(Long Island, NY) After twisting in the wind since the Yankees were ousted by Cleveland in the American League Division Series, Joe Torre turned the tables on George Steinbrenner and rejected the team’s one-year contract offer. The man that led the Bronx Bombers to playoff appearances in every one of his 12 seasons as the field boss decided that he wanted to walk away on his own terms.

It all began after the Yankees lost the first two playoff games to the Indians, causing Steinbrenner to say that the team needed to come back and win the ALDS for Torre to be asked back next season. The questions surrounded the manager and front office upon the team’s ouster, with speculation regarding The Boss’ statement.

The Yankees’ brain trust met in Tampa this week to discuss their options. Bench coach Don Mattingly reportedly said that he was not ready to take on the job, which his agent quickly rebuffed once it became public. No decision on Torre was made until Thursday afternoon when a one-year, $5 million offer was put on the table. The offer included a $1 million bonus for each playoff round reached, which would have maxed it out at $8 million.

This would have been a $2.5 million pay cut from Torre’s 2007 salary, postseason not withstanding. What seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would accept the offer and come back became the shocker of the day. Torre apparently decided that he did not want to accept a substantial (29 percent) pay cut and rely on performance-based incentives after proving his worth since 1996.

Under this offer, he would continue to be the highest paid manager in major league baseball,” team president Randy Levine said to reporters. “We thought that we needed to go to a performance-based model, having nothing to do with Joe Torre’s character, integrity or ability. We just think it’s important to motivate people.”

The end of that statement is the most troubling part. Not trying to read into it, but is Levine insinuating that Torre was not motivated enough to win this season by having his $7.5 million deal guaranteed? Arguably the best manager in the Yankees’ long and illustrious history deserves better than that.

Addressing the media after the Yankees were eliminated, Torre sounded like a man that would not return. “This has been a great 12 years,” he said to reporters. “Whatever the hell happens from here on out, I’ll look back on these 12 years with great, great pleasure. The 12 years just felt like they were 10 minutes long, to be honest with you.” Possibly the skipper knew in his heart that it was over and time to move on.

Now where do the Yankees turn? The brass cannot be totally happy with these events, but possibly relieved. The Steinbrenners (George and sons Hank and Hal) would have looked like Public Enemy Number One if they just tossed Torre aside. This way, they can always stand on their offer and that Torre was the one who decided against returning. They need to make a quick but proper decision for their new manager. Mattingly is still considered the favorite choice of George Steinbrenner, and after Torre decided against returning, may rethink
his earlier ‘statements.’ Another front-runner is Joe Girardi, the former Yankee catcher who won the 2006 National League Manager of the Year award with the Florida Marlins.

Other names mentioned have been Tony LaRussa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, and former Mets’ manager Bobby Valentine, currently a folk hero as a field boss in Japan.

Whoever gets the job will have Herculean shoes to fill. A 1,173-767 record, eighth in the All-Time list and second to Casey Stengel for the team record are next to impossible to match. Factor in the four World Series titles, 10 AL East flags and two-time Manager of the Year (1996 and 1998) awards, and Joe Torre is irreplaceable.

(Long Island, NY) After starting the season with two losses, the New York Giants looked like a team that had no chance to reach the playoffs. Their defense gave up chunks of yards to Dallas and Green Bay, while surrendering 80 points. With divisional games staring at them in the next two weeks, their season could have been over before October.

A second half comeback at Washington may have been the turning point in the Giants’ season if they go on to qualify for the postseason. They held the Redskins scoreless and made a statement by not letting the pressure get to them. Head coach Tom Coughlin, who has been criticized for not being able to hold the team together, made the proper halftime adjustments and his team took it a step further by totally dismantling Philadelphia a week later. The same defense that could not stop Tony Romo and Brett Favre sacked Eagles’ quarterback 13 times while holding them to three points.

The Giants (3-2) went over the .500 mark last Sunday with a 35-24 win over their stadium counterparts, the Jets, who led by 10 points heading into the locker room. Running back Brandon Jacobs made his first appearance since injuring his knee in the opener and rushed for over 100 yards, fueling the comeback. Rookie cornerback Aaron Ross had two interceptions and ran one back for a touchdown to put the Jets away for good.

“It’s good that we know we can make plays and do good things,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “And at times if we are struggling we know we can turn it around and bounce out of it. But we just have to go out there and find a way to play four quarters.”

Now the G-Men will make their first appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The 1-4 Atlanta Falcons will be the opponent, and they have had a tough season, suffering from the Michael Vick hangover.

Statistically, Joey Harrington has not appeared to be as bad as the critics have made him out to be. He is currently ranked second in the NFC and sixth in the NFL in completion percentage. He has thrown for 1,070 yards through five games (105 for 156) and four touchdowns with a 87.3 passer rating.

Matt Schaub had been Vick’s back-up before being dealt to Houston in the offseason and would have been the starter after the dog fighting/suspension situation. Does Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino regret the move?

“Now, you can’t look back on that,” he said. “We felt like we needed the draft picks to help us with developing the rest of our team and getting other players.” Atlanta signed Byron Leftwich after he was released by Jacksonville, and the pressure is beginning to mount for him to take over for Harrington after he entered the game last week.

Petrino has made it clear that there is no quarterback controversy. “Joey is the starter and Byron will be the back-up,” he said. “Joey has been playing well for us. We got in a situation last week where we were getting a lot of pass rush, he [Harrington] got hit a few times, he usually completes the throws that in the third quarter he was not, and we were just trying to get a spark when we put Byron in there.”

Due to the Falcons’ struggles, some people have looked at this as a possible ‘trap’ game for the Giants. Eli Manning disagrees.

“We are not overlooking anybody,” he said. “If you look at them on film, you see right away they are a good team. A couple of things didn’t go their way and they have lost some games.”

Coughlin also knows that Atlanta is a team to be careful with. “They have played two games at home, they have played three games on the road, statistically they are different, but the other thing is they have physically been in every game,” the Giants head coach said. “They have battled and that is what you have to point out.”

A battle may be ahead of them, but one that Big Blue should come away a winner.

(Long Island, NY) After finishing the regular season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Yankees had to feel confident heading into the American League Division Series. By qualifying as the Wild Card team, the Bombers had to travel to Cleveland for the first two games against the AL Central Division champion Indians, who they defeated in all six meetings during the summer. Still, all in all, having set their rotation up with Chien-Ming Wang facing Indians ace C.C Sabathia, Joe Torre’s club had to get at least a split on the road.

After dropping the first game by a lopsided score of 12-3, the pressure is on Andy Pettitte to get even. After taking an early 1-0 lead on a disputed home run by leftfielder Johnny Damon, Wang allowed the Indians to take a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. Cleveland, who is back in the postseason after a six-year absence, never looked back and pounded Wang and reliever Ross Ohlendorf for 11 earned runs and 13 hits in only 5 2/3 innings.

Sabathia, who entered the game with a 1-7 record and a 7.13 ERA over his career against New York, was not as sharp as he was during the regular season, but left the game after five innings with a 9-3 lead. He also matched his walks for the entire month of September with six and allowed two solo home runs to left-handed hitters. It was his first time facing the Yankees in three years.

The turning point in the game came in the top of the fifth inning when the Yankees had two runners in scoring position with only one out. Sabathia intentionally walked Alex Rodriguez (0-2, 2 walks) to get to catcher Jorge Posada. After working the count to 3-0, Posada ended up striking out, setting the table for Hideki Matsui. Once again, Sabathia fell behind with two straight pitches out of the strike zone before enticing Matsui to pop out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

“Posada helped me out a little bit,” Sabathia said to reporters, “ and I was able to get out of it. These guys swung the bats and picked me up huge.”

Cleveland opened the game up in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run by Victor Martinez, who is making his first appearance in the postseason. Kenney Lofton, who is back for his third stint in Cleveland after a late-season trade with Texas, felt that the game made him feel younger than his 40 years. “I was trying to tell these guys how exciting it was in ’95,” he said. “I said if we start winning and doing things, the crowd is going to get excited.”

The 44,608 in attendance at Jacobs Field had a lot to cheer about, and Lofton was the catalyst by legging out a double (in addition to two other base hits), one stolen base and four RBI. It was a night of accomplishments, as Lofton’s steal was his 33rd in the postseason, tying Rickey Henderson. With four home runs, Cleveland matched their team playoff high after performing that feat twice in 1998.

Torre realizes that one game does not make an entire series. “Let’s just get over it and lick our wounds and then we’ll figure it out,” he said to reporters after the game. In a short series, a win in Game 2 is imperative, and Pettitte will have to forget his past games versus the Indians in the playoffs. Lifetime, he has an 0-3 mark with a 9.73 ERA in three starts, the type of numbers that do not garner confidence after a drubbing less than 24 hours earlier. Pettitte’s overall postseason numbers (14-9) will show that he has what it takes to be effective. The question is if he can do that versus Cleveland heading into the game.

Fausto Carmona, who matched Sabathia’s 2007 win total during the regular season with 19, will oppose him. He finished the season with five wins in September and his last home loss was on August 10 against the Yankees, when he gave up four earned runs in seven innings. Only in his second year in the major leagues, this will be his first start with the money on the table and the 23 year-old righthander will be giving up many years of experience to Pettitte. How that transcends on the field will be decided tonight.

(Long Island, NY) 0-2 is not a death sentence, even in the competitive short regular season that is the NFL. Although the Jets dropped their first two games to quality opponents, they have an opportunity to get even with a win on Sunday in Buffalo after defeating Miami last weekend.

The schedule makers were not kind to Gang Green by having them open up against New England and Baltimore, but seeing the away game at Buffalo anywhere before December may be a little payback. The cold temperatures that usually await the Jets later in the season will not be there during the last weekend of September, and it will be even milder than normal with the late surge of a little remaining summer.

The Jets may be catching the Bills (0-3) at a good time, too. Their starting quarterback, J.P. Losman, suffered a knee injury last week and backup Trent Edwards is scheduled to make his first career start. He was a third-round (92nd overall) pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, so look for the Bills to keep the ball on the ground for the majority of the game to alleviate some of the pressure on the young signal caller.

“I’m sure he’s going to be very nervous,” Buffalo head coach Dick Jauron said. “He hasn’t played, hardly at all, in the NFL until last week. He’ll prepare well and we’ll try to play as good as we can play and I know he’ll give us everything he’s got.”

Another rookie, running back Marshawn Lynch, takes over for Jet killer Willis MaGahee, who was traded to Baltimore in the offseason. Lynch, the 12th overall pick in the first round, has been effective in the early going with a 4.0 average and two rushing touchdowns. The Cal product should get a lot of touches against a shaky Jet defense.

“He is tough,” said Jet safety Kerry Rhodes. “He doesn’t really go down on first contact. He can make you miss in the backfield. He is quick and he is a tough runner. He is going to be tough for us.”

“He’s a guy that is more and more involved each week and gets better and better each week as he works with the offensive line,” said head coach Eric Mangini. “He’s a very good player that is going to get more dangerous as time goes on as he learns more.”

A week ago, the Jets had all sorts of problems keeping Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown in check. He scored three total touchdowns – two rushing and one receiving – and gained 112 yards on 23 carries and 99 more on six catches. Miami’s much-maligned quarterback Trent Green was coming off a four-interception game the week prior to facing the Jets. The veteran completed 23 of 36 for 318 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

For the Jets to win this game, they will need to contain screen plays, which have been their Achilles heel throughout the season. “They’ve (Buffalo) got a full complement of screens, like most teams,” Mangini said. “It could be the tailback, tight end or wide receiver. There’s a lot of different ways that you can attack it.”

If the Jets want to walk out of the stadium on Sunday afternoon with a 2-2 record, they will have to stop those ways that the Bills will attack it.

(Long Island, NY) A seven game lead with 17 to go seemed to be quite a cushion, even for a team that had not been playing its best baseball. The Phillies and Braves were still looking up at the Mets and it appeared, at the time, that the best either chasing club could hope for would be the Wild Card. But due to the ineffectiveness of the Mets’ bullpen, the Phillies find themselves only 1 and 1/2 games back in the division. Stop the bleeding.

What is even more troubling is that in their past two series, the Mets have had trouble with the second division clubs in the East. After being swept for the second consecutive time by Philadelphia, the Mets went to D.C. and dropped two out of three to the Nationals. They then went to Florida and lost a heartbreaker on Thursday night before hanging on for a 9-6 win on Friday.

“We’ve been giving away some stuff, so we’ll take advantage of some help every once in a while,” Mets manager Willie Randolph said to reporters following the much-needed victory, which had a rain delay of nearly two and a half hours in the sixth inning.

If the unthinkable happens, many fingers will be pointing at Randolph, one of which will be team owner Fred Wilpon. “I’m disappointed with the way the team is performing overall, and that’s everyone, top to bottom,” Wilpon told SI.com earlier in the week. “I’m disappointed in Omar (Minaya, GM), Willie, the players…that’s everyone. We shouldn’t be in this position. But we are. We’ve got to fight our way out and pull this out.”

By including Minaya in his statement, Wilpon has not absolved the man who single-handedly made the Mets into contenders basically overnight. But he is also not overlooking the fact that this past offseason was not one of Minaya’s best. He signed relievers Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoenweis to multi-year deals and they have been busts since the start. The only in-season move made on the coaching staff was Minaya fired hitting coach Rick Down and brought Rickey Henderson on board. It has not helped and possibly the team has even regressed in the second half.

Critics have blamed Randolph’s laid-back demeanor as being one of the problems in this skid, but that is the school he is from. Joe Torre is perhaps the most unemotional manager of all time and he has done quite well for himself. Being on Torre’s staff for so many years, Randolph is playing it the same way and cannot be chided for that.

Randolph may be quiet and somewhat aloof, but he does not allow his players to escape his wrath when necessary. Jose Reyes failed to hustle and was sat down as a result. “When he has something to say, he’s going to say something to me,” Reyes said to reporters. “You appreciate it.”

What the manager needs to do now is to make sure that his team is not playing tight. When you’re anticipating something bad happening, it usually follows. After finishing the weekend in Miami, the Mets come home for the remaining seven games versus Washington, St. Louis (makeup game) and Florida. The Phillies also finish up their road schedule with two at D.C., and then return to Citizen’s Bank Ballpark for two three-game series’ versus Atlanta and Washington.

As far as the Wild Card race in the National League goes, the Padres are currently leading Philadelphia by 1 1/2 games. Colorado (3 1/2) and Atlanta (5 1/2) are still close enough to make it interesting in the last week of the regular season.

The Mets still have a little wiggle room, but need to get themselves righted if they want to have the opportunity to set up their starting rotation for the playoffs. It seemed like they would have that luxury
heading into the last two weeks, but that has changed. Their veteran starters must take the ball and get deep into the game to alleviate the pressure on a tired and shaky relief corps.

For the time being, the rest of the division is still looking up at the Mets. How long that lasts is up to them.

(Long Island, NY) The game of football is a rough, contact sport. Injuries are part of the equation and must be expected throughout the season. The one position that is frequently on that watch is the quarterback, just because of the pressure that is brought upon him on each passing play. Losing your starter for any period of time can be a crisis situation, and both New York teams have that problem after one week into the young NFL season.

Chad Pennington had his right ankle rolled on and severely sprained it during the third quarter of the 38-14 home loss to the New England Patriots. He did return and led the Jets on a scoring drive, throwing his second touchdown pass to Laverneus Coles. When the Patriots scored again in the fourth quarter, second-year player Kellen Clemens came back in and finished the game.

Rehabbing the ankle all week in practice, Pennington was still unsure of his status on Wednesday. “It’s just a day-to-day process. [I’m] working extremely hard around the clock to do everything I can to prepare myself to play,” he said.

Head coach Eric Mangini echoed those sentiments. “”We’ll look at it each day,” he said. He’ll follow the same procedures that we have for all of our injured players and we’ll evaluate it as the week goes on.”

The Jets official injury report has Pennington listed the ‘Limited Participation in Practice’ bracket, and that can leave it open to interpretation. The team has to prepare for the upcoming game in Baltimore versus the 0-1 Ravens whoever will be under center on Sunday, and Clemens is fully aware of that.

“You approach each week like you are going to be the starter and see who plays on Sunday,” he said. “As a backup or starter, you approach it the same way and you try to get as ready as possible.”

Ravens’ head coach Brian Billick has to prepare his team for both quarterbacks, and the two types of games that they bring. “There is a clear-cut difference between the style of play,” he said. “I don’t know that it is that dramatic, but you obviously have to account for the physical skills of the guy that is going to step in.”

On Thursday, Newsday reported that “a person familiar with the situation” said that the start will go to Clemens even though the team has yet to make an official announcement. The strong-armed 2nd round pick out of Oregon has only seen limited action in the pros, throwing one incompletion in two games last season before going 5 for 10 for 35 yards against the Pats.

As for the Giants and Eli Manning, there also seemed to be a cloud of confusion about his injury. While attempting a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter of the 45-35 loss at Dallas, Manning was thrown to the ground by Cowboys’ rookie Anthony Spencer and injured his right shoulder. He was replaced by southpaw Jared Lorenzen, who led the first team in practice on Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, ESPN reported that Manning had a separated throwing shoulder and could be out of action for up to a month. The team rebuffed the report. “I don’t know where that report comes from,” Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin said on Monday. “I don’t know where supposedly the information was found.”

“It’s the AC joint and I don’t know the definition of what that means,” said Manning. “I’m not in pain. It’s just a bruised shoulder.”

“I’m encouraged by his progress,” Coughlin said on Wednesday regarding Manning. “He is less sore that he was the day before – that kind of thing. The swelling is way down. So I’m encouraged by that.”

The embattled coach is preparing Lorenzen to take over in the home opener on Sunday versus the Packers, who defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. “I talk to him about what our expectations are,” said Coughlin. “He is attached to the side of Eli and they already studied very thoroughly the Green Bay defense. So he is on track. He is doing it the right way.”

If the 6’4” 285-pound Lorenzen gets the call, it will be his first start in the NFL. The last time that he started a game was in November of 2003 at the University of Kentucky in a 20-7 loss to Tennessee.

For the two teams that call the Meadowlands home, Week 2 will not be easy. Both the Packers and Ravens have a strong defense, and inexperienced and young signal-callers historically do not shine in their first NFL starts regardless of who is staring at them across the line of scrimmage.

(Long Island, NY) Some match-ups just work regardless of when they take place. Take the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, for instance. Even when one (or both) of these teams is experiencing a rough season, they always get up for each other. Both playoff teams a year ago, they get a chance right away to get a leg up on the other with an opening night contest.

This is kickoff weekend for the 2007 NFL season, and one of the games that jump off the page is the 8:15 national game on Sunday Night Football. NBC has made a splash in their return to the NFL, and pick up right where they left off a year ago with the G-Men – ‘Boys battle.

Both teams were ‘one and done’ in last year’s wild card round. The Giants are being viewed as a team that may take a step back with the retirement of running back Tiki Barber, who has taken his game to the NBC pre-game studio. It will be hard to replace his production, but the distractions he brought to the locker room calling out the coaching staff will not be missed. His replacements, Brandon Jacobs and Rueben Droughns, are more than capable to pick up some of the lost yardage.

“We have some people we can rely on and certainly Brandon will start the game,” said Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin, who also recognizes the importance of the first game.

“It’s an excellent challenge,” he said. “You are talking about a team that was in the playoffs, a team that had an opportunity to advance. You are talking about [in] the division. It doesn’t get any more exciting than that.”

Wade Phillips will be entering his first season as the Cowboys’ head coach after taking over for the retired Bill Parcells. He inherits a quarterback that may be ready to take that next step in Tony Romo, who made a name for himself after taking over during the 2006 season.

“He has been real consistent,” Phillips said. “I see all of the things that everybody saw the last half of the season to vote him into the Pro Bowl. So I don’t see him being any different than that.”

Romo acknowledged that there is excitement facing the Giants in Week One. “At the end of the day, this game is going to be a big game just because it is against the Giants, a division rival, and it’s going to kind of set the tone for your season hopefully,” he said. “I think all those things in one makes for a really big Sunday.”

One player expected to participate is Michael Strahan, who finally reported to the team after staying behind at his home in California while his teammates sweated through training camp and the preseason. The veteran defensive end, who is supposedly viewed as a team leader, contemplated retirement and said that the holdout had nothing to do with him being frustrated over the team not renegotiating his current contract. Regardless of the reason or reasons, he is practicing with the team and making an effort to prepare for the Cowboys.

“We’ll have to play it by ear,” said new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in reference to Strahan being a major contributor early on after missing so many important sessions. “I am not going to put a number on it [how many plays Strahan may be able to go against Dallas].”

NBC calls it ‘Football Night in America.’ The Giants and the Cowboys in a gunfight at the OK Carroll for first dibs on supremacy in the competitive NFC East. Will ‘America’s Team’ prevail? There are few guys wearing blue helmets that may have a thing or two to say about that.

(Long Island, NY) A life cut short is always a sad story. Regardless if someone was a basketball player or fan, to die at the young age of 25 cannot be viewed as anything else but a tragedy. Eddie Griffin, the former Seton Hall product, was involved in a fatal automobile accident on August 17 in Houston at 1:30 a.m. and left this world without realizing his true potential.

Griffin, driving an SUV, apparently ignored a railroad warning and went through a barrier before striking a moving train. As a result of the fire caused by the crash, a positive identification was not possible until dental records were checked. Investigators revealed that there were no skid marks at the scene and toxicology reports were still pending.

All of that is irrelevant right now. A young man’s life was lost and the causes will not change anything.

A life that could have been different when you factor in that Griffin had as many problems off the court as talent on it. Following a standout high school career at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Griffin chose to take his game to Seton Hall University and averaged 17.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game in his first NCAA campaign. He was named ‘Freshman of the Year’ by The Sporting News and was viewed as a potential top pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

Following a fight with a teammate in January of 2001, Griffin left the school and declared himself eligible for the draft. He ended up being selected 7th overall by the New Jersey Nets, and fell down the draft board due to questions about his attitude. The Nets then traded his draft rights to the Houston Rockets for Brandon Amstrong, Jason Collins, and the rights to Richard Jefferson.

His first two professional seasons were productive, averaging over 8 points and almost 6 boards and 2 blocks per game. Problems with drinking started to become and issue with Griffin the following season, which culminated in the Rockets releasing the 6’10”, 240-pound big man. He had missed practice sessions and a team flight, which did not bode too well with the team.

In January, 2004, the Nets signed their former first round pick, but he missed the entire season after entering an alcohol rehabilitation center. The Minnesota Timberwolves inked Griffin to a one-year deal in 2004 and he began to show signs of being a decent role player for them. Trouble followed him to Minnesota and he spent 11 days in jail in 2004 after violating a court order. He was ultimately sentenced to 18 months probation and fined $2,000 after pleading guilty. He was also involved in a car crash in 2006, in which he was suspected of being intoxicated. The NBA suspended him during last season for violating its drug policy. He remained a part of the T’Wolves until he was given his release in March of 2007.

At the time of the fatal car crash, Griffin was reportedly getting back in shape to attempt a comeback playing in Europe.

Former Timberwolves coach Dwayne Casey reflected on Griffin after hearing of his death. “Everybody tried to help him from the top to the bottom of the organization,” he said to reporters. “He just couldn’t get it straight. It’s a tragic ending for a beautiful kid.”

Many people close to Griffin have said that his life changed when his older brother passed away in 2001. Marvin Powell was 16 years his senior and viewed as Griffin’s ‘surrogate father.’

After arguing about turning pro or staying in college, Griffin and Powell did not speak for a month. Powell, who starred for the Hartford University basketball team, had planned a family meeting to discuss this. Hours before he died, Powell tried to call Griffin, who did not answer his phone call. The next time he would see his brother would be at the funeral. 12 days later, Griffin announced that he was leaving college for the NBA.

There are so many intangibles in the life and death of Eddie Griffin. Unfortunately, the common denominator is what may have been.

(Long Island, NY) It might not be baseball or football just yet. The sport of soccer has a long way to go in terms of popularity in the United States. A few more nights like last weekend at Giants Stadium will make that go a long way.

On August 18, a crowd of 66, 237 was in attendance for a Red Bulls – Los Angeles Galaxy match. Tailgaters lined the parking lot unlike all of the previous home games for the former MetroStars, kicking soccer balls around and cooking up on their barbeques. Judging by the size of the crowd, if someone didn’t look hard enough, they would have thought they were gathered for a Giants or Jets home game.

But this group was there for one reason – David Beckham, the international soccer star, who was making his first appearance as a member of MLS in the New York-Metropolitan area.

The former Manchester United midfielder did not disappoint, either. He played the full 90 minutes on a gimpy left ankle and had two pretty assists, setting up teammate Carlos Pavon’s first two career MLS goals for a 2-1 advantage. His sharp play changed the cheers that he heard for the first 10 minutes into boos. “It’s something that I’ve heard before,” said Beckham. “It’s part and parcel of playing at away grounds.”

“Beckham delivers a great ball,” Red Bulls head coach Bruce Arena said. “You see what a difference he makes for the LA team in their last two games.”

Coming into the contest, Beckham had played sparingly due to the ankle injury and had played only 18 minutes in the Galaxy’s last three contests. He scored his first goal on the season in a 2-0 win versus D.C. United four days prior to the Red Bulls game.

The game went back and forth as New York got things level with a score by Clint Mathis in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Teenage sensation Jozy Altidore put New York ahead by two with goals in the 49th and 70th minutes, only to see Los Angeles storm back to knot things up with tallys from Landon Donovan (71’) and Edson Buddle (82’).

In the 88th minute, Juan Pablo Angel scored his second goal of the game to put the Red Bulls ahead for good. After four minutes of stoppage time came and went, the crowd stood up and cheered as the players made their way into the tunnel, totally exhausted from a competitive struggle.

Following the game, Beckham reflected on what drawing large crowds means to growing the sport in America. “It’s great for the fans, it’s great for the league,” he said. “Hopefully it continues. This is what this sport needs in America. I’m very honored of the amount of people that turned out.”

With the Red Bulls averaging only just over 11, 000 fans per game, attracting six times that amount would indicate that first-timers and non-soccer fans made up a good portion. “Those first-timers that came out tonight, they couldn’t have watched a better game,” said Angel.

“It’s great for the fans, it’s great for the league,” Beckham said. “I’m very happy people want to come and see the game even if a lot of the people in the stands aren’t soccer fans.”

As an ambassador for the game, Beckham looks and plays the part well. Perhaps he can even be the first of many worldwide soccer stars to ply their trade in MLS. “I would advise anyone to give it a go and come and enjoy playing here,” said Beckham.

If that ever occurs, soccer may be added to that proverbial list.

(Long Island, NY) The AFC East is a division that can go in two completely different directions. The New England Patriots figure to be on top as usual and the Jets have enough talent and the right coaching staff to compete for a Wild Card berth. Both the Buffalo Bills (7-9) and Miami Dolphins (6-10) should improve, but by how many games remains to be seen.

J.P. Losman finally had a season to give Bills fans hope that he is the answer at quarterback. Their backfield was totally revamped with the drafting of Marshawn Lynch and the trade of Willis Magahee to Baltimore. There is great hype surrounding this player and to give him the holes to run through, the organization spent $74 million to sign two new members of the offensive line in Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker.

Change is also in the air in South Florida. Cam Cameron takes over for the departed Nick Saban and has two new quarterbacks to work with. John Beck was drafted and the 37 year-old Trent Green arrived from Kansas City, who is coming off an ineffective season where he missed eight games following a concussion and will give fans of The Fish major concerns. Although Green has been a serviceable QB throughout his career, his legacy may be somewhat of a Wally Pip-reference. In 1999, Green was the starter in St. Louis when he went down during a preseason game to give Kurt Warner a shot, which he merely won the league MVP, Super Bowl MVP and delivered a Super Bowl ring.

For Miami to do anything they need to improve on their 1-5 division and 3-9 conference marks. That will not be easy to do, with the AFC East being the only division in the NFL with two teams finishing with double-digit wins.

As for the Jets, they finally have their full squad in camp after signing first round draft pick Darrellle Revis out of Pitt. Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said, “We traded up for him, we think he is a talented player and he is going to come in and help us this year and for many years to come, hopefully.”

Missing the first two weeks of his initial NFL training camp is not something that can be overlooked for the rookie cornerback, and he is aware of that. “It was tough,” Revis said. “Being the competitive football player I am, I didn’t want to sit there and see my teammates playing. I was frustrated for a while but I just looked at the positive side and let my agents handle it.”

Jets head coach Eric Mangini realizes that while it is important to have Revis in camp, there is much for him to learn at this stage. “We’re excited about having him, obviously drafting him where we drafted him, and knowing the person that he is,” the second year coach said. “It will be good to get him out there. He’s got a lot of work to do.”

The Jets secondary could use a boost from their top draft pick. Last season, it was one of their problem areas that seemed like a revolving door. Andre Dyson, Justin Miller, David Barrett and Hank Poteat will all be back, as will Kerry Rhodes, who had a brilliant season with five sacks and four interceptions. Miller contributed more on special teams a year ago with a 28.3 average, two touchdown returns and a Pro Bowl selection, but figures to get more involved on the defensive side of the ball in 2007.

Considering that the Jets will play six divisional contests, this could be viewed as a positive or a negative. The bright side is that they can contribute to their rivals’ woes by defeating them when they face one another.