Bleacher Report - Articles by Nick Giarrusso

The Five Most Important Plays Of Super Bowl XLIII

Nick Giarrusso — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:51:44 -0500

Super Bowl XLIII was one to remember. The Steelers came to Tampa looking to become the most decorated team of the Super Bowl era. Mission accomplished. After pulling out a thrilling 27-23 last-minute victory for the ages, Pittsburgh has separated themselves from the pack. The new benchmark: six Lombardi trophies.

Here are the five most important plays from the latest chapter of Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl history:

1Q---14:16---PITT BALL---2nd & 8---PITT 30

How are Ben Roethlisberger’s ribs? Can Hines Ward contribute? The second snap from scrimmage of Super Bowl XLIII went a long way in answering both questions. The play saw Ben Roethlisberger roll to his right to avoid pressure and then fire an off-balance strike to Hines Ward. Ward was practically uncovered, finding a hole in Arizona’s zone.

The play resulted in a 38 yard catch-and-run that brought the ball down to Arizona’s 32 yard line. Pittsburgh would go on to open the scoring with a field goal. But more importantly, the questions surrounding Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward where answered emphatically. They were here to play.

1Q---4:09---PITT BALL---3rd & 10---ARI 44

At the conclusion of this drive Pittsburgh would score their first touchdown. First, they needed to convert a third and long from the Arizona 44. The play epitomized how creative and elusive Ben Roethlisberger can be in the pocket. He seemed dead from the onset (think Eli Manning on the Tyree play).

Big Ben was flushed to his left, he looked, nobody was open. Cardinals converged around him as he spun and sprinted for open real estate to his right. Then he stopped and fired a strike, across his body, back to the left sideline to Heath Miller.

First down Pittsburgh. If Arizona prevented this broken play, the Steelers punt. Instead of it being Arizona’s ball, down 3-0; moments later it was 10-0 Pittsburgh.

2Q---:18---ARI BALL---1st & G---PITT 1

Welcome to the play that will go down in Super Bowl infamy. With :18 seconds left in the half, and no timeouts, Arizona realistically had two, maybe three, shots at the end zone. At a minimum, the Cardinals were poised for an extra-point field goal to tie the score at 10. Considering the early 10-point hole Arizona found themselves in, Ken Whisenhunt would have been ecstatic to be up four or tied at the half.

Instead, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year made the play of the year. As Warner dropped back throw he scanned left and fired a pass intended for Anquan Boldin. James Harrison read the play perfectly, stepping in front of Boldin for the interception.

He then started rumbling downfield, a convoy emerged and 100 yards later he authored the longest play in Super Bowl history. Instead of Arizona putting points on the board, this stunning turn of events had Pittsburgh running into the half with a 17-7 lead.

3Q---7:41---PITT BALL---1st & 10---50

This drive was a classic example of Pittsburgh Steelers’ football. Sixteen plays, 79 yards, 8:39 elapsed, with important points added to the scoreboard. It was also helped significantly by three personal fouls against Arizona. You didn’t read that wrong, Arizona actually committed three personal fouls, on one drive, IN THE SUPER BOWL!?!?

The worst of the three came on a first and ten from midfield. Karlos Dansby was called for roughing the passer after a Ben Roethlisberger pass fell incomplete. The call was borderline, but acceptable. In addition to the deflating affect it appeared to have on Arizona’s defense; Pittsburgh now had the ball 1st & 10 from the Arizona 35, instead of 2nd & 10 from midfield.

The play symbolized the feeling of the game at the time, as everything was going right for Pittsburgh and poorly for Arizona. The Arizona comeback attempt would soon follow, but not before this personal foul ridden drive put them even further behind the eight-ball.

4Q---:42---PITT BALL---2nd & 6---ARI 6

Last year we had a play that will never be forgotten—Manning to Tyree. The deciding play of Super Bowl XLIII was just added to the list. Pittsburgh could have been conservative and played for the game-tying field goal. It would have been the first overtime game in Super Bowl history.

However, overtime wasn’t on Pittsburgh’s mind. They went for the win. The drive as a whole was fantastic. Facing 1st & 20 from their own 12, Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes went to work. Ben to Holmes for 14. Ben to Holmes for 13. Ben to Holmes for 40. And then came the dagger.

Out of the shotgun, with the end-zone six yards away, Roethlisberger dropped back to throw. He cocked and fired a rocket towards the back of the end-zone. Three Cardinals were standing right there, but the throw was perfect. Perfect. And the catch by Santonio Holmes was equally mind blowing.

He stabbed it from thin air, tapped both feet, and held on to the ball as he fell to the Raymond James grass. It officially launched the Roethlisberger era in Pittsburgh. And this era will be remembered, like Bradshaw to Swann, for all of the memories Roethlisberger to Holmes left engrained in our minds during this drive. Especially the last one.

Faced With a Decision: Will Fred Wilpon Bring Manny Ramirez to Flushing?

Nick Giarrusso — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:38:12 -0500

Every Met fan from Staten Island to Queens; Long Island to Westchester are all collectively thinking the same thing: We want Manny!

They think about the current Mets batting order: Reyes-Murphy-Beltran-Wright-DelGado-Church-Castillo-Schneider. It’s not that bad and probably good enough to win between 87-92 games. With the additions of J.J Putz and K-Rod the Mets, as currently constituted, could win the NL East. But realistically the Phillies are still better.

Now add Manny Ramirez. Add Manny being Manny. And more importantly, add the .330 average, the 30 home runs and the 100+ RBI’s. Now take a look at Jerry Manuel’s lineup: Reyes-Beltran-Wright-Manny-DelGado-Church-Castillo-Schnieder. At the press conference you become better than Philadelphia and Chicago.

Oh, and that little collapse issue everybody likes to talk about, well it would be forgotten, like the Dallas Green years. With Manny Ramirez this is a new team. The added payroll Fred Wilpon would need to sign off on would not only buy the best cleanup bat in the game, buy also some much needed distance from the team’s recent past.

So, if it’s such a great fit, what’s the delay? His name is Scott Boras. God only knows what he has Manny thinking these days. For starters, Manny was quoted towards the end of last season saying, “The price of oil is up and so am I.” Boras’ brainwashing was well underway. He entered this process with Manny thinking that $25-$30 million over five years, in the heart of a recession, was actually feasible.

Boras is the ultimate conqueror of landmark contracts, and in the twilight of this off-season he’s trying to stir up another masterpiece. This time he’s selling the best right-handed hitter of a generation. Like a real generation, say 25-30 years. Not one of those commonly tossed around generations that only go back 10-15 years.

As I post this column, Boras and Ramirez appear steadfast in their desire to get big bucks over multiple seasons. Yesterday the Dodgers offered Manny a one-year, $25 million dollar deal. They instituted a 48-hour deadline and Manny rejected it. Now Los Angeles appears content moving on without him.

What else can they do? Team Boras didn’t respond to LA’s previous two-year, $45 million dollar offer from earlier this off season. Man, would they to have that one back. But LA took it off the table. Then they offered salary arbitration. That was just a formality.

Now they get rejected, in swift fashion, on a deal that would have made Manny the second highest paid player in baseball next season behind A-Rod. Dodger fans can’t say that Ned Coletti didn’t try. He just refused to get Borased.

New reports have LA turning to Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. They can sign both of those guys combined for less than Manny. With Spring Training a stone’s throw away, LA looks to be kicking Boras and Manny to the curb.

So where does this leave Ramirez? Last season, when negotiations started going south with the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez traded in Scott Boras for a group of Goldman Sachs execs and Warren Buffett. This year, Manny seems content letting Boras run the show.

Though it must be asked: Does Manny have any say in this? Can he say, “Hey Scott, let’s take the Dodger deal, I like it in LA.” Or does his future solely rest in Scott Boras’ hands? Does Scott Boras EVER do what’s right for his clients?

Their strategy seems bizarre considering the suitors waiting in line for Manny’s services appear nonexistent. Boston is a non-factor for obvious reasons. The Yankees just spent half a billion dollars on three players. And even they have a limit, we think. The Angeles firmly stated they want nothing to do with this mess. Albert Pujols made his public cry for help, but that fell on deaf ears. Who’s left?

Well, the Giants were hoping for the Manny market to plummet to one-year at around $15-$20 million. That doesn’t appear to be the case with Manny refusing LA’s latest offer. Manny would certainly help replace the draw Barry Bonds brought to Pac Bell, but not at Boras dollars.

Again, who’s left?

Meet the Mets. After signing Oliver Perez on Monday, their 2009 payroll sits at about $140 million, an all-time high. That’s despite the recent Bernie Madoff ponzi-scheme debacle, which saw the Wilpons lose millions. That’s despite recent news that Citigroup is considering rescinding their 20-year, $400 million dollar naming-rights deal for the Mets new ballpark, currently called Citi Field.

The Wilpons publicly claim that the Mets and the Madoff mess are two completely separate money streams, and the $70 million spent on K-Rod and Perez suggests that’s true. With their off season pitching needs now fully addressed, the Mets are nose-to-ceiling with the Wilpon’s self-imposed player budget.

So the question become this: Can Omar Minaya convince Jeff Wilpon to bump that budget up over $160 million for the next two to three years? We know Omar Minaya has a man crush on Manny dating back to his Expos days. We know he sees the obvious impact Manny would have on this team.

Can Omar find a way to pull one more gigantic rabbit out of his hat? It would take one hell of a sales pitch, and Met fans don’t want anybody else in that room with Fred Wilpon except Omar.

The time has come for the conservative Wilpons to make a splash. Loosen your collar, untuck your shirt, kick off the penny loafers and get Manny Ramirez to Flushing, Queens. ASAP. We know the cost: Two years guaranteed, with a club option or incentives tied to a third. Financial impact: Between $60-$75 million.

You’re in a new ballpark. You have a team poised to compete for the whole ball of wax. They need one more serious bat in the middle of the lineup. They need a fresh start. Jerry Manuel has spoken. The fans have spoken. Fred Wilpon, the message is clear: Go get Manny Ramirez.

We are firmly entrenched in the final hours of this off-season saga.The balls in your court Fred. Manny Ramirez is a phone call away. The World Series might be a phone call away. Are you content being good, or do you dare to be great?

Mike Mussina: Oriole, Yankee, Hall of Famer?

Nick Giarrusso — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:39:07 -0500

The New York Yankees have been waiting since the conclusion of the regular season for word on whether or not Mike Mussina would be returning to their rotation in 2009. Wednesday afternoon they got their answer. Mike Mussina has decided to retire from Major League Baseball, ending his 18-year professional career.

With the Yankees already expected to be major players in free agency, the timeliness of Mussina’s decision couldn’t have been better. And, like always, the Yankees have a contingency plan.

They have already reportedly offered a record-breaking contract to CC Sabathia, and are also rumored to be preparing free-agent offers for A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. No need to shed a tear for the Bombers; something tells me they’ll be fine.

For Mussina, the question surrounding him is sure to shift from “Is he retiring?” to “Is he a Hall-of-Famer?”

This debate is the type we live for as sports fans. And in Mussina’s case, you’ll find staunch opinions on both sides of the Cooperstown fence.

Many believe Mike Mussina is a lock, maybe not on his first ballot, but eventually—without question—a lock. That contingent will shout from the rooftops the following fact—of the 16 Hall of Fame eligible pitchers 100 or more wins over .500, all 16 are enshrined in Cooperstown. Mike Mussina is 270-153, 117 games over .500.

That makes him a lock, right?

Not so fast. You see, the Mike Mussina Hall of Fame argument gets a little tricky from here.

His supporters will continue to blitz you with numerous facts and figures, ranging from his durability to his defensive prowess—and everything in between. After a deep breathe they begin…

“He was durable, man; nobody was more reliable than Moose.”

They have a point. Mussina started 30+ games in a season 12 times, along with pitching 200+ innings 11 times.

“And bro, don’t go tellin‘ me about that 20-win business...Mike got his 20 wins this season.”

Correct again. Mussina had arguably his best season in 2008, going 20-9 for New York, finally hitting the 20-win plateau for the first time in his 18-year career.

However, this particular debate would have never been a Hall-of-Fame deal-breaker in the first place. Hall voters are smart enough to realize that Mussina had five seasons with at least 18 or 19 wins.

They’re also alert enough to figure out that Moose would have probably hit the 20-win mark all the way back in 1994 and again in 1995, if not for strike-shortened seasons. It’s not a knock to win 18 or more games six times; that’s a good thing, people.

“Oh, and let me tell ya something...Moose pitched all 18 years in the A.L. East, over half in a hitter-friendly ball park, and don’t forget about the steroid era...Mikey pitched right through the heart of that thing and didn’t miss a beat!”

True. True. And true...Sort of.

Yes, Mussina pitched in the A.L. East his entire career. But come on, was the A.L. East the same monster it is now back in 1991? ’92? ’93? ’94? ’95? ’96? Didn’t think so. Still, this is not a knock; let’s just keep things fair and not consider it to be the great equalizer, either.

He did pitch in Camden Yards, but only up until 2000. He did pitch during the steroid era but only for half of his career. All are still valid points. However, if simply pitching in a hitter-friendly park during the steroid era is a deciding factor in gaining entry into Cooperstown, then the bar for entry has been significantly lowered. I hope we would all agree on this point.

“Well...what about his five All-Star appearances and his six Gold Gloves? The Moose did that! What do ya gotta say to that? Huh?!”

It’s all very impressive, and I’m not being sarcastic, either. These are all the reasons that make Mike Mussina the ultimate fringe Hall of Famer. Herein lies the endless debate sure to had in Baltimore, New York and all over baseball, from now until...well, he either gets inducted or his eligibility expires in the year 2028.

So what about the other side of the coin? Glad you asked...

He didn’t win 300 games, falling 30 short.

He didn’t reach 3,000 career strikeouts, ending with 2,813.

No Cy Young’s.

No MVP awards.

What about postseason success?

Mussina was a pedestrian 7-8 with a 3.43 ERA in the playoffs.

No World Series ring.

The lone 20-win season.

The lone sub-3.00-ERA season.

Are you starting to get the point? Mike Mussina is the pitching version of Jim Rice. He’s a very good player, just not a Hall of Fame player. Rice, like Mussina, falls short in all of the major milestone categories.

He doesn’t have 500 home runs or 3,000 hits or a lifetime .300 batting average. And, like Mussina, a lofty postseason resume is not there to bail him out. Rice’s Hall of Fame fate has been hanging in the balance for the past 19 years, with 2009 marking his final year of eligibility.

This does not bode well for Mike Mussina.

To gain an even deeper understanding of how Mussina’s candidacy might be viewed, simply think about his predecessor, Tommy John. John might be known for the famous surgery that now bears his name, but he also has a strong case for induction. John has 18 more wins and a career ERA .34 points better than Mike Mussina.

However, like Rice, 2009 will be the final year that Tommy John can be inducted into Cooperstown.

When you take a close look at Mussina’s resume, a good case can be made in favor of his induction into Cooperstown or against it. He is a classic example of a fringe or borderline hall of fame player. He could get in, but he could just as easily sit and wait, year after year, like Rice and John, for a call that may never come.

Knicks Wheel and Deal, Become Big-Game Hunters In 2010

Nick Giarrusso — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:51:20 -0500

With Stephon Marbury’s contract falling off the books of the New York Knicks in a few short months, the Knicks knew they had one max-contract to offer during the summer of 2010.

After Donnie Walsh was done dealing Friday, they had two.

The theme of the day was not so much about addition, but subtraction.

By the time Walsh was done, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, and Mardy Collins were all gone. And so was one other very important thing—$27.5 million dollars from the Knicks’ 2010-11 payroll.

The first deal saw Jamal Crawford and his $10 million dollar 2010 salary shipped to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington, whose contract expires following the 2009 season.

But Walsh wasn’t finished, later in the day, Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins were also west coast bound, as they were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

Randolph is due $17.5 million in 2010, while Mobley and Thomas both have deals that expire, like Harrington’s, after next season.

"I think that opening up cap space down the road for us is a big plus on our side, and I hope our fans understand that they can give us an opportunity to make the team better according to the plan that I've outlined," Walsh said following the trades.

"So I'm trying to be true to what I said from day one, and that's what I'm doing."

Twenty months from now may seem like a long way off, but Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni have had the summer of 2010 circled on their calendars since joining the Knicks.

That’s when the biggest crop of free-agent talent in basketball history hits the open market.

LeBron James. Dwayne Wade. Chris Bosh. They’ll all be available. And now, the New York Knicks can not only afford LeBron, but also one of his friends.

Let the countdown begin!

As you can imagine, the rumors and speculation have already begun. And so has the positioning among NBA franchises, which will surely be looking to add one of these superstars when the time comes.

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, recently traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson—not only to help this year’s team, but primarily to free up cap space two years from now.

All over the NBA, teams are gearing up, realizing that the first step towards having a shot in 2010 is to have money in 2010.

This is why Walsh should be given a medal.

In one fell swoop, he reversed all of the countless mistakes made by his predecessor Isaiah Thomas.

How bad was it?

When Walsh got to New York, he inherited the highest payroll in the NBA and a seemingly insurmountable salary-cap nightmare for the ages.

This is why Friday afternoon could end up being one of the most memorable in Knicks’ history.

Not for acquiring Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley, and Tim Thomas within hours of one another, but for finally freeing themselves from the salary-cap hell Isaiah Thomas left behind.

Now Knick fans can dream big, real big, of a day when they might acquire LeBron James and Chris Bosh within hours of one another.

If that happens, New Yorkers will never forget the wheeling and dealing that took place on November 21, 2008. It will forever be remembered as Donnie Walsh’s finest hour.

Subway Super Bowl: Are the Giants and Jets on a February Collision Course?

Nick Giarrusso — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:05:42 -0500

It’s January 28,2009, and you can’t find a flight from New York to Tampa, no matter who you know or how hard you try. Flights leaving LaGuardia and JFK International airports have been booked for weeks, and even neighboring launch pads like Newark International in New Jersey and little MacArthur Airport all the way out on Long Island are booked solid.

People around the New York metropolitan area have even resorted to making the 20-hour drive from New York to Tampa, figuring, “What the hell? Let’s make a road trip out of it!”

Even if you can find a way to get down there, good luck getting a ticket. This one is a scalper’s dream, and it will cost you in the neighborhood of $5,000 just to get into Raymond James Stadium. Even then, you’ll probably be stuck on the pirate ship buried in the corner of the building.

Every hotel within 50 miles is being invaded by armies of people cloaked in green or blue—there hasn’t been a vacancy in weeks.

And the trash talking is like nothing you’ve ever seen—unless you’re from New York, that is. At a moment’s notice anywhere in the city, you can hear the green people, “J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets!”, and the blue people, “Back to back, baby! Come get some!”.

It’s an unbelievable sight. The NFL is staging a Subway Super Bowl.

Last Thursday night, we moved one step closer to making this once-improbable scenario a reality. Every Jets fan knew their team has looked good so far. All they had to do is think back to the 56 points they hung on Arizona or the 47-point outburst against St Louis.

The Brett-Favre-led Jets were on to something. But before the words “Super Bowl” could ever be uttered, or even thought of, they knew there was one team they had to beat—the New England Patriots.

Earlier this season, Belichick’s crew got the better of New York, 19-10, in Favre’s first home game in the Meadowlands. This time, the Jets got their redemption. Thomas Jones rushed for 104 yards, and the Jets defense played well most of the night—but it was Favre, more than any other Jet, who was responsible for the victory.

After a miraculous, last-second touchdown catch by Randy Moss sent the game to overtime, Brett Favre received one more chance to exorcise the Jets' demons of Patriot games past. The Jets won the toss, Favre got the ball—and 14 plays and 64 yards later, New York was 7-3, in first place in the AFC East with an inside track towards a first-round playoff bye.

“It's a great, great feeling for us," Jets coach Eric Mangini said. "Everybody understands that this game was extremely important, and it's important because it allows us to make the next game extremely important. It's a really positive step for our team."

The Jets don’t have to look far to see what a Super Bowl champion looks like. They share a stadium with one.

It could be said, quite confidently in fact, that the 2008 New York Giants are a better team than their 2007 World Champion counterpart. Three days after the Jets’ stirring win over New England, the Giants quickly reminded everybody who runs the town—and the entire NFL, for that matter.

Their latest obstacle, the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens, came to town boasting the number-one-ranked run defense in the league. They left Giants Stadium 6-4.

So Eli Manning must have torn them apart, right? Wrong. Instead the Giants ran the ball right down Baltimore’s throat, to the tune of 207 yards. So much for that number-one run D.

So far this season, the Giants have been equally remarkable on both sides of the football, currently owning the second-ranked defense and fourth-ranked offense in the NFL. Remember that old saying about needing to be good at running the ball and stopping the run to win championships? Well, Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants got the memo. They also lead the NFL in rushing, and are second best at stopping the run.

Eli Manning has enough skill players around him to fill two offenses, in addition to the best offensive line in the business. The defense is reminiscent of their late '80s glory-days unit. Just swap out Taylor, Marshall, Carson, and Banks with Pierce, Kiwanuka, Robbins, and Tuck. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close.

All told, the Giants are 9-1 and seem on a mission to show people that last year’s fluke wasn’t so much of a fluke after all.

So how would Gang Green fair against the sure-to-be heavily favored champs? There is one particular game film that I’m sure both coaching staffs would take a gander at during Super Bowl week, and it’s not their annual week-three preseason affair. Last year, the two teams met during week five of the regular season, on October 7.

The Jets were the road team, despite playing in their home stadium. These are the oddities that go along with sharing a home. That day, the 1-3 Jets were leading the eventual champs 17-7 at the half. Kerry Rhodes returned a fumble for a touchdown, and those tricky Jets pulled out all the stops—remember Brad Smith’s touchdown pass to Chad Pennington?

But all that did was anger the other New York team, which came out in the second half and exploded in a 28-7 run, cruising to a comfortable 35-24 final.

Of course the Jets didn’t have Brett Favre, among others, and the Giants still touted Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora opposite each other at defensive end. The two teams were heading towards vastly different prizes. For the Jets, it was a top-five draft pick. For the Giants, Super Bowl rings.

Boy, what a difference a year makes.

After a significant step backwards last season, the Tannenbaum-Mangini regime managed to get things back on track quickly in 2008. So what was their formula? Sign quality free agents and nail their draft picks.

The Jets have been doing plenty of both. The list of free-agents that signed with New York reads like a roll call: Tony Richardson, Damien Woody, Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, Kris Jenkins, the newly-acquired Ty Law—and, of course, Brett Favre.

While Super Bowl experience is hard to come by—and the Jets haven’t gotten that far since 1968—this team has more than you might assume. Tannenbaum and Mangini have quietly assembled a pretty battle-tested core of Super-Bowl-experienced players. Favre, Faneca, Jenkins, Law, and Thomas Jones have all played in the big game. If the Jets manage to get that far, they’ll have a head coach, along with this core of veterans who all have been to the rodeo before.

That can only help—especially if they play the Giants, and the normal Super Bowl hype is multiplied times ten.

If the Jets are still considered a long shot to make the Super Bowl—and they are—then the Giants are the prohibitive favorite. Not only are they looking to become the eighth team in NFL history to win back-to-back titles, but they would also love to return to the scene of their only Super Bowl crime.

Of the four Super Bowls the Giants have played in, they only lost once—eight years ago to the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. The venue was Raymond James Stadium, also the site of this year’s game.

How vindicating would another Super Bowl be for the Giants? Last year’s Super Bowl Cinderella talk would be replaced with one simple question: Can the Giants become the first team to win three-straight Super Bowls?

Those are two very different conversations.

All of this may be a tad premature. I’ll admit that. But with the two teams a combined 16-4, why not dream?

Back in August, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped in to help settle the ongoing Brett Favre-Green Bay Packers saga, he helped grease the wheel for Brett’s eventual arrival in New York. At the time, two teams were interested in Brett’s services—the Jets and the Buccaneers. If things continue down this road, it looks like Brett may get his chance to play in Tampa Bay after all—in Super Bowl XLIII.

The decade started with the 2000 Subway Series between the New York Mets and New York Yankees, which was one of the least-viewed World Series in the past eight years. Something tells me that if New York can somehow manage to duplicate the feat on the gridiron, people will tune in to watch this one.

One thing is certain, though—over two million New Yorkers would show up the following week for the ticker-tape parade, sure to ride down the Canyon of Heroes.

The only question is what color will they be cloaked in—green or blue?

New York Mets Hot Stove Preview: Omar Minaya's Championship Pursuit Continues

Nick Giarrusso — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:27:18 -0500

No other team in Major League Baseball has suffered more disappointment over the past three seasons than the New York Mets. Just think back to how those years have ended and it’s easy to understand the urgency facing this organization as they head into the off-season.

In 2006 they were one hit away from the World Series before ultimately falling to St. Louis in game seven of the NLCS. That was followed by the greatest collapse in the history of baseball, as they blew a seven-and-a-half game lead, with 17 to play at the end of the 2007 season.

This past September was a repeat of last year. This time it saw them build a three-and-a-half game lead after five-and-a-half months of baseball—before collapsing again.

Both years they were officially eliminated from playoff contention on the season’s final day.

What’s at stake as they move forward is bigger than simple wins and losses—it’s this group’s legacy. How will they be remembered? As chokers and underachievers who failed to get over the hump? Or will they finally prove their naysayers wrong and realize their World Series expectations?

To say that the New York Mets stand at a crossroads would be an understatement. They sit directly on the brink of being considered a success or a failure.

Staring down the barrel of the most important off-season in club history, Omar Minaya, fresh off a four-year contract extension, with the full support of ownership, has been given opportunity to finish the job he started.

With so much on the line, Met fans can only hope that the off season wish list sitting on Minaya’s desk looks something like this:

Sign K-Rod – With Billy Wagner’s Tommy John surgery expected to keep him out until at least August, the first priority for New York is to find a new closer. Lucky enough for them, the best one in the business just happens to be a free agent.

Francisco Rodriguez seems like the perfect fit, assuming K-Rod is OK with leaving southern California for the pressure cooker of New York. An offer in the range of five to six years and $75-$100 million will probably be necessary, but at 26-years-old this kid is worth every penny and Omar Minaya knows it.

If Rodriguez is gun shy about coming to New York, or if the Mets view his demands as too lucrative of an option, then they will immediately turn to Brian Fuentes. With three 30-save seasons on his resume, Fuentes enters free agency off a career-best 2.73 ERA season.

As is normally the case, money will be the biggest deciding factor on who will ultimately jog out of Citi Field’s new bullpen door, with the Mets ahead in the ninth, in 2009 and beyond.

Get Relief Pitching! – The Mets bullpen was atrocious last season, especially during the pennant race. Of course they lost Billy Wagner from early August on, so a new closer will help, but it’s not enough. The Mets are also in dire need of an eighth-inning specialist. After pouring over the list of free-agent options, you’ll quickly realize why this is the hardest part of the roster for a general manager to overhaul. Great bullpen arms are extraordinarily difficult to find.

There are 46 players considered free-agent middle relievers this offseason, and very few jump off the page. The good pitchers are all starters, and the teams lucky enough to have good relievers keep them.

One scenario that looks plausible would be signing Chad Cordero. He has ties with Minaya that date back to their Expos days, and the Mets have reportedly already expressed their interest. It will be impossible for Minaya to completely overhaul the entire pen, but adding a strong 1-2 punch at the back end would be an early holiday gift Met fans would love to unwrap.

Who’s In Left?– I should preface this section by reviewing the state of the outfield. Mainstay Carlos Beltran will again patrol center, while Ryan Church will enter his second year on the job in right. When healthy, Church has proven to be a solid middle-of-the-order bat and a fine fielder with an above-average throwing arm. So two thirds of the outfield is set.

So what do they do in left? Daniel Murphy appears to be a pure hitter who could always start the season, maybe in a platoon with Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez. With farm-sensation Fernando Martinez marinating in the minors, the best move may be to simply stand pat.

The big pink elephant in the room is Minaya’s interest in Manny Ramirez, which is well documented. However his price tag appears way too high, as the Mets have yet to publicly throw their hat in the ring.

If a need to upgrade is desired, and Ramirez is out of reach, the Mets should turn their attention toward landing Raul Ibanez. Ibanez’s leadership and bat would be great additions to a club that certainly can use a little of both. A reasonable three-year deal would perfectly bridge the gap before Martinez is ready to take over the reins full time.

The Rotation– With Pedro Martinez not expected back and Oliver Perez entering free agency, the Mets should be in the market for a pair of starting pitchers. One strategy would be to simply resign Perez, leaving only one hole in the rotation.

The problem: Perez’s agent is the infamous Scott Boras. With conversations likely to start at $15 million annually, the Mets may opt to look elsewhere, and early indications have them interested in landing former Red Sox and Dodger Derek Lowe.

This would leave the Mets with top four of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and either Perez or Lowe (assuming they land one of the two).

The best value on the market is clearly Ben Sheets. An injury-plagued second half will give a team the opportunity to acquire him way below his true value. With all of the dollars that New York is likely to shell out, this could be a great low-investment, high-reward addition to their rotation.

Orlando Hudson – I think it’s fair to conclude that the Luis Castillo experiment has been a complete disaster for New York. His injuries and underproduction have the Mets in quite a bind at second base heading into 2009.

Orlando Hudson would be the perfect way to solve this problem. However this would surely require that the Mets move Castillo’s albatross of a contract. Though costly, considering the Mets would still be paying some of Castillo’s contract and all of Hudson’s, this would bring the 2005, 2006 and 2007 gold glover, with a career .282 batting average to New York. The Mets will have serious competition, as teams are already lining up for Hudson’s services, but we can’t under estimate Omar Minaya when he wants a player. And all signs point towards Omar wanting Orlando Hudson.

Guts– All the Mets have to do is peer 100 miles down I-95 towards Philadelphia to see what a gutsy team looks like. The Mets, on the other hand, seem to be mired in an ongoing, two-year identity crisis. Unfortunately for Omar Minaya, you can’t buy guts for $15 million a year on the open market—if it were only that simple. With all of the magic and momentum from the 2006 season completely evaporated, the Mets, more than anything else, need to find themselves some guts. Adding the right type of new blood to the mix will help, but ultimately the task will fall on the core already in place. Somebody, at some point, will need to step up and say enough is enough, not with their words but in the way they play.

The outline above may seem like a lot. But before you go saying “Why don’t they just sign Sabathia and Teixeira and call it a day,” think about it. They definitely need a closer. They definitely need at least one starter. They will definitely be looking to bolster the bullpen. And, like most big-market clubs, they will exercise their due diligence with anyone else who can help.

Money will be spent with caution, but make no mistake, money will be spent. Unlike Willy Randolph, Omar Minaya survived the team’s recent struggles, to put things mildly. He’s armed with over $26 million that just fell off the Mets books. His relationship with ownership remains strong and this time of year their checkbook is always a phone call away.

What are the Mets restrictions?

Well, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Texiera will not be discussed. Even the Mets, who just made Johan Santana the highest paid pitcher in history last off-season, will refrain from playing at the high-stakes table two years in a row. Aside from those two, Omar will be a shark in the water over the next few weeks, preying on every other free agent fish in the pond. When it’s all said and done, Omar is hoping that a change of scenery, some new players, and a dash of guts will be final ingredients needed to complete his championship stew. Only time will tell.

Message to Joe Calzaghe: There's One More Hurdle Left—"Bad" Chad Dawson

Nick Giarrusso — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:33:02 -0500

Saturday night wasn’t just another fight for Joe Calzaghe—it may have been his last fight. It wasn’t held in just any venue—it was in Madison Square Garden. And the opponent wasn’t just any fighter—he was Roy Jones Jr. For only the second time in his 46-bout professional career, the undefeated Welshman traveled to the United States looking to add another notch on his belt.

Earlier this year, on April 29th, Calzaghe ventured across the Atlantic for the first time, winning a split decision over Bernard Hopkins to win the Ring Magazine light heavyweight title—one legend down, one to go.

Now only six months later he was back in the States, at the Garden, looking for one more career-validating victory over another boxing giant. This time his sights were set on eight-time, four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr.

The fight had been rumored for almost a decade before the two boxers finally made it happen, negotiating the terms themselves via text message exchanges. It was Roy Jones Jr. who actually wanted the fight, viewing it as a way to eradicate the speculation that he was officially washed up at 39 years old.

The fight made sense for Jones, considering a win over Calzaghe would indeed show the boxing world that the former champ could climb the mountain one final time.

Calzaghe was already on top of the mountain. As one of the most decorated boxers in British history, all Calzaghe wanted was one more boxing legend added to his ledger. One more trip to the U.S. so people wouldn’t claim the Hopkins fight was a one-time deal. One more big payday.

This was the perfect way for Joe “Pride of Wales” Calzaghe to go out. Beat Roy Jones Jr. at Madison Square Garden, and then walk off into the sunset, as so few have been able to do—as an undefeated champion—46-0.

Two great fighters coming together, for their own reasons, and making things simple: I want to fight you, you want to fight me…ok let’s fight! What a refreshing thing to see in a Don King and Bob Arum crazed boxing world.

The beginning and end of the Hopkins and Jones fights were eerily similar. Both times Calzaghe was knocked down in the first round, and both times Calzaghe regrouped to win on points. Though he was more dominant in the Jones fight, winning by unanimous decision, compared to his split decision in the Hopkins fight, the result was all the same. His record remained perfect.

So now what? Where does Joe Calzaghe go from here?

Enter: Chad Dawson.

Boxing purists see one final option, and it does not include riding off into the sunset, at least not yet. The clamoring has already begun for Calzaghe to fight Chad Dawson, the current IBO and IBF light heavyweight champion. Dawson is 26 years old, a perfect 27-0, and is climbing up the best pound-for-pound-fighter-in-the-world list with every fight.

Aside from being the only worthy fighter remaining in Calzaghe’s era, he also happens to be the mandatory challenger for his Ring Magazine light heavyweight title.

To his credit, Max Kellerman didn’t let Calzaghe leave the ring Saturday night without asking about a potential showdown with Dawson. As is usual in post-fight interviews, Calzaghe was noncommittal.

“There’s always someone young coming through,” Calzaghe said. “It was the same with Kessler.”

At the post-fight press conference it was once again an unavoidable issue.

"I just stepped out of the ring about 15 minutes ago, man," Calzaghe said. "Let me enjoy this fight before I think about fighting anybody else. What do you think I am? A sadist? Let me chill for a week or so. But Chad Dawson is a good fighter, a good fighter."

So why should Calzaghe fight Dawson? Hasn’t his legacy already been confirmed by cleaning out the super middleweight division? Winning the light heavyweight belt? By beating Hopkins and Jones? Hasn’t he done enough?

I guess the answer is Yes, if Calzaghe is at peace with knowing that he didn’t beat everybody. If he is OK leaving the sport with unfinished business. If he wants to answer the following question for the rest of his life: Why didn’t you fight Chad Dawson?

It certainly wouldn’t be a case of the old man getting thrown to the young wolf. In fact, the majority of people would probably say that Calzaghe would beat Dawson. All you need to do is think back to Saturday night, with Calzaghe as terrific as ever. Many would argue that there’s nobody in his class, including Chad Dawson.

Of course, Chad Dawson would argue that point. In a statement released directly following Saturday night’s fight, Dawson has his own idea on how Calzaghe should end his career.

"If Joe wants to have his grand farewell in Wales, I am ready to accommodate. My passport and world title belts are ready to travel across the pond. I'm ready to give Joe the opportunity to draw the curtain on his great career in front of his family and friends and 70,000 fans. It's the best fight in the light heavyweight division between two undefeated champions."

Everybody agrees that Joe Calzaghe is a great fighter. The reason he should fight Chad Dawson is simple—to cement his status as a legendary fighter, and to cement his legacy as a champion who fought every legitimate adversary of his time.

All he needs to do now is whip out his cell phone, shoot Dawson a text and let the negotiations begin.

Seeing Yellow: The Plight of Wade Phillips' Undisciplined Dallas Cowboys

Nick Giarrusso — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:17:46 -0500

If you want to find the most undisciplined team in the NFL, the search ends in Irving, TX. In a year that began with Super Bowl expectations, the 2008 season is sputtering out of control. If any additional proof was needed to show us that the Dallas Cowboys are closer to the bottom of the league than the top, look no further than their loss at the hands of the New York Giants this past Sunday.

With so many factors contributing to their recent fall from grace, none shine brighter than the mountain of costly penalties that continue to follow this team, week in and week out.

Watch a Cowboys game and you are bound to see Flozell Adams false start, multiple defensive encroachments, penalty after penalty on the secondary, blocks in the back during punt coverage, and usually a facemask or two for good measure. Some variation of the above happens every week.

For a season and a half, Dallas’ high-powered offense has covered up these mistakes. Sunday, without their usual Romo-led attack, it became impossible to ignore their lackadaisical ways. Entering the game as the most penalized team in the league, Dallas held true to form, committing nine more infractions against New York in their 35-14 defeat.

Gone are the days when players would fear returning to the Cowboy bench after stupid penalties, the days when Bill Parcells’ ominous growl and a good tongue lashing would be waiting for you on the sidelines. All of that has been replaced by the player-friendly Wade Phillips regime.

Now, accountability within Dallas’ freewheeling style doesn’t exist and penalties have become accepted as a way of life.

On numerous occasions, Coach Phillips has been pressed about his team’s lack of attention to detail. Time and time again, he offers the same rhetoric—that the penalties are on him and not the players.

When asked about where the accountability lies, following an eight-penalty effort in a blowout loss to St. Louis three weeks ago, Phillips said, “It’s always the head coach; it’s always the coach, and it always will be with me.” He continued to say, “I’m not changing; I’m going to coach the way I coach, and I think they will respond. I think they will play hard, and I think we’re determined to do better, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Things have not changed; in fact, they have gotten worse.

On an afternoon when they needed to be flawless, they were as sloppy as ever. Seemingly every time something positive happened, a yellow flag would fall on the Meadowland's turf. Nine penalties, including seven on the defense and special teams, mixed with four turnovers, handed the game to New York on a silver platter.

The Cowboys now have more losses in 2008 than they had in all of 2007. They head into their bye week floundering in last place in the NFC East, three full games behind the division-leading Giants, with their playoff hopes, like their play, deteriorating quickly.

If Wade Phillips wants to assume responsibility for every penalty his teams commits, I guess it’s fair to assume he’ll accept responsibility when those same penalties are the root cause of his Pro-Bowl-stacked team missing the playoffs.

Cowboys-Giants: Battle in the Meadowlands

Nick Giarrusso — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:39:01 -0400

The last time the Cowboys and Giants met, a trip to the NFC Championship Game was on the line. Now, 294 days later, they meet again. What has changed in the past 10 months?

Well, for the Giants, Michael Strahan retired, Osi Umenyiora suffered a season-ending injury, and Jeremy Shockey has been traded.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, have undergone a 10-month span with more twists and turns than a Seinfeld episode. It started with HBO’s Hard Knocks and Super Bowl expectations coming from every direction, and it hasn’t stopped.

Tony Romo’s pinkie, the Pacman Jones saga, T.O.’s mindset, the Roy E. Williams trade, coaching controversy, mounting injuries, and poor play have all contributed to the circus-like atmosphere slowly engulfing "America’s Team."

This weekend, the stakes are once again high, as the Cowboys look to salvage a season on the brink, and the Giants look to move one step closer to the NFC East crown.

The Walking Wounded

Dallas enters the game with injury concerns up and down their entire roster. For starters, Tony Romo will miss his third straight game due to his much-publicized broken pinkie. Rookie Felix Jones is still suffering from a hamstring pull and will be inactive.

Also missing the game for Dallas are starting guard Kyle Kosier (foot), cornerbacks Terrence Newman (abdomen) and Adam Jones (suspension), and linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring). As if that wasn’t enough, safety Roy Williams, wide receiver Sam Hurd, and punter Matt McBriar have all been placed on IR and are out for the season.

The injuries continued piling up last week versus Tampa Bay, as two more Cowboys saw their names added to the injury report. This time, tight end Jason Witten (ribs) and corner Anthony Henry (quadricep) were the victims. Both will attempt to play Sunday and should be considered game-time decisions.

When asked about the Cowboys’ injury situation, Giant defensive end Justin Tuck said, “We don't want to have excuses like 'Romo is not playing, we didn't have this guy, we didn't have that guy.’” Despite Tuck’s desires, these injuries are a blunt reality for the Cowboys as they limp into the Meadowlands this weekend.

How Long of a Rope Does Brad Johnson Really Have?

Brad Johnson will be starting his third consecutive game at quarterback for Dallas—in place of the injured Tony Romo. The Cowboys are 1-1 with Johnson under center and have not looked good in the process.

Johnson was awful in his first start, throwing three interceptions against a subpar St. Louis secondary. Last week, he was even worse, throwing for a measly 122 yards, averaging 3.7 yards per completion. As drive after drive stalled, the Texas Stadium faithful showered Johnson with their discontent.

To say that the Cowboy passing game has been handcuffed without Romo would be stating the obvious, and this quandary has Dallas exploring their options. Following the win against Tampa Bay, speculation began about whether it was time to bench Johnson in place of third-string journeyman Brooks Bollinger.

This was amplified when Bollinger took snaps with the first-team offense during Wednesday’s practice. When asked about Bollinger’s availability Sunday, Coach Phillips said, “We think we can go with Brad, and we’ll see what happens. We’re not going into the game saying if this guy doesn’t do anything we’re going to pull him.”

Two things appear certain: Johnson is will start the game, and Bollinger will finish it if Johnson’s struggles continue.

Another Classic Trench War

The Giants' defensive line is the heartbeat of their team and a main reason why they come in 6-1, alone in first place in the NFC East. It was also the main reason why the Giants knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs last year.

That will have to change Sunday, especially with a 40-year-old statue at quarterback. Despite losing Strahan and Umenyiora, the Giants amazingly haven’t missed a beat, leading the league in sacks while owning the NFL’s third-ranked defense.

Once again, the key to victory will take place in the trenches, as the Dallas offensive line will attempt to slow down one of the most feared front fours in the business. Game-within-a-game matchups deserving your attention are Justin Tuck vs. Marc Columbo, Mathias Kiwanuka vs. Flozell Adams, and how often Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins collapse the pocket against the enormous interior of the Dallas O-line, led by Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis.

Just like in last year’s Divisional round, this game will most likely be determined right here—in the trenches.

The Plaxico Burress Saga

What else can a wide receiver ask for? A Super Bowl winning team...check! A franchise quarterback throwing you the ball...check! A new contact extension making you one of the highest-paid players at your position...check!

Apparently all of this is not enough for Plaxico Burress. As the Giants prepare for this week’s showdown with Dallas, Burress’ selfish attitude remains a hot-button issue in New York. Since his Week One outburst, when he caught 10 balls for 133 yards, opposing defenses have managed to limit Burress’ production.

In the five games since, he’s averaged less than four catches and 45 yards receiving per game. He served a team-imposed suspension in Week Five for breaking team rules and has not necessarily been pro-Giants these days when speaking to the media. These are the antics that made him expendable in Pittsburgh.

The Giants already purged their team of one malcontent, shipping Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. Is Burress next? With the Giants straight-edge operation clearly clashing with their star receiver’s poor attitude, something needs to happen to get this relationship back on track—cherry-picking a few touchdowns against a banged up Dallas secondary should do the trick.

Sunday afternoon these two fierce rivals renew acquaintances for the 93rd time. The Giants hold possession of one thing the Cowboys are looking for—a Super Bowl title. And the Cowboys hold possession of the one thing that eluded the Giants a year ago—the NFC East title.

With Romo and a slew of other Cowboys expected to return following their Week 10 bye, a win Sunday would officially get Dallas’ season back on track. For the Giants, nothing would be sweeter than to send the once-sexy-Super-Bowl-pick Cowboys back to Dallas with another loss and three full games back in the NFC East.

PREDICTION: New York 27, Dallas 16