The New Shea

On Saturday, I attended the first day game at the new Shea Stadium, and it was fantastic. A little disturbing to Mets fans, the park reminded me a lot of Philly; it sort of has a square complexion, and there was no enthusiasm. I know its early in the season and there wasn't a lot of scoring, but with two strikes and two outs and a runner on base, no one was standing up and cheering. This made me very upset because the old Shea Stadium was loud and had an up-in-your-face kind of attitude. This park is not like that, it was filled with people that were just out for a nice Saturday, not for a baseball game.

Travis Zajac!

The New Jersey Devils have just won Game 3 of their first round matchup in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes. Travis Zajac got to shoot off of two rebounds off of Cam Ward and buried the second shot into the back of the net. This goal ended the Devils' overtime woes against the Canes who previously dominated Jersey 5-0 in playoff games in overtime. Now the Devils head into Game 4 with momentum and incentive. If they can salvage a win on Tuesday, then they can head walk into The Rock on Thursday skating to win the first round at home. This was a major win for the New Jersey Devils.

NO ONE LIKES THE NEW METS UNIFORMS!

Yesterday was the home-opener for the New York Mets, which was also the Citi Field opener. I mention this every year around this time and probably another couple of times throughout the season. The Mets need to wear their home uniforms most of the time, especially on Opening Day. In most situations, uniforms aren't really an integral part of the team, but the Mets are a team because of their uniforms. They are Dodger blue, Giant orange, and Yankee pinstripes. That is who they are. They have gotten rid of the pinstripes and reduced the blue and orange on the hat. The Mets should only wear their home hats, even on the road, the classic blue hat with the orange NY symbol. And at home, they should only wear their pinstripe jerseys, and the black ones on occasion. The Mets should get rid of their plain white jerseys and black hats with the blue brim. No one likes them; they are a disgrace to the Mets franchise. Whom do I have to call, or whom do I have to contact to get this changed so that my favorite team can look like the real Mets? Someone pleeeeeaaaaaaassssssssseeeeeee tell me because they look ridiculous.

Cmon Mike!

In the first game at Citi Field, the New York Mets could not impress their fans or give a promising prediction for the rest of the season. The Mets lost to the actually quite decent Padres 6-5 in the home opener. After the fans were still off their high seeing Tom Terrific throw the first pitch to Mike Piazza, the iconic Met, and the first pitch a strike, Pelfrey gave up a leadoff homerun to Jody Gerut (That is a girl's name). Come on Mike! You can not do that to Mets fans. We have been waiting a long time for a new beginning and that was not the way to start it. Oli, you better be throwing smoke tomorrow because we need to see some improvement from our pitching staff, except Johan. He has been pitching like a champ.

An Angel in the Sky

Angel Cabrera is the first hispanic player to win the Masters Championship. It appeared that Kenny Perry would pull away, but in the final holes and after a crucial putt, he fell apart, letting Cabrera and Chad Campbell back into the game. It went into two playoff holes, and after a great tee shot from Perry, he hooked his next shot, putting him out of position to be the oldest player to win the Masters. But Angel Cabrera capitalized on his pairing partner's mistakes and radiated his resilience. Today is a victory for hispanic golf, and the golf world can consider Cabrera as the best hispanic golfer to ever play on the Tour.

I'm with you Mushnick

Last night, number one seed overall Boston University beat Miami Ohio in overtime to win the NCAA National Hockey Championship. I was not privileged enough to watch the game and I am very upset because it was one of the best games in all of sports since this past Superbowl. BU was down two goals with a minute left. Most hockey fan will tell you that the Terriers did not have a chance, but somehow some way, Zach Cohen scored with a little less than minute to go, and Nick Bonino equalized with 18 seconds left, electrifying anyone who was watching the game. Miami was not able to score with the time remaining in regulation and the game went into overtime. Then in the 12th minute, Colby Cohen entered ranks with Jason Arnott as he fired one off of a Miami defender that floated over the ice, eluded netminder Cody Reichard and made everyone who was watching jump out of their chairs sobbing either way, winners or losers. Sportscenter found a way to ruin it. After honoring the top-story respectfully, the newscasters told me that the game was uninteresting and not very dazzling. In its iconic top-ten of the week, the sports show excluded the equalizing one-timer and ranked the game-winner eighth. Oh but there must have been some unbelievable plays ahead of it, right? Some of which included 7th: an inside the park homerun, a great play, but very insignificant as it was in the first 5 baseball games of the season. 6: A fan caught a homerun ball with one hand. That will happen about 100 more times this year. 5: An around the back shootout goal. Sweet dude, the 50th one this year. 4: A diving catch by Alex Gonzalez, one of many more. 3: A high school volleyball play, save it for Home videos caught on tape. Then 2: Another diving catch which will top every top-ten until November. And the stellar number one play of the week, a middle school full court shot that didn't count. All of these topping two of the best, timely, and stunning goals of the hockey season. No play even in the last month or two could be ranked equal or better than the two goals that not only won BU the national championship, but immortalized the hockey team in this decade. Oh and by the way, with the win, head coach Jack Parker is now the all-time most winningest college coach, sitting atop a national championship. Get it right ESPN. Congrats Jack.

Did you Expect Anything Else

Tiger Woods is 5 shots behind the leader Chad Campbell after one round of the Masters. If anyone really expected anything else after an injury, they are crazy. I know Tiger really turns it on in the later rounds, but I don't think that he will be able to turn it on after such a respite for the very special golfer. His knee just won't allow him to complete such a feat. The fact that over 60 percent of the world thinks that he can and will win this tournment is bonkers. He is human if you did not know that. Hey but who knows, he's surprised us with greater odds before.

It is April 9th, not September 15th

Okay, everyone has played at least two games in the seaon. Everyone has seen their number one and two pitchers, has seen what they bring to the table this year. But as always, the Yankee fans need to shut their mouths. Every Yankee fan I know is whining and groaning how C.C. and Wang "sucked" and how $100 million is going right down the drain. Guuuuuyyyys! It is the fifth official day of Major League Baseball. No one can make any assessments on any team or any player until late May or early June. Don't complain how your team is 0-2 or 1-2, this is not football, there are another 160 games left in the season. When the season starts winding down in late July and August, then you can start complaining, or bragging, unless your favorite team is the Mets.

Not Again ya freakin Mets

If you are a Met fan, and have not yet suffered a heart attack, God bless you. If you just watched the game that ended a couple of minutes ago, it probably had you saying, "No, no, no!" It's deja vu all over again for the Amazins. Frankie Rodriguez was solid on Opening Day, but the whole reason that Omar Minaya signed him was to avoid situations like that. Understandbly, that is going to happen maybe a couple of times a year, but when it is on the second game of the season, it has Mets fans far and wide fearing for their lives. Okay, half of that situation was Carlos Delgado's fault for not staying on the bag for another millisecond, but if K-Rod thinks he can throw a breaking ball on 2-1 with the bases loaded, he is out of his mind. He has no idea what this team has been trough, and Danny Warthen better give him a stern talking to tommorrow to make sure he slams the door consistently for the blue and orange. If he doesn't, all I can say is, "Is Armando signed by anyone?"

Boooooring!

Both college basketball tournaments this year were the most exciting tournaments that fans have seen in a long time. Arizona, a 12 seed got all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, number one seed Tennessee Lady Vols were upset by 16 seed Ball State, seven teams from the Big East made the mens tournament, and Oklahoma superstars put their scholarships on the line. Even Sister Wendy could not make these tournaments seem uninteresting. But the womens final last night concluded the most boring set of final games. Undefeated UConn beat Louisville by 22 and the night before, Tyler Hansbrough and his Tarheels pounded on the home team Michigan State, tacking on nearly 90 points and winning by 17. Plus, everyone was rooting for the Spartans and the city of Detroit. North Carolina's beatdown told everyone in Michigan that you better book your tickets for the Red Wings. UConn's thrashing victory gave the people in New England their "perfect season". But what are you gonna do? I could not ask for more than the nail biting excitement that went down this year. I had to watch each game standing up.

Damned Yankees

I went to school today like most Mets fans, ecstatic and enthusiastic. I left baseball practice and came into an empty house and saw the papers on the table and picked up the New York Post see Johan Santana or Danny Murphy dwarfing the Yankees headlines on the back page. What I found instead horrified me. Alright horrified is a bit extreme even for me, but it still upset me. Even though the Mets won their Opening Day game, and the Yankees lost, the Post still put C.C. Sabathia on the cover. Okay sure, I know Yankee fans are more than upset that such an investment as C.C. got rocked in his first game as a Yankee, but give me a break. The Mets got a save for goodness sake; something that became a bit of an issue last year. Put Frankie Rodriguez on the cover with something like, "Finally", or "Save Some for Later". Whoever is in charge of back page headlines, take your Yankee jersey off and get a little respect for the boys from Flushing.

Opening Day Baby Whoooooo!

Take it in baby, take it all in. Yesterday was Opening Day and the beginning of the rest of summer. This is the part of the year that matters, the half of the year where baseball hermits come out of their shells and come out to the ballpark. Where fathers and sons converge on the front lawn to have a catch, where little leaguers put on their uniforms six hours early, just because they like the look, where wooden bats echo through our ears. Even as a Met fan, I had to watch my two least favorite teams play on Opening Night, and I loved it. I could have turned the picture off and just listened to Jon Miller's voice announcing the game, the iconic voice of baseball. When I got home from school yesterday, I immediately turned on the Met game. It might not have been the best baseball weather, but I could still smell the Cincinatti grass and could taste the hot dogs being sold. A 2-1 victory for the Mets was pine tar on my cap; it was a game that they would not have won last year. Johan Santana got into trouble in the sixth, and they took him out, understandbly. But just going through the motions was excitement enough for me. My eyes were glued, and they will be glued for the rest of the season..... Baaaaatter Up!

Let's Go L'ville

Girls basketball is usually overlooked; there was nobody at the Oklahoma game yesterday, which really demoralizes women's basketball, and it shouldn't. The Louisville Oklahoma game last night was great, the Oklahoma senior is going to return her scholarship; that really mixed it up. Plus, no one is dunking over anybody, no one has absolute command over the game in that sense; they play real basketball. So on Tuesday, root for the underdog Louisville to upset undefeated UConn. Don't forget to tune in because it will be a great game, guaranteed.

Michigan State is Green Too

After Notre Dame's disappointing loss in the NIT (Not In the tournament Tournament) semi-final, I was forced to turn back to the NCAA Tournament.
When you are paying attention so much to your bracket and the non-calls on Tyler Hansbrough, it's easy to miss the overall effect sports has on the rest of the country. The poor slipping economic health of Detroit slipped my mind in all the Final Four hype, and now that Michigan State is in the finals, the city is experiencing a shock wave of energy. The whole city is electrified and college basketball might be able to lift the hearts of the Motor City. The Spartans might be the ones bailing people out tomorrow, and for the city's sake, I hope State can pull out over the favored Tar Heels. A college has the chance to re-vitalize a city just as the Saints had attempted to do to New Orleans after Katrina. Coach Izzo, America is pulling for you, make it happen tomorrow.

Bad Luck

I am still teary-eyed after Notre Dame lost the NIT semi-final to Penn State. I haven't been to the Garden in a long time and I probably won't see as many white shirts in one place ever again. As the Baylor game came to a close, I noticed that Leprechaun Legion had not shown up, which I was especially angry about because they were half the reason I went to the game. But Baylor left the court and a chant started to echo throughout the legendary arena, and it was not "Let's go Irish". "We are... Penn State!" rang through my ears more intensely than anything I had ever heard in my life. I guess it was more frustrating for me because no one in the stands was as enthusiastic for the Irish as I was, and Penn State crazies drowned me out like a row boat in a hurricane. The Penn State crazies simply came to play, and Leprechaun Legion had not. Where were you guys! We needed you! I guess I'll hope to see you next year at the Big East Tournament or if they play Seton Hall, or some other local team. And good luck to A.J. Pollock and the baseball team. You don't come to Jersey this year, but I am sure that you will go far in the NCAA tournament, hopefully I will have to blog soon about Omaha.

Lets Go Irish

"Harangody backs into a defender. Fakes right, hook shot he scores and that's 7 for the big man!" I was going nuts! I was in my house jumping up and down and screaming the long droning "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" When the Irish were taking it back up court, the Leprechaun Legion and I were synonymously screaming, "Go... Irish go go." The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to the NIT semi-finals in Madison Square Garden. I have rearranged my blog layout to match those of the Leprechaun Legion. I shot a fake basketball in gym and thought I was Kyle McAlarney shooting a three. I am going to the Garden on Monday night. It is a nine-o'clock game and I am intending to buy a 06'-07' Leprechaun Legion shirt on ebay. I can only hope that the shirt gets to my house in time for Monday. I'm planning on painting myself green and gold. If any Leprechaun Legion member who might be reading this, it would be much appreciated if you could get me into the section because I am a huge Notre Dame fan and we can talk about how Calle Riddewall and the Irish ripped apart Bemidji State on Saturday. So Go Irish Go, Go and Luke, if you are reading this and taking a break from being the most awesome person alive right now, tied with Bob Dylan, Endy Chavez, and Rob McElhenney, I just want to say that I love you and I hope that you rip apart the Nittany Lions on Monday. I'll be watching.

Curveball

Today I'm going to mix it up. Instead of writing about sports, I have decided to talk about something else. If you are not familiar with my personal likes, my favorite artist is Bob Dylan, my favorite team is the New York Mets, and my favorite t.v. show is It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Outrage met my eyes this weekend. Now generally, I do not like horror films, but I was out at a party on Saturday and I watched a movie called The Strangers. It was kind of scary, but the end was so dumb; I won't give it away, but save yourself a couple of hours. But this is beside the point. During the movie, a dating couple is trapped inside the house getting terrorized by these masked strangers. The man, James, called his brother earlier, and he shows up as they search for a shotgun in the closet. The brother Mike, turns out to be Glenn Howerton who plays Dennis in Sunny. As he is walking in the house looking for Jimmy James, I am flipping out, saying "Oh my god it's Dennis! From It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia!" So while I'm going crazy rambling about the show, the stupid writers had him killed after a mere 30 seconds on camera! I was furious. "How could they kill Dennis?!" And I continued to ruin the movie for everyone.