quarterback experiences rough times during the course of the year, and as confident as Sanchez is, he had to know this was going to happen eventually.

What will make both Ryan and Sanchez successful is how they get out of this situation.

They can start by winning. That's always a tonic to these problems.

Also, they need to just accept responsibility and move on rather than let the losses get the best of them.

It will take experience for that to happen.

One can only hope these two learn something from their mistakes.

Jets Offer No Defense

Leslie Monteiro — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:33:49 -0500

Rex Ryan vowed that his style of defense would make the Jets dangerous.

For the first two games, his unit made the Jets coach a genius by attacking the quarterback at will and stopping the other team's run, but since then, it's been a different story.

The wide receivers torched the Jets secondary, while the runningbacks run with no resistance, as a result of Kris Jenkins being out for the entire season.

Teams figured out Ryan's defensive schemes in October, and that's why the Jets are in a freefall.

The defense struggled for most of the game, but they received an opportunity to make amends by trying to protect a slim 22-21 lead against the Jaguars with couple of minutes to go in regulation.

It didn't happen. David Garrard threw deep couple of times, and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for many yards to put the Jaguars in Jets territory.

By then, the Jaguars milked the clock for Josh Scobee to kick the field goal that would get them out of Giants Stadium with a victory, and that's how the game ended with fans booing the home team.

This was a frustrating loss on so many levels.

For one thing, the home team lost to a team they had no business losing. The Jaguars are a mediocre team at best.

Second of all, the Gang Green wasted a good scoring drive by Mark Sanchez late in the fourth quarter and a great game plan by beleaguered Jets offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer.

Finally, they relegated themselves further behind in the AFC East and the AFC Wild Card race, and with the schedule getting tougher next month.

This is a game the Jets will rue along with the losses to the Dolphins and the Bills, if they miss the playoffs.

Maybe it's time to realize these guys are not good defensive players as they think they are. The Jets could use a playmaker on defense, but they don't have one, and it showed in the Jaguars' final drive of the game.

For all the talking Bart Scott does, he never gets to the quarterback.

Kerry Rhodes mentioned how he was going to be the next Ed Reed under Ryan's guidance, but he is not having a good season so far.

Vernon Gholston is a bust along with Lito Sheppard.

Jenkins is the Jets' best player on defense yet he is gone for the year.

Shaun Ellis underwhelms more often than not.

It's no wonder why fans groaned when the Jaguars took the field with the final minutes ticking at the game. They expected something bad to happen.

This defense lost its swagger after a fluke start.

Tom Brady expressed his frustration at Giants Stadium when the Patriots faced the Jets, but now, he looks forward to getting his revenge next week with him being at 96 percent now after looking out of sorts in September.

This is not a good thing for the Jets with the Patriots chomping at the bit of running up the score after being embarrassed by their division foe.

For all the criticism the offense gets at times, the defense gets off easy often from their head coach. They don't play smart by committing penalties on a consistent basis, and they struggle to tackle, at times.

It's hard to believe it's going to get better anytime soon especially after performing bad week after week.

At some point, it becomes a trend, and the trend is this defense does not scare anyone right now.

Seems they lost their way in New Orleans, and it has not come back since.

Ryan's Rhetoric Grows Stale

Leslie Monteiro — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:32:31 -0500

When the Jets introduced Rex Ryan to everyone for the very first time, Ryan talked of his team hanging out with President Barack Obama. He meant the Jets would win a championship when he mentioned Obama's name.

It was cute when he said it. Ryan played it smart when he talked about what he expects out of himself and his team as the new coach of the Jets.

Before training camp, he talked about how he wasn't interested in kissing Bill Belichick's rings in a drive-time show. It sounded good, since he made an impression to his players and his superiors.

One would think Ryan would stop once everyone got the point but, even once the season started, he kept talking. He called up Jets season-ticket holders to get them fired up in the team's home opener.

His approach worked when the Jets played well enough to beat the Patriots. But then the team struggled with a 3-0 start.

Now, if they don't run off some victories this month, they are in danger of letting this season get away from them.

Ryan tried to create a spark, by calling on Jets fans to get loud and create a hostile environment when the Jaguars come to town tomorrow afternoon.

At some point though, Ryan needs to realize that being chatty wears out on the fans.

Sportswriters love it, because their editors get eye-opening quotes to sell their newspapers, but fans demand that he and his team do their talking on the field, not on the podium.

Great coaches use their best speeches in the locker room for their players' attention, not for the publics'. Bill Parcells loved to speak his mind, but he knew when to quiet down.This is where Ryan needs to improve.

Ryan's act has become tiresome, especially with the team's current losses. Motivational words are great if the team is mainly winning. But when a team is losing, no one wants to hear the words, they want to see the action.

He should save his exciting words during a win or loss for the postgame. By talking almost everyday about what his team is going to do and how he believes in them, it becomes nothing more than hot air.

Sometimes, it's better if a team remains quiet and disinterested. When all is said and done, every team will approach the Jets as a game that they want to win badly.

The Dolphins will always treat their games against the Jets like the Super Bowl as long as Ryan continues to coach the Gang Green this way. Bet on the Patriots to do the same.

Ryan's team does not need that, especially when their difficult-to-win games.

Ryan shouldn't be telling fans how to react. New Yorkers know when to cheer and boo without the encouragement of the scoreboard. The Jets head coach should focus on getting his team ready to play and put them in a position to win on Sundays.

If he does that, fans will be fired up. It's that simple.

Ryan is no better than Eric Mangini, Al Groh and Herman Edwards. Maybe a little more humility and a little less talk would help the Jets win.

But maybe a losing season can make Ryan realize his act is not working. If that's the case, he may be better off.

Memo To Omar: Invest On Big Names

Leslie Monteiro — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:34:45 -0500

Reports circulated that Mets general manager Omar Minaya is hesitant to spend the money on the stars of the 2010 free agent class. His approach is to build around the team with lower-level free agents.

Typically, Minaya loves to target the big names and do whatever it takes to get their signature on the dotted line of the contract, and that approach worked out well for him, but with the team playing awful these last two years, he realized it was time to change the way he does business.

This is the wrong time for him to do that especially in light of the Yankees winning a World Series championship last week. After how this season turned sour for the Mets, they need to spend the money to get the best players in this uninspiring free agent market.

It worked for the Yankees this past season.

The Mets feature a roster that has many weaknesses along with an abysmal farm system so it's imperative for them to spend.

As a big-market team, the Mets benefit from overcoming past mistakes by displaying an unlimited amount of financial resources so they have an advantage over the teams in their division even with Bernie Madoff stealing money from Fred Wilpon.

The Metropolitans must target three guys that can be difference makers in 2010.

Jason Bay fits what they need when they look for an outfielder. He hits for power and doubles, and he plays well defensively.

He knows what he is doing. He played in Boston so playing in New York won't be a problem based on his experience of playing in a pressure cooker.

No one can say that about Matt Holliday. Holliday would be a poor fit since Citi Field would be tough for him or any good hitter to hit with the park being devoted to defense and pitching.

He is not worth the money that Mark Teixeira received from the Yankees last year especially with him being on the downside of his career. He peaked during his heyday in Colorado, and odds are he won't match those numbers again after performing decently this past season with the Athletics and the Cardinals.

The Mets need to fix the starting rotation. For them to do it, they should go after John Lackey and Brett Myers so that they can complement Johan Santana.

By signing those two, Mike Pelfrey can develop as the fourth starter rather than being the second starter. The Mets forced Pelfrey to take on the role of the second starter when he never pitched like one in his career.

Once they nab Bay, Lackey and Myers, they can sign those complementary players to build around the team, and based on recent history, those guys will likely get their contracts a month before spring training so there is no need to sign them before signing the crown jewels.

Forget about Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays are not going to accept garbage for an ace unlike the Twins so stop with the fascination of him wearing a Met uniform.

This goes for any other player that the Mets like to get in a trade.

After the Mets finish their player transactions, they should pay up for a new manager by hiring Bobby Valentine. He would be an improvement over Jerry Manuel. Valentine would demand accountability out of his team, which is something Manuel can't say.

This division is there for the taking. The Phillies will likely deal with the hangover of not winning a championship while the Marlins are a young team that doesn't know what it takes to be a playoff team. The Braves are not what they used to be, and the Nationals are the Nationals.

Now is not the time to act like a small-market team.

The Amazins need to seize the opportunity.

Minaya's job can be saved by doing those things so he would be a fool not to do it.

D'Antoni Worn Out His Welcome in New York

Leslie Monteiro — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:48:10 -0500

Isiah Thomas returns to the local area tomorrow when his Florida International Panthers play the Monmouth Hawks at West Long Branch.

He feels good knowing the Knicks are worse without him, and he exonerated himself from his failures in an interview with NY Daily News college hoops writer Dick Weiss the other day by mentioning how his predecessors couldn't lead the Knicks to a championship.

David Stern urged Knicks boss James Dolan to fire Thomas and hire Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni to lead that organization out of this mess, but so far, nothing worked with the team playing awful in this young season.

The Knicks CEO wonders if that is ever going to work out with everything turning into nothing with the new regime. Walsh proved that he is not an astute of talent, and D'Antoni struggles to get the most out of his team.

General managers rarely get fired after couple of years, but coaches do so D'Antoni should start worrying about his job security.

The Knicks coach failed to vow people going back to last season. The team exhibits lack of effort on most nights, and they don't play defense.

Fair or not, that's an indictment on the head coach.

Folks talk about how D'Antoni does not have the players to win games. That's true, but coaching is about having the guys prepared and play as a team.

On both counts, he strikes out in doing those things.

It was a mistake to hire D'Antoni in the first place. He was not a great coach in his tenure with the Nuggets and the Suns prior to Steve Nash's arrival.

Even with Nash, the Suns never went to the championship game. They underachieved and lost their self-control against a defensive-oriented team.

D'Antoni's failure stems from his lack of ability to preach defense. It's remarkable why Walsh thought that was a good hire.

The Knicks president of basketball operations figured the coach's presence would attract stars such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and others in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes. Unfortunately, that strategy is flawed thinking at best.

Why would these stars want to play for a coach that does not have what it takes to win a championship? For all the talk about him being a great offensive mind, the Knicks play like they have no clue how to run an offnese.

Nash made D'Antoni's offense more than anything.

For the Knicks to matter in the summer of 2010, it's imperative that D'Antoni is out of the plans. He showed he is not a fit here.

So far, teams blew the Knickerbockers out in most of the games. D'Antoni's team start off flat, and they never recovered.

In a rare game which the Knicks dominated the first half, they couldn't finish in last night's game as they blew a 14-point lead against the Hawks by allowing 67 points in the second half, and they suffered their fifth straight loss by losing to the Hawks, 114-101. This loss relgates them to an 1-8 team.

New York sports fans expect answers from the head coach when things are bad, but the beleaguered coach sounds like he has no answers to how this can be solved and why it's happening.

It's interesting to know why he took this job in the first place. This was a no-win situation for him especially with him working with a bad roster.

The guess here is that he took the job because of the money. He is one of the highest paid coaches in the league, but he proved that he is not worth it.

He steals money right now, and he appears like he doesn't care.

The Knicks are better off without him, and the fans share that sentiment by chanting "FIRE D'ANTONI" late in the game last night.

Let Herb Williams coach for the rest of the season, and if he fails, Walsh can look at other choices in the summer.

Something must be done so that everyone knows the organization is serious about putting out a great product and displaying a productive effort on game night.

Don't Blame Tom Coughlin for Being Conservative

Leslie Monteiro — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:51 -0500

Sports fans like to talk about Sunday being the best day of the fall season, but Monday stands out the most.

There's nothing like listening to people play the game of Monday morning quarterback after a tough loss, and Chicagoans and New Yorkers play that role well in this country.

Fans rant after their favorite team loses while sportswriters earn their money by savaging coaches and players.

It was a good day to listen to sports radio—after the Giants choked away a victory against the San Diego Chargers and no one disappointed.

Everyone ripped Tom Coughlin for playing it safe by running the ball, rather than tell Eli Manning to throw the ball to the end zone.

When it comes to pointing the blame, it's so easy a caveman can do it.

Guess what? Coughlin called a good play there.

Manning has regressed lately, and with the game on the line, it would be risky to have him throw with a chance of an interception, giving the Chargers a victory.

It says something about the quarterback that his head coach lost faith in him down the stretch.

Normally, Manning gets it done as well as anyone in that situation, but his mechanics are off right now, so there's no guarantee it would have worked out.

It probably wouldn't have worked, so it was smart to let the defense finish the game based on the way it played.

Rivers and the running game did nothing against that defense, so the coaches were right for playing it smart. It didn't work out.

These things happen.

If fans assign blame, give it to Manning. He played mediocre for most of the game despite the fact he played well in spurts in the second half.

Even then, he was off when it came to throwing the ball to his receivers, and the Chargers almost intercepted him several times.

It wasn't hard for the head coach to make this decision.

For some reason, everyone likens the Giants quarterback to John Elway, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning.

He is not, and likely, will never be.

If the coach realizes it, maybe it's time for Giants fans to do it, too. It's just an indictment of him and the offense in general.

There are no playmakers on that team, with a running game that looks done and a wide receiving corps that peaked early in the season against terrible teams.

The defense proved it can make stops and limit the Chargers' offense yesterday, not to mention their track record in recent years, so the coach went with his gut. Unfortunately, the defense failed him down the stretch.

No one would talk about Coughlin's move if defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan and his crew did its job.

Then again, that's the beauty of being a Monday morning whiner.

You're never wrong.

Giants-Chargers: New York Knows Losing These Days

Leslie Monteiro — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:45:50 -0500

When an opposing team leaves the home team's turf as victors after almost losing the game with a couple of minutes remaining, it's not a good thing.

That was the case with the Giants yesterday evening. They outplayed the Chargers for most of the game, but in the end, they lost when Philip Rivers engineered a game winning drive to propel the Chargers to a thrilling a 21-20 victory.

There's no way to sugarcoat this. This was a disappointing loss for Big Blue and it's representative of the downward spiral this team finds itself in heading into their bye-week.

How can a team recover from what took place at Giants Stadium yesterday?

Great teams don't lose games like this, but this year's Giants can. It makes me wonder about this team's toughness and intelligence.

After watching this contest, the Giants lack both attributes. How do they let the Chargers go out of their way to move the ball around against an allegedly tough defense?

The Giants defense played physical by sacking Rivers twice and shadowing the Chargers running back duo of LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sporles. Yet when it mattered in the end, they were missing in action.

Rivers was untouched on the game-winning play while Jackson showed he had no trouble getting into the end zone. That is called a lapse.

That wasn't the only bad play from the Giants. They botched a field goal and a game-winning touchdown attempt down the stretch.

It's a recipe of knowing how to lose, and it takes place only for losing teams. Maybe that's what the Giants are this season.

So now what? At least the Giants won't lose next week since they enter the bye week.

With that said, how are things going to get better? This defense looks awful, and the quarterback continues to overthrow the ball.

The running game played well today, and it's about time, but let's not say everything is back on track with the running backs until they can perform consistently.

The coaching staff looks lost too. Kevin Gilbride has not gotten much out of his offensive unit all season, and Bill Sheridan fails to come up with plays that put his defensive unit in a position to be successful.

Coughlin was a highly scrutinized coach until his team won the Super Bowl. But at some point, he needs to be held accountable for the team's play this season. This team makes too many mental mistakes to be considered one of the league's better teams, and it's a reflection on the Giants head coach.

The players question whether or not they know how to win and play the game.

It was easy to shrug off that loss to the Saints few weeks ago since every team plays a bad game during the course of the season. But they've failed to bounce back since.

They've lost four in a row, and they've played awful during the stretch. When we see this consistently, it's a trend.

Whatever they did in the first two months mean nothing anymore since they beat up on horrible teams that continues to get worse.

Before anyone can talk about the Giants as a playoff team, it would be nice to see them know how to play football.

New York Giants Strike Out With Eli Manning

Leslie Monteiro — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:02:17 -0500

Eli Manning and Philip Rivers face each other in this afternoon's tilt between the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers; it's fun to reflect about the Class of 2004 quarterbacks featuring Manning, Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

Everyone loves to compare and contrast the heralded class because of the link they will forever share.

The Giants, Chargers, and the Steelers drafted the three quarterbacks, respectively, and they often speak about how they made the right decision. It's easy for them to brag when their choices live up to their billing by leading their team to victories.

With that said, I wonder if the Giants made the right move in drafting Manning.

He won a Super Bowl by orchestrating a great postseason run in 2008, and he did well last year. After watching him struggle this past postseason and in recent weeks, however, it's easy to second-guess then-Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi's thought process.

The Giants' quarterback continues to show his inconsistency by throwing incompelete passes and interceptions. At times, he puts himself in a position to be sacked by being indecisive on who to throw to.

He tends to fall apart rather than figuring out how to avoid being sacked. This is not what the Giants paid him to do when they gave him an extension a few months ago.

Everyone thought he figured it out by now, but that has not been the case. One wonders if this is going to be the norm for Manning; it probably is after watching him for several years.

Accorsi should have drafted Big Ben when all was said and done. The Steelers' quarterback knows what he is doing when he is lining up behind center.

Everyone expects him to make plays and figure out a way to make something out of nothing. Just when the linemen sacks Roethlisberger, he finds a way to get past them and run for the first down.

He knows what it takes to be a leader at that position, and his teammates on offense pick up from that. It's hard to teach these things, but that's what makes him special.

Manning can't do what Ben does well so it's easy to criticize Accorsi.

As for Rivers, he evolved into an elite quarterback a couple of years ago. His performance in the AFC Championship Game in 2009 was something else.

He put the Chargers in a position to win by throwing the ball past the Patriots' secondary despite the fact that he played hurt. That's called being a football player.

It's rare he makes mistakes in a game. Everyone expects him to lead his team in scoring points.

With Manning, that's not the case. It seems we wonder if he will be at his "A" game or his "D" game every week.

The Giants should never wonder about that at this point of Manning's career. He has played long enough to figure it out.

It's great that Manning won a Super Bowl already, but so what? Trent Dilfer performed well when he won the Super Bowl in 2001.

Great quarterbacks sustain great performance year in and year out, and that's where Roethlisberger and Rivers beat Peyton's little brother.

The Giants say the right things about their beleaguered quarterback because, well, what can they say? Team's never admit they are wrong, and considering he got an extension, they can't second-guess themselves publicly.

Deep down though, Giants general manager Jerry Resse muses privately about what could have been.

It's only natural when the Steelers' quarterback won two Super Bowl rings with more to come.

Look For King James in New York

Leslie Monteiro — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:46:29 -0500

LeBron James' baseball team celebrated their 27th championship this afternoon with a Canyon of Heroes parade around Manhattan. This was good timing for the Knicks.

The Yankees' parade coincided with James' only appearance at Madison Square Garden tonight, and that can only be a great thing for the NBA and one of the flagship franchises in basketball.

It's a unique recruiting tool to convince James to play in the Mecca of basketball rather than playing in purgatory in the view of New Yorkers.

The Cavaliers' superstar saw the parade on television, and there's no question he is envisioning what it would be like celebrating in the city than his own hometown.

Who can blame him? Any great athlete envisions those things.

There's something special about winning in the Big Apple, and that's why Clevelanders and basketball fans around the country need to be frightened about the possibility of James being a Knick next year.

From this writer's perspective, he expects King James to be a Knick next season for so many reasons.

For one thing, the league will see to it that it happens. They orchestrated the hiring of Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni to run the Knicks operation, so who's to say they can't do the same in arranging a deal for James to come play at 34th Street and seventh Ave.

David Stern bemoans about the Knicks struggling for years so that's a sign he will play a role even if he denies it.

Second of all, no player showed any interest of playing in Cleveland even with James being there. How is James going to win a title when this happens?

Players are willing to play with James for less money in New York than in Cleveland. The Knicks gain advantage over that with the Cavaliers.

Finally, what does James need to prove in Cleveland? He made his hometown relevant by giving some great years to his hometown team which features the Cavaliers making a trip to the NBA Finals in 2005.

It's hard to win a championship to begin with so in that regard, it's an accomplishment what he did over there. He doesn't owe those fine folks anything other than playing hard and getting his team as far as they can.

The pros of playing in New York outweigh the pros of playing in Cleveland whether basketball fans like it or not.

The hope is that he stays in Cleveland. It would be neat to see star players finish their careers with one team.

Those are the good old days unfortunately. Sports turns out to be a business now with stars trying to maximize their profits and increasing their exposure.

Cleveland can't keep up with what New York has to offer.

Clevelanders know that theory by experiencing that with CC Sabathia. Sabathia showed no intention of wanting to play in Cleveland since he knew he could make a name for himself in New York while winning a championship.

Sabathia and James are buddies, and don't discount Sabathia's recruitment to get his buddy to come play here.

The Yankees made baseball fans miserable by winning a championship on Wednesday night.

This coming summer, it will be the Knicks' turn to make basketball fans miserable.

Yankees Make Mockery of Baseball

Leslie Monteiro — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:25:10 -0500

This observer witnessed something in New York City the last couple of days.

On Tuesday night, New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg bought himself another term by defeating New York City comptroller William Thompson in an mayoral election that the Democratic candidate had no chance of winning.

Last night, the Yankees bought themselves their 27th championship by eliminating the Phillies in six games in what was a boring World Series.

What can we learn from this? If anyone has the money, he or she can do whatever he or she wants, and odds are success comes with it.

In baseball, it's all about teams spending money to get a championship, and the Yankees proved it this year.

The Yankees improved their payroll to $208 million after taking a terroristic approach this past winter by taking away the small-market teams' best players in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Also, they use their money well by signing draft picks that other teams could not afford to sign.

A team wins by fielding the best players, and the Yankees do it well by making sure they get what they want with the allure of money and the city. Others baseball teams don't have that luxury, and therein lies the problem.

When many baseball teams don't have the advantage the Yankees have when it comes to revenue, it's hard to win a championship. That's the harsh reality that small-market teams and their fanbases dealt with since the late nineties.

Baseball turned out to be a business in which a mom-and-pop operation can't keep up with brand operations. How can any baseball fan love that situation?

This writer grew up loving baseball, but now, he can care less. He did not watch the postseason for the second straight year, and he showed apathy for baseball these days to the point he finds soccer to be more watchable than the national pastime.

Others share the same feeling. Football replaced baseball as the most popular sport in this country.

There's something wrong with that scenario, but times have changed.

Who can blame anyone for picking the National Football League over Major League Baseball? They know an elite football team can lose on a Sunday whether it's regular season or the postseason.

With a salary cap, it's easy for a football team to turn their season around after a bad season, as the Falcons proved last season. No one can say the same thing about baseball.

Fans in Toronto, Baltimore and Tampa-St. Petersburg show apathy towards baseball, because their teams are usually eliminated from the playoffs by spring training.

That is not fair, and it's something Yankees fans fail to understand. They love to cite other small-market teams doing well, but they miss the point.

Those small-market teams don't have to deal with facing the Yankees, so it's easy for them to win their respective division. But come October, they don't have a chance to beat the Yankees as the Twins found out few weeks ago.

It's bad enough those teams can't win during the regular season, but they can't win in the offseason either with the Evil Empire raising its tentacles. Small-market teams can't even afford to keep their own players because they know they will get their money from the Yankees.

The Twins don't have a prayer of signing Joe Mauer even if he gets the best offer from them, since the Yankees can make a mockery of the Twins offer. It's the same thing with the Cardinals when they have to resign Albert Pujols, or with the Marlins making an attempt to keep Josh Johnson.

How can a fan of those cities even get into the sport when looking at this bleak situation?

The salary cap saves the sport of football from going out of control. It's time for that to happen with too many players being overpaid for their services.

It levels the playing field, and it makes the games watchable.

Major League Baseball offers the same big-market teams winning championships year after year, while the rest of the sports offer different teams that win championships.

That's the way it should be.

The Major League Baseball Players Association may not like the salary cap, but the owners need to stick together and figure out a way to save the sport from dying altogether. Work stoppage may be the way to go for the situation to get better no matter how long it takes.

The Yankee Universe can go celebrate their day today.

For the rest of us, it's a day of mourning.

New York Giants: Be Realistic About Big Blue

Leslie Monteiro — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:50:31 -0500

Everyone anointed the Giants as the team to beat in the NFC after they started 5-0 by beating up on many bad teams in the schedule.

The team earned the benefit of the doubt by appearing in the postseason for four straight years with a Super Bowl championship to show for it so it's hard to quibbble about their start especially with the way they outscored those teams.

New Yorkers expected their NFC team to expose the Saints as frauds when their team came to the Bayou for the battle of undefeated teams. Instead, the joke is on the Giants.

Since the loss to the Saints, they played awful. They lost three straight after a blowout loss to the Eagles on Sunday, and those losses hasn't been pretty either.

The Cardinals handled the Giants with ease by passing the ball at will towards that soft defense, and the Eagles did whatever they wanted when it came to running and passing the ball.

Tom Coughlin ponders the questions that plague his team right now.

Where is the defense? What happened to Eli Manning? Why can't Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw run and break tackles? Those three issues hurt the Giants right now.

When folks think about the G-Men, they think hard-hitting defense. This is not happening right now with them.

They can't blitz whatsoever, and opposing wide receivers torch the cornerbacks with no consequences of being pushed or punched.

The Giants dealt with injuries in September and October, but even then, everyone expected the team to not lose much with the depth they assembled. It hasn't happened at all.

Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have underachieved lately for whatever reason. Maybe Umenyiora knew what he was doing when he left the team for a day this summer after a tiff with Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan.

Sheridan looks like he is out of his league in running a defense so far, with the way the other teams run their offensive sets. What we see now would never happen if Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo ran this unit.

We thought Manning's problems of being inconsistent were over after a great playoff run in 2008 and a fine season last year, but that's not the case. To quote Giants general manager Jerry Resse, the Giants quarterback looks skittish.

He throws interceptions these days, and he fails to throw deep to his receivers. A fan told this bystander when we both watched the game at an appliance store on Sunday that Manning's knees affects his ability to run and search for his receiver.

If that's the case, then the Giants are in trouble period. They need to hope Manning plays through the pain and finds a way to produce.

Jacobs and Bradshaw failed to play at their top level so far in these first two months of the season. They don't run for many yardage, and they get stopped as soon as they run.

It's mind boggling to see how far they have fallen off. It looks like their careers may be coming to an end at this point.

They can't pinpoint what's going on, and Jacobs has been in denial about his play by being defensive when a Giants beat writer questioned his performance few weeks ago.

In a competitive conference, the Giants may have a hard time of making the playoffs at this point if they continue to stumble, and there's no guarantee it will get better with what's going on with the team.

One thought it was just one game after the Giants played awful against the Saints, but it's been three games in a row now. When a team plays badly for three games in a row, something is not right and it becomes a trend.

Maybe it's time for all of us to realize the Giants are not an elite team.

New York Jets: New Year, Same Ol' Team that Disappears

Leslie Monteiro — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:56:44 -0500

No matter how many new players, general managers, and coaches work for the Jets, things remain the same with the team losing year after year.

This year is no different. They continue to torment their suffering fans by winning games to get them interested, yet infuriate them by losing winnable games, especially at Giants Stadium.

The AFC East frauds entered the bye week at 4-4 after a bad loss to the Dolphins yesterday afternoon, and one gets the impression that it isn't going to get any better once the bye week ends. With the Jets, one expects the worst.

Mark Sanchez will be a great quarterback in a year or two, but right now, his growing pains hinders the team from winning the AFC East. He throws interceptions at an alarming rate, and he overthrows the ball to his receivers.

It's hard to win when a quarterback exposes his weaknesses, and it's a stretch to think he will magically get better in November and December, especially when he never experienced playing in cold weather.

It's not just his play that's an issue, but he needs to grow up and act like a mature quarterback before he can be the guy.

This means no more eating a hot dog during the game, and no more throwing temper tantrums if things don't go his way. It's great to have passion, but he can channel his passion better.

Rex Ryan might be the real deal one day, but right now he acts like an amateur coach more often than not by talking too much to the media and showing lack of smarts when it comes to making decisions.

Jets fans ripped Herman Edwards for talking a good game, so it's amusing to see a double standard with Ryan.

Ryan loves to talk about bravado and confidence, but talking about it and doing it are two different things.

The great coaches fail to promote the team to the media. They let their team's play speak for itself on Sundays.

Why does Ryan feel the need to go talk about how great his team is and how his team is going to win each game? What does that prove?

Maybe it says a lot about the lack of self-esteem the Jets have. It's amusing to see guys like Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, Leon Washington, Calvin Pace and other Jets follow Ryan's lead by continuing to talk and degrade their opponents.

What exactly have they won to make them act superior to others? Those guys performed nothing all season so they are better off keeping quiet.

It's no secret the Dolphins wanted this game badly yesterday afternoon, and a few weeks ago after the Jets discredited their accomplishments. Expect the Patriots to do the same thing in a few weeks, and if Bill Belichick runs up the score, it's because the Jets deserve it.

Also, it's getting old when Ryan talks about moral victories. This coach talks about how his team outplayed the Dolphins. So what? In New York, it's about wins and losses, not how hard a team plays.

If isn't his mouth, it's his coaching. This guy shows he has no clue how to use his timeouts.

Why is he calling a timeout when the Dolphins are running out the first half? Why waste those timeouts when it could be used for later?

One wonders if Ryan know how to use a two-point conversation. He does this all the time when the Jets are behind, and it fails. Going for the extra point gives the Jets to cut the deficit not widening it.

Ryan's stupidity makes one miss Eric Mangini. It's that bad.

It's funny how Jets fans and the New York sportswriters got excited after a 3-0 start. The NY Super Bowl created steam, but it looks like a lost cause with both the Jets and the Giants underachieving.

We should have accepted the fact the Jets were going to tease us when it matters, and by golly, they are doing it now.

Yankees Make Postseason Unwatchable

Leslie Monteiro — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:43:09 -0400

Wednesday night provides this viewer some options to watch. He can either watch the first game of the World Series or take in couple of pro basketball games by couple of sorry basketball teams that play in New York and New Jersey.

Watching the Knicks and the Nets is a better option that watching an American League team buying its way to the World Series.

At least, both of those teams offer comic relief when it comes to playing basketball especially in the fourth quarter when they come up with innovative ways of letting leads slip away. It makes one wonder why would LeBron James even considering playing for a New York team.

This postseason can be described as boring. The Yankees overwhelmed the Twins and the Angels while the Phillies exposed the Rockies and the Dodgers as frauds.

Besides the Philly Phanatics and the Yankee Universe, how can anyone be excited about the World Series and what has happened so far in October?

The Phillies are likable at least. It's hard to hate anyone on the team, and these guys play like warriors every time in a contest.

They expect good things to happen when they play out on the field. They know they are going to win even when they trail late in the game.

What is there for a baseball fan to like the Yankees?

New Yorkers love them because they win. If they lost, they turn on them in a New York minute. Just ask the Jets, Knicks and the Rangers.

For the rest of us, this is our national nightmare. How can anyone enjoy watching a team featuring billionaires?

Those guys are making millions, but with endorsements, they make even more millions so that's good enough for them to be considered billionaires. Plus for them, it's chump change to pay rent or buy whatever they want.

How can we relate to those Bronx Bombers especially in an economy where people continue to lose jobs every year? Even New Yorkers need to ask themselves that question even if the winning jades them from thinking that way.

Those players are unlikable too. They act like it's a chore to talk to the fans whether they are at home or on the road, and they come off unpleasant when they talk to the media by offering boring cliches.

Their current manager acts like he knows more baseball than anyone just by the way he conducts himself in the dugout and in press conferences. His pitching changes reflect his ability to convince people that he is a genius.

For Pete's sake, they make the Spurs look entertaining when it comes to charisma.

They make winning look depressing. We expect them to win and blow out opponents like they have done so far in the second season.

What excitement can a fan get from seeing a Yankee hit a home run?

Don't expect things to change in the World Series. As good as the Phillies are, it's easy to play well in a junior-varsity league otherwise known as the National League.

They are now facing the big boys, and it isn't going to be pretty.

Unlike the Rockies and the Dodgers, the Yankees feature great hitters and wily pitchers.

The Phillies match up well with the Yankees when it comes to offense, but when it comes to pitching, there's no comparison.

This series looks like a mismatch just like it was in the ALDS and the ALCS. This has a making of a four-game sweep, and it's going to happen.

The sooner this series ends, the better off America will be.

The Yankees can please everyone by ending this series on Sunday.

L.A. Angel Torii Hunter's Key Hit Keeps Past Postseason Skeletons Locked Away

Leslie Monteiro — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:30:05 -0400

It looked like deja vu all over again for the Angels.

With the bases loaded in the third inning, Vladimir Guerrero struck out to end the threat. One wondered if this would be another lowlight of the Angels' failures against the Red Sox in the postseason.

They finally figured out how to get to Jon Lester with runners in scoring position in the fifth inning. Lester grooved up a pitch that was easy for Torii Hunter to hit, and the ball went to the stands.

Just like that, they took a 3-0 lead over Boston, and it was game over after that.

John Lackey pitched great from the beginning, and that lead was good enough for Lackey to finish up the rest.

Hunter's hit symbolizes many things in this playoff contest.

His hit loosened a tight team up that was bogged down from hearing about Boston's dominance over them.

It puts the Angels in the catbird seat this time around instead of being the team that needs to catch up to Boston as they have done in the last few years.

It provides hope that they got a player that won't be afraid to face a big bully in Boston.

This should get Hunter's teammates going for the rest of this series, and a good example of that came late in the game when everyone started to hit.

Want to know what's cool about that hit? It sets Red Sox fans into a frenzy.

Nothing gets them going than a loss in October or a loss to the Yankees at anytime. It's funny to hear Red Sox Nation whine about how everything is going to fall apart for their team.

It's one game, but a win like this could get the Angels going. They can be even better, and the Red Sox rotation is nothing to talk about after Lester and Josh Beckett.

Had the defending AL West Champion lost this one, everyone would rip them for failing to drive runners home and playing tight once again against the AL Wild Card team.

The Angels would fare worse in the next game.

They talked about how the past does not matter, but who cares what they say. It's about doing it on the field, and last night, an Angel did something about it.

The home team must perform another encore tonight for Boston to know they are for real this time.

Angels Need To Save Us From Baseball's Armageddon

Leslie Monteiro — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:41:49 -0400

The American League Championship Series belongs to Fox Sports in a week, and the network is already salivating for a Yankees/Red Sox series.

Who can blame them? The Twins offer no challenge to the Yankees based on their history against them in this decade, and the Red Sox historically own the Angels.

It's hard to believe the Twins will defeat the Yankees this time around, since they lack enough starting pitching to slay off the Yankees.

The Angels need to be called on to save baseball fans from watching an overhyped rivalry between New York and Boston in the second round.

Why see two insufferable fanbases enjoy success? They have had enough that will last a lifetime.

Plus, watching the Yankees play the Red Sox is overrated.

Who wants to watch both teams foul off pitch after pitch and see the game last for four or five hours? It's disgusting to see ESPN, TBS, and Fox adore the Yankees and the Red Sox as if they are the only teams in baseball.

We know about the Angels' history against the Red Sox, but at some point, the Angels will eventually have to come through.

Right?

This could be the year. This team has the talent to beat them.

It's all about execution.

The Angels must attack the strike zone. The Red Sox like to swing at pitches, and the Angels pitchers can sense that, so they know what they should do. John Lackey and Jered Weaver have got what it takes to throw inside and pinpoint their control well.

The Angels rely on small ball to provide offense, but now they complement small ball with home run hitters in Bobby Abreu, Mike Napoli, and Kendy Morales.

Clawing for runs is nice, but home runs make the difference between winning and losing in October. This could make the difference for the AL West Champions this year when they play the Red Sox.

This Twins fan hopes the Angels figure out their nemesis, because he feels if the Angels get by Boston, they will dethrone the Yankees in the ALCS.

The Red Sox don't have what it takes to beat the Yankees. Their pitchers do not match up to Yankees pitchers when it comes to depth in the starting rotation and in the bullpen.

The last thing this baseball fan wants is to watch the Yankees celebrate their 27th championship without anyone challenging them. The Angels and the Cardinals provide hope for the Yankees to be denied.

Right now, the Angels need to finish the job of beating their nemesis.

It's not going to be easy, but eventually it's going to happen.

Now is the time.

America needs the Angels to come through.

Colorado Rockies Manager Jim Tracy Makes Most of His Last Chance

Leslie Monteiro — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:48:23 -0400

Many wondered if Jim Tracy would manage again after being forced out by the Los Angeles Dodgers and fired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Tracy returned to his bench-coaching roots last November when the Rockies hired him to assist Colorado's manager Clint Hurdle. He believed it was the only way he could get a managing job again.

His move paid off at the end of May after the Rockies fired Hurdle and replaced him with Tracy.

Tracy knew he needed to make the most of his opportunity or else he would never manage again. Typically, teams don't hire a manager that failed in several stops.

The Rockies responded to their new manager by going 74-42, and it landed them in the playoffs as a wild-card team. Tracy's team almost managed to clinch the division, but the Dodgers won it on Saturday night against the Rockies.

Tracy's success stems from his players' trust. They needed a manager they could enioy playing for, after being beaten down by Hurdle.

Hurdle lost Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki after benching them for their struggles. Tracy's goal was to get the most out of those two underachieving players when he got the gig, and he accomplished his objective, as both players rebounded well after a rough start.

Guys enjoy playing the game without worrying about losing their role on the team after a bad game. Players feel comfortable when they have security because it does not make them feel lost when they are out on the field.

Baseball is meant to be fun, and that's what Tracy emphasized.

Tracy uses most of his players in the roster, and when a manager does that, he often experiences success. When a manager only uses players that he trusts, it's hard for others to play well.

Even when the Rockies encountered adversity in late August and in September, Tracy stuck to his demeanor. He showed faith that his team would come out of it, and they did just that by winning several games after a losing streak.

The Braves, Marlins and Giants went on a good stretch of their own, but the Rockies hung in there and eventually Colorado's wild-card competitors fell apart.

This Bleacher Report baseball writer wondered if the Rockies would fade in August. He felt Florida would eventually be the wild-card winner because the Rockies could not have kept it up. But both teams proved him wrong.

Looking at it, it's a great story when it comes to Tracy.

It's hard to believe he somehow got his team to play winning baseball after stinking it up last year and at the beginning of this season. The players proved Hurdle was the problem, not them.

No question, it's been a rewarding ride for the former Dodgers and Pirates manager.

He went through a lot in his two stints in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

In Los Angeles, fans and certain Southern California sportswriters showed their dissatisfaction about Tracy's calm personality and his loyalty to players that did not play well.

They wanted a fiery guy out there, and they felt he should have gotten most out of the Dodgers by leading them to the playoffs. In reality, they were not good enough.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt wanted a manager that would sell to the public, so he told Tracy to pack his bags and leave. It wasn't just the owner who wanted him gone.

Former Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta wanted his own guy as the manager, and he felt uncomfortable working with a manager that he inherited. Tracy and DePodesta disagreed about everything when it came to personnel, and that gave McCourt an opportunity to dump the manager.

Of course, DePodesta was fired after his two choices for the new Dodgers manager did not inspire the Dodgers' owner.

The Pirates quickly hired Tracy with the hope he would give them a winning record.

That did not end well for both parties. Tracy lost his players from the get-go after critiquing the roster.

The Pittsburgh writers felt Tracy never was accountable for the team's struggles, and they were quick to point out he credited himself when the Pirates won.

It turned out he was not the problem there, either. Abner Doubleday, Miller Huggins, Casey Stengel, Billy Martin, or any other great manager could not accomplish much with the Pirates roster that was handed to Tracy.

The Pirates recently completed their 17th consecutive losing season with a 62-99 record, proving a manager can only do so much.

It was hard to believe he would manage again, but here he is managing a team in the postseason.

His team faces long odds of going to the World Series. The Rockies face the Phillies on Wednesday in the NLDS, and the Phillies will be the favorites to win that series based on their experience of winning a championship with the same bunch from last year.

Tracy is not thinking about that. He is happy to be in this situation.

It beats sitting at home last year.

Mangini Looks Overmatched So Far

Leslie Monteiro — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:49:14 -0400

Randy Lerner probably wonders what he was thinking when he hired Eric Mangini as the Browns coach without interviewing several other candidates.

With the way this season is spiraling out of control, who can blame him?

Nothing has gone right for the Browns under Mangini's leadership so far. The Browns not only are winless, but teams have outscored the Browns 95-43 in three games.

The team looks unprepared and outcoached.

The Browns are devoid of talent, but it says something about the first-year head coach when his team quits early in the season while said coach tries to instill a winning culture.

It's amazing why Mangini was hired days after being fired by the Jets.

Lerner talked about wanting an experienced coach to lead his team, but he should have done his due diligence and found out why Mangini was fired before making the decision to hire him.

The former Jets coach assembled a good record in his three years there, but there was controversy about him as a head coach that cost him his job.

The Jets players quit on him in December. Sure Brett Favre stunk, but it's not like the team played for the head coach's job down the stretch either.

Mangini often looked lost on the sidelines when teams scored on his team. Plus, he usually failed to make any adjustments in the second halves of games.

When writers asked him questions pertaining to what went wrong in a game, he danced around them. It was plain to see he had no clue what he was doing.

The Jets clearly don't miss their former head coach. They are 3-0, and they feel liberated from Mangini's iron-first approach.

Mangini likes to act like a tough guy by handing out fines to players and playing mind games with his players. He's a Bill Belichick wannabe.

That's all well and good, but he doesn't have the cache whatsoever.

So far, Mangini messed up in lot of areas as Browns coach.

He decided to take away the murals of former Browns greats. Only he knows why he wanted to do that.

Then, he forced rookies and training camp invitees to go on a bus ride to help participate in his youth camp when they shouldn't have to.

Finally, he screwed up the quarterback position. He needed to be decisive right away by naming either Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson when training camp started.

Quarterbacks need time to work with the offensive line, receivers and the running backs. That's what training camp is for.

It's no coincidence the Browns look lost on offense early on based on what Mangini did.

Now, Mangini panics by changing quarterbacks.

What did he expect out of Quinn?

Anderson is not the answer. He did not have a good season last year, and odds are what he did two years ago was a fluke.

If Anderson was good, how come teams never sought his services when they had quarterback issues?

Quinn will not develop if he's going to be treated like a yo-yo by an anal coach.

Odds are Quinn needs a trade if he wants to be a successful quarterback.

A coach can do nothing but lose his team by acting the way Mangini has.

The way things are going for him, he probably did.

The rest of this season should be interesting. If the Browns muster two wins, Mangini should fret about losing his job.

Lerner may have no choice to fire him. How could things get better if Mangini loses his whole team?

Based on what we've seen so far, the hiring was a mistake.

Mangini was better off taking time off to reflect on his mistakes from his tenure with the Jets and latching on with a proven head coach to from.

Instead, Mangini may have gotten worse as head coach by being hired so soon.

Mangini needs to hope Lerner does not give up on him after one year.

Tigers Might As Well Celebrate

Leslie Monteiro — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:54 -0400

The baseball wonks liked the Twins' chances of taking three of four against the Tigers for a couple of reasons.

The Tigers assigned Eddie Bonine and Nate Robertson to pitch in the final two games of the series, and the Tigers struggled against Twins starter Carl Pavano.

Tonight's game proved that trends and predictions are useless.

Bonine stymied the Twins, while the Tigers hit Pavano. In the end, the Tigers took total command of the series by accomplishing a 7-2 victory.

This might as well be game, set, and match.

The Twins needed to win tonight's game for a shot to win the series tomorrow afternoon. Winning the series could have put the Twins in a good position to win the division.

Now, it could be the Tigers celebrating a divisional title. It's hard to believe the Twins have anything left after what took place tonight.

This loss deflates the Twins, while this victory spurs the Tigers to go for the kill tomorrow afternoon.

Simply put, Bonine outpitched Pavano.

He knew how to get out of a jam, despite giving up two runs in the first inning. Had he fallen apart, this game would have been over and he would be out of the game in the first.

Instead, he pitched well for the rest of the night by forcing the Twins to hit grounders to the infield.

As for Pavano, he failed to deliver. He worked all night to survive, but in the end, the Tigers got the best of him by stroking key hits in situations which gave up Tiger runs.

It's a good thing baseball is not played based on paper or what the experts think.

It's always about who performs.

The Tigers liked their chances in this game for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, Bonine pitched well in his last start against the White Sox by matching up well against Jake Peavy. He made one mistake by giving up a home run, but other than that, it's hard to quibble what he did.

Despite Pavano's record against the Tigers, the Tigers quietly felt good about hitting him. It's not like the Twins starter was Justin Verlander.

Pavano gets by more often than not, and the Tigers felt they could expose him. In Pavano's last start against the Detroit, the Tigers hit the ball well against him. That should made them feel good about themselves.

The AL Central division leader had no pressure to win this series. Even if the Twins took the series, they were in good shape knowing they got several more home games to win the division.

The Tigers felt good knowing that it would be impossible for the Twins to win the series at Comerica Park, where the home team rarely loses.

For the Twins to rely on Pavano to save their season—well that's absurd. It shows the weakness of the starting rotation despite how the Twins starters perform while being inserted in the rotation several weeks ago.

Now, the Tigers will likely taste champagne tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight determined the division winner for all intents and purposes.

Justin the Nick of Time: Detroit Ace Verlander Answers Challenge vs. Minnesota

Leslie Monteiro — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:33:13 -0400

The Tigers searched for someone who could help them get over a tough game one loss. A game that featured poor situational hitting and an awful performance by relief pitcher Brandon Lyon late in the contest.

The Tigers handed the ball to Justin Verlander for the second game of the doubleheader; so he was the logical candidate the Tigers could count to will them to victory.

Verlander's performance quickly made everyone forget what took place yesterday afternoon by pitching well in the nightcap of the much-anticipated doubleheader. It was good enough for the Tigers to win the game and end the day with a split by earning a 6-5 victory over the Twins.

Make no mistake. If the Tigers lost both games of the doubleheader, the Twins would feel very good about themselves leaving Detroit on Thursday, whether they were in first place, or tied atop the division.

Instead, the Tigers put pressure on the Twins to go win the next two games in order for them to stay alive in the AL Central race. A split will not do it for the Twins.

The Tigers ace set the tone early by being ahead of the count and throwing strikes in the first four innings of the game. Out of 35 pitches in the first few innings, 27 of them were strikes.

How amped was he to start the game? He threw inside to let the Twins know that he wasn't playing around, and in the second inning, he struck out the side.

In the fifth inning, his velocity was still being clocked in the 90s and the Twins could not hit anything off him.

The Twins finally figured Verlander out in the sixth inning, and they scored couple of runs off him to make it a 5-2 game. They had a chance to tie it up, but Verlander found a way to get out of the jam by striking out Michael Cuddyer.

The Twins made it interesting again in the eighth inning by scoring two runs to cut the deficit to one. Jim Leyland came out to the mound and asked his prized starter if he was good enough to get one more out.

We all knew Verlander wasn't going to bail out with everything on the line.

He got the Tigers out of it again by forcing Cuddyer to ground out.

By then, the Twins knew it was simply his night. He would not be denied a victory.

It's the type of performance the Tigers expect out of him when he is out there. If Zack Greinke or Felix Hernandez did not have the years they are having, Verlander would be the Cy Young winner.

At least, he gets to pitch in meaningful games like this one with a chance to play in October unlike Greinke or Hernandez, so he won't complain about not getting the Cy Young award.

The Tigers should like their chances of getting past the first round if they make it because they have an ace that can win in a short series. In a five-game series, Leyland could use Verlander for Game 1 and 5, and Verlander could be one guy that gives the Yankees fits.

The Twins could use an ace like that. They don't have one, and that's why they are fighting for their playoff lives and hoping for the best regardless of which starter is pitching.

The Tigers don't have that problem.

They expect a victory every fifth day when Verlander pitches, and that's why they knew everything was going to be fine once the night was over.

Twins-Tigers Recap: AL Central Battle Has October Feel

Leslie Monteiro — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:35:36 -0400

The current four-game series between the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers will determine who wins the AL Central. Both teams approached the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader as if it was October.

The game featured great pitching, exciting defensive plays and chess moves by the managers with less emphasis on offense.

It figures the game ended in extra innings with the Twins taking a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.

That's the way it should be in a game of this magnitude.

The Twins' Nick Blackburn and Tigers' Rick Porcello started the game and pitched well, each surviving early jams.

The bullpens kept the game 1-1.

It came down to Brandon Lyon and Joe Nathan.

Lyon and Nathan both struggled to throw strikes but, in the end, it was Lyon that got the loss and Nathan the save.

Lyon displayed awful command of his pitches and the Twins took advantage, getting hits and taking an extra base on wild throws.

Two runs in the 10th were good enough for the Twins.

Minnesota summoned Nathan to close the game with a lead. However, this was not going to be smooth sailing.

Curtis Granderson homered off the Twins' closer to make it a 3-2 game. Fans at Comerica Park in Detroit stood up to get the home team going and rattle the pitcher in the process.

When Nathan struggles, it's detectable for anyone to see. He throws nibblers and he takes his sweet time to pitch.

It showed again today.

Fortunately, Nathan's defense bailed him out. Carlos Gomez took a hit away from pesky Placido Polanco while Delmon Young held on to a hard hit ball by Ryan Raburn. Matt Tolbert made a great throw to get Miguel Cabrera out to end the game.

But no Twins defensive play stood out more than Denard Span's ninth-inning gem.

With a runner on second base with two outs, it looked like the game was going to be over after Ramon Santiago hit the ball hard to left. But Span saved the day with a great sliding catch.

Without that play, the game doesn't go to extras.

It's a good thing for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and Nick Punto that Span came through with that play. If he does not, we would criticize Gardenhire for calling a squeeze play with one out in the ninth and Punto for failing to execute it.

Teams pay managers good money to make smart decisions late in the game. Detroit skipper Jim Leyland and Gardenhire made moves that impacted the game.

Gardenhire used Jose Mijares and Jon Rauch as his relievers—both did their jobs.

Gardy's best move came in the eighth inning when Gomez pinch-ran for Jason Kubel. Despite Gomez's deficiencies at the plate, he brings value to the team with his defense.

And defense is always big late in the game.

Leyland used the mix-and-match method with his relievers and it worked. What did not work was him leaving Lyon out in the 10th despite his struggles in the ninth.

Not much offense in this game, but that's to be expected.

Baseball is, and always will be, about pitching and defense. It comes down to which pitcher survives and who makes the great plays.

The Twins lost Game 163 last year because John Danks did not make mistakes and Ken Griffey Jr. made a great throw to get Michael Cuddyer out at home.

Today, the Twins did some of the same things, and that's why they celebrated when the game was over.

Good Things Come To An End For Marlins

Leslie Monteiro — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:25:49 -0400

The Phillies officially eliminated the Marlins in the NL East race with their victory over the Brewers and a Marlins' loss to the Mets Sunday afternoon.

The Marlins might as well be indirectly eliminated in the NL Wild-Card race after a devastating weekend by losing the series to the Mets. They are five games out with the Rockies winning their series against the Cardinals this afternoon.

Five games is hard to make up with a final week to go. Not only the Marlins can't lose anymore, but the Rockies and the Braves need to lose all their games.

We envision that both scenarios will not happen.

It's fitting Chris Volstad ended the team's season by performing awful in one inning as usual Sunday. He cost them games in the standings throughout the season with his bad starts.

Volstad's struggles along with Andrew Miller exemplified the importance of the back end of the rotation. Fortunately, that issue could be resolved if Anibal Sanchez can stay healthy and Sean West take the next step instead of regressing like Volstad.

It was a great run though.

We talked about the Marlins growing up from being spoilers to hunters. They were not ready to be a playoff team, but the steps they made this year could go a long way next year.

Overall, it was a successful year. No one expected much out of them this year. The Marlins performed what the pundits expected them to do by winning around 80 or more games.

They never quit even under adversity.

We keep counting them out, but they managed to play themselves back in the race by going on a winning streak.

Unfortunately, deficiencies on the team glared on even when the team tried to overcome it. It's hard to get by when a team does that.

Most playoff teams don't have any weaknesses unless they play in an awful division like the AL Central.

The wild-card race comes down to the Braves and the Rockies.

The Marlins and the Braves face each other on Monday night, and everyone expected that series to be a make-or-break series for either team.

Instead, the Marlins will go back to their familiar roots of being a spoiler.

The spoiler role doesn't have to be a bad thing in that sense. It's important for the Marlins to send a message to the Braves that they are a team to reckon with next year.

The Braves are a great team, and they will be fighting for the division or the wild-card race next season so the Marlins need to set a tone by playing well and attempting to win the series or all three.

The Marlins won 83 games so far, but they should try to get at least 86 or 87 wins to finish the year.

That's what will make experts notice about the team for next season.

It shows a team's immaturity if they pack it in now that they are out of it. The Marlins don't need that stigma attached to them.

Expect the Marlins to play well against the Braves and the Phillies in the final week of the season. They love to play against the elite teams, and they do well against them.

Unfortunately, it won't help them get back in the race other than to make it look respectable in the standings by finishing the year two or three games out in the wild-card standings.

Dan Uggla said it best about the season being a lost opportunity after Sunday's game.

It's never a good feeling to play out the season, and that's where the Marlins are now.

Appreciating the Florida Marlins' Brett Carroll for What He Is

Leslie Monteiro — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:28:43 -0400

Teams market their stars as the face of the team in sports since they provide revenue and wins for the organization, but managers gain appreciation for players who make the most out of their limited ability by displaying a good work ethic.

The Marlins feature plenty of those players in their roster, and those guys set a good foundation for the young stars to use that attribute along with their talent to be great players. It's easy to see why the Marlins are successful.

No one demonstrates grit and hustle more than Brett Carroll.

When Carroll plays, the Marlins can count on him to contribute.

We saw his heroics this season when he stroked pinch-hit home runs to tie the game or give the Marlins a lead.

Carroll's home run helped the Marlins tie the game against the Diamondbacks after trailing 7-4 for seven innings in July, and just a few days ago, his walk-off hit off Brad Lidge gave the Marlins a victory.

Carroll played a role in the Marlins' 9-3 victory over the Mets last night. It will not show up in the box score, but his defense tonight kept the Mets from scoring first early in the game.

The Mets hit Sean West well for most of the night, and Carroll made a sliding catch to get an out. He attempted to do another one, but he fell short as the ball went foul instead.

Caroll also raced to the infield in getting another out.

That's how a team win ballgames. A team needs some hungry players that will go to great length in making plays so that it can make a manager remember when he talks in his press conference after a loss.

The Marlins bench player gives the Marlins a spark plug they need in getting them started when it comes to rallies or in the start of the game.

The Marlins wanted a boost after Friday night's tough loss on a blown save by Marlins closer Leo Nunez. Carroll gave them that with what he did on defense.

Think of Carroll as Eric Byrnes.

They are not talented enough to be superstars, but their value on the team does not go unnoticed by educated baseball fans and baseball people.

Both of them realize their stay in the majors will not last long, so they play with a sense of urgency by running quickly enough to get on base or having a canny ability to make smart plays, whether it's with the glove or moving around the bases.

They know they need to prove themselves everyday for them to get playing time. General managers seek upgrades over their current players, so it's important for guys like Carroll and Byrnes to make an impression.

Even if they are eventually gone, they know they can latch on to another team since guys like them will come in demand. We have seen many role players like them coming off the bench over the years for different teams.

We sure love our stars especially in baseball. There's nothing like a strikeout or a home run to captivate our interest.

Too many times, role players get laughed at or mocked by fans, and that's unfair.

Teams need those type of guys to be successful. In the National League, managers will substitute a pitcher when it's his turn to bat, so guys like Carroll become valuable.

Role players know what's it like to pinch hit by being prepared and paying attention to what goes on the game. They study the opposing pitchers, and they get an idea what to expect when they bat.

This is what Carroll does, and that's why manager Fredi Gonzalez loves what he brings to the team.