Monday, November 02, 2009

Trying to Catch Up

I haven't been writing much lately, as I have been very busy with both of my jobs over the last couple of weeks, so this piece is just going to be a little catching-up segment.
There has been so much going on, from the Giants playing like crap for three straight weeeks, the start to the Islanders and the Knicks seasons, and the Yankees going for their 27th World Championship.
The problem that the Giants have right now is very simple. Although the offense looked dismal in the first half against the Eagles yesterday, the real issue is the defense.
What you have to understand is that New York lost two starters in its defensive backfield within the first two weeks of the season. I'm not making excuses for them, just hear me out.
The reason that the Giants got to 5-0 is because although they were missing these players, the teams that they played were so bad that none of those teams challeneged the New York secondary. Once the Giants came up against teams with decent offenses, such as the Saints, Cardinals, and Eagles, they were then playing against teams that could stretch the field and throw the ball downfield. That's when the Giants got in trouble.
On offense, the line is killing them. They aren't blocking for the run, which is their staple, and everyone knows that when you can't run, you generally can't pass, unless you're using the West Coast offense.
So, they're not run blocking, they're not giving Eli any time to throw, and then when they do, half of the times he makes mistakes, which is something that he really hasn't done since before the Giants went to the Super Bowl.
As for the Islanders, they're coming around a little bit. After some disappointing losses by blowing third-period leads and losing games in overtime and the shootout, New York has taken out three first-place teams of late, and it appears that a game against the Islanders is no longer an automatic "W".
They have shown that they have other players that can find the back of the net besides Tavares and Moulson, and the defensive unit has stiffened.
This team needs to keep working hard, the wins will come, and their confidence will be boosted. They just may make the playoffs this year, and if they can realize their young talent, they may even have a first-round upset in their future.
And here's an update. The Isles have just beaten the Edmonton Oilers for their fourth straight win, 3-1.
Edmonton came into the game with a 7-6-1 record, fourth place in the Northwest Division.
Brendan Witt scored a pair of goals, Tavares had one, and Weight added two assists. Roloson got the win with 22 saves, and a good sign was New York leading in shots, 37-23.
New York is 5-4-5 and over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Also, here's something that may loom large come later in the season. Although the Islanders have just 5 wins, they also have just 4 regulation losses. That means that in all of those other games, New York earned a point. There are 12 teams in the NHL right now that have more regulation losses than the Islanders. And that means that New York has (or will have at the end) more points due to less regulation losses, should the Islanders have the same amount of wins as they do. That means playoffs.
On to the Knicks. This won't take long. They suck. Period. Not only have they lost their first three games, but those losses include an opening-night losst at Miami, followed by overtime losses at Charlotte and then in their home opener against the 76ers.
Tonight they are hosting New Orleans. They're winning right now, but we'll see when they blow it.
Now, for the best news amongst all of this mess, the Yankees.
New York did a phenominal job of handling Minnesota and Anaheim in the first two rounds of postseason action, and they now have a 3-1 lead in the World Series against the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Phillies starter Cliff Lee was absolutely unhittable in Game 1 of the Series, but the Yanks got an early run off of him in the first inning tonight.
Things sren't looking real smooth for the Bronx Bombers right now, as they trail 4-1 in the bottom of the third and Burnett is being lifted, but there's a long game to go, and the New York bats aren't even warm yet.
And, if indeed they never do catch up to Lee tonight, think about what lies ahead. The Yankees come back home to New York for Game 6, and their starting pitcher will be Andy Pettite, who is 5-0 lifetime in games when the Yankees have three wins in a series. So, I'm not sweating anything right now.
So much for my "little" catching-up segment.

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