Good: A-Rod has been working out in Tampa as part of his rehab.     

 

Bad: Selena Roberts’ book publishing date has been pushed back to May 12 according to Yahoo Sports.

 

The book alleges he used steroids in high school and with the Yankees, only tips Hooters’ waitresses 15 percent, tipped off opposing players to his pitchers’ pitches, and played poker according to ESPN 1050 which cites the New York Daily News article.

 

If true, I am most disturbed with him tipping off opposing players to his pitchers’ pitches.  I don’t care about the poker games.  I wish he tipped more but the tipping is between him and the people who wait on him.  When Roberts alleges that he “may have used HGH”, she is going out on a limb.  Did he take them or not?  She has to be more definitive than that. 

 

Posted by The Tank in NY.

“In a New York Minute” is a great lyric from a Don Henley song.  The New Jersey D*vils found out the hard way Tuesday night.  They were leading the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 with 80 seconds left in Game 7 at the new Prudential Center in Newark.  I had been switching between  the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, and D*vils games Tuesday night. 

 

The Yankees took a 2-0 lead.  I then go to the Rangers game who were leading 1-0 but unfortunately lost to the Washington Capitols 2-1 in Game 7 in DC.  I then switched to the D*vils who were leading 3-2.  I go back to the Yankees game who took a 10-0 lead on Molina’s grand slam and eventually won 11-0.  The Mets were losing 7-4.  I re-check the D*vils score and they lost 4-3.  Whoa!  They had arguably the best goalie ever, Martin Brodeur, give up 2 goals in 80 seconds.  This is comparable to Mariano giving up the lead in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.  Brodeur’s loss was more sudden while Mariano had more had stake.  Both were Game 7s.

 

Tank’s Bottom Line: The hockey season is over for most of SATT’s Council of Hockey Experts.  The Islanders (Steve/Adam) didn’t make it.  The Canadiens (Steve/The Tank) and Rangers (Jack/The Tank) lost in the first round.  This leaves the Vancouver Canucks (Sara) who face Chicago in the second round.  I’ll root for the Canucks for Sara and for the Detroit Red Wings because of Michigan’s economic depression.  I also liked the fact that the Red Wings play “Born and raised in South Detroit…” from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, my favorite song, during their games.

 

Next Season: The Rangers need to get rid of Tortorella and Avery.  I’m not looking for choir boys but some class and character would be greatly appreciated.  Get Henrik Lundqvist the help he deserves. 

 

Most importantly, thank God Phil Hughes pitched a great game!  This stops the Yankees four game losing streak.  This also buys Wang some more time in his rehab.  If both Hughes and Wang become solid, Joba may go back to the bullpen for the 8th inning and become Mariano’s successor.  If Bruney comes back, he can be the 7th inning guy.  Give Veras, Coke, Ramirez, etc. time to improve in lopsided games.  If they don’t improve, send them down and/or trade them.  I do like Mark Melancon so far, knock wood.

 

In the meantime, is the Calvary (AKA A-Rod) on the way back from injury?  I know Kai, Jack, and others refer to my buddy A-Rod as PriMadonna or by other similar nicknames.  But, unless someone takes his contract (Angels down the road?), you have to live with him for the next nine years.  “You make lemons into lemonade,” Medford Bob says about me.  Time to do the same with A-Rod.  

 

Posted by The Tank in a “Don’t Stop Believin’” Frame of Mind.  Keep the Faith!   

NYC was scared again with an unannounced military "photo opp" flyover in Downtown Manhattan on Monday, April 27, 2009.  Less than an hour before, I happened to be in Midtown Manhattan at the Styx / REO Speedwagon concert on the CBS Morning Show. 

I wanted to show everyone what a real NYC “Photo Opp” is like.  These are my photos from the NFL Draft on Sunday, April 26, 2009.  (Except ESPN’s Freddie Coleman who I met on Saturday, April 25, outside of Radio City Music Hall.  All photos are mine except the #1 Bills pick courtesy of NFL.com.) 

ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman is a really cool guy.  We talked sports and other topics for about 30 minutes.  Awesome! 

With the first pick, the Buffalo Bills choose...

Giants Tight End Kevin Boss. 

NFL Cheerleaders.

Former Jet and Chiefs Head Coach Herm Edwards

Jets Cheerleaders

Super Bowl Trophy

The Jets first round pick Mark Sanchez

ESPN’s Draft Guru Mel Kiper Jr.

Former Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback and Lackawanna (Buffalo) native Ron Jaworski

 

All Super Bowl Rings (except this year’s)

My NFL “Press Conference” shown on the big screen at Radio City Music Hall.  The lighting is really bright on the TV sets but is dimmer elsewhere in the hall.

 

The Jets Tony Richardson

 

Bonus: Coors Light Press Conference

One of the hundreds of commercials filmed, I was honored to be one of the six best according to Coors representatives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtJbhnuAVkg

Former Colts Coach Mora is somewhere smiling. :-)

Posted by The Tank reporting live from Radio City Music Hall in Midtown Manhattan.

The NFL Draft was this past weekend in NYC.  After being home for Easter last year, I returned to Radio City Music Hall for Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

The buildup to Day #1 of the NFL Draft is great.  But, Day #2 is where you build championship teams often with "diamonds in the rough" like the Patriots' Tom Brady, the Broncos Terrell Davis, etc.  It's a football geek's paradise.

It's a great chance to meet fellow fans, players, and media.  It's kind of a Christmas Truce where fans look out for one another, especially the Die Hards.  I joined the Die Hards in 2005 when the Draft was held at the Javits Center as Cablevision had a dispute with the Jets and the NFL over the proposed West Side Stadium.  Time flies.

 

Bottom Line: Lots of snap judgments are made about drafts as they are about other things in society.  The truth is that it takes years or more to evaluate success or failure.  Let the players play and then evaluate from there. 

 

Posted by a philosophical Tank in NY.

The Yankees were on a roll when they traveled to Fenway for three of their 18 regular season games against the Red Sox.  But, Mariano blew a 4-2 lead in the 9th on Friday and lost 5-4 in the 11th.  The normally reliable Burnett blew a 6-0 lead on Saturday and lost 16-11.  Andy labored tonight but put in a decent performance, all things considered, but still lost 4-1.  Ellsbury inexcusably stole home in the fifth.

 

Posted by a depressed Tank in NY.

Proud Poppa Adam reports that his son Chris' team, Better Home Health Care, won their third straight Little League game today.  Chris' team actually did not allow a run in the first inning.  This is pretty much unheard of at this level even in today’s shortened game.

 

Chris went 2 for 2 and had 1 RBI.  He played first and shortstop again and made some nice plays in the field.

 

Reported by Proud Poppa Adam and Posted by The Tank enjoying the nice summer like weather (no humidity thank God) in NY.

The Mets had a 4-0 lead when I e-mailed Steve and other members of the SATT Council of Baseball Experts from Tuesday night’s Yankee game.  The “bad” Oliver Perez reared his head the rest of the game and the Mets lost. 

 

Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games went even worse.  The Mets were swept at the Saint Louis Cardinals and are now 6-9, the opposite of the Yankees 9-6.  The Mets are desperate for answers and so am I.  Should the Mets signed Derek Lowe (D-Lowe)?  Yes.  Can even Tony Robbins get Oliver Perez to focus?  Maybe walking on 12 feet of hot coals in Tony’s Unleash the Power Within in New Jersey in September 2002 would help Ollie?  It can’t hurt.  

 

I am looking forward to my first game at the new Citi/Debits Field on Friday evening.  Johan Santana will be pitching.  Fingers crossed.  

 

Posted by The Tank on the train to the new Citi/Debits Field in Queens.

While I was away at the North Pole Marathon, Adam sent photos of his son (and my little step brother) Chris playing Little League Baseball.  It brought back lots of memories of my youth playing Little League baseball with my brother Milan as well as life long friends like Ronjon, Oak, and Diamond Dave.

 

Adam reports that “Chris' team won 25 - 18.  He went 3 - 3, scored 3 runs, and had 3 RBIs.  He split time between 1st and SS.”

 

Chris is hitting better than any of the Yankees.  He should be on the Yankees roster ASAP.

 

Fingers crossed as Chris goes from Little League to the Big Leagues.  You read it here first.

 

Posted by a nostaglic Tank walking down Memory Lane and looking into the future.  

After Monday's rainout, I was excited to watch the return of Jason “The Giambino” Giambi to the Boogie Down Bronx on Tuesday night.

I liked Jason and always rooted for him because he tried hard and was a lot like my comedic hero, the late great Chris Farley.  Jason struggled with steroid use and was the most candid as he could be without getting in trouble with the Player’s Union.  I read an article in the paper that part of Giambi’s trouble is that there was a female HORSE steroid that he took.  During the Steroid Era, players didn’t ask questions.  They just wanted to be like the next guy.  It’s a miracle that he lived to tell about it.

Gardner's great catch saved a run in the top of the first off of Giambino’s bat.

I go to the restroom and get something to eat in the top of the second.  In the bottom of the second, Swisher walked.  Matsui doubles him to third.  Ransom flew out to right.  Gardner singles to right.  Swisher and Matsui score.  The restroom superstition works in the new Stadium.  (For our new readers, whenever I go to the restroom and/or get something to eat, my team normally scores because I missed the key plays of the game, of course.)  By the end of the second, Yankees 4 - As 0.

The Yankees turn a great double play at first and home plate in the top of the fourth.  The Yankees lead 4-2 after the top of the fourth.  The Yankees went on to win 5-3 after Mariano got the save in the light rain.

 

Wednesday afternoon was also raining at the Stadium.  I don’t know how they got the game in.  CC was not great in 6.2 innings.  But, the bullpen came in and was solid.  Not only Mariano but guys like Coke, Veras, Ramirez.  They did NOT give up a run in 7.1 innings.  Wow!  What a difference a few days makes. 

 

The Yankees had the bases loaded in the seventh but couldn’t cash in.  The bullpen kept the Yankees the game until the 14th when Swisher walked and then Melky Cabrera hit a game winning 14th inning home run.  The Yankees won 9-7.  Wooo!  This could turn around Melky’s confidence.

 

Bottom Line: It wasn’t pretty but the Yankees are three games over .500 and 0.5 games ahead of the Red Sox and 3.5 of the Rays as I write this.  The Yankees are only a game out of first place in the AL East and in first place in the Wild Card.  

 

Think about it:

(1) CC hasn’t warmed up yet.

(2) Wang’s ERA is higher than most football scores.

(3) Ransom has been a total offensive liability while A-Rod is rehabbing.

(4) Matsui isn’t 100 percent.

(5) Nady is out thought reportedly only four to six weeks instead of the entire season. 

 

Today was a huge win, thank God!  Let's keep the momentum going against Boston.  Keep the Faith!

 

Posted by a psyched Tank reporting live from The New Yankee Stadium in the Boogie Down Bronx.

The Denver Broncos worked out USC QB Mark Sanchez according to NFL.com. 

 

Ravens QB Flacco was a solid QB as a rookie.  Don’t be surprised if the Jets move up to get Sanchez and let him compete.  It will push Clemens who deserves a chance.  However, Sanchez played in a pro set at USC and could learn the Jets system in his first year. 

 

Competition is good and will only benefit the Jets. 

 

As for the Giants, they may trade for SATT buddy Braylon Edwards.  Edwards is going to be a free agent after the 2009 season so expect a big season wherever he ends up.

 

Bottom Line: The Giants and Jets need to pull the trigger.

 

Posted by The Tank in NY.