Melo debut: Come Get Some

Ever since Donnie Walsh saved the NY Knicks from the idiotic and slimy clutches of Isiah Thomas, the fans have been waiting for the day when we could put a star-powered, championship contender on the Garden floor. That day is not here yet, but the star power is. Stan n Melo are in place and the Garden was buzzing like crazy before tonight's match-up against the Bucks even started.

As expected both Melo and the 5x Allstar throw in, Chauncey Billups (Awesome addition) have showed some rust and the Knicks have looked a bit out of synch the entire night. Still there is so much talent for the Knicks that they have been able to score a prolific amount of points. (Everyone seems to forget how talented Toney Douglas is...Shawne Williams is a solid shooter and defender as well) No one should be worried that Melo isn't having a great shooting night...He will put up points in the 24 remaining games. (Even with a poor shooting percentage he managed 27 points and 10 boards)The big question is: will the new-Knicks be able to mesh in time to make a serious playoff run? They will have to work fast but I think that Amare, Melo, Billups and Fields are all smart enough to make it happen.

The one problem that will persist for the Knicks is defense. Their defense looks awful against an offensively anemic Milwaukee team. They've had players wide open the entire night. The Knicks were not a great defensive team before the trade but they are an even worse one now. Melo will have to buy into playing defense and Walsh will need to get us a real center in a matter of 24 hours for this team to go deep into the playoffs. Still, Donnie Walsh has 2 important phases of his plan completed; The stars are in place, now we need to reassemble a bench and gain size in order to present a championship caliber team.

Song Of The Day- Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stone

Although perhaps not their most pop-friendly song, this is the corner stone of the Rolling Stones career. It is perhaps my favorite song of all time and one of their most well-written, provocative efforts. Off of Let It Bleed, it captured the essence of the late 60's with all of the unrest due to race relations and the Vietnam War. Merry Clayton's voice crack at the songs climax is one of the moments in recorded rock history.

Cowboys Position Series: Secondary

Jenkins exemplified failure

The Cowboys secondary this past season was arguably their greatest weakness. They were ranked 26th total pass defense and they often played without guts, moxy or heart. They often looked confused and unprepared. An improved pass-rush under Rob Ryan should help the secondary  but new additions will surely be needed. Here is how their current players break down:

21- Mike Jenkins- CB- Jenkins was the poster boy for the Cowboys defensive ineptitude. Among cornerbacks he gave up the second most yards and he was first the the NFL in pass interferences against. A year after making the Pro-Bowl and showing flashes of greatness Jenkins fell far from the top this year. He looked slow and timid. That non-tackle against Green Bay sums it up. Still, his talent is too great to give up on. GRADE- D

41- Terrence Newman-CB- Newman has always been an enigma in Dallas. He has at times played like a All-Pro shutdown corner and at times he has been burnt like a bagel. This past season we saw more of the latter. His age and litany of injuries have been chasing him for some time. He had another mixed-results season but could be worth keeping around for one more year depending on what kind of financial room the Cowboys have. GRADE- B-

43- Gerald Sensebaugh- S- Technically, Sensebaugh may have been the most consistent player in the Cowboys secondary, which is a big problem. He was never terrible but never stood out. He had 5 interceptions  but was late on a lot of coverages over the top and wasn't necessarily a run stuffer. I wouldn't mind seeing him leave but he doesn't need to be first at the out door. GRADE- B-

20-Alan Ball-S- Not to sound like I have a vendetta against Alan Ball but he's downright the softest NFL player I've ever seen. (He makes Bobby Carpenter look like Mike Tyson). He has approximately 5 pounds of muscle  and bounces off receivers like a ping-pong ball...forget about him trying to tackle a running back...I don' think that has ever happened. He was always on the bottom of your TV screen 10 yards behind a touch down celebrating receiver. If he plays for the Cowboys next year I will discontinue this blog. GRADE- F

32-Orlando Scandrick- CB- Scandrick seemingly took a step back this season in his nickel corner duties. Actually he played just as you would expect. He had exceeded our expectations last year and this season he came back down to earth. I think he still has upside and a swagger that will motivate him to get better. He is not a shut-down corner and he never will be but he could be a steady presence in that nickel corner position. GRADE- B-

37- Bryan McCann-CB- McCann was a huge bright spot on the secondary palette this past season. He can be credited with turning two games  around with an interception and punt return for touchdowns. Jason Garrett owes him a ton of credit. Still his coverage skills were inconsistent and will need some toning in the off-season.  I am excited to see what he can bring to the table next year.  GRADE- A-

42-Barry Church- S- Church got a chance towards the end of the season to showcase his talents. He is clearly a great athlete who plays hard and in time could turn into a good player. As long as he stays consistent on special teams he will get a chance to prove himself. GRADE- B

40-Danny McCray- S- Like B. Church, McCray showed a lot of promise. With the Cowboys safety situation in such dire straits, he and Church will get a chance to compete next season but I doubt if either will be fully ready for the challenge.  GRADE- C+


27- Akwasi Owusu-Ansah- S- Akwasi was drafted on potential and for the return game. Injuries plagued his rookie campaign but even when healthy he didn't impress. Don't be surprised if he's not around next year. GRADE- D

TOTAL GRADE: C-

As of today, Mel Kiper Jr. has the Cowboys picking Prince Amukamara at # 9. This would be a great addition to the secondary. So would Patrick Peterson but it is unlikely he will be available. The Cowboys have an even greater need at safety but there are not as many sure-fire prospects in the draft. I think they need to be aggressive in free agency at both positions but especially at Safety. Atogwe seems like a good match and I would be very surprised if the Cowboys don't at least take a look at him.

Song Of The Day: Thrice - For Miles

Thrice- For Miles off of Vheissu.

This is one of the great songs off of (in my opinion) the best album of the 2000's. The build up and climax in this song are incredible.

Sell the team Wilpon

The Mets have been the laughingstock of the league ever since they blew their enormous lead on the division on the final game of the 2007 season. Since then it has been a humorous but embarrassing, gut-wrenching, down right sickening roller costar ride. We thought that with the departure of in bumbling Omar Minaya and the entrance of Sandy Alderson that perhaps a track towards better days had been set upon. I am of the opinion that the expectations for this season must be set low for Mets fans and we cannot get on Alderson for having his hands tied in terms of moves he was allowed to make during this off-season. I also was under the assumption that the Mets were not really hurt from the Madoff ponzi scheme and that next year they would be ready to spend money of big free agents again. Now, as this disgusting Wilpon & Katz disaster unravels I am less and less optimistic.

The Wilpons clearly love the Mets and I understand that their family name and reputation has been hurt and is on the line taking the fire. I understand that their pride is probably so great that they would rather swallow a pint of blood then sell the majority of the team and the SNY network (which is an absolute cash cow) But the bottom line is that, if the care about the team as much as they say they do, they must sell the majority share of this team!

We still don't know the exact financial situation of the Mets ownership after these Madoff implications have come to light. According to the Wilpons they have lost half a billion in paper money, but attorneys representing the Madoff victims claim otherwise, stating the Wilpon's have made out well from the scheme in ghost money. So they are not only suing the Mets for the money they had invested in Madoff, but the money they have made since. 

It's tough to say how this will all play out but it seems that the Wilpon's will not have the money to run a New York baseball organization in the proper manner. I know our payroll is high right now but I fear that this financial crisis could put us in the same stable as lets say the Pirates.

With all of this uncertainty, compounded with a mediocre team in a tough division,  I can see big time free agents being very skeptical about playing in New York. We are getting hit with hooks and upper-cuts on a daily basis and its tough to see the top players available wanting to associate themselves with that. The Wilpon's need to do the right thing and sell the team. Let someone who is financially stable take over and right the ship.

Song Of The Day: Queens of the Stone Age - A Song For The Deaf

This is the QOTSA at their best. Eerie and unpredictable. It seems like forever ago when this album came out but they are still doing now what they were doing then: Experimenting with exotic guitar sounds and riffs with dark bass lines and heavy hitting drums. They have been a 21st century pioneer in hard-rock.

Pujols in free agency

As always  my boy J-Tunes (check out his blog contributions to Crimdelacrim : http://crimdelacrims.com/) is making outlandish and outrageous predictions. His imperialistic Yankee syndrome has gotten the best of him yet again. First he predicted that " on a cold, blustery winter day" he would call me up with the news that the Yanks had locked up Joe Mauer for some bloated salary. Mauer is now locked into Minnesota, probably for the remainder of his career. Then J-Tunes went Skip Bayless on me and guaranteed that Cliff Lee would be donning pinstripes and leading the Yankees to a 162-0 2011 season. Instead, Lee broke both our hearts and signed with those creatures from Philadelphia.

Now, with the news breaking that Albert Pujols will indeed enter free agency next season after failing to come to terms for a new contract with St. Louis, J-Tunes has guaranteed Pujols won't be able to turn down the extravagant amount of money that the Yankees will offer him next year. We have money on this so let me hit him with some truth: Albert Pujols will never be in pinstripes!

First off, as Cliff Lee has proven, just because the Yankees throw an absurd amount of money at someone, doesn't necessarily guarantee that they will be seduced to the dark side. But the reality is that making an offer to Pujols isn't rational on the Yankees part. The negotiations with Jeter have proven that they are more responsible than the George days.

Also, the Yankees have no needs for Pujols, even though he is most likely the best player in the game. Their infield is locked up for quite some time. Mark Texiera is firmly supplanted at first base. He is a far superior fielder than Albert and there will be no moving him. J-Tunes claims he will move to 3rd base but at his age that would make no sense and he would never acquiesce to such an idea. The two players that will move from their infield eventually are Jeter and A-Rod. Jeter's movement won't affect Pujol's and Rodriguez, who is still locked up for another 7 will inevitably become the DH. Sorry Yankees fans, even if Pujol's wanted to be a DH, which I'm sure he doesn't, the Yankees have theirs locked up for some time.

Finally, sorry J-Tunes, but the Yankees aren't the only team that can offer lucrative deals for someone of Albert Pujols' talent. The Angels, Nationals and Cubs come to mind. My gut tells me that St. Louis wont fuck this up and will do the right thing by re-signing him. The next few Summer's in New Yiddy will have to be without Pujols...unless the Mets get him...chea. No but seriously what the fuck Mets? We all know they can't afford him now.