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Author: Neil Keefe

Blogs • NHL

Apr 16, 2012

Brendan Shanahan Is Ruining The NHL

I was satisfied with the decision to give the responsibilities of NHL Judge to Brendan Shanahan. But what I didn’t know was that he would become Colin Campbell.

This column was originally published on WFAN.com on April 16, 2012.

“I’m Brendan Shanahan of the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety … and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.”

If you have never watched a Shanahan suspension video on NHL.com before, that’s how he opens the video by letting the viewer know who he is and what department he works for (except for the “I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing” part). But chances are if you’re watching one of his videos it’s because you’re interested in the infraction being reviewed. And if you’re interested in watching a video of an infraction it’s because you watch hockey. And if you watch hockey then you know who Brendan Shanahan is. And if you know who Brendan Shanahan is then you know why he is the Vice President of Player Safety and how he got the job.

I was ecstatic like everyone else when Shanahan took over for Colin Campbell, who was more incompetent than the Yankees’ Clay Rapada could ever be. Campbell had become a running joke around the NHL and any form of replacement would have been better than him. I was satisfied with the decision to give the responsibilities of NHL Judge to Shanahan, as he would become the head disciplinarian for the league. But what I didn’t know was that he would become Colin Campbell.

Does Brendan Shanahan think he’s doing a good job because he makes videos to explain the infractions and the punishments he determines for the infractions? Because, if anything, the videos make his decisions look even more nonsensical. At least when Campbell was recklessly throwing around suspensions (or sometimes a lack thereof), there wasn’t video evidence of him narrating plays so we could see inside his inconsistent mind.

In Game 2 of the Rangers-Senators series, Matt Carkner dressed with the mission of fighting Brian Boyle for getting physical with Erik Karlsson, and I have no problem with Carkner dressing for this purpose. But when Boyle decided he wasn’t going to fight Carkner on the first attempt, Carkner decided he was going to fight anyway and sucker-punched Boyle and then continued to punch him as he went down to the ice. In the process, Brandon Dubinsky went to the aid of his defenseless teammate and was given a game misconduct for not allowing Carkner to finish a job that could have ended Boyle’s season or maybe even his career.

Carkner was suspended one game for a pre-meditated attack (which once again I don’t have a problem with since it’s part of the game, but square up or take care of it in the correct setting), but an attack against a guy who didn’t square up with him and led to Carkner doing what he was set out to do anyway. One game! Here’s what Shanahan said in his NHL.com video review of Carkner’s infraction.

“Carkner is excessive in his approach. It is important to note that Carkner has acted similarly in the past and injured an opponent in the process. In a game at Ottawa on Dec. 31, 2009, in reaction to a bodycheck thrown at a teammate, Carkner got the jump on a New York Islander forward and punched him before he could react and defend himself, fracturing his orbital bone. We have taken into consideration that Boyle suffered no apparent injury as a result of this infraction and remained in the game.”

So, let’s recap. Because Boyle wasn’t hurt and because Carkner didn’t fracture yet another player’s orbital bone, the suspension is only one game. That seems fair. Punishments and consequences should definitely be based on the result of the player’s action and not the player’s action or intent. But here’s my question: Is there any doubt that Carkner was trying to break Boyle’s orbital bone and just failed to do so?

It’s only partially Shanahan’s fault that he makes decisions based on the result of the hit or punch or check. For years the NHL has awarded a four-minute power play for a high-sticking penalty that draws blood. Any amount of blood. It could be a scrape or a cut the size of a pencil tip, or it could be a gash that requires 18 stitches or a trip to the emergency room. It doesn’t matter. If there’s blood it’s four minutes. But you could high-stick an opponent and break their jaw or their cheek or their orbital bone or blind them and as long as any of these things don’t draw blood then it’s just a two-minute penalty. No big deal.

Now also in Game 2, Carl Hagelin finished a check high with his hands and elbow on Daniel Alfredsson, which resulted in Alfredsson suffering a concussion and leaving the game. And because Alfredsson was injured on the hit, Hagelin, who doesn’t have a history or a reputation of anything remotely close to being dirty, was suspended three games.

Now if Hagelin’s infraction had been the first infraction of the NHL season and we had no further knowledge or records of previous elbow infractions that result in head injuries then yes, you could make the case his punishment is just since it would set a precedent. (We’ll get to the word “precedent” and teach Shanahan the meaning of the word later on.) But when, in the same game, there is a more dangerous play from a more dangerous player after months and months of inconsistent suspensions from Shanahan, then yes, there’s a serious problem with claiming that Hagelin’s suspension is just.

Let’s look at three different incidents that happened this week with the two involving the Rangers happening on the same day and the one involving the Predators and Red Wings happening three days before.

Carl Hagelin, with no suspension history or reputation of dirty play, receives a three-game suspension for finishing a check and hitting star Daniel Alfredsson high that results in a concussion.

Matt Carkner, with a history of the same exact act, receives a one-game suspension for jumping non-star Brian Boyle, sucker-punching him and continuing to beat him while on the ice, but the incident doesn’t result in injury.

Shea Weber punches star Henrik Zetterberg’s in the back of the head and then uses the same hand that punched to drive Zetterberg’s head into the glass and dasher and receives a $2,500 fine, as the incident doesn’t result in an injury.

(I make sure to note who is considered a “star” and who isn’t since this also clearly impacts Shanahan’s decisions.)

Does anyone see a pattern here? Do any of these punishments have anything in common with each other? Does any of this make sense to anyone other than Brendan Shanahan?

On Monday morning, Shanahan went on Boomer and Carton to justify his suspension of Hagelin (which he failed to logically do). And if you plan on listening to the interview, which I strongly recommend if you think Shanahan is good at his job or makes sound decisions, then I also recommend investing in some of Mugatu’s “crazy pills” from Zoolander because Shanahan’s arguments and logic are so confusing that they will make you question if what he’s saying is actually real life. Here are some epic highlights that came from Shanahan’s mouth in the interview.

On why Carl Hagelin is suspended for three games and Matt Carkner is suspended for one game: “The biggest difference between the two plays is there is head injury and concussion on one and no injury on the other. Now that doesn’t mean that one guy gets off and the other guy doesn’t.”

(I almost feel like this quote should be written above the doors to the NHL offices entrance the way that “I would like to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee” used to be written across the front of Yankee Stadium.)

Actually that’s exactly what it means because you said that’s what it means just moments later. Shanahan had a chance to set a precedent at the beginning of the year, but he chose not to. I hate to reference arguably the worst movie ever made in 50 First Dates, but is there any denying that Shanahan is Drew Barrymore here? Actually he’s worse. Barrymore wakes up everyday forgetting who she is and the decisions she has made, but Shanahan can’t even make it through the day without erasing suspension decisions he has made since he makes multiple suspension decisions in the same day and they have no correlation to each other. But Shanahan didn’t set a precedent and now suspensions are made with what I like to think is a cootie catcher complete with the NHL shield on it. In most sports you know what a suspension will be for a certain infraction, but there’s no one in the hockey world that can tell you with any certainty what a suspension will be for a specific incident after it happens, and this includes Shanahan. (If you don’t believe me, listen to the interview when he sort of gets stuck answering about what the suspension would have been if Alfredsson didn’t get hurt or if it will be reduced if he comes back in the series.)

Shanahan has set the tone for the league by saying, “You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t result in an injury.” So if the Penguins trail big in Game 4 and a sweep is inevitable, it would be wise for Peter Laviolette to remove his players from the ice because if the Penguins have brushed up on their Marty McSorley, Claude Lemieux, Darcy Tucker and Tie Domi YouTube watching, they are free to duplicate any of the league’s all-time cheap shots … as long as they don’t injure or concuss anyone.

On Carkner not landing many punches to Boyle’s face: “He hits him with five more punches in the arm, shoulder and back and not in the head.”

Ah, and here’s Shanahan sticking up for Carkner. “Come on! Most of the punches didn’t even hit Boyle in the face! It wasn’t that bad!” Do you know how bad Carkner’s assault was? It was bad enough that when I saw the first replays of it during the game I figured Carkner would be gone for the rest of the series, if not the rest of the playoffs (not that he was going to play in anymore games for the Senators anyway). But one game? ONE GAME?!?!?! Does anyone think Carkner was trying to hit Boyle in the arm, shoulder and back? Or was it because Boyle was on the ice after taking a punch to the jaw before the follow-up punches?

On Shea Weber driving Henrik Zetterberg’s face into the glass: “I think that he pushed his face into the glass. I was very close to a one-game suspension on that.”

You “think” he pushed his face into the glass. You “think?!?!?!?!” You don’t “know?” You aren’t “sure?” Oh, but you were “close” to a one-game suspension for Weber trying to break Zetterberg’s face and neck. Well that makes everything better. But because Zetterberg wasn’t injured, Weber can pay $2,500 and try his luck breaking Zetterberg’s face and neck in Game 4.

What if Shanahan held his current job when Chris Simon tried to behead Ryan Hollweg as if he were Ned Stark in Game of Thrones? Because Hollweg was able to get back up on his own skate would Simon have avoided suspension and just been given a $2,500 citation for using his stick as a medieval sword?

There’s no time for Shanahan to learn his new job on the fly, which he is clearly tying to while he makes things up in his videos and interviews as he goes. The problem is his decisions and suspensions have long-lasting effects that go deeper than just changing the course of a game or a series. Shanahan’s job is more important than deciding who should lose pay for a couple of games or should or shouldn’t be allowed to dress. He has the ability to change the course of a playoff series or a championship or the history of the game, as well as influence the jobs and livelihoods of others, and that’s why it’s OK to call into question his job and his livelihood.

Let’s say Shanahan suspends Player X for a few games in a postseason series because he was involved in an infraction that resulted in an injury. Now Player X’s team loses their first-round playoff series because of Player X’s unwarranted suspension. Now Player X’s owner is upset that his team didn’t make it out of the first round after lofty expectations for several seasons and he fires Player X’s coach and general manager and trades away some of Player X’s teammates and uproots their lives and families’ lives because of another first-round postseason exit. Is this an extreme scenario for Shanahan’s decision making? Sure. Is it out of the realm of possibility? No.

At the end of Shanahan’s interview with Boomer and Carton, Boomer tells him he’s going to have a busy day today after the Penguins-Flyers gongshow from Game 3, and Shanahan responds about handing out more suspensions by saying, “I’m not done yet.” It’s too bad because I wish he was done, and I’m not talking about handing out suspensions.

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Blogs • Yankees

Apr 9, 2012

Joe Girardi to Blame for Yankees’ Bad Start

It took just five Tampa Bay hitters and a bad weekend of baseball for the Season 3 premiere of my version of The Joe Girardi Show.

“It’s a long season.” “It’s just three games.” “It’s just 1.8518 percent of the season.” “It’s not that big of a deal.” These are the things I have been telling myself since Sunday afternoon as I try to make sense out of the Tragedy at the Trop.

I don’t know what that was this weekend in Tampa Bay. The Yankees’ vaunted offense failed to do anything with runners in scoring position. The Best Bullpen in Baseball blew a save (though I will never get upset with No. 42 about blowing a save), as the weakest members of the Best Bullpen in Baseball showed why they are the weakest members. And the stacked, new-look starting rotation put together this Chien-Ming Wang 2007 ALDS-like line: 16.1 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 14 K, 4 HR, 6.15 ERA, 1.840 WHIP.

I’m going to overreact to the three losses to open the season because that’s what I do. And when you’re baseball starved for six months and your most recent memory of Yankees baseball is Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher failing to get clutch hits in October, and it becomes your most recent Yankees baseball memory again in April, well I think you have a right to get upset.

I understand all the things I opened this column with about it just being three games, but I need to get my frustration out. I know the 1998 Yankees started their season 0-3 (and 1-4), but I’m pretty sure this team isn’t the ’98 Yankees. And I’m well aware of the Yankees-Kentucky basketball relationship and what it means to have the Wildcats as national champions. Right now none of that matters. The only thing that matters right now is that Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia can’t put out this forest fire their manager started with the fifth hitter in the first inning of the 2012 season.

Starting in 2010, I did my own version of the The Joe Girardi Show whenever I felt there were questions for Joe Girardi that needed answers because I couldn’t fathom how someone could make such odd decisions, and the show continued for a second season in 2011. In the back of my mind I was secretly hoping my version of the show would be canceled for 2012, but I knew it wouldn’t be. Last season it took just five games (a disastrous loss in April against the Twins at the Stadium) for the first episode of the Show. This season it took just five Tampa Bay hitters for the Season 3 premiere.

Why did you intentionally walk Sean Rodriguez?
Mariano Rivera didn’t blow Opening Day. Joe Girardi did. Even though it was Rivera who blew the save in the bottom of the ninth in one of his annual April brain farts, it was Girardi who, in the first inning of the game, made a decision that might be the ultimate Joe Girardi Over-Managing Decision of 2012, and it happened about 15 minutes into the season.

CC Sabathia is the Yankees’ ace. He is in the top tier of starting pitchers in the majors, and Hal Steinbrenner is paying him $23 million in 2012 and essentially $646,470.88 per start (based on 34 starts) to be that ace. But apparently Sabathia, one of the game’s top lefties, can’t face Sean Rodriguez (career .229 hitter with 22 home runs in 908 at-bats) with runners on second and third and two outs in the first inning of the first game of the season. I’m well aware of Carlos Pena’s atrocious numbers against Sabathia (and lefties in general) and Rodriguez’s decent numbers against Sabathia and lefties, but there’s more to the situation on the field than what Joe Girardi’s trusty notebook tells him.

Sabathia hasn’t pitched like Midseason CC in any of his four season openers, including Friday. He usually struggles early in the season before going on an incredible run, and it was evident that his April struggles were with him early on Friday. Prior to Rodriguez, Sabathia had walked Desmond Jennings to open the inning, got Ben Zobrist to line out to center, gave up a single to Evan Longoria and got Jeff Keppinger to ground out to short. However, out of the 13 pitches he threw to these four hitters, seven of them were balls as his command appeared off. So, now instead of going after a weak No. 5 hitter, Girardi decides to put Rodriguez on base intentionally, giving Sabathia no wiggle room with a lack of command and a power-hitting lefty with a career average of 34 home runs per season at the plate. Once he got behind Pena 2-0 and then 3-1 and wasn’t locating pitches or getting a guy who will get himself out to swing, you just knew things weren’t going to end well with either the first run of the game being walked in or the worst possible thing, which ended up happening: the slam.

A lot of the outrage over the move was that Girardi shouldn’t be over-managing in the first inning of the first game of the season. I don’t like that argument because that means you’re saying it’s OK to over-mange later in the season, but just not right now. I hate that argument because Game 1 of the season is as important as Game 57 and Game 89 and Game 123 and Game 162. A game against the Rays on Opening Day is equally as important as a game against the Red Sox the middle of the summer. I never understood the idea that “It’s only April” or that “It’s early.” Sure a three-game losing streak in June sucks, but isn’t as publicized as one to open the season, but every game counts the same. Do you get additional wins or a better win percentage for winning games after the All-Star break than you do for winning games before it? And with the new wild-card system every game is that much more important unless you feel comfortable trusting Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher in a big spot in a single game because I don’t, and I don’t even trust them in a series.

Girardi should have never been at the mound talking to his ace in the first inning on Friday, and it’s not because of the inning of the game or because of which game it is in the season. It’s because it’s CC Sabathia, and CC Sabathia can get Sean Rodriguez out. And if he didn’t, it would have most likely been 2-0 instead of 4-0.

Why is Eduardo Nunez starting at shortstop in the second game of the season?
Yes, Derek Jeter is 37 and will be 38 in June. Yes, he will probably need more rest than usual and more time as the designated hitter this season than season’s past. But Jeter also just had the last SIX MONTHS off. THE LAST SIX MONTHS!

Nunez might be the worst infielder I have ever seen with the Yankees and they let Jason Giambi play first base in the 2000s as well as Johnny Damon. And Gary Sheffield even took over at third base and first base at times (after years in the outfield). It’s not like it’s July and he hasn’t played shortstop regularly for a few weeks and he can use the “not an everyday player” excuses for his blunder. Nunez is fresh off spring training and won’t be any more prepared to play the infield for the rest of the season than he is right now.

Sure, it’s only one error that cost the Yankees only one game, but how can the backup middle infielder on the team not be trustworthy on defense? If you can make an excuse for Nunez’s error that extended the inning, led to two Tampa Bay runs, forced Hiroki Kuroda to throw more pitches and caused fatigue for Kuroda then you would have to admit that fielding and throwing is clearly in Nunez’s head. No Yankees fan feels even remotely confident when the ball is hit to him (whether a routine play or not), and when it is, I get the same feeling I get when someone hands me a Jameson shot at the end of the night. There’s no telling what the result might be.

To top it off, Kuroda, a GROUNDBALL PITCHER, started the game, which was played on turf. So why would you elect to not have your best defensive infield on the field for a groundball pitcher?

If I ever find out the truth behind the Yankees/Mariners deal for Cliff Lee and find out that Nunez is indeed the player that held up the deal (this has been a rumor), I think I will go off the grid, move to the woods of Wyoming and live in solitude for the rest of my life.

Why did you leave Clay Rapada in to face Evan Longoria?
Let’s start with the simple fact that Clay Rapada shouldn’t be a Yankee. I don’t care if he’s the 25th man on the roster who made the team in the final hours of spring training. The team has the highest payroll in the league, and a minor league system. There’s no reason for Rapada to be on the team other than that he’s a lefty. The only good Rapada has done in three games as a Yankee and remind me that if I have a son, I will be tying his right arm behind his back until he is at least 16 to ensure that he throws lefty because if Rapada has taught us anything (other than that he doesn’t belong in MLB) is that if you can throw lefty there will always be a job for you in baseball.

Here’s Clay Rapada’s 2012 debut:

Picked off Reid Brignac to end the sixth.
Walked Carlos Pena (L).
Gave up double to Evan Longoria (R).
Gave up single to Matt Joyce (L).
Walked Ben Zobrist (L).
Got Luke Scott (L) to fly out.

Rapada faced four lefties and retired one and ends up getting touched up for two runs in 2/3 innings. What happens in the ninth? The Yankees score four runs thanks to a Nick Swisher “David Price is out of the game so it’s time to get to business” three-run home run. The Yankees lose 8-6. The difference? Rapada’s two earned runs. (I didn’t mean to pull Michael Kay’s “fallacy of the predetermined outcome” on you, but I did.)

Why did you let Boone Logan face Jeff Keppinger?
Cory Wade was warmed up, and the YES broadcast team told us this. So, if your right-handed non-“A” reliever is prepared to go in and face a righty then why is Logan still in the game? Did Girardi try to get through the inning with only Logan and it backfired? Yup. Does it seem like most of the time when Girardi pushes the wrong button, he doesn’t get bailed out? Yup.

If you’re going to micro-manage and over-manage every situation of every game during the season (which you are clearly going to do since you did it in the bottom of the first of Game 1 with your ACE) then why are changing your thought process now? If you’re going to stay with 16 in blackjack with the dealer showing a face card (even though it’s the wrong play) then you need to stay every time you are presented with that situation. Don’t stay one time because you have a feeling or a hunch that the dealer is going to bust, and don’t not do it another time because you have a feeling or hunch that you are going to hit for a 5 or lower. If Girardi is going to micro-manage the way CC Sabathia faces hitters then he better be prepared to do it with the two left-handed (and worst) relievers on the team.

In one of his answers to a postgame press conference question over the weekend, Joe Girardi answered with the phrase, “That’s baseball.” And yes, thing are always going to happen that you can’t control and can’t explain, but it doesn’t help when there isn’t a good explanation for the things you can control.

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Blogs • Yankees

Apr 5, 2012

Yankees’ Order of Importance for 2012

This column was originally published on WFAN.com on April 5, 2012. Christmas Eve. That’s the only day that can compare to the feelings of today and tonight as I anxiously await the start of the

This column was originally published on WFAN.com on April 5, 2012.

Christmas Eve. That’s the only day that can compare to the feelings of today and tonight as I anxiously await the start of the new Yankees season. And I know I won’t be able to sleep tonight with visions of Yankees baseball dancing in my head.

On Friday it will have been 183 days since Alex Rodriguez struck out against Jose Valverde and the 2011 season came to a crashing halt after the middle of the order failed to do anything against the Tigers in five games. But last season wasn’t meant to be for the Yankees. Instead we got to watch Lance “The Dance” Berkman take the Cardinals on a magical run and even single-handedly save their season in Game 6. (Will I ever get over how awful Lance The Dance was in 2010 and how good he became in 2011 for the Cardinals? Probably not.)

This season feels different. A year ago I was dreading the idea of A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia in the rotation, and I didn’t even like that Bartolo Colon was in the bullpen since I didn’t even want him on the team. Ivan Nova had yet to become a 16-game winner and Phil Hughes was coming off an 18-win season and we had to yet to find out that his “dead arm” would lead to one of the worst historical pitching starts to a season in baseball history.

I feel good about this Yankees team (because of their pitching depth) and I haven’t felt this good about the Yankees since at least 2009 and maybe even in the last eight to 10 years.

In February 2011, I wrote the “Yankees Order Of Importance” in which I ranked the 14 most important Yankees in reverse order based on what it would mean to the team if they missed significant time or performed so badly in 2011 that it was like they were missing time. How different were things all the way back in the Year 2011 (Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter voices)? Well let’s just say I ranked Phil Hughes as the second most important Yankee behind CC Sabathia and had Mark Teixeira third. I had A.J. Burnett ahead of Curtis Granderson for the sole reason that the season and rotation hinged on Burnett (this was obviously before Nova, Garcia and Colon became reliable). So yes, things were a lot different 13 1/2 months ago. Nova wasn’t even included on the list and Garcia and Colon were low-risk, high reward guys that were expected to land on the disabled list for good at some point.

Since so much has changed it’s necessary to revisit and update the “Order Of Importance” and adjust things to fit 2012. Here is the updated list in reverse order with 15 spots for 16 Yankees what it would mean to the team if they missed significant time or performed so badly in 2012 that it was like they were missing time. (There’s a quote in italics from last year’s “Order” for the players that were involved.)

Number 36, Freddy Garcia, Number 36
If Michael Pineda doesn’t have shoulder tendinitis or Andy Pettitte announces his comeback a few weeks earlier and is ready for Opening Day rather than May, Freddy Garcia is stuffed away into the bullpen for blowouts, routs and when Pineda, Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova can’t go five innings. Instead Garcia finds himself in the rotation after an awesome and shocking 2011 season that landed him a one-year, $4 million deal with the Yankees.

I enjoy watching Garcia pitch like I did Mike Mussina in 2008 and Orlando Hernandez in 2004. The repertoire Garcia uses to maneuver his way through AL lineups is masterful for a man who once threw hard with the best in the game. (And if you forgot how hard Garcia used to throw, Michael Kay will remind you on a broadcast, and likely during Garcia’s first start of the season.)

But Garcia is on borrowed time in the rotation unless he can pitch as good or better than he did a year ago. Garcia seems to be a smart guy, especially on the mound, and I don’t think a year of dominating (for the most part) the AL will cause hitters to adjust to him enough to knock him around. If his location is on, then his splitter works and if his splitter works, it’s going to be a lot like 2011. And if it isn’t, Pineda or Pettitte will be there to save the day soon enough.

Number 33, Nick Swisher, Number 33
Because when it comes down to it, if the Yankees are good enough to get back to October, I don’t know if I can sit through another postseason of his. I’d rather sit through Funny People again.

Well I sat through another one and I’m still here. This is Nick Swisher’s fourth season with the Yankees and it could be his last. It seems like 10 years ago rather than three that he was going to be a backup/platoon outfielder to spell Xavier Nady in right field. Swisher has been a valuable part of the lineup, an inconsistent defender (especially in Fenway Park’s right field) and a fan favorite … in the regular season. When the calendar turns to October, Swisher disappears. I know there are a lot of Yankees fans that don’t want to hear anything negative said about Swisher and that the postseason is a “small sample size” but when does it not become one?

Swisher is going to put up his 23-29 home runs and his 80-90 RBIs, but he’s ultimately going to be judged on his performance after Game 162 and beyond. Whether or not that’s fair that’s just the way it is, and his future and where he plays in 2013 will be determined by yet another “small sample size.”

Number 46, Andy Pettitte, Number 46 and Number 35, Michael Pineda, Number 35
(As of now these two guys aren’t being counted on to open the season, but that will likely change and they would climb the ladder toward the top of this list. Or go down the ladder to the bottom of this list since it’s written in reverse order.)

I thought Michael Pineda was going to be the Yankees’ No. 2 starter. I think a lot of people though he was going to be. Even if he wasn’t going to be slotted into the No. 2 spot, he was still going to be the Yankees’ second-best pitcher. Now Pineda is on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis at a peculiar time when the Yankees were ready to announce their rotation. (Conspiracy?) I’m not saying that Pineda’s shoulder tightness has anything to do with him reporting to camp overweight and not throwing with the same velocity as he did last season, but I’m saying it’s a weird coincidence that he is now on the disabled list and temporarily out of the rotation.

I don’t think Andy Pettitte would be attempting a comeback and Roger Clemens’ his legacy if he didn’t think he could compete at the high level he did in 2010 while healthy. I believe in Pettitte and am anticipating his return to the rotation. I’m also still mad about him leaving the team hanging after 2010. If it wasn’t about his family, which he is saying now, then why did he say it was about that back then? (And yes, I still believe if Cliff Lee picks the Yankees over the Phillies, Pettitte comes back in 2011. And Lee would have picked the Yankees if the Mariners didn’t think Justin Smoak was better than Jesus Montero. AHHHHHHHHH!)

Number 11, Brett Gardner, Number 11
Some guys need just one season to prove they belong and don’t have to worry about job security. Gardner has had to prove it his whole career and will have to again this year.

A lot of people thought Brett Gardner could be the Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury or better. And if I remember correctly, two years ago Peter Gammons admitted that Gardner had passed Ellsbury. Well I think that race is over now.

Gardner doesn’t need to be Ellsbury for the Yankees with this lineup. He doesn’t even need to a spark plug for the offense or play a significant role. He just needs to play great defense and find ways to get on base and use his speed to change the game. If he can develop to be an even base stealer, that will be enough of an offensive contribution.

Number 55, Russell Martin, Number 55
This could be Jesus Montero too, but since we don’t know who the starting catcher will be, I’m going to go with Russell Martin since that’s what Brian Cashman told us at the breakfast and that’s what he’s sticking by.

Last year no one knew what to expect from Russell Martin. At the Hard Rock Café breakfast, Brian Cashman said Martin reminded him of Thurman Munson, but he also said he could end up trading Martin if Jesus Montero emerged during spring training and stole the job and became a viable big leaguer at such a young age.

Martin became the Yankees’ early season MVP with big hits (mostly home runs) to start the season and had a productive first year in New York with the bat and behind the plate. Martin doesn’t need to be counted on to produce offensively the way he was in Los Angeles, and in this lineup he doesn’t need to do anything other than worry about the pitching staff and playing defense. No, he can’t go hitting into inning-ending double plays all the time, but Martin anything he does with the bat is extra.

Number 65, Phil Hughes, Number 65
A year ago Hughes was the fifth starter. Today he is the No. 2 starter and essential to the 2011 Yankees. Let’s hope we see a lot of what we saw out of him at the beginning of 2010 and not a lot of what we saw out of him in his two starts against the Rangers in the playoffs.

A year ago I had Hughes as the most important Yankee not named CC Sabathia. He was going to be the Yankees’ second-best starter coming off an 18-win, All-Star season. He was finally putting it all together and realizing his full potential in the majors with a full healthy season. And how did Hughes repay my No. 2 ranking? With a “dead arm” and loss of velocity and this line in three April starts: 10.1 IP, 19 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 4 HR, 13.94 ERA, 2.233 WHIP, .396 BAA.

Hughes was “pitching” for a spot in the rotation in spring training even if he really wasn’t since they Yankees weren’t about to send front-end potential back to the bullpen. However with Michael Pineda and Andy Pettitte set to return in the coming weeks, Hughes’ competition to stay in the rotation begins with his first start, and he will have to prove he is the pitcher from 2010 and not the pitcher from the 2010 ALCS or 2011 season.

Number 47, Ivan Nova, Number 47
At the end of April 2011, Nova was 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA in four starts (in two he lasted just 4 1/3 innings) and a relief appearance. On July 1 he was sent to Triple-A despite being 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA. He came back on July 30 and went 8-0 in his last 11 starts of the season, making his last lost of the 2011 regular season on June 3.

Nova’s spring training was U-G-L-Y. I feel like I need to take a shower after typing his spring training line: 22.1 IP, 31 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 5 BB, 17 K, 3 HR, 8.06 ERA, 1.614 WHIP, .323 BAA. OK, time to shower.

Thanks to the circus surrounding Pineda, the anticipation for Kuroda and everyone waiting to see what Hughes will do, Nova would have been able to fly under the radar at the beginning of the season. But with his bad spring and Pineda and Pettitte looming, everyone will be waiting to see if he continues this horrendous pitching, and if he does, the rookie that went 16-4 and shut down the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS will find out how bad New York can be when you’re struggling.

Number 42, Mariano Rivera, Number 42
What’s life like without Mariano Rivera? I don’t know. I don’t want to know. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.

I know it’s weird that Mariano went down a spot, but it’s understandable given how good David Robertson was in 2011.

No. 42 has hinted during spring training that this could be his last season with the Yankees, and while other Yankees know what his decision is, no one is tipping their hand to make it known whether or not this Friday will be the last Opening Day for the last man to wear No. 42 in Major League Baseball.

I won’t ever get used to not seeing No. 42 run out of the bullpen to come save the game and save the day for the Yankees if this is in fact the last season for the man that’s basically become a Greek myth.

Number 13, Alex Rodriguez, Number 13
A-Rod needs to be A-Rod this year. The 30-home run, 100-RBI streak is nice, but how about some consistency in 2011?

Like Sweeny Murti said, the most important category for A-Rod in 2012 will be games played. (Oh yeah, the Yankees only have six years left with A-Rod … no big deal.)

Number 2, Derek Jeter, Number 2
When Jeter got hurt on Opening Day in 2003 in Toronto, I was devastated. And since that day I have been scared to ever feel that way again if No. 2 were forced out of the lineup for an extended period of time.

How did Derek Jeter move up on this list while everyone continues to talk about an inevitable decline for his career? Maybe he moved up on this list just for that reason.

Jeter moved up because he is going to be a 38-year old starting shortstop in June and while that might be old to some he looks like a 21-year-old full of youth when you compare him to the defensive prowess of Eduardo Nunez. One DL stint for Jeter with Nunez starting at short was enough for me.

Number 14, Curtis Granderson, Number 14
I still wonder about what the Austin Jackson era in the Bronx would have been like after following his career in the minors and waiting for the call-up the way I wonder what Jason Street would have been like in college and the NFL if not for that unfortunate accident. Would the Panthers still have won State in 2006? Would they have won it easier? What would have become of Matt Saracen?

Curtis Granderson was so good last year that it’s ridiculous to expect him to duplicate that season and almost insane to think that he could. After a so-so opening campaign with the Yankees in 2010 that included a missed month with a hamstring injury all while Austin Jackson was hitting .293 and stealing 27 bases for the Tigers, Granderson made anyone who kept on debating the trade in their head forget about it. With A-Rod’s decline and the possibility of him missing extended time again as he ages, Granderson will be counted on to continue to put up power numbers.

Number 18, Hiroki Kuroda, Number 18
If the Dodgers had sorted out their ownership disaster a couple months earlier, Kuroda might still be a Dodger. Instead he takes his 3.45 career ERA and 1.187 WHIP to the Yankees revamped rotation.

I feel very good about Kuroda in the rotation behind Sabathia to start the season, and even though most pitchers don’t handle the NL to AL transition well, I think Kuroda will. The trade for Pineda helped to ease the arrival and expectations for Kuroda since he isn’t viewed as the new “toy” for Yankees fans in 2012. All of the pressure has fallen on Pineda for being traded for Montero, and this allows Kuroda (who at one time didn’t want to pitch on the East Coast) to just go about his business and not worry about all of the extra stuff like people like me being concerned with the state of the rotation at all times.

I would also like to take this time to thank my friend Dusty and his Dodgers once again for Russell Martin and now for Hiroki Kuroda. Thank you for not having real ownership in time for these two players to join the Yankees!

Number 25, Mark Teixeira, Number 25
When Tex got hurt in the ALCS I wasn’t devastated. That’s a problem. You should ALWAYS be devastated when your No. 3 hitter will miss the rest of the ALCS and the postseason.

Mark, Mark Mark. What are we doing to do with? I guess let you play first base and hit in the middle of the order for the next five seasons since you’re under contract.

Teixeira needs to find the .306/.400/.563 guy from 2007 or the dominant .308/.410/.552 player from 2008 or the .292/.383/.565 MVP runner-up from 2009. I don’t think .248/.341/.494 is cutting it or acceptable for a guy making $22.5 million in 2012 and hitting in the middle of the best offense of the game (even if he hit 39 home runs and drove in 111 runs.) The Yankees will still likely make the playoffs and could win the division if he hits like he did the last two years and forgets that the left side of the field is also in play.

Last season when I wanted Teixeira to hit fifth prior to Opening Day (it took 162 games for Girardi to make the move), I compared his play to Jason Giambi’s and how Yankee Stadium and the short porch changed their games and their approach. Sweeny Murti called me crazy and when Teixeira hit four home runs in the first five games of the year from the three-hole, I felt stupid.

It took Girardi until the playoffs to flip Teixeira and Cano and while I understand the Yankees did have the best record in the AL with Teixeira hitting third, it’s like John Tortorella not playing Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards together until the end of the season, but still being the No. 1 seed in the NHL … maybe they could have been even better.

Number 24, Robinson Cano, Number 24
Cano was the best hitter on the Yankees last year. There’s no reason he can’t be the same in 2011. And now that he has Scott Boras representing him, I’m sure he can taste his next contract. He’s going to want to continue to stack his resume.

Robbie Cano … don’t ya know! (Sorry I had to do that.) Cano has become the most important hitter in the lineup and one of the best all-around hitters in the game. He’s taken over the No. 3 spot in the order as Teixeira has also helped with this decision by basically giving it away.

Number 52, CC Sabathia, Number 52
If CC Sabathia doesn’t take the ball every fifth day for the Yankees (and sometimes maybe on short rest), well like Mike Francesa says, “You can pack up the bats and balls.” CC knows how crucial he is to the 2011 Yankees and he knows that there’s a pot of gold waiting for him at the end of the year if he can duplicate 2010 in 2011 and opt out and make the Steinbrenners take out a second mortgage on their house to make sure that he’s a Yankee next year.

Sabathia might hold the No. 1 spot until his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season. The only way he would lose this spot is if he began a Johan Santana-like injury decline or Phil Hughes and/or Michael Pineda develop into the No. 1-type starters that the Yankees think they can be.

Sabathia has already won 59 games in three years with the Yankees and is averaging a 20-8 season with a 3.18 ERA over the three years. He’s easily the best free-agent pitcher Brian Cashman has ever signed (he could be half as good as he has been and still hold that title), and he’s without a doubt the most important and valuable Yankee.

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NFL • NHL

Mar 29, 2012

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

With the city about to become sports crazy with the combination of early-season baseball games mixed with playoff hockey and basketball, it’s time for some random thoughts.

We made it! We made it through the dog days of the sports calendar that starts the day after the Super Bowl and ends with March Madness. Now it’s smooth sailing until the MLB All-Star break when the sports world shuts down and ESPN uses the week to replay every Home Run Derby from the last decade.

The Giants got me through the brutal winter months, which weren’t so brutal thanks to a lack of snow and this run of awesome weather that created a spring training-like atmosphere for the northeast. And now we have almost arrived at the greatest day of them all: Opening Day.

April presents the perfect storm of sports with Opening Day clashing with the beginning of the NHL and NBA postseasons. Well, unless you’re a Mets, Islanders and Nets fan, then I don’t know what you do to get your sports fix since waiting for the Jets’ season isn’t really an option. It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and it has led me to want to remake this Staples commercial that my dad used to tease me with when the summer was coming to a close.

We are at the point where the Yankees are ready for their third attempt at No. 28, the Rangers are in a position they haven’t been in 15 years and the Knicks look like they might be able to win at least one playoff game. Yankee Stadium is ready to open in 15 days and Madison Square Garden might actually host sporting events in late April, possibly May and if we’re lucky June.

With New York City about to become sports crazy with the combination of the new-car smell of early-season baseball games mixed with the importance of playoff hockey and basketball, there really is no better time to start a weekly random thoughts column to make sure nothing gets lost in the shuffle throughout the week.

I decided to leave the Yankees out of this for now since there’s a lot to get to with them and I’ll get to it all next week leading up to Opening Day. For now, here are some non-baseball thoughts as I mentally prepare myself for next Friday at 3:10 p.m.

– Ryan Callahan is having a magical year as every shot he takes goes in or almost goes in. He doesn’t have the hands, offensive skills or talent of the premiere scorers in the league, but he certainly has the “goal scorer’s touch” and yes, it’s a real thing. It doesn’t matter if he’s scoring the most garbage of goals on a sloppy rebound or sniping bar down in a shootout, it seems like there isn’t a goalie when Callahan is shooting.

On Wednesday night, Callahan scored one of his patented “touch” goals when he missed an attempt on what would have been a pretty goal in front of the net, but instead of scoring, he shot it off a defenseman, and because he’s Ryan Callahan, the puck went right back to his stick blade rather than into the corner or to one of the other nine guys on the ice. Callahan knew what to do with it and found the back of the net. Moments later he came down and let one loose off the crossbar.

It’s things like Callahan’s goals, the way the team scores ugly goals as a whole and find ways to win games, and the play from the soon-to-be-Vezina-winner Henrik Lundqvist that makes me think if the Rangers can’t win it this season they might not get a chance like this with all the stars aligning again.

– There’s not much to think about Tim Tebow going to the Jets other than the Jets are an absolute joke. I like Tebow and like watching him play and like watching media members scramble to try and analyze and make sense of his success, so this might be the first Jets player I root for.

Woody, Mr. T and Rex continue to say that Mark Sanchez is their starting quarterback “period” but if that’s the case, who holds a press conference for their backup quarterback? However, the trio also tells us they didn’t bring Tim Tebow here to be a backup? Can I offer anyone some crazy pills?

The problem is that Sanchez isn’t the Jets’ starting quarterback “period.” The first time Sanchez throws an interception or a pick-six or the offense goes three-and-out at Giants Stadium (I’m dropping MetLife from the name), you’re going to hear the kind of “Tebow” chants that rained down on Mile High Stadium in Week 1 last year while Kyle Orton lost to the Raiders. Those chants are powerful, and they will carry over to sports radio and TV. And those same chants that pushed Kyle Orton out of town and gave John Elway and John Fox no choice but to start Tebow and give the people what they want will be infinitely more powerful in New York. Because let’s be honest, Mark Sanchez isn’t going to do anything to prevent or stifle them.

And how do you have a press conference for maybe the most polarizing athlete in the world with the New York media present and the owner, general manager and head coach are nowhere to be found? The only Jets representative that was present was Jared Winley. The same guy Jared Winley who told Darrelle Revis to hang up on Mike Francesa last October. J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

– For as dominant as the Rangers have been, they still aren’t the best team in the Eastern Conference. That title belongs to the Penguins. And for as dominant as the Rangers have been, they are in a tough situation as the No. 1 seed right now. Pittsburgh trails them by five points with a game in hand, and if Pittsburgh takes over the top seed, the Rangers will face the Flyers in the first round. Sure, the Rangers are undefeated against the Flyers, but the Flyers are 10-3-1 in March, a division rival and if you believe in being “due” or the law of averages, the Flyers are the worst possible first-round matchup for the Rangers.

If the Rangers come out as the No. 1 seed, which they are likely to do, then they will likely face the Senators (currently No. 7), Sabres (currently No. 8) or Capitals (currently No. 9). (There’s also a chance they could face the Devils if a series of insane events happens.)

The Senators looked like they might take over the No. 2 seed from the Bruins, but then they lost five of six over a two-week stretch this month, and now they are battling just to fend off the Sabres and Capitals. The Sabres have won five straight and have outscored opponents 22-5 in those five games (including a 4-1 win over the Rangers). The Capitals have been up and down in March, but does anyone really want to face the Capitals after what happened in 2008-09 and last year even if they aren’t exactly the same team?

This is tricky because the Rangers have a past with the Capitals even if they are the weakest team of the three, and the Rangers and Sabres play a very similar style, and Ryan Miller just happens to be getting 2010 Olympics hot right now.

Despite what Brian Monzo tells me about being scared of the Senators knocking off the Rangers, I think I would want to play Ottawa then Washington then Buffalo, but this has been changing daily.

– What’s Mike D’Antoni doing right now? Sure, he will have $24 million from the Knicks when all is said and done, but there’s no way he doesn’t look like Ron Burgundy (it’s a mustache thing) after being fired from Channel 4 as an unemployed drunk who’s hated by the city. The last thing you want to see your team do when you’re let go is win, and the Knicks beat the Trail Blazers by 42 on the same day D’Antoni “resigned” and now they’re 8-1 with Mike Woodson as the head coach.

– I’m happy to see Bartolo Colon continuing his great comeback (8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K on Thursday morning against Seattle). I was 100-percent wrong a year ago when I said he was a bad idea for the Yankees to put on the roster, and this was even before he was put into the rotation. I do wish we got to see him start Game 2 of the ALDS.

– Thank you and goodbye to Brandon Jacobs. Even though I actually felt like Jacobs picked it up down the stretch and in the postseason he has clearly declined drastically since the 2007 run and his superb 2008 run. He became a locker room distraction, a loudmouth with the media and even entered the A.J. Burnett Zone from which there is no return. I will remember Jacobs for the good times and try to forget about the bad times (unless I need to reference them to draw comparison to something else that’s negative). He leaves New York for the 49ers as a two-time champion, and now I can only hope he fumbles against the Giants in next year’s NFC Championship Game.

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Blogs • Rangers

Mar 16, 2012

Rangers Reeling Through Ides of March

The Rangers have the most points in the East, but the Penguins are the best team in the East and the best team in the league, and it’s not really up for debate either.

This column was originally published on WFAN.com on March 16, 2012.

The Rangers have to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Actually they have to get out of the second round too. They have to. John Tortorella can make all the excuses months before the playoffs that he wants by saying this team isn’t ready to win yet, but I think they are. I think the “best” team in either conference has a chance to win it all. Really, I think any playoff team in either conference has a chance to win it all.

The Rangers are the “best” team in the Eastern Conference right now. They have the most points so they are the “best,” but we all know the Penguins are the best team in the East and the best team in the league. It’s not really up for debate either. The Penguins have won 10 in a row, trail the Rangers by four points with a game in hand and have had this good of a season to date without their best player and without the best player in the world. Take the Rangers’ best player (Henrik Lundqvist) off the team for all but eight games this season, and the Rangers wouldn’t be trying to fend off teams from taking their No. 1 seed. They might be fending off the Canadiens and Islanders for the 16th seed in the conference.

The Penguins haven’t lost since Feb. 19. They lost 6-2 to in Buffalo that day and then shut out the Rangers two days later, and have been picking up two points per game since. They have outscored their opponents 40-15 during the streak and seven of the wins over have come against playoff teams, and oh yeah, they are just now getting No. 87 back in the lineup. Do we even play the rest of the season out, or should we just give them the Stanley Cup now? (That’s only half reverse jinx because it’s also half true.)

Am I scared of the Rangers’ current status? Was Bobby Abreu scared of the right-field wall at Yankee Stadium? The injuries and illnesses on the Rangers are starting to pile up, the offense (aside from the first line) has disappeared and the defense has been off and on for about a month. You can either say this is happening at the worst time (down the stretch with the top seed on the line), or that’s it happening at an OK time (prior to the playoffs). Either way it’s happening and it needs to be fixed.

The Rangers don’t need the No. 1 seed. The No. 1 seed means nothing. Home-ice advantages no longer truly exist in the NHL with cookie-cutter rinks and suites and boxes filling arenas, and fans being priced out around the league as if Yankee Stadium has become the home for every good (or Canadian) NHL team. It’s always nice to have the extra home game in a best-of-7 series, but this isn’t the NBA where it’s a necessity. It’s only a luxury in the NHL.

If the Rangers are the No. 1 seed or the No. 4 seed (let’s keep giving away top seeds to division winners!), they’re going to have a tough first-round opponent. If you want to play Washington, winners of four straight, in the first round then maybe we can get together and I will show you some first-round footage from 2010-11 and 2008-09. And if you want to play Philadelphia, well it’s not something anyone should “want” whether or not the law of averages suggests the Rangers shouldn’t play the Flyers in the playoffs. Every team in the Eastern Conference Playoff Picture will be a tough test for the Rangers, and there’s no point of hoping to play one team over another since it usually doesn’t work out the way you want it to, and even if it does, it will likely backfire.

Thursday night was a disaster. The matchup did lose some of its luster knowing that Marty Biron would be playing instead of Henrik Lundqvist, but even so, the Rangers have now lost their last three meetings with the Penguins by a combined score of 11-3 and two of those games were when Lundqvist played. The Penguins are the class of the league right now, and the seemingly inevitable conference finals meeting between the Rangers and Bruins can be put on hold.

Here are a few thoughts on the Rangers following Thursday night’s loss to the Penguins.

Henrik Lundqvist
Prior to getting sick and missing the last two games, Henrik Lundqvist had been in a funk. It wasn’t a Mike Dunham-like funk or whatever-is-going-on-with-the-Boston-goalies-right-now funk, but when you’re the best goalie in the league with a 1.88 GAA any kind of letdown is noticeable.

When I first heard that the Rangers were calling up Chad Johnson from the AHL, I hoped that Lundqvist wasn’t hurt or injured (yes, there’s a difference between the two). And while you never want someone to have the flu, I’m just glad it wasn’t anything serious because if Lundqvist is out for any extended period of time or (knock on wood) the playoffs, you might as well pack up the locker room and we’ll you in 2012-13. Lundqvist is the best player on the team and has been now since Jaromir Jagr left, and he might have been even when Jagr was still here. The team is built around him, and without him in net, the game against the Penguins on Thursday night lost its luster and the result is easier to accept knowing that the King wasn’t in the net.

The Lines
Remember the conversations about how “deep” the Rangers are? Was that this year? If we’re going to talk about depth, let’s keep it to defensive depth.

Brad Richards came to the Rangers to feed Marian Gaborik the puck. That’s why he got a nine-year deal worth $60 million. After a rocky start to the season and a lack of chemistry, John Tortorella split them up, and that was that. Why give them any time to learn to play together? Now after five months on separate lines, Tortorella has decided to put his best goal scorer and best playmaker on the same line. What a concept!

I have a love/hate relationship with Tortorella. I’m not into his press conference and media personality the way that some people. But these same people love Sean Avery’s so-called “effectiveness” on the ice. (And isn’t it ironic that these two guys don’t like each other?) Tortorella has this sense of entitlement around him that you get with winning the Stanley Cup even if he can thank Richards for his ring. Winning in the major sports has evolved into the same result as winning an election as a campaign manager. You will always have that one win to fall back on and you can always get a job because of it. In Tortorella’s case, I guess winning the Cup once lets you act however you want (just ask Tim Thomas), but Tortorella isn’t Scotty Bowman. I’m not sure he’s even Terry Crisp. I don’t expect him to change his ways now or ever, and I’m sure the beat writers and reporters who are in love with his personality would be upset with me for even suggesting it.

The first line has now scored six consecutive goals for the Rangers. The good news is that the Rangers finally have a line that other teams fear and a line that makes opposing fans say, “Oh eff!” when they’re on the ice. The bad news is the first line has scored the last six goals for the Rangers, and the depth of scoring starts and ends with them right now.

I know that Ryan Callahan will certainly help the offense on the second line and that will bump someone out of the lineup from one of the bottom two lines, but it shouldn’t be…

Mats Zuccarello
Let’s get this out of the way, so everyone knows where I stand: I love Mats Zuccarello. I love his style of play and what he brings offensively to the team. (Sorry, Monzo.) I know John Tortorella doesn’t like him since he stuck him in Hartford all season to play with the Whale, and he isn’t one of Tortorella’s “favorites.” But now all of a sudden the team needs “offensive creativity” so they call up the 5-foot-7 wing that they cast off to the AHL after three games with the team back in October.

Zuccarello has now played in six games for the Rangers this season, or the same amount of games as John Scott. No one will fight Scott (or at least he won’t get anyone to go consistently he claims) because of his size, and he has complained openly about this. He isn’t someone who can play and he isn’t on the ice fighting or changing the momentum or giving the team a spark when he was playing, so why was he ever playing in the first place? The idea that “he’s a big body that takes up space” isn’t cutting it for a first-place team in the best league in the world. I have to wonder if Marian Gaborik sees John Scott in practice and wonders if he’s even in the NHL anymore, and I would set the money line that John Scott has even scored one goal in a practice shooting drill on Henrik Lundqvist at +730.

Zuccarello deserved to be on this team for more of the season than he has been whether or not they did fine without him, and now he deserves to play more than he is playing. I know that nothing will change because he isn’t one of Tortorella’s “boys” but the idea that some of the other names that have rolled through this roster were given a chance before him is disgusting. He doesn’t belong buried on the bench barely getting 7:37 of ice time like he did on Thursday. He’s here to help jumpstart an offense that goes into hiding, so let him do that.

No. 87
The game is better when Crosby plays. It’s so much better that I feel like it might be necessary for the Penguins to sign Dave Semenko and Marty McSorley to make sure Crosby isn’t sidelined for a year again.

No. 87 is the textbook example of why fighting is needed in the NHL. Everyone knows about his concussion-related problems and there isn’t a team in the league that doesn’t have plans to try and put Crosby on the shelf again as bad as it sounds. (I know other fans are looking for it from conversations and Twitter and Facebook.) Without players being allowed to police themselves, there’s no doubt that players would take shots at Crosby and that someone would try to run him. Even though he’s the poster boy for scoring, he might also be it for fighting.

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