Bleacher Report - Articles by Nick DeSilvio

New York Mets: Why Are They Still Collapsing?

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:03:35 -0400

The Mets just suffered a very hard loss today to their divisional foe the Florida Marlins. This was a very frustrating game, from David Wright striking out twice to J.J. Putz blowing the game, to their impotent offense, this game was just a complete and utter disaster.

Every time Met's ace Johan Santana takes the hill, the Mets have to go out their with the mindset that they will not lose when this man is on the rubber. I don't want to call them all must win games, but when the rest of the rotation is performing poorly, I EXPECT them put up a strong effort.

Johan didn't have his best stuff, surrendering two runs in the first inning, but managed his way through the ballgame putting the Mets in a position to win the game.

But of course, the typical Mets saga unfolded as the team found a way to choke away the game.

I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!

NOTHING HAS CHANGED WITH THIS TEAM IN OVER THREE YEARS!

I feel like I have been watching the same pitiful game over and over.

We, as seasoned and salty Met fans, often wonder "how are they going to find a way to blow this one" because our team has given us no reason to believe that they will turn it around!

WHEN WILL THIS END???

The Met's have not stopped collapsing since 2007, and it's just seeming to get worse and worse.

What can they do to fix this problem?

Should they fire Jerry Manuel?

I don't think they should. Even though Manuel has been managing horribly as of late, it doesn't make much sense to get rid of him now and have three managers on the payroll.

Here are my solutions for the Mets to FINALLY Stop their Collapsing:

1) DAVID WRIGHT NEEDS TO MAN UP!

I know this sounds ridiculous, but David Wright may have to go if he can't turn it around. This guy is the third baseman version of Oliver Perez; A COMPLETE AND TOTAL HEADCASE! He is really pressing right now because he's trying to carry the whole team on his shoulders and trying to crank and eight run home run every at bat.

2) SOMEONE OTHER THAN JOHAN NEEDS TO DOMINATE!

I don't care who it is, Maine, Ollie, or Pelfrey, at least one of these guys needs to become a dominant stopper behind Santana. If this doesn't happen or if the Mets don't acquire another big arm, I see no way the Mets are in the post season.

3) THE BULLPEN.

Now I know they have been a lot better then the previous seasons, but after watching JJ Putz walk a couple of batters and give up two runs to blow the game, I'm worried that the bullpen may cost us a few games down the road. Even K-Rod scares the crap out of me when he pitches sometimes.

4) HIT WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION!

I mean c

Jerry Manuel: Go to Church!

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:36:19 -0400

Ryan Church was a question mark entering the 2009 season.

No one was quiet sure what to expect from Ryan, who was trying to rebound from a head-injury plagued 2008.

The right fielder began his first season in New York on fire, cranking home-runs and doubles off the wall in Shea, and flashing some leather in the outfield as well.

He was the team's MVP through the all-star break, leading the team in many offensive categories.

But then, as you know, his season went spiraling downhill after Junel Escobars knee went smashing into Church's head as he slid into second base in a game against the braves.

Ryan was never quiet the same after that.

The team mishandled his injury, making him travel to Colorado instead of resting his head...even an eight-year-old fan would agree that that is just a stupid thing to do!

So Church struggled whenever he hit the field after that, which hurt the team down the stretch.

During the offseason, some fans wanted to trade Church and get a new right fielder, for which I was strongly opposed.

But Church stayed, and when 2009 began, Ryan picked up right where he left off last April, smacking double after double and hitting over .400 through the first ten games.

This man should be playing every day right?

Well then WHY does Jerry Manuel insist on playing Gary Sheffield, a 40-year-old, past his prime veteran, instead of the athletic Church?

I have nothing against Sheff, but he should not be taking playing time away from Church.

Personally, Ryan should take this as a slap to the face from Manuel.

Church plays hard every game and is the exact type of player I want on every position on the field, and this is how he gets treated?

Midway through last season, Mike Fransesca of WFAN reported that Church was unhappy in New York, Church denied the rumors, but even if he was unhappy, could you blame him!

They mishandled his injury, which could have ended his career, then instead of playing him every day like he deserves to, they stick an aged veteran out there who cannot handle the outfield on a regular basis.

So Note to Jerry Manuel:

GO TO CHURCH!

He should be out there every day! Hands down. If anything, use Sheffield to replace Daniel Murphy instead. I like D-Murph and all, but his defense needs a lot of work, and you are going to give Carlos Beltran an ulcer if he has to patrol the outfield with Sheffield to his left and Murphy to his right!

New York Mets: My Take on the First 12 Games

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:14:34 -0400

My perspective on the Mets' 2009 campaign thus far:

After 12 games of the 2009 MLB season, the New York Mets have a pedestrian .500 record with six wins and six losses.

The offseason was mainly targeted at revamping the bullpen, which was deemed as the culprit of the Mets' failures last year.

Putz, K-Rod, Green, and even Bobby Parnell have done a great job in relief work so far this year, and Omar has to be given credit for turning one of the worst pens in the league into a reliable staff.

However, I have plenty of other problems with this team to complain about.

Yes, we have a pretty new stadium with dozens of restaurants and bars and the like, but what we don't have is a winning baseball team.

What have you seen over the last 12 games is going to make you believe that this is our year?

Gary Sheffield hitting his 500th career home run? That's all there seems to be to get excited about with the Mets so far!

That and the tacos that they keep showing on the broadcast every five seconds.

Okay, I'll give Santana some respect too, for he's been dominant right out of the gate.

But besides that, it just seems that this team has had the sameproblem from Game Six of the 2006 NLCS to the collapses of 2007 and 2008 to Sunday's ball game.

THE LACK OF THE BIG HIT!

The Mets' 6-6 record right now would easily be 8-4 if we could have gotten hits when we needed them the most.

The games we lost to the Marlins were ours to win, but we simply could not score runs!

Johan gave up no earned runs but got a loss! That's horrible!

If the Mets cannot start getting clutch hits when it counts, they will be going nowhere yet again, and that's what worries me as a fan, because all they have done for the past three years is choke!

It doesn't matter how many hits you string together if you can't drive in runs!

***

ANGRY MAN is back.

Steve "Scab"noulo Leaves New York

Nick DeSilvio — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:54:57 -0500

Steve Spagnoulo has reportedly accepted a four year contract to coach the lowly St. Louis Rams.

Spagz was a hot commodity this offseason, but recently it was appearing that he would return to the Giants to as their defensive coordinator.

I felt that he would be picky and only go to a team like the Broncos or Jets.

When only St. Louis and Oakland were left, I thought that he would return to NY for sure because he's better off staying here as a coordinator, then taking a bad job and failing.

He also knew that he basically had the Giants head coaching job locked up once Coach Coughlin's contract runs out.

But now a week after the Giants pitiful performance last Sunday, The poor start to the new year has gotten off even worse with Spagz departure.

Why couldn't they take Kevin Gilbride!

It's going to be interesting to see how the Giants' defense does next season without their stud coordinator.

They are likely to promote from within, so that they can keep the same system, instead of going out and signing someone outside the organization.

Will 2009 get even worse for the Giants?

Or is it only up from here?

New York Giants: Burress Got Shot in The Thigh, Fans Got Shot in The Heart

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:03:58 -0500

The New York Giants season ended tonight after a 23-11 loss to one of their biggest rivals: the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only was this loss devastating for all Giants Fans, but it was especially painful for me since I am Mets and Giants fan.

Philadelphia has broken my heart in baseball and football over the past few seasons, and it's coming to a point where I can't take it anymore!

But that's not the topic of this article; that's a topic for later this week.

The focus on this article is Plaxico Burress, who in my opinion "shot down" any of the Giants hopes of repeating.

Ever since he went down, the Giants seemed very vulnerable and were never quite the same dominant team that they had been earlier on, even though Plaxico really wasn't a huge factor in those games.

Burress drew a lot of double coverage, opening the gaps for Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, and Amani Toomer.

But with their big playmaker out, other teams seemed more confident in their ability to play against us...especially the Philadelphia Eagles.

I was PRAYING for Minnesota to win last week so that we didn't have to face the Eagles again, because I saw this loss coming a mile away.

Also, Giants Fans, I don't want to hear ONE fan start bashing Eli Manning. Yes, he did not have a great game, but the loss can not be blamed on him alone.

The team as a whole did not play well.

The turning point of the game was when our defense collapsed on that 3rd and 20. I knew we were not going to win after that.

After having an 11-1 start, we as Giants fans were a little spoiled.

We were pessimistic to start the year, but we drank the kool-aid, and then thought this team could win 3+ Super Bowls in a row!

But all that went down the drain when Plaxico shot himself in the thigh.

WHY, OH WHY, DID YOU SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE THIGH!?

Rick DiPietro Finally Back behind the Net for the Islanders

Nick DeSilvio — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:15:19 -0500

Rick DiPietro made his return to the Coliseum tonight after spending the bulk of the 08-09 season recovering from yet another injury. Despite having not played a game in months, DiPietro played very well and managed to hold Toronto to only one goal.

This could not have come at a better time. The Island was sinking. New York had lost 10 games in a row. Nothing was going right for this team.

Joey MacDonald, who had filled in for D.P., did a very good job before the skid began, where they were only one below .500.

But in the team's recent funk, Joey Mac was not showing the brilliant flashes that he had shown earlier on, and he looked very vulnerable behind the net. Whether it was fatigue, his injury-riddled defense, or a mix of both, the Islanders entered a downward spiral that was finally stopped tonight (12/26/08) by the return of DiPietro.

DiPeitro must find a way to stay on the ice the rest of the season. He is not going to be able to play every day for a while, but at least MacDonald will be able to have some rest before his starts and won't have to worry that Yann Danis will be backing him up anytime soon.

It's time for DiPietro to earn some of the time on his 14-year contract and find a way to stay healthy!

Nevertheless it was very exciting to see Rick DiPietro on the ice for New York for the first time in what seemed like ages. Hopefully he can help the Islanders turn it around in the new year.

Scott Gordon can sleep a little easier tonight as his team was finally able to give him a win here in the month of December. Think of it as a late Christmas gift.

Congratulations to Captain Bill Guerin who scored his 400th career goal.

Kudos to D.P. who won his first game behind the net since February of last year!

Islanders-Maple Leafs: Rick DiPietro Returns to Stop the Bleeding!

Nick DeSilvio — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:52:01 -0500

The New York Islanders defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight by a score of 4-1.

Rick DiPietro was finally back behind the net tonight for the reeling New York Islanders, the losers of 10 straight games.

In his first game back from injury, DiPietro kept it simple. He showed no signs of being rusty, despite missing pretty much the entire season thus far.

The Maple Leafs out-shot New York early on, but D.P. backed up his team with solid net minding and held Toronto to only one goal while shutting down all of their power play opportunities.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Josh Bailey nearly had his first NHL goal, but the puck ended up being deflected by team Captain Bill Guerin, who tapped in his 399th career goal.

Guerin later scored his second goal of the game, lifting him into the 400 goal club. He is only the eighth American-born player in league history to do so.

Andy Hilbert went into the locker room after laying out to block a puck struck by one of the strongest slap shots in the game. The puck bounced hard off his foot, where he now suffers a hairline fracture.

This is a bad loss for the already depleted and injury-plagued Islander team. Hilbert was playing his best NHL hockey after being reunited with his former AHL coach Scott Gordon, but he will now be out for anywhere from four to eight weeks.

Tonight's game was very pleasing to watch from an Islander fan perspective, but I'd be scratching my head if I liked the Leafs because they were thoroughly dominated on all spectra of the game.

DiPietro's presence was a big key to the Islanders' victory. In one game he has already given his team a breath of fresh air.

Ricky himself could exhale a sigh of relief as well because he picked up his first win since Feb. 28 of last season. Hopefully he can stay on the ice because I don't want to wait another 10 months to see another Rick DiPietro victory!

Congratulations again to Bill Guerin for getting his 400th goal.

And sorry to Keanu Reeves who came to Long Island to watch his favorite team get owned by New York. Maybe it was that ugly beard he was growing.

New York: The Most Hated CITY in Baseball

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:48:20 -0500

Growing up as a New York Mets fan was very tough during the 1990s. It took a lot of guts for me to show up to school with a Mets jersey on during "Yankee day" when every body celebrated one of the many Yankee championships.

I grew up to hate the pinstripes, from their players, ownership and coaching staff, down to the very fans themselves (who annoyed me the most to be quiet honest).

Yet despite feeling like I was the only Yankee hater at the time, I realized I was not alone my loathing of the Bronx Bombers.

I remember watching on the news one night when a there was nearly a riot in Boston after this guy at a concert was caught wearing a Yankee cap. I remember laughing at him as the crazy college students flipped over the guy's SUV!

But during the 2007 playoffs, I came home from work one night and my whole family was over watching the Yankees vs Indians. I was listening to the game on the radio, and got into the house just in time to see the Yankees lose and get eliminated in the first round of the post season yet again.

"Yeaahhh!" I laughed in joy, relishing their defeat as I was still recovering from the hangover of the Mets' 2007 collapse.

My grandfather (who is a Yankee fan) approached me with a look of anger.

"WHATS YOUR PROBLEM?" He screamed at me. "WE ARE NEW YORKERS! YOU SHOULD ROOT FOR YOUR CITY!"

If the man had a cane in his hand, I'm convinced he would have knocked me out with it, but luckily I survived to tell this story.

For my entire life I have rooted against the Yankees, and lived to see them suffer, but now I am starting to realize maybe I should be a little bit more empathetic towards their cause.

Maybe my grandfather is right, and us as New York fans should unite!

Here's why:

***

The New York Mets and the New York Yankees have something in common: They are the two most hated teams in baseball.

If you go to any ballpark in the U.S. you can hear chants "YANKEES SUCK! YANKEES SUCK!"

I used to contribute to it, but now I've realized the Mets aren't exactly the league's most loved team.

In fact, every team in the National League seems to LOVE to beat the Mets. They hate us.

Why?

Because we are a New York team.

They hate us for all of the media attention we get.

They despise us for getting picked as the favorite to win the National League.

They resent all of the money we have been spending on free agents.

All of these our cities hate New York, and all of our teams, whether it be baseball or not.

Most of them, especially Philadelphia, have a little-brother complex, where they are jealous of all of the perks of being a New Yorker brings.

This is why maybe we Met fans should be a little easier on the Yankees. We are both hated throughout the entire league. Nobody likes us.

Hatred for the Yankees leaks down to the Mets.

Everyone is blasting them for signing Teixeira for $180M along with C.C. and A.J., and this anger trickles down to the Mets, who have already brought in two stars in K-Rod and J.J. Putz, albeit a lot more economically friendly.

The bottom line is the rest of the country is not seeing the Yankees as ruining baseball, they are seeing it as NEW YORK ruining the game of baseball.

They hate us both, which is why we should stick together until our two teams meet during the Subway series and World Series...

It's the Holiday season after all, and if there was a Yankee fan standing next to me right now, I MAY... just MAY... shake his hand as a lover of the game of baseball.

On Second thought....

Screw it, I still hate'm!!!!!

THEY THINK THEY CAN BUY CHAMPIONSHIPS BY BRINGING IN EVERY MERCENARY THEY CAN FIND!

THEIR FANS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BASEBALL!

THEY ANNOY ME SO MUCH!

JOBA IS TRASH! SO OVER RATED!

A-ROD IS A BUM! I CAN'T STAND HIM!

DEREK JETER IS OVER THE HILL!

THEY ARE NOT GOOD!

WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!

CC SABATHIA IS A FAT SLOB!

AJ BURNETT IS GOING TO GET HURT HIS FIRST DAY!

CHIEN MING WANG IS OVER RATED!

ROBINSON CANO HAS NO HEART!

JOHNNY DAMON IS A SELL OUT!

MATSUI IS TOO OLD!

TEIXEIRA WILL BE A BUST!

Happy Holidays, and maybe act a little nicer to the Yankee fan across the dinner table!

Should Mets Grab Derek Lowe or Re-Sign Oliver Perez? The Answer Is Obvious

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:08:14 -0500

It has just been reported that the Mets are currently negotiating a contract with Scott Boras and one of his starting pitching clients. Unfortunately, it is not the one I believe they should be going after.

Derek Lowe, the durable 35-year-old righty, is seeking a three to four-year contract worth about $16 million per season, nearly identical to the contract Oliver Perez is looking for.

If both free agents want the same amount of money, all we have to do is look at each player and we can determine who is worth the money.

As a big Mets fan, I've seen a lot of Oliver Perez, and if you've paid attention to the team the last couple of seasons, you'll know that Ollie is indeed a headcase. This guy can pitch seven excellent innings against the Yankees one week, and then give up five runs in the first inning to the Washington Nationals the next.

In fact, his nickname should be "roller coaster Ollie," because that's a perfect description of how this guy's season is going to go. There's going to be plenty of ups where you see him have number one type stuff, but then there are also going to be games where you think he should be pitching in a sandlot beer league because he can't hit the strike zone to save his life.

Derek Lowe, on the other hand, has won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and has been very consistent throughout his entire career, winning over 12 games every season since 2002, when he won a career high 21 games!

You can count on Lowe to take the ball 32 times a year and know that he will always give you a solid chance to win the game, posting an ERA around 3.50.

Based on these two descriptions, you'd think that it's a no-brainer for the Mets to go after Derek, but I happen to disagree. I believe the Mets should re-sign Oliver Perez, and here's why.

1) AGE

A BIG reason why I want Oliver Perez back is his age. He is 27 years old and now entering his prime. Even though Derek Lowe has not showed any signs of slowing down, I'd rather have the Mets throw out an inconsistent youngster then someone at the back end of his career.

Haven't we learned our lesson from watching Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, and El Duque the past two seasons? If we were to get any of these players, we should have gotten them TEN years BEFORE the time that we brought them in, and the same goes for Lowe.

If you've watched the Mets all your life like me, you know that we need to get away bringing in all of these soon to be retirees.

2) Injury Proneness

Now before you blast me, hear me out. I know that Lowe has been injury free his whole career, but with the Mets' luck he will go down in Spring Training. Sure, Lowe has a good track record of staying healthy, but who is to say that's going to continue now that he's approaching 40!

Oliver Perez, on the other hand, has been injury free as well, and he is MORE likely to stay off the DL during the next three or four years than Derek Lowe would be.

3) Getting our money's worth

Oliver Perez will be entering his prime over the next four years, while Derek Lowe will be getting closer to the retirement home. If we sign Lowe to a four-year contract, he will give us diminishing returns, just like Pedro Martinez did as a member of the Mets. He may give us a couple of good seasons, but then his effectiveness may decline towards the end of the contract, where as Oliver will only improve and become more consistent as the years go by.

4) Big Game Ollie

Other than Johan Santana, WHAT OTHER PITCHER would you want out there in a big game???? MY pick is Oliver Perez! When the time comes for this guy to bear down and focus, he gets the job done.

5) Number One Type stuff

The final reason why the Mets should keep Oliver Perez is because he has number one type stuff. I have faith in Ollie. Not many believe that he will settle in and become a consistent top of the rotation pitcher, but I do. He WILL find himself during the next two seasons and become one of the top pitchers in the National League, and I DEMAND that he does this as a member of the New York Metropolitans.

Sorry Derek Lowe—you're a very nice player and all, but it's obvious that the Mets should re-sign Oliver Perez and not you.

The Rise and Fall of Aaron Heilman: A Tribute to the Ex-Met Reliever

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:39:42 -0500

Aaron Heilman

This name will be forever emblazoned on any Met fan who has endured the past three seasons.

A product of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Heilman came up in mid-2003 and was used predominantly as a starting pitcher for the last place Mets.

He struggled at first but did manage to show some promise by putting up a few good games as a starter.

But midway through the 2005 season, the Mets put Heilman in the bullpen, primarily because he struggled mightily on his second and third time through batting orders.

This was due to the fact he only had two dominant pitches, his fastball and change up, and teams were better able to time his pitches the longer he stayed in the game.

This decision appeared to be a great one at first, as the Heilman produced superbly in the pen, posting one of the lowest ERAs in the league after the 2005 all-star break.

Heilman would eventually solidify the 2006 New York Mets' bullpen, which was the team's strength at the time. When Duaner Sanchez, their fantastic setup man, got into a taxi-cab accident, Heilman stepped up and performed decent in the eighth inning until...

The 2006 National League Championship Series Game Seven

This is one of the most painful sport memories for me to reflect on.

Once Endy Chavez made that spectacular catch over the AIG sign, NO Met fan on earth thought we would lose that game.

But after the miracle, the Mets could not get anything going offensively to rally their team to the World Series.

But it is not the offense, or even Carlos Beltran looking at three straight pitches with the bases loaded, fans remember most about this game.

What they all remember is Aaron Heilman giving up a MOON SHOT by none other than Yadier Molina, a catcher known for his arm but certainly not for his bat.

That ball still has not landed.

But even though the baseball still orbits around the earth, Heilman's tenure with the Mets has crashed and burned.

Heilman gave up a TON of big home runs in crucial spots, which caused the already frustrated fans to boo Aaron to oblivion.

He struggled in the 'pen in 2007 and even more so in 2008 as fans soured on him.

His body language became frightening, as he always wore a dark serious expression on the mound as if he'd rather be anywhere else on earth then on the Shea stadium mound.

Aaron reiterated his desire to become a starter, but the Mets' brass were too stubborn to deny even the possibility of his use in the rotation.

They believed that the way he pitched would lead to severe arm problems like Kerry Wood.

After the Mets went on to lose their 162nd game to keep them out of the post season, one of the biggest desires of fans to improve the team for next year was to get rid of Heilman.

Well, last week, they got their wish as the Mets traded Heilman away to Seattle, thus ending his tenure in New York.

***

I really pitied Aaron Heilman. I remember a few games this year where he DID come up big for this team, but fans booed him relentlessly, never forgiving him for the debacle in 2006.

A lot of the players in the Mets club house all say that Heilman is one of the classiest guys on the team, and that no one in the 'pen works harder then him.

Fans may look at his demeanor on the mound and focus on all of the home runs he has given up, but the organization never gave him the chance to start again, which is what the kid has wanted for years now.

We all booed Aaron, when we should have been booing the Mets brass for not allowing Aaron to start, and Omar Minaya for signing LUIS CASTILLO to a four-year contract.

Aaron will get his chance to start in Seattle, and I think he's going to be a great pick up for the Mariners.

Good luck Aaron Heilman, I wish you well, but I will be enjoying watching J.J. Putz in the eighth a lot more than I watched you!

Who'll Be the New York Mets' Left Fielder on Opening Day?

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:46:33 -0500

So far this offseason, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya has focused on addressing the team's biggest flaw, the bullpen, by bringing in closers Fransisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.

I have been ecstatic about the recent K-Rod Signing and J.J. trade, but I do believe that the Mets have important needs other than pitching, and that Minaya has a lot more work to do before he starts to enjoy the off season and play some golf in Puerto Rico with Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of all Mets fans want Luis Castillo off the team, and who can blame them after his dreadful performance last season. Minaya should look to move him, but it will be a very difficult task considering his hefty contract.

Other then second base, the only other seemingly open position is Left Field. The Mets have many ways they can go with this, and here are a few possible scenarios:

3) Free Agents

Manny Ramirez He is the big name out there, but I honestly don't want him. I think he would further disrupt an already turbulent club house, and prevent David Wright and Jose Reyes from taking over as the leaders of the team.

However, the New York Mets definitely need a big presence in left field who will put up big numbers and Manny may be a perfect fit. But the time to get him is over. If Manny was to ever done the blue and orange, we would have gotten him in the middle of last season when we needed him the most.

Raul Ibanez He was a player I've liked for a long time now, until he signed a three year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets liked him, but weren't going to sign another lefty when we have one already in Ryan Church who plays Right Field. Ibanez plays very hard and was the type of player the Mets need, but unfortunately we wont get to see him on our side of the dugout come April.

Pat Burrell ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I throw up my lunch whenever I hear Mets fans actually hoping that the we sign Pat Burrell. Have you forgotten that this guy has killed us in the past? Have you also forgotten that the Phillies almost released him during the 2006 season? I want no part of this guy on my team.

Moises Alou No more please. We paid this guy $8 million last year to have 50-some-odd at-bats. This guy can hit, but he's too old and too injury plagued.

2) Trades

Eric Byrnes I've heard rumors that the Mets may be interested in acquiring Eric Byrnes. I don't think it's going to happen, nor do I want this guy on my team. I guarantee you he'd break his collarbone or something on his first dive on a routine pop fly.

Xavier Nady If the Yankees go after Manny, they may look to trade Xavier Nady, who is/was a fan favorite during his short tenure with the Mets, and I'd love to get him back some how.

Juan Pierre The Dodgers are looking to unload him, but I don't think he'd be a good fit for the Mets. Castillo and Pierre were once a dynamic combo at the top of the order, but wouldn't be a good tandem now.

1) Home Grown / Current Players

Daniel Murphy I want to see this guy play everyday next season. He's a great hitter, but we need to find a spot for him on the field. He's been playing second base in Arizona lately, but with Castillo being a blackhole at that position, Left Field seems to be the spot where the Irish Hammer will get his most playing time.

Fernando Tatis The 2008 comeback player of the year was a pleasant surprise for Mets fans this past season. I still remember the fans Cheering TATIS! clap clap clap TATIS! After he had a ton of clutch hits for this ball club. He deserves at least the CHANCE to be the starting Left Fielder next season.

The Mets suffered a big blow when he got injured when trying to make a diving catch, and honestly if he stayed healthy, maybe things would have turned out a little bit differently.

A lot of Mets fans want to go out and sign a big name to play Left Field, but I'd be entirely comfortable with a platoon of the two players above.

Other Possibilities

Nick Evans This prospect played decent last season, and Met scouters foresee him being a 30 home run a season type of player down the road. His natural position is first base, but I think he should get a fair amount of chances out there in left field for the Mets next season, so that him and his buddy D-Murph can battle it out for more playing time.

Fernando Martinez What ever happened to this guy! He was once the Mets' most cherished and top prospect, dubbed the teenage hitting machine, but he has fallen off the radar after an injury plagued season in the minors and the emergence of Daniel Murphy.

Why does nobody mention this guys name when talking about the Mets outfield in 2009?

Conclusion

The Mets NEED production from Left Field, but I don't think it warrants a stupid trade or expensive signing. The future of the Mets lies with their youth, which is why I think it's imperative for them to develop their home-grown talent at the major-league level by using the vacant left field. This will be prevented if the Mets get Manny or someone else.

I believe the Mets should platoon Tatis and Murphy, while also giving a few starts to Nick Evans and some of the other outfield prospects that we have.

A-Rod Or K-Rod: Which Rodriguez Will Be More Successful in New York?

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:51:27 -0500

Now Let it be known that I am a fan of the New York Metropolitans so before you read this know that I will be a little biased, but I am going to try to look at this as fairly as I can.

You obviously can't make a direct comparison of A-Rod and K-Rod because ones a closer and the others a power hitting third baseman, but I think that you can have this valid argument for discussion: Who is going to be the more successful New Yorker: A-Rod or K-Rod?

I'm going to have to go with K-Rod.

The Mets + great closer = 2008 World Series champs.

And it will have a lot to do with the man pictured above. If K-Rod was on the Mets last year, the Mets would have won the world series hands down. Now I know that he has done nothing with my favorite club just yet, but I believe that he is a perfect fit, and will help lead the team to a division title because we finally have a stopper in the ninth. However, Omar MUST get people to bridge to gap to K-Rod in order for this to happen.

K-Rod WILL have a more successful tenure in New York because he's going to come through for the Mets, unlike A-Rod and his Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is a curse. He's never going to win a championship in his career. I'm probably going to jinx him by writing it, but he truly is THE LORD OF NO RINGS...

He had a miserable year last year and I think it's only the beginning of his downward spiral of his tenure with the club. No way in hell do I see him fulfilling all of the years on his contract.

Fans love him when he does good, but when he CHOKES in October every year, fans want to boot him out.

So what's making me think that something is going to change?

Nothing.

A-Rod did have a clutch 2007, but did nothing to help out in the playoffs as the yanks got eliminated again in the first round.

Now K-Rod, he helped lead the Angels to a World Series so he has a track record unlike his new cross-town same last named rival.

His fire will give the Mets a must needed jolt, and he is one of the final pieces of a New York Metropolitan Championship.

What do you think? Discuss below!

The Mets' Top Five Biggest Bums to Play Second Base

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:17:14 -0500

After coming over to the Mets after the 2007 All-Star break, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya inked Luis Castillo to a four-year, 25+ million dollar contract. This move puzzled many fans, who were not necessarily against re-signing Castillo, but were angered about the number of years.

Many wondered if this was just a ploy to lore free agent Johan Santana to the Mets, but this signing caused a lot of Mets fans to have much higher expectations of Castillo than they would have had if they signed him to a one or two-year deal.

After getting off to a very sluggish start, Castillo did nothing to impress us by "slapping" at the ball instead of swinging and constantly running with a bad limp.

Despite being frustrated with Omar for signing this man, who clearly had a lot of nagging injuries and knee problems, the fans let loose on Castillo and boo birds poured down from the rafters of Shea Stadium, competing in volume with those given to our favorite reliever, Aaron Heilman.

Nevertheless, Castillo is not the only recent second baseman to frustrate us Mets fans. The position seems to be a black hole, where whoever we seem to put there finds a way to stink.

I know there are a handful of Mets that have succeeded at the position, like Edgardo Alfonzo, but there have also been a ton of flops, which is why I present to you:

THE BIGGEST BUMS AT SECOND BASE FOR THE METS (1990-Present)

5) Jeff Kent

Many forget that he became a Met shortly after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was originally a third baseman but had to make the move to second because we signed Bobby Bonilla.

He's on the list because when I was a little kid, this guy was my favorite player on the team! I wished that the Mets would have kept him, but his tenure here was a disaster, and he has stated that he hated playing in New York. For that, Jeff Kent earned a spot on my list.

4) Kazuo Matsui

When we imported this guy from Japan, everyone was raving about his glove—so much so that Mets management decided to move upcoming superstar professor Reyes to second. Matsui was a disaster at SS, committing errors left and right. This made fans sour on him quickly. They never warmed up to Kaz Mat and expected him to hit .300+ instead of being a mediocre player.

I am forever indebted to "little Godzilla," as he was once known as for singlehandedly owning the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2007 playoffs when he was on the Rockies. For that, Kazuo, I salute you!

3) Carlos Baerga

The early '90s were a dark age for the New York Metropolitans, but in the middle of the decade, the Mets ownership was trying valiantly to make the team competitive again, which is why the Mets made a blockbuster trade to acquire Baerga from the Indians. They got a switch-hitting All-Star while giving up prospect Jeff Kent, who had been a major disappointment up to that point.

This move was a no-brainer, right? WRONG! Baerga's career went in the tank after the trade! He hit only .193 with his new club after the trade and remained a humongous disappointment with the rest of his time spent with the Mets.

2) Luis Castillo

I know I spoke about him already, but I just have to mention L-Cast again. Castillo must be Spanish for "cancer," because that's exactly what Luis is to this team. When he came over in 2007, the team collapsed. When he was healthy and in the lineup in 2008, the team never seemed to win!

The man constantly carried around a sourpuss face thanks to all of boos from the fans, and Jose Reyes' performance even seemed to decline when Castillo was around! Castillo wants a second chance with the Mets in 09, but I'm praying that the Mets get rid of him. If not, I hope he's able to turn things around—otherwise he may be number one on this list someday!

1) Roberto Alomar

Holy crap... After losing the World Series to the Yankees in 2000 (I can't believe I just said that), the Mets and their fans were eager to improve their club in a way that could push them "over the edge" from the competition. So after a disappointing 2001, the Mets made another blockbuster trade, acquiring: Roberto Alomar! Arguably one of the greatest second baseman of all time!

I was so pumped at the time. I remember checking out Alomar's stats and thinking that he was still in his prime and would continue to put up those numbers for at least three or four years! He would help lead the Mets to win the division and knock off those damn Atlanta Braves!

How wrong I was.

Even though his stats didn't seem to decline that much over the years, Alomar struggled mightily when he came to New York, and the fans let him know just how much of a disappointment he was.

Once his tenure with the Mets was over, Alomar was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he met up with former Metropolitan bust Carlos Baerga, who was also a player for the same Arizona club.

Baerga told him that he understood how hard it was playing in New York, but there was still enough time for Alomar to resurrect his career.

But sadly enough, Carlos was wrong, and Alomar ended up retiring.

New York Islanders Are Ice Cold in December

Nick DeSilvio — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:58:10 -0500

After a brilliant month of November where the Islanders pulled to within two games of .500, the New York Islanders began to plummet down another steep drop in what has been a dramatic up and down roller-coaster ride of a season.

The New York Islanders were 8-6-1 in November, and though that may not look too impressive the Isles played very good all around hockey, backed by excellent goaltending by their backup, Joey MacDonald.

Scott Gordon's aggressive system seemed to be sinking into the youngsters and veterans alike of the New York squad, and they were slowly creeping out of the NHL East's basement and toward potential playoff contention.

Nineteen year old rookie was called up and provided a spark, as the team continued to succeed. Islanders' brass had the option of sending him back down to play in a big Junior Hockey Tournament, but they elected to keep the young center in the NHL where he could get even more valuable experience.

Everything seemed to be going so well, and I was finally having confidence in this team.

But then December hit, and with it came a blizzard that seems to have snowed in the entire Islanders franchise.

The Isles, who were close to leaping over the New Jersey devils in the standings, are now eight points behind, with a measly 22 points which is the third worst in the east ahead of Atlanta (whom they lost to last Saturday) and Tampa Bay.

December and the holiday season is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Well, so far it's been a nightmare on Long Island, as they have dropped their first five games of the month to the Capitals, Thrashers, Maple Leafs, and Flyers, teams which I think that the Islanders should be competitive with.

Joey MacDonald has not been on top of his game lately, as he had been during the Isles winning streak, but the main culprit of this teams recent funk is their offense, which has not been able to score more then three goals on a team other then the Ottawa Senators in what seems to be ages!

As I mentioned earlier, this season has been a giant roller coaster and the Islanders need to find a way to play consistent hockey instead of being so streaky.

Rick DiPietro is not that far away from his return and I am hoping that he can provide this team with a much needed jolt.

The New York Mets Need a Makeover

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:27:51 -0500

Omar Minaya has been very quiet so far this offseason. The hot stove has been more like a freezer to the Mets, who haven't made any moves to better there team for 2009.

Everyday that passes by with no Mets signings is making me feel that this team is going to be practically the same as the '08 squad and maybe even worse! (If they don't resign or replace Ollie.)

With the Winter Meetings beginning tomorrow, Omar Minaya needs to put on his thinking cap and figure out a way to improve the team so that they don't blow the season on the very last game of the year for a third straight time.

Omar doesn't even have that much work to do. Nearly all of our starting position players are already in place, and he has two good closers in Fuentes and K-Rod to choose between, but it is the little things that Omar does that is what I'm most worried about.

Here is my opinion of what Omar's goals should be in the winter meetings:

He MUST find a way to get decent arms in the bullpen.

Finding an upgrade over Schnieder behind the plate would be nice.

DON'T Trade Nick Evans! I believe he can be the starting first baseman in 2010.

DUMP Castillo and bring in Orlando Hudson!

***

It's going to be same ol' story for the Mets in '09 if they don't ATTEMPT to make some kind of change of personnel.

If the only change they make is bringing in a closer, then the Mets will once again miss the postseason because now their starting pitching will be much weaker, especially if they don't get a front-line starter to replace Perez or Pedro.

New York Knicks: What If LeBron Doesn't Come?

Nick DeSilvio — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:07:38 -0500

Last night during the pregame show of the Knicks-Cavs game, LeBron James was asked if he and his team were becoming distracted by the "LeBron James to the Knicks in 2010 talk."

El Numero 23 responded by saying, "It's not a distraction for us at all. It's a distraction for them (the Knicks); we're straight." James said, followed by a wide smirk.

James seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. So many fans of the Knickerbockers think that he is just going to take the biggest paycheck he is offered and come to the Big Apple.

Something inside me thinks that this is not going to happen.

He is a very smart guy and I think he sees the circus that has become the New York Knickerbockers, and wants to stay away from it.

And if James opts not to come to New York; then what?

Sure there are a lot of big names out on the market in 2010, but I believe that James is the only hope this franchise has in turning things around.

Anything else may turn into disaster.

I could see them signing Steve Nash (who will be around the age of 40 by then), and Dirk Nowitzski for a ton of money. Meanwhile, these guys are going to be old veterans way past their prime, and it's just going to lead to an extended "Dark Age" period for the Orange and Blue.

What else can we expect after watching the horrendous display of the last few years?

Will Plaxico Burress Saga Be Too Much for Giants to Overcome?

Nick DeSilvio — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:33:42 -0500

Being a professional athlete in New York isn't a job for everybody. Some stars will fall short of high expectations, while unknowns can become heroes overnight and thrive in the spotlight. Certain players would want to play for no other city, while others can't wait to collect their money and get out.

In their past few seasons the New York Giants have had more drama than the soap operas on the Lifetime channel.

During their Super Bowl run last year, the Giants lived by the motto: "Just shut up and play the game."

They ignored all of the critics and fans who were calling for Tom Coughlin's head and the large horde of fans who wanted Eli Manning out of town. They just went out there and played their best every single game.

And that wasn't all.

Before the miraculous season even began, the Giants had extremely low expectations due to the retiring of Tiki Barber—one of if not the best Giants running back. But in the end the Giants triumphed over every obstacle and challenge that they faced, proving everybody who doubted them wrong...which happened to be practically every football fan in America.

With an impressive 11-1 start after winning their championship, the path to a back-to-back Super Bowl victory seemed to be well paved. I'll even admit that the thought of a possible Giants Dynasty may have slipped through my mind a few times.

But last Friday night, a terrible incident occurred which now presents this Giants team with their third and most challenging obstacle they have yet to face this year.

This team has prospered despite losing team leader Michael Strahan to retirement and the only Giants pro bowler Osi to a season-ending injury, but now they have to deal with Plaxico Burress and his unfortunate accident.

As I've mentioned, the Giants have endured so much during the past few years that I don't think that this will affect them the way the media is expecting. The Giants are a TEAM. One of the players remarked that there is not just one star on their team, every individual on the team is a star and they all pick up each other's slack.

I don't think the loss of Plax will be one that's missed. Remember Jeremy Shockey last year? He was a big troublemaker the whole season and when he went down the team took off. Maybe that will happen again this year now that Burress is gone. Don't forget that he has been a distraction for the entire year, with his contract demands in the offseason.

People are already getting worried that without Burress, the Giants don't have a big play-maker which they will need to go far in the playoffs.

I say: Don't worry!

This team will find a way, and here's why:

5. Our running game is phenomenal.

4. Dominick Hixon has been superb for the Giants so far, and I think he may rise to stardom in the postseason.

3. Amani Toomer is getting up there in age, but he's still a solid receiver. He's very clutch and a veteran leader.

2. Steve Smith is pretty damn good as well.

1. But the No. 1 reason why the Giants will not succumb to the Plaxico Sage is Eli Manning.

With Plaxico out, I feel that this offense is now fully under Eli's control. As with Shockey, sometimes Manning would pass to Burress just for the sake of trying to get the ball to him. When he came back from injury earlier in the year, Eli seemed to try extra hard to get Burress into the game, which led to a bad game for Eli.

Now Eli can spread the ball around more and get everybody involved, which is the style he likes to use.

And if I'm wrong, please, Giants fans! Don't start calling for Eli's head again!

New York Giants' Star Receiver Plaxico Burress Has Been Shot in His Right Thigh

Nick DeSilvio — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:39:41 -0500

After contributing mightily in the Giants upset over the Patriots in Superbowl 42, Plaxico Burress has been nothing but a giant distraction to big blue.

He has been a non-factor so far this season with struggles on and off the field. Now it looks like the giants will be without their deep field threat for quite some time.

Plaxico Burress was scratched from tomorrow's game of the Redskins due to his sore hamstring.

But that's not the only reason why he is not playing.

Plaxico Burress has been shot in his right thigh.

The cause of the shot is unknown but it is thought to be self inflicted. He was treated in a hospital over night. The severity of Burress' injuries or how they were sustained are unknown.

Top Three Booms and Bums of the New York Islanders' Young Season

Nick DeSilvio — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:29:34 -0500

We are 22 games into the New York Islanders' season—and as of now, they are sitting at the bottom of the tough Atlantic Division with a 9-11-2 record.

This season has been a roller-coaster ride thus far. The Isles got off to a horrid start and suffered numerous third-period meltdowns, but since have found a way to play more consistently, winning six of their last eight.

But now that we are a quarter of the way through the regular season, I've seen enough of this team to assess what's going wrong, what's going right, and what they need to do to.

And that is why I present to you the Top Three Booms and Bums of the New York Islanders early season thus far:

Booms

3) Mark Streit

There were a lot of players I could have picked, but I'm going to have to go with defenseman Mark Streit. This guy has impressed me on so many levels. He was a very good pick up for the team, who is proving the Canadiens wrong for not believing that he could be a full time D-Man.

2) Josh Bailey

Okay, calm down. A lot of people may disagree with my choice, as the 19-year-old rookie has yet to score a goal, and only has a couple of assists.

But ever since the Islanders have called Bailey up, he has been able to contribute. Notice that after he was called up is when the Isles began to go on their winning streak.

Scott Gordon has put a lot of faith in Josh, even using him in a shootout.

Bailey gives Islanders fans hope as well, as we are now in a rebuilding moden focused on youth development. Upcoming prospects like Bailey are our glimpses of what the Islanders are going to look like in the years to come.

1) Joey MacDonald

Going into the season without re-signing reliable backup Wade Dubielewicz, Islanders fans had no idea what to expect to see from Joey Mac once Rick DiPietro went down, which we all knew was inevitable.

When DP went down within the first week of the season, no fan of the Isles could have expected MacDonald to play this well. He has helped keep the Islanders close in games, and has made a ton of big saves. MacDonald has made all fans of the Isles exhale a big sigh of relief, because without him our record would be a LOT worse.

Bums

3) Jeff Tambellini and Kyle Okposo

I'm giving the third bum award to both Tambellini and Okposo. As I stated with regard to Josh Bailey, youth is the future of the Islanders—and these two youngsters haven't done much to impress Isles fans.

Yes, Kyle Okposo had been playing much better before he got hurt recently, but he's still on the list because Isladners fans were expecting a lot from him this season.

And Jeff Tambellini? With no goals so far this season, this guy is clearly overmatched at the National Hockey League level. He needs to get sent back down to the Sound Tigers immediately.

2) Mike Comrie

We gave this guy four million bucks to stay an Islander, and what has he done so far this season? NOTHING!

Maybe he should stop cuddling on the sofa with his girlfriend Hillary Duff and find his heart for the game.

1) Rick DiPietro

Here we go again. Why can't this guy just be healthy? Why? I just don't understand it. Pretty soon they are going to be posting this guy's face on the body of the board game "operation," because he's having surgery every five minutes.

I like DiPietro a lot. He's a really fun goaltender to watch. But the fact that he's always out with some kind of injury gets me so angry that I have to make him the number-one bum for the Islanders' early 2008 season.

Islanders-Penguins: Winning Streak Ends as New York Sinks in the Third Period.

Nick DeSilvio — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:01:51 -0500

After the awesome defeat of the Montreal Canadiens, the Islanders returned to Long Island with a ton of momentum. The Isles had won five of their last six games, and were finally beginning to inch out of the Atlantic Division's basement.

The return of Brendan Witt and Freddy Meyer helped to stock up the Islanders' defence, and the team was playing much smarter hockey then they were earlier in the year—especially in the third period, which had been the team's Achilles heel until their recent streak of exceptional play.

And in the first two periods of the game against Pittsburgh, New York dominated and continued to play like the great team we had been witnessing for the last couple of weeks. They had an early 2-0 lead, and were attacking the puck in the offensive zone.

When Bill Guerin scored the third goal, Pittsburgh pulled their goaltender Dany Sabourin and put in John Curry, who was stepping on NHL ice for the first time in his career.

This is when I thought that the Islanders were going to make this game a laugher, as they could easily score another goal or two off this rookie. But then with a minute left in the second period, the Pens scored.

This is when I said to myself, "uh oh, they better not blow it in the third."

And blow they did.

Crosby and Malkin seemed to be on the ice forever, and they destroyed the Islanders.

The Islanders couldn't get the puck out of their zone, and the reigning Eastern Conference Champs started scoring off Joey MacDonald left and right—tying the game, and eventually taking the lead 4-3.

In the final minute, the Islanders pulled Joey Mac from the net, but gave up the puck to Malkin, who scored the empty netter to give him a hat trick for the night.

This game frustrates me so much as a fan! Dare I say that I was a little cocky, thinking that we had the game locked up in the second period, only to have the memories of the Islanders many third-period collapses this year become very fresh in my head once again.

Why can't they just shut the door in the third period? What is wrong with this team!

New Sports-Comedy Flick Set to Film Featuring the New York Mets!

Nick DeSilvio — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:24:13 -0500

If you've grown up during the early '90s like me you've been entertained by numerous sports movies. Most of them were incredibly corny, yet some how I found myself attached to some of these films.

Do you happen to remember such "classic" baseball films such as Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield, Little Big League, Major League 1 - 3, and Mr. 3000 just to name a few?

Well as a kid I always wondered what it would be like if the New York Mets had a movie made about them, and the 2008 New York Mets have a perfect story line and cast of characters to make one of these movies a realistic production a few years down the road.

Most of these baseball movies revolve around a few of the everyday players, all trying to find their own in the major leagues. All come from different backgrounds and have different motivating factors as to why they play and what they are trying to accomplish. And I believe the mets roster has plenty of interesting fellows that would fit perfectly into one of these sports comedies.

I already have a few cast members picked out. Morgan Freeman would make an EXCELLENT actor to play Jerry Manuel, and the guy who played Pedro Cerrano in Major League could be found, wherever the hell he is, to play Carlos Delgado. Willy Randolph's role can be filled by Danny Glover...the scene where Omar Minaya fires him in his pajamas would be hilarious.

But the actors aren't as important as the unique characters of the movie, each with their own agenda and outrageous personality, just like many characters of the above mentioned movies had.

Jose Reyes is the typical party-going youngster who needs to get his head on straight.

David Wright is the guy way too into his looks and trying to do too much.

Oliver Perez is the dumb stupid guy who can't add one plus one.

Carlos Beltran is the quiet one who doesn't talk to anybody in the clubhouse.

As I mentioned before, Carlos Delgado not only looks like Pedro Cerrano, but I can even imagine him sacrificing a chicken in the clubhouse to help him snap out of the skid he was in before the all-star break.

Billy Wagner is the redneck hick from the south who runs his mouth and everybody on the team hates him.

Aaron Heilman would also make great character just from his body language on the mound alone.

Luis Castillo would make a very good antagonist, especially to Jose Reyes' character. The aged veteran who won a championship finds himself struggling and getting booed out of the stadium. The team takes off when he's injured, but falters again when he returns.

All of these character traits are a little exaggerated from real life, but I think it makes for a great cast for a new sports movie or book. It could revolve around the team's struggles to overcome their adversity, and they nearly accomplish their task, but miss out again on the last day of the season.

Montreal Gets "Byrned" by the Islanders in a Stunning Upset!

Nick DeSilvio — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:27:34 -0500

On November 1st 2008, the New York Islanders faced off against the Montreal Canadiens home at the Coliseum, and If you've read my articles you'll know just how furious I was at that loss. The Islanders had a three goal lead in the third period, and with 20 minutes away from pulling off a huge upset over the favorited Habs, they managed to squander the lead. They turned what would have been a great confidence boosting win into a horrid loss.

Well on November 24th the Islanders got a rematch against the Canadiens with a chance to finish what they had started back on the Island.

The Habs dominated the game for the most part, but two powerplay goals by Richard Park and Trent Hunter kept the Islanders in the game.

Still trailing 3-2 with a few minutes left in the third, the Islanders committed yet another penalty, causing the Habs' goaltender Price to leave his net.

NHL Sophmore O'Byrne controlled the puck under the pressure of Islander Sean Bergenhein, and flicked it toward his own net to keep it away from the defender.

The puck sailed right into his own empty net, tying the game up in one of the biggest fluke goals I've ever seen.

It's unknown if O'Byrne was trying to throw the puck behind the net, or if he didn't know his goalie left the net, however the youngster was just as shocked and stunned as rowdy Montreal fans.

This thrilled me as an Islander fan, as we FINALLY had some luck bounce our way.

But the game wasn't over yet, as the Canadiens now had a powerplay with a little less than three minutes to go.

Despite the pressure, Joey MacDonald flashed his pads and kept the game tied.

With a few ticks left on the clock, the Isles almost scored when Josh Bailey passed to Campoli who failed to put it past Price, despite being in the goal mouth.

The game carried into overtime with no score, leading to a shootout.

Trent Hunter was first and missed, but Richard Park and Captain Bill Guerin each scored, lifting the Islanders to their second win in a row, stealing back the victory that was stolen from them earlier this month.

After the Brutal Loss, the Montreal loyal unleashed a fury of boos, all chanting "O'BYRNE" over and over to humiliate the player who cost them the game.

Watch out NHL, the New York Islanders are climbing up the standings.

Will The New York Mets Lose Their Identity in Citi Field?

Nick DeSilvio — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:25:21 -0500

I've been saying "I wish the Mets could get a new stadium" for as long as I can remember. But now that Shea Stadium is gone, I feel myself questioning my love for this team.

Words can't describe how disappointed I was when I gazed upon the design of Citi Field for the first time.

The first problem I had: no retractable roof.

We NEED a retractable roof here in New York, as there are a ton of rain delays throughout the season. Not to mention the fact that the winds in Shea were fierce and you could freeze your butt off in the upper deck on a night in mid-June.

But the most glaring issue I have with the design was it's modelling after the Dodgers former home in Brooklyn, Ebbets field.

OK Wilpons, last time I checked, the Dodgers play in LOS ANGELES!

If you love them so much why don't you try to buy them and move them back here!

I could have sworn that there was a conspiracy going on to move the Mets to Puerto Rico and bring the Dodgers back to New York. I would have wrote about it if I was on this site back then.

It seriously makes me sick. We are the New York METS, not the Dodgers!

And we even have the fabulous "Jackie Robinson Rotunda" to view when we enter our new state of the art facility.

No disrespect to number 42, but what on earth does he have to do with the METS!?!?

If you want to honor someone how about Roberto Clemente since 90% of our players are Latin American anyway.

It's a big joke.

Every time we enter our stadium we have to look at someone in Dodger's history, who has nothing to do with our own.

I'm not saying Robinson shouldn't be honored, but I think that Citi Field should pay more tribute to the Mets history instead of somebody else's.

This, I fear, is going to cause the Mets to lose their identity, which could be a good or a bad thing.

It, in a sense, will shade away the memories of the recent disasters from game 7 of the '06 NLCS 'til now.

But it will also destroy the Mets heritage.

Another thing that pisses me off beyond belief is the fact that Citi Field will have 10,000+ less seats than Shea.

The upper deck in Shea stadium was perhaps the greatest place in the stadium to be, especially during the playoffs and other big games. This is where the die hard fans sat, the true orange and blue bleeding warriors.

Never again will I get to see the upper deck erupt, because it's gone now.

Instead, Citi Field is going to be packed with all the business yuppies who know nothing about baseball and are just going cause its "hip."

I'll be lucky to even get my hands on tickets next year, and if I do I'm gonna have to shell out a lot of cash, instead of getting free upper deck seats like I always do.

If it was up to me, I would have designed a stadium that has the similar horse-shoe look of Shea Stadium. And I would not have put in the right field overhang wall.

I HATE IT when teams put an extra bleacher into the outfield, preventing a nice smooth arch of the outfield wall.

If Ryan Church suffers another concussion due to that right field perch, I'm gonna snap.

2009 Mets Pitching Staff May Get Sick Without "The Jacket" Rick Peterson

Nick DeSilvio — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:47:22 -0500

Former Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson took the axe along with Willy Randolph and first base coach Tom Nieto midway through the Metropolitan's 2008 campaign.

The accredited psychologist, commonly referred to as "the jacket" due to his constant donning of the team's official jacket, was known for his unusual methods of coaching. He preached a "triangular theory," which emphasizes three themes: mental and emotional toughness, fundamental skills, and physical conditioning.

This man was very unorthodox and would give the players analogies to real life scenarios. He would often use golf to get a point across to former met Tom Glavine.

He even gave John Maine a lesson on ice cream and ketchup. They both taste very good, but are horrible if put together. He used this strange combination as way to help John Maine improve his pitch selection.

This guy even wore long-johns under his baseball pants if the weather got chilly in the spring or fall.

For the most part a lot of his ideas worked, but Peterson failed in three areas which cost him his job and here they are:

Fans began to despise the jacket once he promised he could fix Victor Zambrano in "ten minutes." He also contributed to the shipping out of Kazmir to Tampa Bay, not liking his delivery.

Peterson also had disagreements with Heath Bell, who the Mets could have definitely used in 07' and 08', forcing the Mets to trade him away.

The horrid bullpen of 07' and 08'.

A lot of fans wanted Peterson out after the 07' collapse for the bullpens disgusting performance, but when they were also blowing away winnable games for the team in 08', fans had enough.

But the third and most important factor of Peterson's firing was the inconsistent performance of eccentric lefty Oliver Perez.

Perez and Peterson are both very strange men, but they did not mesh well together. Despite having a good end to 2006 and a decent 2007 campaign when he won 15 games, Ollie struggled to find consistency in 2008 and none of Peterson's ideas seemed to click with him.

Simply put, the jacket's philosophies were too complex for the talented lefty to handle.

So midway through 08' out went the jacket and in came Dan Warthen, who received a lot of praise from all of the SNY announcers, but I never bought into it.

Warthen got all the credit when Mets prospect Mike Pelfrey developed into a dominating pitcher right before our eyes, but if you watched all 162 games like me, you'd remember that big Pelf began to pitch great in starting in the last three outings he had BEFORE the jacket was thrown out!

Warthen also simplified Perez's delivery and helped him have a better second half, but what did he do to help the bullpen?

NOTHING!

The bullpen imploded once again, costing the Mets the division for the second year in a row.

Now I'm not putting the blame on Dan, but it wasn't Peterson's fault either. If I had to point the finger I'd point to Omar for putting this macabre bullpen together.

I believe that the New York Mets pitching staff will get the flu in 2009 without their "jacket" to keep them warm, and I have a lot of facts to back it up.

Peterson's specialty was in health, and during his tenure with the Mets we had very few injuries to our pitching staff, with the exception being Pedro Martinez.

What happened right after Peterson was fired? Billy Wagner and John Maine went down.

Speaking about John Maine, anyone realize that he sucked miserably once Peterson was fired? Did you wonder why?

Number 33 happened to be very close with the jacket and they worked well together. John Maine fit into Peterson's work regimen perfectly, and became lost once he was gone.

It's going to be interesting to see how Maine does in 2009, as I believe he is one of the keys to the Mets inaugural season at Citi Field.

If we don't add another pitcher John Maine will be our third starter, and that kind of scares me for the reasons I've stated above.

This is why I feel the Mets MUST re-sign Oliver Perez, especially since he had added success with Dan Warthen.

Now that the mets will begin a full season without their unorthodox pitching coach, I have a bad feeling that Mets pitchers will get sick without "the jacket" in the dugout.

Islanders-Devils: New Jersey Wins the Battle of the Backups

Nick DeSilvio — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:49:00 -0500

If you've been reading my articles you know that I'm a big Islanders fan. I have been looking forward to this game since the Islanders upset Vancouver Monday night, when they extended their winning streak to three consecutive games.

The Islanders had a really good game that night, and Joey MacDonald was fabulous behind the net.

I was so pumped! The Islanders were playing their best hockey of the season and clicking on all cylinders. I was ready for them to go on a nice five plus game run, which would continue when they took on the rival Devils at Newark in:

The Battle of the Backups!

I really believed this game would be a huge test for the Isles as they took on Kevin Weekes and the Devils, who have been playing their best hockey since Brodeur went down. But the Isles failed the test miserably.

The first two periods of this game contained some extremely sloppy hockey that made me wonder if I was watching a high school game. The devils struck first blood when Clarkson scored, then within 10 seconds of the face-off following that goal, Zajac put the puck past Joey Mac to send the Islanders into an early two - nothing hole.

The Islanders were able to come within one goal when Andy Hilbert scored. But less then 30 seconds later, the diablos struck back, and cruised onto a 5-2 route of their island inhabiting rivals.

This game frustrated me in so many ways. I know that the Islanders had three days off and were going to be a little rusty, but I didn't expect them to go out and lay an egg like they did tonight.

And did anyone see the hit that Mottau laid on Nielsen?

The Islanders' announcers were just talking about how Frans had been playing his best hockey lately and he takes a vicious hit to the head, sending him tumbling to the ice. As he fell, the skate of a devil's player sliced into Nielsen. OUCH!

Hopefully he is Okay and won't miss much time.

Defenseman Brendan Witt made his return tonight, a man who will further strengthen the Islanders defense which has been raddled with injuries lately. Chris Campoli took a slap-shot off the ankle and looked shaken up, but he's fine.

Perhaps the lowest point of this game came late in the third. The Islanders committed two penalties at once, giving the Devils a five on three advantage for two minutes. The game was already out of reach by that point, but this caused any glimmer of hope I had that the Isles could rally to go right down the toilet.

Anyway, during the powerplay, two of the three Islander skaters broke their sticks, essentially giving the Diablos a five on one opportunity. The stick-less players tried to use their bodies to block the puck, but to no avail as the Devils drilled the nail in the coffin on this game, causing me to slap my forehead in disgust.

Maybe the devils were simply the better team.

Maybe I'm expecting too much out of the Islanders and getting too excited when they show glimpses of being a good team.

Either way, the Islanders better find a way to right the ship because they take on Buffalo tomorrow night and then the Habs on Monday when they visit Montreal, and seek revenge from a game that was STOLEN from us at the coliseum earlier in the season.

Will The Mets Re-Sign Eccentric Left-Hander Oliver Perez?

Nick DeSilvio — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:41:19 -0500

Oliver Peh-Rez....

After acquiring Perez as a throw-in from the Pirates back in 2006, Oliver has shown signs of brilliance, especially in big-game situations.

However, he has had his share of hiccups, mostly against bad teams like the Nationals and his former club, teams that he THINKS he should be able to dominate with his stuff.

This man is the biggest headcase I've ever seen in a MLB uniform. He jumps over the foul line whenever he ends an inning, sometimes a very high jump if he's pumped up, other times it's a slight hop if he knows he screwed up.

Perez in 2007-08 had big games against the Yankees and Braves, but it seems like every time out our opinion of him changes. He did not do very well towards the end of last season, (who didn't) causing a lot of fans to want to trade him.

His second-to-last start this year was miserable, causing fans to demand that we don't resign him.

But then he pitched rather well in his last start so the fans were warmed up again and said "re-sign him if the price is right."

Either way, no matter who gets him, they will be signing a Jekyll and Hyde type player. you never know if you're going to get the good or bad Ollie on any given night.

The Mets, more than any other team but the Pirates, know what Oliver can bring to the table, but his agent Scott Boras is going to be sure to attempt to drive up Oliver's price as high as possible.

On Nov. 20, Metsblog.com reported that the Mets want to resign Perez at $12 million per year, but he's likely to demand a lot more then that, with a four-year, $50 million type of contract.

Other teams involved with him right now are the Braves and Yankees, ironically the two teams that Perez dominated the most this past season.

I believe that the Mets should get Perez back. You know that he is going to lose his share of games, but who doesn't? He's not a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, and we don't need that anyway because we have Johan and Big Pelf.

Perez has nasty stuff when he is on, but has struggled to find consistency. Maybe his third year in orange and blue will be a charm.

Pay the Man his money!

I'd take him on my team over both Lowe and Burnett, who is far too injury-prone to my liking. Perez will blow his games, but at least you KNOW he will be on the field to blow them!

PLEASE Re-sign Ollie, Omar!

You gave Luis Castillo four years at $24 million; he has busted knees and a bad attitude, why can't you give Peh-rez, who is a good competitor, the contract that he deserves?

We need him in our rotation in 2009. I'm scared to think what's going to happen if we have to rely on Jonathan Niese to make 20+ starts.

Who agrees with me?

And who do you think will get Ollie when it's all said and done! Discuss below!

Isles-Canucks: New York Stuns Vancouver For Third Straight Win!

Nick DeSilvio — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:17:16 -0500

The New York Islanders squared off against the Vancouver Canucks tonight in a matchup that most experts felt would be very easy game to predict.

Ex-Islander and star goalie for the Canucks Roberto Luongo was pissed off at his former team and a lot of people, including myself, were expecting him to dominate the game. Their outstanding and highly motivated goal-tender, plus the Canucks' dynamic offense, should have spelt a handsome victory for Vancouver.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, Islanders back up Joey MacDonald, who is filling in for the injured DiPietro, continues to improve every single day, and this game was by far his best effort of the season.

He held the Canucks to only one goal, matching Luongo who gave up a score in the second period.

Neither team could solve their opposition's fantastic goal tending in the third period which took us to over-time, securing at least a point for both teams, far more than most Islander fans thought they would have earned today.

So on we went into O.T., and in the final seconds the Canucks put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Islanders but MacDonald pulled off a couple of very impressive saves, sending the game to a shoot-out.

This is when I said "Good Game, we lose" because I felt that Luongo would be a brick wall in the shootout. Not to mention that Scott Gordon's second shooter was 19-year-old Josh Bailey.

The Isles elected to shoot first, and out came Frans Nielsen who beat Luongo and gave the Islanders the early lead.

Bailey missed miserably, hitting the puck weakly off Luongo's chest.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, Nielsen's goal was all that the Islanders needed as Joey MacDonald slammed the door shut on their three shooters, giving the Islanders their third straight victory after a home and home sweep of the Ottawa Senators.

My apologies to all of the fans in the front row donning the Vancouver Canucks jerseys. They just wasted a ton of money. Between traveling from Canada to New York, to buying the expensive seats, not to mention lying to their bosses to get off work; all so they could see their favorite team play in game they expected to win.

All that effort went for naught as they witnessed a horrible loss to the lowly Islanders.

The Islanders will now take a bus ride down to Newark where they face the Devils on Friday night, hoping to extend their winning streak to a lofty four games.

The New York Mets' Three Biggest Bums of the 2008 Season

Nick DeSilvio — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:20:02 -0500

One Game

For the second consecutive year, the New York Mets missed the postseason by ONE measly game. This is enough to drive any sane man crazy, but now that the World Series is gone and done with, we can reflect on what...or more specifically who...went wrong in 2008.

Therefore, I present you the three BUMS of the New York Met's 2008 campaign, who contributed the most to our second straight collapse.

No. 3: AARON HEILMAN

Need I say more. The sound of the word "Heilman" makes any seasoned Mets fan run to the bathroom with an upset stomach. After giving up the HR to Yadier Molina in Game Seven of the 2006 NLCS, this man has never been the same.

His body language is just atrocious, and every time he goes on the mound, it's an adventure, most of the time ending in disaster. I really feel for him. He wants to be a starter and is denied an opportunity by the Mets, and he then gets booed relentlessly by the Shea faithful.

No. 2: BILLY BUM WAGNER

This man makes me angry on so many levels. In my opinion, he caused problems in the clubhouse, but that's just a gut feeling, and I don't have any proof. But that's not why he's No. 2 on the list.

For the second year in a row, he broke down when we needed him the most. He was not perfect, but I'd rather have him closing the door than Luis Ayala, that's for sure! He also brought the axe down on newly-hired Brewers bench coach Willy Randolph by blowing several games to the San Diego Padres when the Mets were desperate for a win.

If he was healthy, the Mets WOULD have made it to the postseason and probably to the World Series.

No. 1: LUIS CASTILLO

The Mets gave this man a four year, $24 million contract. Now, I know you can't blame the man for taking this contract (who wouldn't), but I do blame him for the Mets' collapse of 2007, and their short comings of 2008, and here's why: The Mets had the LOWEST production from their second baseman in the major leagues.

HE CANT HIT

HE CANT RUN!!

HE CAN'T STEAL!

HE HAS NO RANGE!

HE COULDN'T EVEN LAY DOWN A BUNT, WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY HIS SPECIALTY!

HE WAS A BAD INFLUENCE ON JOSE REYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Castillo was injured when the Mets went on their 10-game winning streak, and once he came back, I felt the team went back to their malaise that's been present ever since "the Collapse." It's probably not all of Castillo's fault, but for some reason, we always seem to lose when he's around the club.

His body language towards the end of the season also turned sour. He looked constantly pissed when he was at the plate, probably cause of the horde of boo's raining down upon him.

And I'll never forget one of the last games of the season against the Cubs when Out-Cast came up with a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, and he took three straight pitches down the middle for a strikeout.

I was there, and Not ONE fan in the stands believed he was going to come through in that spot.

Bummer-able mentions

Moises Alou: We paid him $8 million to sit on his couch and eat potato chips all year.

Carlos Delgado: We can't just forgive him for having such a horrible first half. If he was consistently good the whole season, we would have made the playoffs.

And the rest of the members of the Mets' bullpen.

You may disagree with me,
but it's my article,
it's my opinion,
and I'm the Sports Maverick.

Third Period Is The New York Islanders' Achilles Heel So Far This Season

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 04:50:04 -0500

Hello and I'm the Angry New York Sports Fan, where I rant about the hottest topics of New York Sports so that you don't have to.

And Today I'm going to rant about my frustrations with the forgotten hockey team of New York: the New York Islanders.

As I've mentioned in my previous articles, it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the Islanders would have a tough road to get into the playoffs this year. They have a lot of youth and are in a rebuilding mode with a new head coach whose never coached at the NHL level.

But If you have watched every game the Islanders have played this year, you'd notice that they have played good enough to win nearly EVERY game they've played this year!

It is so painful when you watch your team control the game for the first two periods and then choke it away in the final twenty minutes. This is becoming almost a new tradition for the team.

I don't know what it is. Is it bad luck? Is it just a coincidence? Are the players getting tired late in the game? I don't know, but what I do know is that IT'S REALLY STARTING TO GET ME MAD!

I can take it when the team blows a lead to a good team like the Montreal Canadiens, but when you almost let the COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS come back and beat you, it just drives me so crazy that I could jump onto the ice and steal the goalie's green water bottle.

Joey MacDonald has done a decent job so far, but I wish Rick DiPietro could see a priest, a witch-doctor, an eskimo spirtual healer or anyone who could make him get his life-long-contracted butt back on the ice!

The New York Islanders Are Off to Their Worst Start in Franchise History!

Nick DeSilvio — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:16:13 -0500

Hello, I'm the Angry New York Sports Fan. I rant about New York sports so you don't have to!

After playing their first ten games of the regular season, the New York Islanders are off to their worst start in franchise history with a 2-7-1 record, casting them into the NHL’s basement.

Entering the season with many new faces, including 2008 AHL coach of the year Scott Gordon, the Islanders were expected to enter a rebuilding year. The team features upcoming youngsters such as Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini and Chris Campoli, playing alongside crusty veterans such as Bill Guerin and Brendan Witt.

Yet despite entering the season with low expectations, the Islanders got off to a very shaky start as they adjusted to Gordon’s new aggressive style of play.

In the early season they already had a bunch of significant injuries, including their franchise goalie Rick DiPietro. DiPietro had hip surgery in the off season and went under the knife yet again last week to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

The net is now going to be minded by Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis, who are likely to split playing time for the four to six weeks that D.P. is out.

The Isles also lost center Mike Sillinger, whose presence at the draw is sorely missed, along with assistant captain Brendan Witt. Witt is one of their top defenders along with Radek Martinek and Josh Bailey.

Newcomers Mark Streit, Doug Weight and Jon Sim have done good jobs so far. Streit, who was used as a power play specialist in Montreal, is making use of the opportunity to be a full-time defenseman and currently has four goals (three on the power play) and five assists.

Many other players, however, have been very disappointing up to this point, especially their top prospects Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini, along with center Mike Comrie.

Kyle Okposo excited many fans at the end of last year, and many expected him to be a blooming star. But so far he has struggled, with only one goal and two assists in ten games.

Tambellini, like Kyle, is also a very young player with a ton of potential. But he has had a tough time in the early going. Jeff has no goals in eight games and only one assist, and has not shown a lot of hustle.

A main problem for the Islanders so far this season has been falling behind early.

For the last six games the Islanders have given up a goal in the first seven minutes of the game.

Another main weakness of this team is their offense. The Isles have scored less than three goals in five of their first ten games.

You simply aren’t going to win games in the NHL if you are scoring two goals or less every game. It doesn't matter who you have in between the crossbars, not to mention if it’s your second or third string goalie!

The most significant moment of the season so far came on Saturday 11/1/2008, when the Islanders took on the Canadiens at home. They donned their new third jersey, a retro look from 1972—a year when the Islanders won only 12 games.

The frustration of the early going is causing many fans to draw comparisons between the '72 team and the current '08 team.

The Islanders played their best hockey of the season against talented Montreal, scoring four goals in the first two periods. They were finally showing signs of clicking in Gordon’s aggressive system.

But then the floodgates opened in the third as Montreal rallied with four unanswered goals to stun the Islanders.

See this article for my recap.

What could have been a season changing game turned into a brutal and disgusting losing effort.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the Islanders react to this loss.

I believe the Islanders have the talent to make the playoffs. They can turn it around if they get healthy, but they need DiPietro behind the net to make up for their poor offense.

Stay tuned for more New York Islanders coverage!