by Eddie Mayrose

As the second half of the season began for the McGee Survivor League, things looked bleak for our favorite Fantasy Football prof as he and son Tim headed into action without the services of New York Giants‘ RB Ahmad Bradshaw; sitting out his bye week. As feared, the less than impressive tandem of Chris Ivory and Javon Ringer returned less than 5 points.  However, in an affirmation of Wagstaff’s theory that wide receivers should be your first round targets in a Fantasy Football Draft, the brothers Johnson, Calvin and Andre, totaled 56 points to carry the day. Now, with just six teams left and all byes behind them, Waggie and Tim have set their sights on last year’s champ, Dr. Pete, in hopes that the league may be theirs.

Fantasy Football News

Unless you’re desperate for a WR, I’d pass on Randy Moss. A change of address isn’t enough to cure what ails him… While the solid play of the Detroit Lions’ defense has coincided with the offensive struggles of the New York Jets, this may be a big week for LaDainian Tomlinson as the Jets always play well on the road… Don’t fall in love with Pats’ RB Darrius Heyward-Bey.  He’s nursing a sore shoulder and his 105 yard outburst last week included a 69 yard run…RB Chris Ivory is still the Saints’ only option in the backfield and enjoyed a solid game in his first go-round with the Panthers…Raiders’ WR Louis Murphy is out for week 9 (chest)…An ankle injury won’t be enough to slow Texans’ WR Andre Johnson this week…Have to worry about all three Dallas WR, Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Dez Bryant with Jon Kitna under center.

Fantasy Football Studs

With Jon Kitna trying to acclimate himself to his new role, he’ll rely on the short stuff; making Jason Witten a must-play… Randy Moss won’t be a total loss for the Titans this week, as his presence should open things up for RB Chris Johnson.

Fantasy Football Slippers

Braylon Edwards hasn’t been the focus of the Jets’ offense in a few weeks and has probably worsened his situation by grumbling about it in the media… DeAngelo Williams returns to a struggling Panthers’ offense that couldn’t free up Jonathan Stewart for more than 30 yards last week.  Don’t expect much more from Williams.

Fantasy Football Stiffs

Ryan Matthews may be at full strength this week but he’s underperformed all year and doesn’t figure to produce like a lead back… Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck is recovering from a concussion and facing the Giants this week.  Not a productive combination.

Somewhere around the time that Rex Ryan and his New York Jets started their miraculous run through last year’s playoffs, the Giants became a forgotten team. As Gang Green began to dominate the back pages of the local tabloids; for reasons both good and bad, Big Blue quietly went about the business of repairing a defense that disappeared during last December’s collapse. There were no sexy trades, no television shows and, certainly, no Super Bowl predictions. There was simply a change at defensive coordinator and a commitment to the work necessary to regain the top spot in the NFC East.  Funny how effective that formula’s been.

Since Big Rexy showed up in town and started shooting his mouth off, the Giants have almost become the forgotten team in New York and that’s just the way they like it. Free to go about their business with a minimum of distractions and media scrutiny, they’ve seen their defense return to a dominating level while Eli Manning continues to shine.  The Giants seem very content to leave the bluster to the boys in green.  Just as well, as they can better use the time to polish those Lombardi trophies Rex keeps promising.

New York Yankees Back in ALCS

Looks like tanking the last two weeks of the season to get the matchup with the Twins the Wild Card berth brought was a great idea for the Yankees.  Just ask the Rays, who were forced to face Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee twice in a five game series.  Now that the divisional series is in the books, Joe Girardi’s millionaires turn their attention to Texas.
It’s not often that the Bronx Bombers run into a team that can match their offensive firepower but that’s just what Texas brings to the table.  Worse, the Yankees have but two starters on which they can rely in C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes; although Andy Pettitte certainly looked healthy against Minnesota. If the Yankees advance, they’ll likely have taken the ALCS in six games as it’s hard to picture them beating Cliff Lee in Game 7.  Throw in an expected loss by A.J. Burnett in Game 4 and things begin to look pretty tight.
So, who am I picking?  The Yanks in six, of course, as Joe Girardi will be the deciding factor.  Not a favorite of the “first time, long time” talk radio crowd, Girardi has patched together a pitching staff for the second straight year and has the Yankees on the cusp of another title.  He gives New York a huge advantage over Texas manager, Ron Washington, on experience alone.  I see the Yankees putting the Rangers away in five games.

Braves-Giants Game 5-Faith Restored, For Now

Just when you’re convinced that you’ve had enough; when you’re starting to believe that being a sports fan requires some experience in the fields of law enforcement or social work, along comes a bunch of guys like the San Francisco Giants to restore your faith.
Monday night, as the New York Jets faced the Minnesota Vikings, there seemed to be as much time spent discussing the legal woes of New York’s Santonio Holmes and Minny’s Brett Favre as there was on the game, itself.  The pre-game shoving match, look-at-me chest pounding and trash talking that followed did little to enhance my viewing experience.  At some point, however, I flipped channels to see who was winning Braves-Giants Game 5 and I was reminded of why we all love sports.  There were the Giants, minutes after advancing to the NLCS, postponing their celebration to applaud outgoing Braves’ manager Bobby Cox.  As Cox took a curtain call and soaked in the love and appreciation of the Atlanta fans, there was the entire San Francisco squad, standing on the infield and following suit.  A shame that they couldn’t have piped that into the new Meadowlands stadium.  It was something Favre and Holmes should’ve seen.

By Eddie Mayrose

Each year, around the feast of St. Joseph (March 19th) the famous cliff swallows of San Juan Capistrano return from their winter vacation spot 6,000 miles south in Goya, Corrientes, Argentina. While it is truly one of nature’s wonders, it isn’t as unique as many might think. Here in New York, we annually celebrate the return of our own type of swallows; loony birds with no capacity to remember past failures who are destined to perpetuate their own suffering.

New York Jet Fans Return to Capistrano

My heart goes out to Cheap Seater Lou Ricciardi. He’s been mentioned before in this space as a long suffering Jet fan that can’t stop himself from being sucked into the hype. Perhaps in an attempt to conceal his gullibility, Lou sent me a blurb that he found on a Jets blog, rather than put his own name to the same, misguided optimism. Anyway, some poor slob submitted a long post about the death of the “Same Old Jets” and mocking Gang Green’s naysayers. As if his heart won’t be broken once again.

I have to admit, these New York Jets have me stumped. I had predicted a standard, garden variety collapse; to the tune of a 6-10 season. However, as I’ve watched them dominate both sides of the ball on their way to compiling a 3-0 record in the AFC East as they welcome back three Pro Bowlers this week, I am at a loss to discern from which direction disaster will eventually strike. Now, I’ve been a Jet fan my whole life and carry the scars to prove it. They’ve crushed my spirit so many times that I’ve developed a keen sense of impending doom; but it’s failing me at the moment. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still completely convinced that, somewhere down the road, the season will go terribly wrong. Not only that, the longer it takes, the more it will sting. For now, though, I’ll enjoy the ride, right up until it runs me right into the brick wall that’s always waiting for Jet fans. However, unlike poor Lou Ricciardi, I’ll be wearing a seat belt.

New York Knicks Return to Capistrano

Can’t imagine that any of the Knicks’ brass was shocked to find that Eddy Curry had, once again, reported to training camp overweight and out of shape. In an unusual twist, Curry has become the team’s longest tenured player; mostly due the waning skills and obscene contract that make him completely untradeable. Just another example of how the gifts of Isiah Thomas just keep on giving. And, in this case, eating.

New York Mets Return to Capistrano

Here they go, again. Fred and Jeff Wilpon in search of two or three thousand opinions on the best way to return their franchise to the top of the NL East while completely missing the point that their indecision is the very reason the Metsies are floundering. Let’s try this, Freddy. Go find a solid, established baseball lifer (Sandy Alderson?) and then LEAVE HIM ALONE. Keep sonny boy away from him, too. Say all you want about the failings of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya, there’s no disputing that they were always hamstrung by your lack of commitment to a long-term direction for the team. I don’t know who may be on the radar to fill either position, but the notion being floated around that Wally Backman is somehow ready to handle a major market franchise has disaster written all over it.

We’ve seen, courtesy of YouTube, Backman’s over-the-top volatility when things don’t go his way. Not exactly the demeanor necessary to handle a sometimes combative press corps. Besides, word out of the NY Penn League is that Backman hasn’t necessarily expunged all of the demons that caused the Diamondbacks to withdraw their managerial offer a few years ago. Get it right this time, guys, or your brand new ballpark is going to be empty for a long time.

New York Jets All Talk: Again

Tony Dungy, former Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts and one of the NFL’s true gentlemen, took Rex Ryan to task over the summer for the salty language that was so prominent on HBO’s Hard Knocks, an all-access view of the Jets training camp. Certainly hope Dungy wasn’t anywhere near the new Meadowlands Stadium on Monday, then,to hear the profanity in the stands as Big Rexy’s boys carried on the long-standing Jets tradition of crushing the high hopes of their naive fans with a 10-6 stinker against the Ravens.

There’s an old adage that says, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back it up.” And, what we found out Monday is that Gang Green has the biggest collection of braggarts in the sports world.  Ryan has stated on numerous occasions that anything short of a trip to the Super Bowl will render this season a failure. This despite an offensive unit led by Mark Sanchez, who finished2009 as the lowest rated starting quarterback in the league and one that dismssed Thomas Jones and Alan Faneca, two of its more prominent leaders. Think that, maybe, the Jetsies were missing those two just a little bit as they failed to convert a third down until the final minute vs. Baltimore?

Worse, the whole, “Rex lets us talk”, mentality seems to have taken a huge toll on the team’s professionalism.  From eating cheeseburgers on the field during a preseason workout to the litany of penalties that haunted them throughout the opener, the Jets have quickly become an undisciplined mess with a roster full of loudmouths for whom it is impossible to root.

Cheap Seater Paul Pandolfi took me to task a few weeks ago for my pessimistic outlook on the Jets season.  “I don’t want to hear anymore of your 6-10 nonsense”, cried the long suffering Jet fan.  My apologies, Paul.  If the offensive scheme they unveiled on Monday doesn’t improve, I’ll have to revise my prediction to 5-11.

New York Yankess May Have Difficult Winter

We’ve gotten a glimpse over the last few weeks into what could be a very uncomfortable offseason for the New York Yankees as they begin contract negotiations with Derek Jeter.  Plodding through a very difficult season, Jeter will be seeking a new deal for 2011 and beyond; one that could hamstring the Bombers for the length of the pact.

While the Yankee shortstop has certainly enjoyed a Hall of Fame career, the fact remains at 36 years of age, his skills are on the decline, with his batting average starting to mirror the limited range that has plagued him for a lot longer than adoring fans would like to admit.  Unfortunately for Yankee brass, they’ll have to choose whether their decision is based on business or sentiment.

From a pure baseball standpoint, the idea of giving a long-term, big-money deal to an aging shortstop that is clearly on the decline is ridiculous anywhere but Flushing.  Whatever money it’ll take to sign Jeter ($15 mil plus?) would be better spent on the starting pitching the Yankees so desperately need.  It’s even sillier when you realize that there will be no market for Jeter outside of New York at his asking price. Thus, the Bombers would have to pay through the nose even though they have no competition.

Sentimentally, however, the thought of the shortstop in another uniform is heresy to Yankee fans everywhere.  He’s been the face of the franchise for the last fifteen, successful seasons and the Golden Boy of the fans.  I’d hate to be Brian Cashman at the press conference announcing the Yankees’ decision to go with someone else.

So, Yankee fans, ask yourselves this.  Do you love Derek Jeter so much that you’d be willing to take a bullet in order to watch him retire in pinstripes?  Or do you cut ties and start fresh?

by Eddie Mayrose

As talk of George Steinbrenner’s possible induction into the Hall of Fame swirled around Old Timer’s day at  Yankee Stadium, I was asked by Cheap Seater Jim Case if the late Steinbrenner had been good for baseball.  A difficult question to answer, no matter how you felt about The Boss during his reign in the Bronx.  While most Yankeee fans  are sure to point to the many championships won since Steinbrenner bought the franchise in 1973, his detractors make note of the mockery he made of the pinstripes with his endless firings of managers and pitching coaches as well as two suspensions that resulted from a felony conviction and an extortion attempt.  However, almost all will use the phrase, “George just wants to win.”

The thing I always found interesting about the “just wants to win” theory is that the Yankees never, EVER, won a title when the impetuous Boss had the final say about the roster.  His first championships were won under the watchful eye of GM Gabe Paul, who threatened to quit whenever Steinbrenner insisted on a ridiculous player move. When Paul had had enough, he resigned, leaving the reins in George’s hands and the fans with a drought that would last eighteen years.

In 1990, after King George’s lifetime suspension (later reduced to three years), Gene Michael was allowed the free hand necessary to build a champion.  Six years later, after astute scouting and even sharper trades, the Bombers were on top again; remaining there for four of the next five seasons.  See if you can find a Yankee fan that experienced Steinbrenner’s 1980′s sideshow who believes Messrs. Posada, Rivera, Pettite and Jeter would all have made it to the Bronx had the Boss been in charge.  He’d have traded at least one for an aging designated hitter and probably two before they’d made the majors.

The fact is, anyone in sports is “all about winning.”  Very few, however, hide behind the philosophy to dismiss their petulant and criminal behavior.  Steinbrenner is the only owner in the history of the game to be suspended TWICE.  The Yankee Pride he so often referred to was significantly diminished during his time as principal owner but his actions always drew interest from fans throughout baseball.  Fans may have come to the ballpark just to boo the Bombers; but they came to the ballpark.  He was the first to establish his own cable network, putting money in the pockets of the owners that followed suit but taking free, televised baseball from the very fans to whom he often claimed his devotion.

So, to answer Mr. Case, Steinbrenner was too often a bad guy to have been good for Major League Baseball but, through the interest he generated, Baseball did benefit from his presence.  As for the ridiculous notion that he belongs in Cooperstown, I have my own question:  If Georege Steinbrenner is inducted into the Hall of Fame, what do we tell Pete Rose?

Are Jets Fans Ready For Some Blacked Out Home Games?

Heard an ad for New York Jets’ tickets on the radio the other day, generously proclaiming that prices in the new Jets-Giants stadium have been reduced by as much as fifty percent.  This came on the heels of an invitation I recently received from Gang Green to tour the new facility, even though I gave up my season tickets in 1987.  Now, I’m hardly a marketing genius, but it seems to me that the Personal Seat Licensing extortion may not be going as well as planned.

LeBron Misses Opportunity For Greatness

I know it’s a business. I know LeBron James had every right to pick his own spot. And It just would’ve been great, this one time, to see an athlete care less about himself and more about the people affected by his decision.  James, an Ohio native, has lived among friends and neighbors that have struggled financially throughout his life.  He’s well aware that his decision to leave will result in the loss of jobs in and around Quicken Loans Arena. For him to have stood up and said, “I can’t leave; too much depends on me remaining in Cleveland,” I’d be writing instead about one of the greatest role models in the history of sports. Instead, as was his privilege, James decided to split, dishonoring his time with the Cavs by orchestrating a dog and pony show that only served to rub salt in the wounds.  Sure, he’s a hero now in Miami but he’d have been a legend in Cleveland and, as Babe Ruth put it to Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez in The Sandlot: “Heroes get remembered, kid. But legends never die.”

New York Jets Cut Corners in Acquiring Corner

So, now we find out that one game short of the Super Bowl is the moral evacuation point for the New York Jets when it comes to the formation of their roster.  Flush with the excitement of their improbable run to the AFC Championship game and desperate to fill a new stadium through a PSL extortion campaign, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum has his eye on the prize; and, seemingly, nothing else.

His first big splash of the off season was to acquire Antonio Cromartie, former first round pick and Pro Bowl cornerback, from the Chargers.  The idea of pairing Cromartie, the San Diego record holder for interceptions in a season, with Darrelle Revis, the game’s best, gave Tannenbaum the impetus to ignore the personal baggage Cromartie brings east.  Gang Green’s new defensive back has been a busy young man; fathering seven children with six women in five states; all by the age of twenty five.  With at least one paternity suit pending, the Jets felt it necessary to advance Cromartie $500K of his 2010 salary in order for him to satisfy delinquent child support payments.  They can only hope he doesn’t start dating before training camp begins.

Then, perhaps attempting to balance the miscreants on each side of the ball, Tannenbaum swooped in and grabbed wide receiver Santonio Holmes from the Steelers for a song.  Despite the fact that Holmes was the hero and MVP of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl victory just two years ago, he became available after a March incident in which he allegedly threw a glass at a woman in a nightclub; cutting her above the eye. Then, after a Twitter comment critical of Holmes, he told the follower to “kill urself” and later Tweeted that it was time to “wake and bake”, a reference to smoking pot in the morning.

Holmes is no stranger to marijuana, having been arrested for possession in 2008.  He’s also been arrested, in 2006, on charges of domestic violence and will be suspended for the first four games of this season for an unspecified violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.  But, again, talent was the trump card and, after Pittsburgh had had enough, Tannenbaum surrendered just a paltry fifth round pick for the troubled Steeler; pairing him with Braylon Edwards, himself acquired amidst legal woes last year.

On the surface, these moves might be justified by reasoning that the Jets are on the cusp of a championship.  In reality, however, they’re little more than a .500 team that got hot at the right time; edging two playoff opponents that missed a total of five field goals. Their postseason appearance, itself, was achieved on the heels of a virtual forfeit by the Indianapolis Colts. The vaunted defense, pride and joy of Head Coach Rex Ryan, failed to stop fourth quarter drives by playoff outsiders Jacksonville and Atlanta during a regular season stretch that produced six losses in seven games. Quarterback Mark Sanchez was the league’s lowest rated starter at season’s end and has yet to begin running after off-season knee surgery while RB Thomas Jones and OG Alan Faneca, each a Pro Bowler as well as a respected team leader, were released.

Owner Woody Johnson, along with Tannenbaum, has sworn his belief that Big Rexy is enough of a “people person” to pull all of these new and questionable personalities together and unite them toward a common goal.  Best of luck to Coach Ryan, then, on that front.  However, even if this is, finally, the group that earns a Lombardi Trophy, won’t it be more than a little tainted that it was won by players no one wants to root for?

New York Jets Suddenly Not “Same Old”

This time it was different.  The Jets loss to the Colts in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game just didn’t feel as bad as the litany of playoff debacles that have dotted the team’s history.  There was no fumble on the opening kickoff or a roughing the passer call with a win virtually sealed.  There was neither mud nor A.J. Duhe.  The Head Coach was not so frightened as to forget that a quarterback sack stops the clock or paranoid enough to claim that he received a crank phone call from Al Davis.  Even the blown lead was different; surrendered not to turnovers, as was the case at Mile High Stadium in ’98, but to a good, old fashioned, butt-kicking at the hands of one of the greatest to ever play his position.  What felt so different was that, this time, the other guys were just better.

Peyton Manning took everything the Jets and Rex Ryan could throw at him over most of the first half.  He was sacked a few times, hit a few more and even stood up at the goal line.  But, once he’d seen the Jets’ entire repertoire and figured it out as only he can, Manning began to methodically pick them apart.  That the Jets shut down All-Pro receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark mattered little to the league MVP as he simply turned to Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie in order to send Gang Green home.  Each had a touchdown and numerous catches of pinpoint passes with Jet defenders draped all over them.  You got the feeling that Indy could pull a couple of athletic looking guys out of the stands and Manning would find a way to get them the ball.  Late in the game, CBS posted a graphic that was a testament to Manning’s greatness.  In the four playoff games that saw two Colt receivers gain 100 yards, as Garcon and Collie did, Indianapolis was 4-0.  Amazingly, Manning had accomplished the feat with eight different receivers.  On this day, the better man won.

Difficult as I may find it to be optimistic about the Jets, there is every reason to view this season as a starting point for bigger and better things.  In 1986, as the Giants ran over the rest of the league on their way to their first Super Bowl title, many players cited the previous year’s playoff loss to Chicago as the starting point of their championship run.  In losing to the best team in the league, they had gained an insight as to how far they had to go to be the best.   These Jets may have had the same epiphany. The postseason provided invaluable experience to Mark Sanchez, Shonn Greene emerged as a potential star and Darrelle Revis established himself as the best defender in the game.  The core of the team is made up of young studs; all with less than five years experience, the Patriots looked old, slow, injured and disinterested on the road and in the playoffs and, through Rex Ryan, they finally have an identity.  More importantly, they’ve seen how good the best is and what it will take to beat them.  The Jets have a chance to be one of the elite teams in the league for a few years; something that could rarely, if ever, be said about them before.  That may be a tough concept for seasoned fans to swallow considering how often they’ve had their hopes dashed in the past.  It certainly is for me. However, even the most cynical fan has to agree, these weren’t the “Same Old Jets”.

Brett Favre Throws Another One Away

The most unbelievable thing I’ve heard in a long time came from Brett Favre, just minutes after throwing another Super Bowl trip to the other team.  Asked why he didn’t simply run the ball at the end of the NFC Championship tilt in New Orleans and allow the Vikes to set up a field goal, Favre said he didn’t even know how many yards he needed.  Twenty years in the league and he didn’t know?  C’mon, Brett. That’s a play that gets a rookie chewed out in his first training camp.  He didn’t need any yards, actually, as Ryan Longwell would have attempted the game winner even if Favre had taken a knee on the third down play.  Instead, he mindlessly threw a floater across the field and sent the Saints to Miami.  Worse, with their wounds still fresh, the Minnesota faithful now have to deal with the off season retirement dance that the self-centered Favre has made so famous.  Yeah, this one’s going to leave a mark.

Holy Sheets! New York Mets Lose Out On Another Pitcher

While there are many Mets fans ready to picket Omar Minaya’s office at CitiField over the team’s failure to bring in a pitcher this winter, it’s worth noting that the same type of hysteria led to the terrible contract given to Oliver Perez last year. Lack of depth in the starting rotation is certainly the Mets biggest problem but, an acquisition just for acquisition’s sake is not the answer.  Once John Lackey signed with Boston, the prudent plan was patience.  Joel Pineiro is, most likely, a product of Dave Duncan’s Kool-Aid in St. Louis as he struggled mightily before becoming a Card. Jon Garland is the type of high ERA/low strikeout guy already populating the roster and Ben Sheets is too risky at $10 million, even for just a year.  The fact is, Kelvim Escobar, signed early in the off season and returning from elbow surgery, is no more of a risk than any of these guys but with a much bigger upside.  Once Escobar was on board, Sheets was too expensive.  I’m as pessimistic about the Amazins’ staff as anyone, but can’t see the logic in paying up for guys likely to provide little, if any, improvement over those already in the fold.

“Got a Feeling 21 is Gonna Be A Good Year…”

Happy 21st Birthday to one of my all-time favorite athletes, Danny Mayrose.

Things went better than expected last week for the star of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers.  He may not have won any money, but he did manage to break even on this season’s first venture into the world of pro football.  Gil, having assured us he’d confer with his wife, Jill, returns this week to give his two cents on who we might be watching two weeks from now in Super Bowl XLIV.

New Orleans -3 1/2 over Minnesota- When you take away the obligatory three points usually granted a home team, this one looks too close to call.  Both teams dominated their first round opponents after stumbling through the month of December.  I’m going with New Orleans here because I’m buying into Reggie Bush.  His performance last week brought back memories of his Heisman days at USC and served to make Drew Brees and his receivers that much more dangerous.  Strangely, he could be the best runner in the game as Brett Favre’s “me first” attitude has neutralized Adrian Peterson over the last two months.  Who’d a thunk AP would go eight weeks without a 100 yard game?  Look for New Orleans to go up early and then feast on Favre as he starts slinging the ball to anyone on the field.

New York + 7 1/2 over Indianapolis- How can I jump off the Rex Ryan bandwagon now?  This oversized Pied Piper has convinced players and fans alike that his team belongs in the Super Bowl.  As with San Diego, Gang Green matches up with an offense that can’t run the ball effectively and will have to deal with the loss of its best receiver; courtesy of Darrelle Revis.  Unlike San Diego, however, the Jets will have difficulty getting their different defensive packages on the field because of the Colts’ no huddle offense.  Then there’s the small problem of stopping Peyton Manning.  I agree with the many that see this contest as a close one so, I expect Indy to come out on top.  I mean, really, who picks against Manning in a close game?  That said, I think 7 1/2 points is too wide a margin.

Enjoy the games.

Football Gods Still Smiling On New York Jets

Shonn Greene had just crossed the goal line at the end of a bruising fifty-one yard run that had given the Jets a stunning 17-7 lead over San Diego with seven minutes left in their Divisional Round playoff game on Sunday.  As Greene was being mobbed by his teammates and my sons and I were jumping all over the living room, the phone rang.  It was my dad, a well-meaning yet naive Giant fan, calling to congratulate us on a big win.  I picked up the phone, horrified, and said, “Are you crazy?  You can’t call me now.  Do you have any idea how much disaster the Jets can pack into seven minutes?”  And, sure enough, Rex Ryan immediately suffered his only brain cramp of the day; electing to squib the kickoff and hand the ball to the Chargers on the New York side of the field.  There wasn’t a fan over thirty that didn’t believe we were about to be treated to another Jet horror show.

It was then, however, that Gang Green entered the Bizarro World, one where the opponent melts down and the good guys triumph.  Instead of Mark Gastineau roughing the passer, it was Vincent Jackson kicking the challenge flag.  While he may have looked like Doug Brien, it was actually Nate Kaeding, the league’s best kicker, who doomed the Chargers with two missed field goals.  And, finally, Norv Turner’s tragic decision to on-side kick with two minutes remaining was right out of Joe Walton’s coaching manual.  As Jets fans, we’d seen each of these gaffes before but, always, they were committed by our side.  Had the football gods decided we’d finally had enough?  Maybe.  But it’s very possible that the smash mouth brand of football being played by the Jets is exactly the style that brings about such good fortune.  Whatever it is, you have to admit they rate somewhat more of a puncher’s chance against Peyton Manning and Co. this week.

There’s no arguing that, since a Week 15 loss to the Falcons, Lady Luck has been wearing green.  The ton of help necessary to make the playoffs was provided by a multitude of teams.  The first round matchup with the Bengals was the best they could’ve drawn, as was San Diego in the second round.  Their cause has been aided immensely by five missed field goals over the first two games and, much like their matchup with the Chargers, they’ll face a team in Indianapolis with an inferior running game.  Could it be that the stars have finally aligned in their favor?   I don’t know.  But, as long as they continue to dominate their opponent with the league’s best ground attack and the NFL‘s top defensive unit forces the Colts off their game plan, their Super Bowl trip to Miami will have nothing to do with luck.  Though, just in case, I’ll be wearing the same clothes I wore the last two weeks.

Wagstaff Eliminated From McGee Survivor League

It’s been two weeks since our beloved Professor was sent packing and he still hasn’t gotten over it.  The dreams he had of collecting the grand prize of Christmas booty have been dashed, by in-laws no less. The pain became worse when the elimination process spilled over to his birthday.  Then, the sweetest competitor left in the competition actually sought out some old classmates of the Prof and dished some more dirt.  It’s been quite a humbling experience.

The Staten Island Division has now been decimated while just one remains from the Holmdel and Long Island loops.  The Midwest Division is alive and well heading into the semi final round, each hoping to collect a Christmas gift from the rest of the league.  Good luck to all but, keep it down on the ferry, will ya, Jen?

Fantasy Football News and Notes

Thought it was very cool last week when Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew, after taking a knee on the one yard line in order to run down the clock in the fourth quarter, apologized to his Fantasy Football owners…RB Steve Slaton will be back in the Texans’ starting lineup on Monday night vs. Tennessee…Eagles RB Brian Westbrook will miss up to three weeks with his second concussion in a month.  If he has people that love him, however, he’ll sit the rest of the year…Denver QB Kyle Orton missed a lot of practice time with a sprained ankle and is doubtful for Sunday…Michael Turner, listed by the Falcons as doubtful for Sunday, probably won’t go…Washington RB Clinton Portis is still out with a concussion…Bengal RB Cedric Benson missed the entire week of practice with a hip injury and won’t play Sunday… A bum hip has Colts’ DE Dwight Freeney doubtful at Baltimore…Saints’ RB Reggie Bush is out with a knee injury…Troy Polamalu will not be in the Steelers’ secondary in Kansas City.

Fantasy Football Stars-

How often do the Texans get to show their stuff to a national audience?  That’ll happen Monday night and WR  Andre Johnson should take full advantage.  He and QB Matt Schaub are probably the deadliest passing duo in the league this side of Brady-Moss and not many know it.  Look for Johnson to make life miserable for the Tennessee defense.

Fantasy Football Stiffs -

Jets’ QB Mark Sanchez was the beneficiary of the team’s hot start and Tom Brady’s rust when Gang Green knocked off the Patriots in Week 2 at the Meadowlands.  That won’t happen today as a ticked off Patriots’ defense will be bringing schemes the rookie has never seen.  If you lose points for QB turnovers, you’ll want to sit Sanchez.

Fantasy Football Sleepers-

RB Larry Johnson was signed by the Bengals this week after a month of turmoil inn Kansas City caused by his insensitive remarks about gays cost him his job.  Desperate for a new start and working with fresh legs, he should pur up solid numbers as Cedric Benson’s replacement in Cincinnati.

Fantasy Football Slippers-

Broncos’ WR Brandon Marshall could see his numbers drop vs. San Diego if QB Kyle Orton can’t go.  Back-up QB Chris Simms does not have Orton’s arm and will likely work the underneath routes; costing Marshall and his owners valuable YDS and scoring opportunities.