Two Weeks Ago: I was 1-1 in the Conference Championship games and 34-14 on the season.

Super Bowl Prediction: The Pats were my Super Bowl pick going back to the NFL Draft and my pre-season picks.  I normally like being correct.  I want and need to be wrong as the Boston Apocalypse is upon our door.  World peace and harmony hangs in the balance.

However, I have to be intellectually honest to you, my dear readers.  After much deliberation, I think the Patriots will win 27-17 but there is some consolation for the gamblers that the Giants will cover the 12 point spread.  I have a free Cold Stone ice cream riding on the line.  The Giants are such under dogs that I will get a free Cold Stone ice cream if the Giants win.  If the Giants lose, I owe the bettor nothing.  Talk about an underdog. 

How can the Giants win?

(1) Soften up the Patriots defense with Bradshaw the speedester and Jacobs the bruiser.  This keeps Tom Brady and the potent Patriots offense off the field.

(2) Give Tom Brady different looks.  Yes, Tom Brady is a very smart quarterback.  White Fedora Mike and I suspect that last week's leg boot was a ruse.  BUT, just maybe, a rush can slow him down or make him make an uncharacteristic mistake. 

Keep the faith!  Go Giants!

Posted by a prayerful Tank in NY.

The trade of outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey for Johan Santana is a good one and a good one for both teams. Gomez has Jose Reyes style explosiveness and Humber can throw strikes and can evolve to a 15+ game winner. The Mets get someone who can help them win now-adding about 5+ more wins, 100 more innings and a much less tired bullpen to the mix.

The reason why this trade is so important to the Mets is that last year the pitching staff did not have a losing streak stopper and did not pitch enough innings. That lead to an overworked bullpen, which blew more games than most Mets fans can remember and wish to count. What failed them in 2006 was the lack of an ace who can win 3 games in a 7 game series. Johan Santana changes all of that. Barring injury, he will give the Mets a solid 5 years of Cy Young contention. An anchor in the rotation, a mentor for Maine and Perez, and 200+ innings and 200+ strikeouts. He also takes the pressure off the young pitchers on the staff.

The Mets should have no problem beating out the Phillies for the NL East, but will have a hard time facing either Arizona or Rockies. The Mets as an offensive team have had the underdog status in our analysis in 7 game series against good pitching since they did not bring good pitching to the table. Omar has finally gotten the memo, pitching wins pennants.

The Mets projected Opening Day Rotation:

Johan Santana: 29 years old

Pedro Martinez: 36 years old

John Maine: 26 years old

Oliver Perez: 26 years old

Mike Pelfrey: 24 years old

 

 

Posted by Steve in San Francisco

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported on Sunday Johan Santana is expected to be traded within the next 10 days. Also on Sunday, NY Newsday reported that the Mets are still the favorites. Boston.com is also reporting the Mets (and not the local Red Sox) as the front-runner.

Rumors from the papers also say that the Twins will probably not include both of the Mets' top outfield prospects, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. The rumor of the day is that it would be Fernando Martinez,  Ryan Church and at least two other prospects, including maybe Mike Pelfrey.

A four for 1 deal with the Twins? Should Omar make this trade? You bet, the Mets would only lose 3 young prospects and gain a 29 year Cy Young starter. Keeping Carlos Gomez is the icing on the cake. If Omar pulls this trade off, Steve and the Tank take back all the calls for his head. This is a very risky strategy, waiting until early February to pull off this trade, hoping that three things go right: The Twins get desperate to move Santana before the season starts when he is more valuable, the Twins realize that they over played their hand, and the Yankees and Red Sox stay on the sidelines.

Posted by Steve in San Francisco (Who according to the local press out here are going to be "rebuilding" in 2008.)

Do you know where you were on June 14, 1994?  I do.  I was on the campus of SUNY Buffalo hanging out after graduating college.  I wasn't a Ranger fan at the time.  Brian Leetch wasn't either as he grew up a Bruins fan in Connecticut; I grew up a Canadiens fan in beautiful Upstate New York, AKA Appalachia according to Governor Spitzer.  (Speaking of Linda's "favorite" politician, Governor Spitzer, along with Messrs. Sarbanes and Oxley have pretty much handed New York's financial capital standing to London.  Thanks for nothing!)
                             
Back to hockey.  I was happy for New Jersey Dave, a roommate from freshman year and huge Ranger fan who often referenced 1940.  I lost touch with NJ Dave but knew he was somewhere smiling celebrating the Stanley Cup.     

Fast forward nearly 14 years to this past Thursday night at the Garden.  I wasn't there but enjoyed listening to the ceremonies on ESPN 1050 Radio and watching it on MSG while eating some ribs at Brother Jimmy's BBQ on the Upper West Side.  

As always, Sam Rosen did a great job emceeing the event.  Sam and JD are as good as it gets when it comes to calling hockey games.  Only former Bruines coach and current CBC Hockey Night Canada host Don Cherry is in their league.
                         
Leetch was introduced to thunderous applause and cheers.  It was a reunion of many of Leetch's 1994 teammates.  The retirees (Giacomin, Gilbert, Messier, and Richter) wore blue jerseys in honor of their numbers being lifted to the rafters of the Garden.  Leetch had the honor of announcing that teammate Adam Graves would be the next number retired.  The crowd erupted and the look on Graves' face was priceless.  
   
As John the European would say, no one throws a ceremony quite like the Garden.  It's hard to disagree.  Congratulations Brian!  Welcome to hockey immortality!

Written and posted by The Tank in NY.  Photo courtesy of PermaGuest Outlaw Jack reporting live from the world's greatest arena, Madison Square Garden.

Novak Djokovic "finally" won the big one, the Australian Open, this morning in Melbourne. 
                        
The 20 year old Serb defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 on Saint Sava's Day, the patron saint and father of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
              
After watching Novak lose to Rodger Federer last September in Flushing Meadows at the US Open (permalink), it was gratifying to see Novak win for personal and political reasons.  During former War Criminal in Chief President Clinton's illegal bombing of the former Yugoslavia in 1999 (there was a tie in the war authorization vote in the House of Representatives), Novak and other Serbs including my relatives had to deal with life and death issues every day and night.  Twelve year old Novak was luckier than most as he was able to go to Germany for safety.

The tennis world is far better for Novak, Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Janko Tipsarevic, and others surviving those 78 consecutive days of illegal and immoral bombing of a sovereign country.  There are many more fighting cancer, birth defects, and other health ailments caused by depleted uranium used during the bombing.
                                            
Congratulations Novak!  We're proud of you!  Many years of health and championship tennis!

Posted by The Tank in Tennis Heaven getting closure after the US Open last September pictured above.

The Twins signed first basemen Justin Morneau to a huge six year, $80 million contract, according to MLB.com, and Michael Cuddyer for $24 million for three years according to the Seattle Times.  What does that mean for Johan Santana?  The possibilities include:

(1) Staying with the Twins.  This is not likely unless the cheapstake Twins ownership may not spend the money.  Mr. Pohlad is worth $3.1 billion and is the 114th richest person in America according to Forbes.  Muckety.com does a great job of detailing Mr. Pohlad's assets, holdings, and connections.  Mr. Pohlad was so cheap that he able to convince the state of Minnesota to pay for a new stadium.  But, hey, the rich stay rich is by using other people's money (OPM).

(2) The new GM has taken his time, as he should, to get the most value for Santana.  It's hard to argue because the Mets may have to part with five of their best seven minor league products.  However, with each passing day, Santana's value diminishes.  He has to be dealt by the trade deadline, or he will probably lost to free agency.    

Will the Twins pay Santana or trade him?  If Omar doesn't pull the trigger on this deal, it's time for Steve to be the next Mets GM.  Pitchers and catchers are less than three weeks away.

Posted by The Tank in NY.

At the semi-finals at the Australian Open down in Melbourne Park, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic had a rematch of the US Open Finals from September 2007. Steve and the Tank predicted Djokovic in that finals, but the young Serb, who had two different set points, cracked under the pressure. Not this time. Federer lost to the #3 ranked Serb 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the Australian Open semifinals Friday. Federer had reached 10 straight Grand Slam finals, and won 19 matches in a row at the Australian Open. Thus ends a streak that seemed like it would never end.

"I've created a monster that I need to win every tournament," Federer said. "Still, the semifinals isn't bad."

Not that bad at all.

"I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today," the 20-year-old Djokovic said. "In the most important moments, I played my best tennis. It's just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets."

With the victory, Novak Djokovic advances to the finals against unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the other semifinal, in the final Sunday. 

Posted by Steve in New York.

David Wright, Steve's favorite player, was in New Hyde Park, Long Island, yesterday for a charity event.  He was asked by WNBC Channel 4 in New York about a variety of topics including steroids and the Super Bowl.  When asked who he is rooting for, David joins Steve and The Tank in rooting for the Giants.
                      
Will the Giants set a precedent for the Mets success this year?  For instance, the 1986 Mets World Series victory may have given momentum to the Giants who won the Super Bowl a few months later.  Will the Giants return the favor to the Mets in 2008?  Time will only tell.  Stay tuned to Steve and The Tank.

Posted by The Tank in NY.

None other than Senator George Mitchell.  Yes, I was trying to enter an elevator as he was exiting an adjoining elevator to the law firm where he works and I interviewed yesterday.  He appeared to be surprised that I knew him but you know I know who he is.  Our conversation was brief, polite, and respectful. 

As I had just said goodbye to the person interviewing me, I had my camera but did not get a photo as to not jeopardize getting the job as I was unsure if the interviewer was still within hearing range.  However, if hired, I will get a photo with him and of course, work on clearing Roger Clemens. 

Posted by The Tank reporting live from Midtown Manhattan.

You were warned months ago about the pending Boston Sports Apocalypse where the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics win their respective titles in the same sports year.

Steve and The Tank were recently joined by ESPN.com in describing Boston sports teams recent dominance. 

Whatever your faith, please repent and pray that the Giants beat the Patriots.  Go Giants!  May God/G-d/Allah/Buddha/Creator be with you. 

Posted by a repenting and prayerful Tank in NY.

 

The New York Giants shock Green Bay and take an improbable ride to the Super Bowl. While Eli looked better than normal, the Giants defense came up big as well. This is going to be the key to defeating the Patriots, the Giants need to blitz Brady. The Chargers made Brady look vulnerable yesterday in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots can be defeated, the Giants proved that in the last game of the season. A rematch of week 16 in two weeks. The Patriots are favored by 14 points against the Giants at Las Vegas sports books already.

All of New York will be rooting for the Giants, even Jets fans, since we are now united by a hatred of the Patriots who are going to their 4th Super Bowl in 7 years. It is now New York vs the Boston sports machine.

Posted by Steve in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Warmer than both New York and Green Bay)

Disco Crisco Twister
The New, Fun, Coed Game Tournament!

Be our friend at www.myspace.com/discocriscotwister
With songs that you can download!

Next Event: Sunday, January 20th, 2008 @ 7-10PM
Live at Arlene's Grocery
95 Station Street (between Ludlow & Allen), NYC.
Subway: F to 2nd Ave.

See some of the people coming to the show at going.com

More Info on the Events Page....

Buy advance tickets on PayPal for only $5!

Last Week's Picks: I was 2-2 last week and 33-13 on the season.

This Week's Fearless Picks: 

The Patriots beat the visiting Chargers: This is already a tall mountain to climb, higher than Everest Base Camp that Steve and I plan to climb this later year (touch wood).  It will be even higher as the Chargers best players (Gates, Rivers, LT, etc.) are injured or out.  That said, I plan to root for the "San Diego Super Chargers".  This is a reference to the fight song from the great Charger teams of yesteryear.  The best game I ever watched on TV was the Chargers losing at the Dolphins in the early 1980s.  Kellen Winslow Sr. blocked a field goal, caught passes, and had to be carried off the field from exhaustion. 

The Giants lose at the Packers: This promises to be a classic in historic Lambeau Field.  From the weather reports this week, I thought I was watching the Weather Channel.

The Giants have to run the ball effectively to set up the pass.  Eli has to adjust to wearing a glove on his left and non throwing hand.

The game will probably come down to a slip or fall on a key play on the snowy and cold turf of Lambeau Field.  It maybe one of the banged up Giants defensive backs but life is rarely fair.

The Giants can win this game by blitzing Favre.  Speaking of the gunslinger, I am rooting for Favre to ride out into the sunset on his horse.        

I agree whole heartedly with Steve, football should be played outdoors (AND on grass -- not astroturf), baseball should have retractable roofs for rain delays (like Seattle -- note to Yankees and Mets).          
            
Posted by an excited Tank in Football Heaven.

The New York sports world lost Brian Leites over the holidays. He was never on the back page, he was never making headlines, but he did participate in every professional sporting event in the tri-state area over the last 25 years. He witnessed several World Series (even one won by the Mets!) and other great moments. Most likely if you have been to a Mets, Yankees, Jets, Giants, Devils, Knicks, Nets, Rangers, or Islanders game, you know him. He most likely sold you a hot dog or a beer.

Brian was a mentally challenged (I believe is the PC term) individual. He supported himself by working as a vendor at all of the sporting events with a smile and great attitude. I met him 20 years when I was 16 years old and stared working at Shea Stadium selling hot dogs. He put his arm around me when the Mets lost to the LA Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS and said "Wait 'till Next Year!" with his signature smile. Since I go to a ton of games, the Tank and I saw him quite often at games.

Unfortunately Brian took his own life over the holidays. He does not have much of a family, but the entire New York sports community is his family. So over this weekend, raise a glass in his memory. I'm sure he sold you several times over the years.

 

Posted by Steve in New York

I love watching football games in the snow. There is something magical about watching the snowflakes come on down and plowing the field to kick a winning field goal. Will the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants do well in the cold and potential snow in the forecast? It is something to consider. Green Bay and New England do gain an edge. Look for the Tank to factor this into his predictions tomorrow.

So the bottom line is that the NFL should not cover stadiums and MLB should.

Posted by Steve in New York

Maria Sharapova beat Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 6-3 Wednesday night to move into the 3rd round of the Australian Open against. Sharapova will play a fellow Russian: Elena Vesnina. Davenport was only five tournaments into a comeback after giving birth to a baby boy last June. Seven month old Jagger was in the stands to watch Mom play and "I thought I saw her little kid giving me dirty looks," Sharapova said.

Sharapova played a very disciplined match where she never faced a break point. Sharapova also broke for the fourth time when Davenport committed an unforced error on second match point. "Tell you the truth, I approached it like it's a final," said Sharapova. You probably don't get to see too many second rounds where you see two Grand Slams champions, former No. 1s playing against each other," she said later.

It was good to see Sharapova in good form and Davenport back on the courts.

 

Posted by Steve in New York

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Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Donald Fehr testify before the US Congress today about steroids and baseball and specifically the Mitchell report. This will be followed by players, including Roger Clemens, next month. I hope that Congress asks hard questions since I believe that Selig and Fehr are responsible for the crisis. After the strike ended the season in 1994, players came back bigger and started to hit home runs bringing the fans back to the stadium. I think Selig and Fehr looked the other way. Congress better get tough, they were lied to by Rafael Palmeiro, since Oliver North spent time in jail for lying to Congress, so should Rafael Palmeiro.

That brings me to Roger Clemens. Roger Clemens claims he is innocent. He taped a phone call with his McNamee (his accuser) last week and then went on 60 Minutes and held a press conference. McNamee told federal prosecutors and the Mitchell investigation that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, Clemens claims that he got a B12 shot from McNamee and that is it. If you have the best health insurance in the world and can see the best doctors in the world and your body is you career, are you going to trust a non-doctor to shoot you up with B12 in case you are feeling a little cold coming on? Please Roger, nobody but the Tank believes your story. (And even the Tank has his doubts.) I have no health insurance and I would never trust my personal trainer to inject anything into my body, and all I do is climb mountains for fun, not money.

Sorry Roger, it does not add up.  Plus storming out of your own press conference saying you don't need to prove anything, don't need the hall of fame and can't wait to get out of baseball to avoid the press is not going to help. Andy Pettette confessed, McNamee injected him, time for you to do the same.

Posted by Steve, Waiting for Roger to Come Clean

One thing you need to know about Steve and the Tank, we like underdogs. (This explains why Steve roots for the "subpar" (in his sister's words) teams: The Mets, Jets, etc.)

It was a great weekend for the underdogs, the Giants sneaked past the Cowboys (and TO cried like a baby) and the Chargers stunned the world by beating the Colts.

Steve will be rooting for the Giants against Green Bay (and Steve never roots for the Giants) and the Chargers against the Death Star from New England.

A Giants-Chargers Super Bowl? That would be great for the game, great for the fans, and great for the world. It would be even better if the Chargers win, since we would like to see Eli beaten by the team he shunned and would not play for.

Posted by Steve in New York

The rumor mill was running the last few days saying that the Mets will make a trade a good chunk of their farm system to the the Minnesota Twins for Johan Santana. Rumored to be in play are outfielders Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez, and pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra.

Omar has said in the past that he wouldn't include both Gomez and Martinez in the same deal. Looks like things have changed. If Omar included both Gomez and Martinez and all three pitchers, it would basically wipe out the farm system. This is on top of having to sign Santana to at least a $100 million deal. Is Omar crazy?

In a word: NO! Omar needs to make the fans forget 2007. The Mets need a legitimate shot to win in 2008 and a good team when they move into the new stadium in 2009. The offence is more than enough, what the Mets need is a stopper, an ace. Someone who can win 3 games in a 7 game series.

The Mets would be giving up a lot, but it would make them a very serious contender to win in 2008 and 2009. Without a solid 20 game winning starter the Mets are fooling themselves, as they were in 2007 and 2006.

Let's explore the deal and what it means.

First signing Santana. Omar of course will not make the trade if a deal is not possible with Santana. That is just money. The Mets have a lot of it from SNY, 20% ticket increase, and freeing up the contracts of Glavine in 2008 and Delgado in 2009. Wright and Reyes are comparative bargains, only Beltran stands out as a high salary. Santana will push the Mets closer to the payroll luxury tax, but Omar can get creative.

Gomez and Martinez. Both a Reyes in training. Both under 20 years old. Figure statistically one will grow into a rock star in 3-4 years. There will be a hole in the outfield when Alou retires, but Endy Chavez is a good everyday candidate and only 30 years old. Free agents or trades can fill the other hole when Church flames out.

Pitching. If Santana is signed, let's look at the staff and their age on Open Day 2008:

Johan Santana: 29 years old

John Maine: 26 years old

Oliver Perez: 26 years old

Mike Pelfrey: 24 years old

Pedro Martinez: 36 years old

That is a very young rotation! Your top end of the rotation (1-2-3) will give you over 50 wins a year until 2011. Giving up some pitching prospects is actually ok as long as you can replace Pedro in 2009 via a trade or free agency and potentially Pelfrey if he does not deliver. Since Pedro and Pelfrey are the back end of the rotation, replacing them are cheap and easy.

If Omar makes this trade, he can then look for one more bullpen arm and call it a successful winter. The rest is up to Willie and the players.

Posted by Steve in New York

Last Week's Record: A perfect 4-0, touch wood.  I am 31-11 including the regular season.

This Week's Fearless Picks:  Sorry for the delay but I've been busy this week.

The Seahawks lose at the Packers.  Snow showers are forecasted at Lambeau Field.

The Patriots hold off the strong Jaguars.  The Boston Sports Apocalypse unfortunately continues for another week.
                  
The Chargers lose at the Colts.  LT is on turf but Marvin Harrison is back.  Expect the crowd in the RCA Dome to be loud.

The Giants lose to the Cowboys this season in the Jessica Simpson Bowl.  How healthy is Terrell Owens' ankle?  How rusty is Terry Glenn?  How does the banged up Giants secondary respond?  Say what you want about TO, he is a gamer, especially playing on a broken ankle for the Eagles in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago against the Patriots.                    
    
If the Giants do win, I will look forward to my buddy and Giants fan extraordinaire Eddie Trunk playing at least part of a Jessica Simpson song as part of his promise on his hard rock and heavy metal show next Friday night on Q104.3.  Will Ed's sometime co-host "Metal Mike" Piazza stop by the studios next week to witness the madness? 
          
Posted by The Tank in NY.

Fifty-five years ago Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mt. Everest, the first to do so. Tenzing died in 1986, today we lost Sir Edmund. 

The sports and adventure world lost a great hero, not only did Sir Edmund blaze the trail for the rest of us up Everest, but he was a great role model, he gave back to the people of Nepal, over and over again. I have visited a school in Kumdum Hillary build and he has made a major impact in the lives of those in Nepal. When his wife was killed in Nepal in a plane crash, Hillary build a new runway. The world was better off with Sir Edmund.

We have lost a great man, take the time to read his story here.

Both Steve and the Tank will be headed out to Everest this September, so we will be sure to remember the man who made it possible.

Posted by Steve in New York

Dana Sterling Presents:

Amateur Female Jello Wrestling!
Sunday, January 13th , 8-11:00pm
(6:30 Wrestle Lesson)
at Arlene's Grocery

95 Stanton Street (between Ludlow & Allen), NYC.
Subway: F to 2nd Ave

Hey Ladies, want to wrestle? RSVP at
danasterling@gmail.com

"Think the days of female empowerment through mortal combat were over? Think again--as this tongue-in-cheek sporting event brings ready-made deserts back to the ring where they belong." - TimeOut New York

"Sterling has successfully created a space that gives women permission to forget the hassle of deflecting criticism for their bodies' inadequacies and regress to a time when they felt comfortable being ridiculous. All it took was a creative impulse and the help from a little gelatin." - New York Press

"After the match all the girls felt exhausted, but empowered (like the feeling you get when you watch the 'Charlie's Angel's' movie- watching fabulous females fighting evil and kicking some badguy ass.) Really makes ya wanna be a Rockstar Fighter Chick and change the world!" Б─⌠ Uncoolkids.com

Posted by The Tank in NY.

The Knicks continue to play like the Bricks and quitters that they are.
                                     
I rarely advocate quitting except in smoking cigarettes and other unhealthy behavior.  The Knicks have become an unhealthy psychological influence on the entire NYC area.  Children are most vulnerable as they are being taught that quitting pays and pays handily for the Knicks players who have quit on Isiah and the area.  I think it is time for the Knicks to either fire Isiah or cancel the season.  Since the Dolan's are being blackmailed by Isiah and/or too busy counting their ever growing Cablevision revenue like monopoly money to care, it is time to cancel the remainder of the season in a humanitarian measure.  Forfeiting the games will not differentiate much from the final result which is almost always a loss.
              
What should the Knicks be replaced with?

Led Zeppelin comes to mind.  The recently reunited rock legends did a special concert in London.  20 million people inquired for the 20,000 tickets so the demand is definitely there.  
                                     
I was too young to watch Led Zeppelin in their hey day so I would love to watch them live in concert at the Garden.  I am a big fan of reunion concerts and was fortunate enough to see The Police, Genesis, and Van Halen in 2007 at the Garden.  I am offering the Dolan's an honorable and profitable way out as they made lots of money off me last year in concerts instead of Bricks games.               

All Knicks players will be paid from the massive TV money that the Knicks make from MSG and the national (ESPN/TNT/NBA TV/etc) contracts.

Those networks would make more money from Led Zeppelin - only 1 in a 1000 got to see the London concert.  This ratio is much better than currently want to see the Bricks.

Other interested parties affected by the cancellation of the Knicks season:
         
(1) Concession vendors: I think more merchandise will be sold at a Zeppelin concert instead of Knicks games.  Who wants to buy a Knicks jersey and be laughed at in public?  You would look cooler in a Zeppelin t-shirt.
                   
(2) Knicks City Dancers: Dancers often want to get into singing and acting.  This would be the perfect career opportunity to be backup singers and dancers for Zeppelin.  They would make more money as backup singers instead of a measly $50 per Knicks game.
                    
(3) Knicks City Kids: Same as above.  They can help Robert Plant hit the high notes on some sounds with their growing and maturing voices.  It is better for the children to listen to Zeppelin instead of Fall Out Boy.  Today's youth is in dire need of musical education.                                 
                             
(4) Knicks Announcers: I think John Andres is probably more of a do-wop fan of  Dion and Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge than Zeppelin.  However, I think he would be happier introducing Led Zeppelin and providing song by song commentary than commenting on the dire state of the Knicks.

Marv Albert could stop by for old times sake to introduce "Whole Lotta Love".  Yessss!!!!
                    
Is there precedent for replacing sporting games with concerts at the Garden?

Yes, Billy Joel played 12 Garden concerts during the NHL lockout a couple of seasons ago.  I was lucky to get the last concert to the last of the "12 Gardens" which is also the title of the DVD that he released afterwards.

Are you with me?  If you happen to go to a Bricks game, please start the Zeppelin chant.  

See you at the Zeppelin concerts at the Garden. 

Posted by an excited Tank in NY.

Former Yankees closer Rich "The Goose" Gossage was finally granted entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier today.

This may have been Goose's last best chance as Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn were enshrined last year and Rickey Henderson looms on the horizon next year.  Though deserving, former Red Sox star Jim Rice also just missed entry.  Rice was rarely media friendly, perhaps a contributing factor in the voters minds.

But for today and this summer, Goose will stand alone as the only player inducted in Cooperstown.  (His former Padres manager Dick Williams joins him by the Veterans Committee vote last month.)  When today's relievers only go an inning, Goose went two or more innings to get the save.  Along with Lee Smith and others, Goose set the standard that Mariano Rivera and others live by.  Congratulations Goose!  See you in Cooperstown. 

Posted by a grateful Tank in NY.

Ohio State returns to the BCS Championship game against against another worthy SEC team, LSU, on Monday night. 

Ohio State had better players in 2006 including Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith but the 2007 team is just that, a better team.  Ohio State must contain LSU's explosive offense by controlling the ball and mixing the run and pass.  LSU's Les Miles is a great coach and a Michigan alumnus but Ohio State's Coach Jim Tressel is slightly better.  The margin between victory and defeat is usually not much and this promises to be a classic like USC and Texas a couple of years ago.

The religious and sports holidays continue as I am looking forward to a Christmas Night present according to the Julian/Old Calendar.  My Holiday Season starts with Thanksgiving and ends at Chinese New Year. 

Let the good times, holidays, and football roll.  Wooooo!
                        
Posted by The Tank in NY.

Last Week: I was 3-0 last week and 27-11 for the regular season.
              
This Week's Fearless Picks:
                                         
Sorry Buffalo Steve, Jacksonville wins at the Steelers.

The Chargers beat the Titans at home.

The Seahawks beat the Redskins at home.

The Giants win at the Bucs.  Avoid picking this game because I don't know which Giants team will show up.  The Giants are injured but pumped after playing the Patriots hard last week.  Eli Manning has to manage the game and let the running game win the game. 

Posted by The Tank in NY.

Isiah Thomas has come to town and ruined a good franchise. Bad trades, sexual harassment suits,  lineup changes, and bad coaching, has lead Isiah Thomas to be ineffective. More importantly, the team has stopped playing for Isiah Thomas.

The Yankees got rid of Joe Torrie after 13 years of constitutive playoff appearances. The Knicks are in last place yet again. Time for Isiah Thomas to go. If not we will start to watch the Brooklyn Nets next year.

The problem is that the Knicks still make money. It is funny since each game is a sellout but only half full. You can't give away tickets. I think that new political refugees that land at JFK get free tickets and turn them down. That is the only way for New York to get rid of Isiah Thomas, start boycotting the games. When the Garden is completely silent, then the ownership will respond.

Posted by Steve in New York

Over 70,000 hockey fans were treated to an icy and  snowy overtime shootout in Buffalo, where Sidney Crosby's dramatic goal lifted the Penguins past the Sabres 2-1 in an outside game at the home of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, NY. The NHL decided to hold an outside game in a large venue as a template for future games. I think it worked and should lead to more in the future. 

Crosby said of the day:

 

"Growing up, I played a lot outside," said Crosby, a Nova Scotia native. "When you see 70,000 people jammed into a stadium to watch hockey, it's a good sign. The atmosphere and environment, I don't think you can beat that."

You can't. This is something the NHL should do two or three times a year. It got everyone engaged and brought out a ton of fans. In essence, it was a media event.

There have been rumors of Rangers v Detroit in Yankee Stadium or even Rangers v Islanders.

Posted by Steve in New York.

2007 was an incredible full of highs and lows.  I was lucky and honored to meet so many great people like Playboy's Miss November 2007, A-Rod, Ozzie Smith, and many others.  It was fun covering traditional sports like baseball, football, hockey, and basketball.  It was even funner covering non-traditional sports like Amateur Female Jello Wrestling and Girls Only Pillow Fighting League.      

It also marked the first full calendar year of SteveAndTheTank.com.  Though very challenging with ever changing work and travel schedules, Steve and the Tank were able to post every day from far away places like Pakistan, Egypt, The Bahamas, and New Jersey to name a few.           
 
        
What to look for in 2008:

(1) Will Steve and The Tank be elected to vice president and president, respectively, on the Baseball Integrity ticket in November 2008?  On behalf of Steve, many thanks in advance for your support.

(2) Whoever you vote for, you can rely on SteveAndTheTank.com to give you all the sports, scoops, perspectives, and insight you can count on.
      
Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy and happy 2008.

Posted by a grateful Tank in NY.