Knicks in talks to acquire Kyle Lowry

2 words to the Knicks. DO IT. 

That's it, no question here. If you gotta move Shump and Felton, or Hardaway and Felton you do it. Hope it doesn't cost the Knicks a pick but at this point we'll be moving our 2020 picks so we'll worry about that when we cross that path. Lowry is averaging 14,6,3 and under 2 turn overs a game. This is really a no brainer for the Knicks organization, who specializes in doing things with no brains.

Breaking News: The Mets just got a whole lot.......FATTER

Watch out Atlanta! We're coming for you....in all the eating contests in America! The New York Mets just signed Bartolo Colon to a 2 year 20 million dollar deal.

No one will out eat us, no one will out weigh us, NO ONE WILL OUT FAT US! WE ARE HUNGRY TO EAT AND HUNGRY TO WIN!

In all seriousness, Colon had a stunning 2013 going 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA and 117 strikeouts. If he's anywhere close to that production, and doesn't eat himself whole one night when he's bored then we have got ourselves a nice stop gap (eh....pun intended) until Matt Harvey returns. And, even better, if we still have enough money for Stephen Drew and get Stephen Drew it will be a very successful off season and winter meetings!

Now let's go eat a damn snack!

Last 16 of the Uefa Champions League

With match day 6 officially being wrapped up today we have the final 16 teams vying for European soccer's biggest prize, the Uefa Champions League.

Group A winners are Manchester United (ENG) with Bayer Leverkusen (GER) coming in 2nd.
Group B winners are Real Madrid (SPA) with Galatasaray (TUR) coming in 2nd.
Group C winners are Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) with Olympiacos (GRE) coming in 2nd.
Group D winners are Bayern Munchen (GER) with Manchester City (ENG) coming in 2nd.
Group E winners are Chelsea (ENG) with Schalke 04 (GER) coming in 2nd.
Group F winners are Borussia Dortmund (GER) with Arsenal (ENG) coming in 2nd.
Group G winners are Athletico Madrid (SPA) with Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) coming in 2nd.
Group H winners are FC Barcelona (SPA) with AC Milan (ITA) coming in 2nd.

The draw for the round of 16 is coming up on Monday. The 1st place team in each group will be placed with a 2nd place team from another group and teams from the same group or same country cannot play each other in the round of 16. For example: Manchester United cannot play Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 nor can they play Arsenal or Manchester City. All of these rules go out of the window once the round of 16 is over.

It is sure to be an interesting draw for the round of 16, possibly some huge match ups to rival what we saw with Man Utd and Real Madrid last year as 2 of the top 3 teams in the EPL, Arsenal and Man City finished 2nd. This sets up possible power match ups for those 2 with Spanish Champion Barcelona, German and European champions Bayern Munchen (for Arsenal), French champions PSG, Spanish runner ups and semi finalists in last years Uefa Champions League Real Madrid, and German runner ups and finalists in last years Champions league Borussia Dortmund (for Man City).

Look for an official draw blog on Monday when everything is selected!

Starting 5 of 90's Fictional Kid Athletes

From being a 90s kid all I did growing up was watch sport movies and play Backyard sports video games. Clearly was the best way growing up and wondering now, If you had to make a starting 5 out of the best fictional athletes from the 90s, who would it be any why?

Pablo Sanchez-PG Pablo clearly the best athlete in Backyard Sports knows exactly what he needs to do to help his team win. Yea he is short but is quick, agile and just a freak athlete. As a PG, he will know when to shoot, dish it out and more importantly take over a game if needed.

Air Bud- SG Pure Natural scorer. Didn’t matter where on the court he was, Air Bud was capable of out running the defense and finish. Only way people stopped him was by tackling him. Clearly an awesome shooter and not a ball hog at all.

Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez- SF May be the best athlete of the crew and that’s why he is your Small Forward. Benny is the next Lebron with his size, quickness, agility, and skills. He knows how to make his team better while also improving himself. No doubt would be the Captain of this team and will help lead them to greatness.  Also, only athlete on this team that we actually know went on to become a Professional.

Becky “Ice Box” O’Shea- PF Even though Ice Box wanted to actually act like a girl in the first half against the Cowboys, she wants to be one of the guys. She isn’t afraid to throw her body around and hit someone if needed which is why she would be a perfect post player. Willing to box out, set screens, then come off of the pick and score.

Greg Goldberg- People may say I want Goldberg because he is fat as a Center but he is the ultimate defenseman. Starting out as a goalie and moving to defense in D3, he knows how to protect his net and not let anyone near it. He will be willing to hit some people down low and throw his weight around like he does in D3 against Varsity. Will be able to protect his basket and score every once in a while.

Coach: Gordon Bombay- Mighty Ducks has always been my favorite movie so it only makes sense to make the Coach the one who had a team of nobody’s and turned them into Champions.

Honorable Mentions: The Italians( Kicking and Screaming), Adam Banks (Mighty Ducks), Bash Brothers (Mighty Ducks), Keisha Phillips (Backyard Sports), Kenny Leak (Bad News Bears), Coach Weston (Kicking and Screaming)

Star of the Victoria Fashion Show

Tonight many people watched the Victoria Secret Fashion show and went straight to Facebook or Twitter to give their input on it. From girls saying why can't I be as skinny as them or guys saying they are so hot, everyone flocked to social media myself included. However my posts were not about one of the models, they were about my future wife, Taylor Swift or also to be known as Taylor Kasman. Yea I may be biased a little bit since she is my future wife and all but how could I not. She looked amazing, sang amazing and was able to keep up with some of the hottest girls in the world. Not only was she extraordinary on the runway with the models and angels, she was even asked to be in the picture with all the models at the end. In addition, some of the models lip sang one of Taylor's songs as a viral video. What is their not to love about her? 

Sorry about my bias but you all know it is true, Sorry I have not blogged in a long time but will get back into and here is the star herself. Enjoy.

The Knicks and Rangers - a 1 billion dollar disaster

Obviously it's not Madison Square Garden's fault that the teams inside it are a disaster. But the fact remains that high school level teams would pose a real tough competition for the Knicks and Rangers at the moment. The Knicks fell again tonight 109-94 to the Cavs and the Rangers lost 4-1 to the Predators. Just when things looked like they were turning around for both team (Knicks 2 game winning streak, Rangers a win and a 2-0 lead over the Devils) things have fallen squarely back to earth and both look terrible again. Good thing it's still early in the season!

But seriously, between the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Nets, Jets, and Giants right now New York Sports are about as bad as I can ever remember.

Carlos Beltran signs with the Yankees

All I can say about it is at least he is off of the Cardinals. It becomes so much easier to root for him to win a World Series now that it is almost ridiculous. As far as whether he will or not is still left to be determined by him staying healthy and the Yankees making their team better. But for now he's no longer a Cardinal, and let's face it, seeing him on that team was just sad. It's like having your wife leave you for a dude that kicked your ass then offering to live in their house and clean it, and do the dishes, and cook dinner.... it's just wrong!

The Mets officially sign Curtis Granderson

Yes, it's true, he can................................................

And now he will for the Mets for the next 4 years!

It's a big signing for the Mets who basically now have 2 major leaguers on their team with Matt Harvey missing a year. It's a small step in the right direction, and one that might really mean nothing if the Mets continue to act as cheap and stingy as they have so far but it's something. And, wouldn't you know it, they're using to sell tickets. Again, stingy and cheap.

If you're not a Mets fan and you got insulted by what Granderson said at his Mets press conference today you should know he 100% doesn't believe what he said. He's pandering to his new fans, as he should, because he will be playing in front of about 8,000 of them 81 times a year over the next 4 years. But with any luck we will get 4 good years out of the Grandyman and he will stay healthy and produce and help build this team and help make it better. But, on the off chance he doesn't, at least it cannot possibly be any more pathetic to watch the Mets play.

What the Mets Must Change to Succeed

Mets’ fans can certainly be forgiven for thinking the team’s owners and management don’t really care one way or another about success. Coming off another disappointing season in 2013, where they ended up 22 games out of first in the NL East and were out of contention by the end of April, it’s amazing that anyone even showed up to the ballpark.

The Mets inflicted pain in fans’ wallets and on their eyes. Ticket prices were high, and when wannabe attendees factored in the costs of parking and food, they cringed. It’s hard enough to scrounge up the dough for first-class entertainment, so why waste hard-earned money on a second-class team? Stay-at-home fans weren’t talking about sparkling defense and pitcher-pounding offense. They were instead talking about ownership obsessed with mindless money ball and a GM who says “prospect” so often you’d think the Mets had one.

If—and that’s a very strong if— the Mets can turn this team around and become contenders, they should start by flipping young talent like Noah Syndergaard, Wilmer Flores, Juan Lagares, and maybe even Travis d’Arnaud for proven players like Matt Kemp, Giancarlo Stanton, or Carlos Gonzalez. Then they should make a big splash in the free-agent pool by luring Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano, Chase Utley, Carlos Beltran, Shin Soo-Choo, or Brian McCann to Flushing. A veteran first baseman like James Loney will fill hole, and then the pitching leaks can be plugged up with arms attached to hurlers like Chris Capuano, Chris Carpenter, Tim Hudson, A.J. Burnett, Erving Santana, Matt Garza, Dan Haren, and Josh Johnson. Note that when I say “veteran,” I don’t mean players born before 1973!

Shoring up the team with at least six new position players, some solid veteran arms, and a non-volatile bullpen will have an immediate benefit. The moves will show disenchanted Mets’ fans that they’ll have something more to cheer about than designer tacos if they show up at the stadium. 

Is there a such thing as too much football?

If you're like me you love football, are in a committed relationship with your Red Zone, have multiple fantasy teams, and put a small amount of money (really, just $20) on a pick-em league just so you can bitch about everyone else's team just as much as your own.

Yes, football is the only time of the week I'm not severely depressed about being an unemployed recent college graduate but it also leads a lot of yelling at the TV, some cheerful, some sad, some neutral (it's just fun to yell at the TV sometimes) but is this all taking the fun out football?

Each week I take a bunch of guys who are insanely gifted athletes and slot them into different positions on a fantasy team and each week one ends up disappointing me because he didn't see the ball enough. Sometimes his team wins, sometimes they don't but that player still gets harassed on Twitter (not by me though). So it begs the question, is all of this worth it? If like the old days (and by old days I mean like 3 years ago before Red Zone and possibly about 10 years ago before I was aware of fantasy sports) you would watch your team at 1 or 4, possibly get a game on the other channel at the other time, and get Sunday and Monday night football was that more enjoyable? There was no being upset because Texans are no longer trustworthy as a pick, or anger because the Colts spent a first round pick on a great young RB and are playing Donald freaking Jones instead. There was just your love for your team and getting to enjoy some great national games.

These types of leagues also force you to root for guys you wouldn't normally like to root for. For instance as a Jets fan I might have Tom Brady on a fantasy team (though I really try hard not to) and enjoy his fantasy output but still get mad when the Patriots win. And some folks might even root for a guy on their fantasy team to do well against their own team (I'm not one of those people but they exist) and it's becoming a giant hypocritical vortex in a way... who can I root for and still feel good about myself and who do I need to root for because I refuse to lose?

It now also gives meaning to those games you never thought you would care about before.. "what's going on in that 1 o clock Jags Titans game" is now something that people utter, even in Jacksonville and Tennessee whereas if this was 10-15 years ago people might not even realize it ever happened.

And really, at the end only one person is left at the top of the fantasy football summit, they're the only winner, the rest are just sorry losers who wasted their whole fall/winter obsessing over something that left them alone and cold, high and dry, and with an empty feeling for another 7 months.

But to answer the question, is it worth it? Is all this losing, and frustration and anger about super teams being formed, and stars not living up to their expectations, and rooting for a bunch of assh*les really worth using up your entire Sunday over?! Well...probably not but it's better then dwelling on your own thoughts and the 8 straight hours of commercial free football is just so wonderful with it's quad boxes and octoboxes that really at the end of the day we will always be moths drawn to the light of the NFL and the fantasy leagues and the pick-em leagues because we just can't stop ourselves from it because, just like real football, when you finally win that fantasy league and all your hard work paid off as the head coach of some poorly named fantasy team you can call yourself a champion, and only a few select people in this world can ever call themselves a champion

You're Welcome, Mexico!

Tonight the United States Men's National Soccer Team beat Panama 3-2 in Panama to keep Mexico's hopes of reaching the World Cup Final alive. Yes it ruined Panama's dreams, but quite frankly if you couldn't beat the American B team with a 1 goal lead in stoppage time you didn't deserve to go anyway Panama. Mexico, like all good football teams that wear green, limped into this playoff through the backdoor and sparked by this will probably find a way to defeat New Zealand (which blogger doesn't think is a real word apparently?); and though I can't personally say I will be rooting for them (because I won't be) I can say that you're welcome, Mexico, but now you owe us!

In exchange for keeping you in the World Cup hunt Mexico now must allow for "Taco Tuesday" to be every single day of the week. That's right, Monday is now "Taco Tuesday", Wednesday, nope, not "hump day" but "Taco Tuesday" and on and on. Next, we would like a lifetime supply of Sombrero's shipped to America and the ability to co-use the word "siesta" as well as take them regularly during work days. Lastly we would like to ask you to stop naming your sports teams racist things like "Redskins" because it's really offending the natives who allowed for this country to have a soccer team in the first place.

Let's also not forget the type of financial impact missing the World Cup would have on a country like Mexico. According to Leon Krauze, a writer for Bloomberg  “If it doesn't [Mexico] make it to the World Cup, everything related to it will devaluate. Losses could be upwards of $600 million.” 

This type of financial loss would have been (and still could be) detrimental to Mexico and really drag down on them for years to come. It's almost amazing how a sports can carry a country so mightily...

But not to rain on their parade, go enjoy your playoff with New Zealand (still not a word according to Blogger), you deserve it!

P.S. check this video out -

Really cool stuff, they really are grateful and you can't knock that.

America can just sit back relax and tell this Mexico for a while now "Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day, consider this justice a gift on my daughter's wedding day."

Minus the whole daughters wedding day thing...but you know, you get what I mean.

Point, Counterpoint: Responding to the Redskins Name Controversy

So I've been trying to avoid this argument all together, but as it drags on I just can't anymore. The reason why I decided to write this post is anger. It's literally pissing me off. As I read Sam's awesome article (check it out if you haven't yet) about the quasi-rant that famous Commackian Bob Costas went on during the halftime show for the Sunday night Redskins-Cowboys tilt, and the hyperbolic, over-dramatized comments that followed from anonymous internet posters, I could actually feel anger building inside me. Not anger directed towards Sam, who was simply pointing out how awful people are, based on their ridiculous comments, while not picking a side in the debate. It wasn't even anger towards those insane commenters. I felt myself getting angry at this debate itself. Why, you ask? Well I'll make it clear for you:

It is 100%, completely and totally POINTLESS, USELESS and UNNECESSARY!

Look, full disclosure, I'm a die hard Washington Redskins fan. Could that make me biased? Sure. Do I want the team name to change? Absolutely not. But that's not what I'm getting at. What I'm getting at, is that it's a moot point, and a useless debate. A survey conducted by the National Annenberg Election Survey in 2004 revealed that 90%, yes NINETY PERCENT of Native Americans did not find the term "Redskins" offensive. And, in fact, their are many Native American schools that use "Redskins" for the name of their teams. So clearly, this group that should be so terribly offended, according to those arguing against the name, doesn't actually seem to have any issue with it.

So why are we debating? If you ask me, I believe it's because people always need to have something to bitch about. Americans always need to be able to whine and complain in order to draw attention. That's why you see stuck up, self-loving individuals (see: Costas, Bob), corrupt BS artists who are only looking for some extra support by focusing on a meaningless debate rather than the endless pile of alarmingly scary issues facing this country (see: Politicians) and potentially insane "street protesters" arguing about a football team name all day, every day. 

The name is not changing. Dan Snyder has said it countless times. 

"We'll never change the name. It's simple. NEVER -- you can use caps."

No matter what Bob Costas, or that random politician ignoring his actual duties, or that crazy guy breaking into the Redskins owners meetings hurling flyers demanding a name change say, the NFL franchise located in Washington is, and will continue to be, the Washington Redskins. So please, PLEASE for everyone's sake, can you protesters please move on. Don't worry, I'm sure soon enough there will be some new, trendy, pointless debate for you to toss your unqualified opinion into, and then I can write this blog again!

NFL roundup for week 6

What did we learn in week 6 of the NFL? Well first of all, all of us at 5G 1B send our condolences and prayers to Adrian Peterson and his family. I'm not sure how he managed to stay on that field on Sunday, but G-D bless him.

Getting back to the sport it's getting more and more obvious each week that other than baseball it's the most painfully slow sport on the planet and we love it, and the cliches of any given Sunday almost proved to be true!

The Jags, Titans, Raiders, and Bills all had great chances to send shockwaves through the league but all came up short (however Jacksonville did cover so that absolutely counts for something in betting cirlces!). The Jags went into the half down 14-12 and it could have been 14-14 sans a missed 2 point conversion. The Broncos didn't look all that great and yet still finished them off 35-19. The Titans gave the Seahawks a real run for their money up in Seattle which is one of the toughest places to play but just came up short, the Raiders kept it close for a little while in KC but didn't have enough in the end and the Bills backup QB Thad Lewis through a touchdown with only seconds remaining to send the game to OT but the Bengals found a way to get the win in OT.

The remaining unbeaten's in the NFL after week 6 are only AFC West division rivals Kansas City and Denver. New Orleans fell from those ranks thanks to a last second touchdown from Tom Brady in New England.

The remaining teams without a win in the NFL after week 6 are Jacksonville, the New York Football Giants, and Tampa Bay.

This weeks biggest surprise and biggest letdown both came from the Monday night game for me. I was very disappointed in the Colts after beating both Seattle and San Fran (at Candlestick) and going up against a team in San Diego missing 2 veterans on the defensive line it looked like it would be a high scoring game and one that Indy should have had and the fact that they put up nothing more than 3 field goals and still choose to ignore Trent Richardson is deeply disappointing. But on the flip side well done to the San Diego defense who has basically been being carried by Rivers all season long and they got a well deserved victory to back him up on Monday Night.

Week 7 games to look out for - Cowboys vs. Eagles in Philly in the battle for first place in the weak NFC East. Patriots vs. Jets, Jets trying to climb out of a 2 game hole in AFC East. And finally Broncos vs. Colts. The return of Peyton Manning to Indianapolis. Need I say more?

What is wrong with people?

So if you haven't seen it yet, Bob Costas spent his half time speech during the Cowboys - Redskins games telling everyone why he believes the Redskins is a slur and the name should be changed. I'm not writing this blog to agree or disagree with Bob Costas on the matter but to wonder what the hell is wrong with the people who do disagree with him.

http://deadspin.com/bob-costas-says-redskins-is-an-insult-a-slur-1444781733?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow This is the link to the story if you wish to read up on it yourself, but some of the comments people have been writing are really really ugly. Here's an example of a few to show you what runs through the minds of some really messed up people: "Hear that? That's the thunder of scared white people stampeding over themselves to trash "political correctness" because they feel threatened by the fact that they're losing more and more avenues by which to marginalize minorities" 
"How about americans stop being pussies over everything and find real shit to fight over, like the economy."

" Funny how Costas didn't mention the fact we celebrate Columbus today who killed and enslaved millions of Native Americans...but that's not offensive right??"

"Hearing some jackwagon's political views are the best part of watching football! Maybe we could get Costas and Olbermann to take on a tag team duo of George Clooney and Tim Robbins in some sort of athletic circle jerk!"

" Most of the people upset with the name are white liberals. Which proves my point that if there is one thing white people love to do, it's to be offended on behalf of a minority that doesn't really care."

But my very personal favorite is this one.... "Get over yourself,its not meant in hate!!go pick on the "white"house!same dumb made up crap.what about"dime"ooh,I'm not worth a dime,so now I find that word hateful.the word costas,now causes me trauma."

This person is absolutely right. The "white house" is racist. That house doesn't deserve to be called out based on the color of its skin. WHAT IS WRONG WITH WASHINGTON?! 

But seriously, I'd just like to apologize for the sake of all man kind.... There are some really big idiots in this world.

                                                                       *** UPDATE ***

Bob Costas is also kind of an assh*le so if you do read that blog and see people ripping on Costas, don't be offended on his part. It takes a lot for someone to make Costas look sympathetic, which he does in this case, but the guy pretends to be from St. Louis, so don't give him too much credit. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year! NHL Previews and Predictions

Few seasons bring as much excitement as the fall. Leaves are changing, pumpkin spice lattes blah blah blah. That's a load of crap. What really brings excitement? The start of the coolest game on earth (throwback!): NHL hockey! Coming off of last years frustrating lockout and subsequent 48-game shortened season (which seemed to fly by in no time), hockey fans are more then ready for a full, 82 game campaign, offering much more stick and puck to enjoy. So without further adieu, I offer you the 5G1B NHL season guide. We'll discuss rule changes, introduce the new divisions after realignment, and make some predictions for the coming year.

Rule changes

There are quite a few rule changes, so let's delve into some of the more important ones:

1: Smaller Leg Pads for Goalies

In an effort to increase scoring (again), the NHL has decided to shrink goalie's leg pads by a few inches (exact amount depends on goalies height). This is seemingly a small and ineffective change, but a total of 26 goals in last night's first 3 games of the season might suggest otherwise.

2: Hybrid Icing

This one is a little tricky to explain, but essentially icing will now be more of a judgement call. Players will race down to touch up or negate an icing, however, the ref will deem whether to call an icing or negate it based upon which player crosses an imaginary line extending across the face-off dots in that zone. It will essentially be a race to the dots with a linesmans judgement call, rather than a race to the end boards. From a safety standpoint this is a very smart idea, as it will give players much more space to stop or brace themselves and will surely dwindle the large number of awful injuries that have occurred as players tangle up and smash into the end boards while trying to touch up or negate an icing (see: Joni Pitkanen). However, there is some grey area as to how well this rule can and will be called by officials, so for now, the jury is out.

3: Smaller Nets (depth-wise)

Again, in an effort to increase scoring (see a pattern here?) the NHL has altered the size if the nets, by esentially removing the wide extended area on the side of the nets, and bringing the back of the net in. This will provide more space behind the net for players to maneuver and make passes. Here's a picture showing the difference:

4: No Fighting

Okay, that's not literally the rule, but it's certainly what the NHL is trying to accomplish. There is a new rule that states that if you take your helmet off during a fight, you get an extra 2-minute penalty. Understandable, considering the dangers of head injuries should a helmet-less head hit the ice. However, the mandatory use of visors is also being grandfathered in to the NHL. So as more and more players are forced into using visors, fighters will either have to 

a) accept their extra 2-minute pentacle for removing their helmet,

b) punch a visor and probably injure their hand, or 

c) just not fight.

Pretty crappy situation for a fan of fighting in the game of hockey.

Realignment

The NHL took the hard way yet again in attempting to realign the league (mainly to get Winnipeg out of the Southeast division). Would simply switching Winnipeg into the Central division and either Columbus, Detroit or even Nashville into the Southeast division have made sense? Sure! Would the NHL ever do something so logical and simple? No friggin way! So here's the new setup for this year:

Division A is called the "Pacific Division"

Division B is the "Central Division"

Division C is the "Atlantic Division"

Division D is the "Metropolitan Divison"

PREDICTION TIME!

We've all made our predictions on which teams will make the playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals matchup and winner, Hart, Vezina, Norris and Calder Trophy recipients, and one BOLD prediction. So here it goes:

* = conference winner 

Brandon:

East

Metro: Pitt*, NYR, Wash

Atlantic: Bos, Ott, Mtl

Wild Card: Det, Cbj

West

Central: Chi*, Stl, Dal

Pacific: LA, Edm, Phx

Wild Card: SJ, Ana

Cup finals: Blues over Penguins

Hart: Jonathan Towes

Norris: Erik Karlsson

Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist

Calder: Valeri Nichushkin

BOLD Prediction: Taylor Hall finishes top 7 in the league in scoring and the Oilers finish top 3 in the Pacific Division.

Dave "Davy Glide" 

East

Metro: Pitt*, NYR, Wash

Atlantic: Bos, Det, Ott

Wild Card: NYI, Tor

West

Central: Chi*, Minn, Stl

Pacific: SJ, Van, LA

Wild Card: Wpg, Ana

Cup finals: Sharks over Penguins

Hart: John Tavares

Norris: Keith Yandle

Vezina: Craig Anderson 

Calder: Aleksander Barkov

BOLD Prediction: Islanders make the playoffs and win a series.

Sam "Sammer"

East

Metro: Pitt*, NYR, NYI

Atlantic: Det, Bos, Ott

Wild Card: Mtl, Cbj

West

Central: Chi*, Nsh, Stl

Pacific: Ana, Van, SJ

Wild Card: Minn, Phx

Cup finals: Rangers over Wild

Hart: Sidney Crosby

Norris: Shea Webber

Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist

Calder: Seth Jones

BOLD Prediction: Capitals miss the playoffs.

Jonathan

East

Metro: Pitt*, NYR, Wash

Atlantic: Bos, Det, Mtl

Wild Card: Ott, Tor

West

Central: Chi, Nsh, Stl

Pacific: LA*, Ana, Van

Wild Card: SJ, Edm

Cup finals: Red Wings over Blackhawks

Hart: Evgeni Malkin

Norris: Ryan McDonagh

Vezina: Henrik Lundqvist

Calder: Seth Jones

BOLD Prediction: Islanders finish last in the East.

So that's it, you're now set for the NHL season. Happy hockey!!!!

(Editors Note: Davy Glide also thinks Lindsay: James Neal, Masterson: George Parros, Selke: Ryan Callahan, Jennings: Craig Anderson, King Clancy: Jack Johnson, Rocket Richard: John Tavaras, General Manager: Jim Nill, and the most important Steven Mcdonald extra effort: Dab Girardi.)

Congrats to the Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays defeated the Texas Rangers tonight in game 163 for the right to play game 164 for a chance to officially win the Wild Card in Cleveland Thursday night.... but more importantly is the fact that the Rays have a guy who wears a Chewbacca mask after they win...Congrats on your win again Tampa Bay but if that thing isn't move quality THEN IT IS NOT OKAY!

Mets off-season player moves

Who I want the Mets to get - Andre Either, Jacoby Ellsbury, Giancarlo Stanton, Shin Soo Choo (or whatever), Jose Reyes, the Abreu guy, Robinson Cano, Tim Lincecum, Brian McCan, Josh Johnson, and a solid amount of bullpen guys.

Who the Mets will get - No one.

"Things just ain't looking bright. You have to find a bright spot. There ain't no light at the end of the tunnel, though, it looks like." - Cliff Floyd 


Sure there is Cliff, it's the light of a giant oncoming  train of losing seasons coming toward us!

I'd love to do a full season wrap up of the Mets and look for positives but let's be realistic, when your best player needs tommy john surgery and you have the worst medical staff in baseball, when your owner refuses to retire the best player in the history of the organizations number so that he can make more money on another ceremony, when the owner says they won't make the World Series, when for the majority of the season their highest home run hitter was at 10, and when they have never had a winning season at Citi Field what is there to say? They stunk this season and it wasn't pretty to watch.

Maybe next year..

I miss fat Rex Ryan

Sure, Rex Ryan is probably at a healthier weight now that he slimmed down over the last couple years... but the Jets have gotten predominantly worse the skinnier he's gotten! As if somehow Rex's fatness was directly proportionate to the Jets winning, and if that's the case Kansas City has a certified winner on their hands.

But in all seriousness, when Rex first got to New York he was this big boisterous, confident, brilliant football mind who finally got his chance to be a head coach and was gonna take it to the rest of the league for passing over him. He was talking Super Bowl Parade routes, he was talking of a #1 rated defense, and he brought something to the Jets they've really never had in their whole existence, baring one year, 1969, when they actually won the Super Bowl, and that's confidence!

The Jets were not gonna let anyone push them around, no one was gonna come to the Meadowlands and beat them and they were going to go on the road and be unafraid of the challenge. Plus, Rex wasn't going to "kiss Belichecks rings" and that was no better shown than when the Jets beat the Patriots in only his second game.

The Jets were unafraid, they were confident on offense, defense, and special teams, and despite the fact that they somehow snuck into the playoffs in 2009 they stuck to Rex's guns and it worked. They beat Cinci and San Diego on the road and gave Indy all they could despite injuries on both sides of the ball. But it was a great start and had Rex's confidence through the roof and so went the confidence of the team and that of the fans.

In the off-season the Jets added a Super Bowl MVP winning wide receiver to their offensive arsenal, they added a tough, smart defensive super star in Jason Taylor and Rex was back to his Super Bowl parade route ways and it was AWESOME! The Jets weren't afraid, they were the best team in the NFL that season and there was no question.They added one of the best running backs of the past 10 years who was having a resurgence in his career and they were running the ball down teams throats, daring them to stack the box and when they did Sanchez hooked up with Holmes, Edwards, Keller, Smith, Cotchery, LT, Greene, and on the defensive side we DARED teams to throw the ball, they couldn't, the Jets stacked the box and blitzed like crazy, and had 2 of the best cover corners in the league.

The 2010 Jets were unlike any other Jets team before in that they were able to go to places that haunted them previously and win. A late season game in the snow in Pittsburgh usually spelled disaster but they were able to get a win there after 2 straight bad games including being blown out in New England, they went on the road in the Wild Card playoff round and didn't just beat the Colts, but shut down Peyton Manning the very same guy who tormented them in the AFC Championship game the year before, then they went on the road to New England where they had just previously lost a month earlier by almost 40 points and battered Tom Brady and really had their way all day with the Pats. And even though the season didn't end the way it should have they were truly willing to go toe to toe (no joke intended) with anyone and everyone led by their fearless fat leader.

2 straight AFC Championship games, 4 road playoff wins in 2 years, and an 11-5 record (one of the best in Jets history) was nothing to shake a stick at, this team truly was going in the right direction, things seemed good, however...

The Jets dismantled their entire team before the 2011 season and the rest is history. They brought in a guy who shot HIMSELF in the leg . Rex started losing weight, then Holmes threw the ball at a 49er corner, Sanchez butt fumbled and it all went to sh*t. Now Rex is skinny and Geno Smith is trying to put the ball behind his back while Bilal Powell runs around doing nothing and they have the receiving core of a low end high school (commack).

The days of Rex cursing freely and saying things like "lets go get a damn snack!" are over and replaced with visions of another 6-10 season and Woody Johnson wiping his ass with his "Romney Ryan" bumper sticker and wads of hundred dollar bills. The confidence is gone, the ground and pound is gone, the good defense is gone, and all that's left is a skinny reminder of what once was, what could have been and what will never be.