(Long Island, N.Y.) When you have a winning formula, it makes sense to keep things going in the same direction. For the New York Yankees, that means to sign veteran players instead of using your minor league system for finding starters when necessary. For the most part, that is.

This past offseason, general manager Brian Cashman had some work to do in keeping his own free agents in pinstripes and made sure to re-sign Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Hiroki Kuroda and Ichiro Suzuki. Key moves indeed, as two-fifths of the starting rotation, the closer and right-fielder would all be back.

Rivera, who missed the majority of 2012 with a knee injury, will have to find his old self because former set-up man and last year’s closer Rafael Soriano left as a free agent.

So Cashman treaded carefully as he looked to pick up the pieces to fill some holes that popped up since the playoff ouster by Detroit. Alex Rodriguez, who had a miserable postseason, had hip surgery and may in fact miss all of the 2013 campaign, so Kevin Youkilis – of all people – was brought in as a free agent. The former Red Sox third/first baseman was one of the bitter enemies in the old rivalry, but like Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon before him, he will call the Bronx home after a long stay at Fenway.

A year ago, ‘Youk’ was traded to the White Sox and had an overall sub-par season, hitting only .235 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI in 122 games. He will be the third baseman heading into spring training and spell Mark Teixiera across the diamond from time to time.

Needing a left-handed hitting designated hitter, Cashman took a flyer on Travis Hafner, who had been an offensive force for a number of years in Cleveland. (His best season came in 2006 when he hit .308, 42 home runs and 117 RBI). But injuries have taken their toll on him and he hasn’t reached 400 at bats in a season since 2007.

The production may be a bit off with the likes of Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones all gone. Yes, they are certainly replaceable parts, but will be missed, nonetheless. Especially when one gets hot at the right time, such as the amazing postseason that Ibanez enjoyed.

There will be another position looking different from a year ago, and that is at catcher. Russell Martin was signed to an expensive, long term contract by Pittsburgh and the Yankees chose to let him go and stand pat. Neither Francisco Cervelli, Austin Romine or Chris Stewart will be as effective as Martin, but the three-headed monster behind the plate should be able to handle the load.

Of course, Cashman can always keep a close eye on the waiver wire and pick up someone who is cut by another team before heading north. And there is rarely a trading deadline that goes by without the Yanks being in the middle of all the talk going on.

The core may still be intact, but there has to be some concern due to the lack of depth and the strong competition in the American League East. The Yankees are hoping that they can stay competitive until the new additions can prove themselves worthy (or unworthy). Then Cashman can decide if they need to make any changes.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Five yards. That was the difference in the outcome of the game and, ultimately, who would be named MVP. Both quarterbacks played well, but Joe Flacco was better in leading the Baltimore Ravens to a hard-fought 34-31 win in Super Bowl XVLII. Colin Kaepernick bravely led the San Francisco 49ers on an improbable second half comeback, but the 22-point disadvantage proved to be insurmountable.

Although the momentum had swung entirely towards the Niners, it was the vaunted Ravens defense that came up big in the final two minutes in New Orleans. With four opportunities to get into the end zone from the Baltimore five yard line, San Francisco ran out of magic and the Lombardi Trophy would be on its way to Maryland.

“I think that it’s fitting that we won that way,” said Flacco, who finished the entire postseason without throwing a single interception and went 22-for-33, 287 yards and three touchdowns. “We are a tough, blue-collar city and that’s the way our games kind of come down. We were up 28-6 and I’m sure a lot of people were nervous, but they were kind of like, ‘This one might be pretty easy.’ And the next thing you know, the Niners get right back into it and play great football and we had to grind it out.”

Kaepernick, who began the season as Alex Smith’s backup and nearly pulled off the impossible, reflected on the opportunity that was there and the attitude at the time. “I think that last drive and when we got the ball and had time to go down and score a touchdown, we thought it was our game.”

Baltimore came with two blitzes on third and fourth down, causing Kaepernick (16-for-28, 302 yards, one interception, 62 yards on the ground and a touchdown) to rush the throws that fell incomplete. But the Nevada product wouldn’t make any excuses. “No, it was our offense,” he said. “We stopped ourselves. I feel like I made too many mistakes for us to win.”

Two huge turnovers in the first half and allowing a 108-yard return on the opening kickoff of the second half put San Francisco in a deep hole. But later in the third quarter (following a 33-minute delay due to a power outage at the Superdome), the NFC champions began their comeback by way of poor tackling by the Ravens.

“I think that we just took advantage of the opportunities,” said 49ers tight end Vernon Davis.

Although the Ravens may have appeared to be back on their heels defensively, they were able to keep their composure and not let the 49ers to advance those final few valuable yards. “Nobody ever panicked,” said Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who did not have an effective swan song game with only four tackles and many blown chances for more. “If we all do our jobs, they won’t get in. To me, that was one of the most amazing goal line stands I’ve ever been a part of in my career. What better way to do it than on the Super Bowl stage?”

As Lewis rides off into the sunset, Keapernick’s time in the spotlight has merely just begun. When asked what goes through his mind after such a tough loss, the ever-confident one responded, “We’ll be back.”

(Long Island, N.Y.) When the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony in a blockbuster deal from the Denver Nuggets, they knew that they were getting a bona fide NBA superstar. But there was always the talk that the forward was a selfish player that would never become a team leader.

While it may have taken a little time, Anthony has certainly become just that and more so far this season. With 42 points on Sunday in the 106-104 home win over Atlanta, the Syracuse alum has put this team on his back and carried them to a Atlantic Division-leading 27-15 record, one game back of the Miami Heat for the best mark in the Eastern Conference.

Trailing by a single point against the Hawks, the Knicks drew it up for Anthony to get the ball and he didn’t disappoint, not only hitting the layup but also the ensuing free throw to complete the conventional three-point play. That would be enough as the Knicks hung on and made their head coach happy with the win after a bad 17-point loss in the previous game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“We made the plays coming down the home stretch that we had to make,” Mike Woodson said in his post-game press conference.

Woodson also commented on how Anthony has been scoring of late, but hasn’t been as sharp shooting from the field. “He needed to break out like this,” he said, referring to Anthony’s nine three-pointers. “I couldn’t rest him. I’ve been riding him in the third and fourth quarters and he came up big with big shot after big shot.”

Throughout the first 35 games of the 2012-13 campaign, Anthony is averaging 24.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He is leading scorer for the Knicks by far and has become a solid ‘go-to’ guy, even when the opponent is expecting him to get the shot. On a veteran team that has shown its age through missed games via injury, the Knicks are counting on Melo not only being a force on the hardwood, but also staying healthy and on it. He is averaging 37.9 minutes per game, another stat in which he leads his club.

The Knicks have shown that they will be a very tough out come the postseason and must improve on their two consecutive ‘one-and-done’ playoff performances. And the way things have gone so far, they should finish as one of the top four in the conference and earn home court advantage. Madison Square Garden is a loud and rocking building for 41 games during the regular season, but sounds quiet by comparison once the playoffs begin.

So number seven on your scorecard has the Knicks off to a tremendous start and they have an opportunity to do major damage once spring rolls around. New Yorkers recognize this and will be there to cheer him – and the entire roster – on in anticipation.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Starting a new job can be difficult for anyone. Those first few days in your new surroundings, full of stares and simple pleasantries from the staff that is trying to size you up and figure you out. Probably scrutinizing everything that you say or do. That’s the norm in any work environment.

Now times that by a hundred if you’re John Idzik.

The new general manager of the New York Jets is not only having to deal with the whispers by the water cooler, but also the heavy scrutiny of the Metropolitan area media. Good luck, pal!

Following what team owner Woody Johnson labeled a “thorough search” that began right after Mike Tannenbaum was fired on December 31st, the Jets settled on someone who was not on their short list of choices. After being rebuffed by a number of candidates, Johnson decided on hiring Idzik, who spent the last six seasons as the vice president of football administration with the Seattle Seahawks. He has also spent time in the front offices of both the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, beginning in 1993.

“John has seen first-hand what’s necessary to construct a winning team and has worked with some of the most innovative and successful coaches in the NFL, including Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy, Dennis Green, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren,” Johnson said in a statement released by the team. “Drawing on 20 years of NFL experience, John – working with Rex (Ryan) – will get the Jets where all of us want to be.”

Easier said than done, especially with the salary cap situation. Luckily for Idzik, he has received high grades for being a good ‘bean counter,’ sort of like Tannenbaum was, except that Idzik also has prior experience in personnel matters, something that his predecessor lacked.

First and foremost, incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez is expected to return due to the hit that his salary would do to the cap ($17 million on the books and $8.25 million guaranteed in 2013) if he is let go. So Idzik is inheriting a quarterback that has seen better days, as well as a head coach.

Ryan was part of the package deal that any perspective GM had to accept as part of the job. Johnson still loves his once-boisterous head coach and made it perfectly clear that Ryan will return next season before the GM search commenced. That may have eliminated some names on their list, especially after the first round of interviews. But for Idzik, this will be his first job as the main man in the front office, so he probably was a little more flexible than someone with prior GM experience.

“I am honored and extremely excited to be joining the New York Jets,” Idzik said in the same statement. “It has been enlightening getting to know Mr. Woody Johnson, Rex Ryan and Neil Glat, and I am very grateful for them making me feel very welcomed as a member of the Jets family. I am eager to get started building on the foundation that is already in place.”

A shaky foundation, if there ever was one.

(Long Island, N.Y.) As if it wouldn’t be hard enough, now there is a big elephant in the room – or arena – that wasn’t previously. The New York Islanders have been trying to keep their faithful followers happy with a second-rate roster playing in a second-rate facility and the fanbase is shrinking every year. The older ones that experienced the dynasty from the early 1980s are slowly giving way to the younger crowd, one that isn’t as passionate about their team.

NHL hockey as a whole has had its own difficulties with public relations and keeping the fans interested and the Islanders were no exception. But all of these may be small change compared to the impending move of the team to Brooklyn in two years.

So with nearly half a season lost due to the lockout, it seems like a stretch to say that the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum will be packed and rocking come Saturday evening when the New Jersey Devils come to town to open the 48-game shortened season.

The last time that the Islanders qualified for the playoffs was 2006-07 and they have been a perennial doormat of the league basically since then. They have finished in last place of the Atlantic Division in each of the last five seasons and do not figure to show much improvement this time around.

It is not as if there isn’t some talent here. Center John Tavares scored 31 goals and had 50 assists in 2011-12 and is the marquee name, but left wing Matt Moulson actually led the team with 36 goals. Right wing Kyle Okposo added 24 goals and 21 assists.

In goal, veteran Evengi Nabokov returns after a stellar season (19-18-3, 2.55 goals against average) filling in for the oft-injured Rick DiPietro, who played in only eight games. Since signing an unprecedented 15-year, $67.5 million contract in 2006, he has suffered a myriad of injuries including two concussions, a torn labrum in his hip, torn meniscus in his knee, facial fractures following an on-ice fight and a groin/hernia combo.

Perhaps a name for the future, albeit if it may occur in Brooklyn, is Griffin Reinhart, who was chosen fourth overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old Canadian defenseman played last season in the WHL and scored 12 goals and had 24 assists. He also had a plus-23 +/- ratio. There is no telling how long the organization will wait until bringing him up to the big club.

So it comes down to a lame duck team playing one and a half seasons in an antiquated building and hoping that a rich history can carry them through until the big move. Being in Brooklyn has seemed to do wonders for the Nets, who played in virtual anonymity in New Jersey for decades. But basketball is a much more popular sport than hockey – in Brooklyn and overall.

Will the present fans take advantage of the ease of public transportation and follow the Isles into the city? And how about attracting new fans? Owner Charles Wang has already announced that the team will continue to be called the New York Islanders, so there will be no re-branding of a franchise as was the case with the Nets.

All of these questions will eventually be answered, just not yet. The first one will be addressed this weekend.

(Long Island, N.Y.) There are times when a baseball team must make a tough decision for the overall good of the organization, even if it is an immediate downgrade at the time. Such was the case when the New York Mets reluctantly traded right-handed pitcher R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays on December 17th, even though he was the ace of their staff, a 20-game winner and the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the National League.

So it is entirely possible that the team will head north from spring training with none of the prospects that they acquired in the seven-player deal. The main two youngsters headed to Gotham are Triple-A catcher Travis d’Arnaud and Single-A righty starter Noah Syndergaard. Both may require additional seasoning in the minor leagues, although it appears that d’Arnaud – who is considered a blue chip prospect – will be given ample opportunity to win the job. If not, then John Buck (who was also part of the swap) will hold down the fort behind the plate.

Replacing the 230 innings that Dickey threw is also a big question that needs to be answered before the 2013 season begins, but general manager Sandy Alderson did a great job in moving a player while his value is at its highest. Dickey was a reclamation project that the Mets picked up off the scrap heap three years ago and the journeyman went 11-9 and 8-13 before putting it all together last summer (20-6, 2.73 ERA). He is also 38 years old, and even though he is a knuckleduster and can probably pitch into his forties, the Mets are looking at a few more years before they are a legitimate playoff contender.

By the time that the rest of the team caught up to Dickey, his skills would have been declining. Then there is the issue of economics. Dickey wanted an extension that would have cost the Mets over $20 million and they are still in the process of lowering the payroll and rebuilding with young players from the farm system.

To be able to bring in two players with a huge high ceiling in the same trade should be lauded as a stroke of genius, regardless of how well Dickey pitches in the next year or so. The 23-year-old d’Arnaud, who was considered the top prospect in Toronto’s system – was hitting .333 with 16 home runs after 67 games at Triple-A Las Vegas before going down with a left knee injury. At Single-A Lansing, Syndergaard, 20, had an 8-5 mark with a 2.60 ERA. In 103.2 innings, he struck out 122 batters while only surrendering 31 bases on balls.

So we may not be able to fully critique this deal until 2015 or later, but if these two players pan out the way that the so-called experts have predicted, then this will be a trade that benefited both teams. The Blue Jays have gone through a complete overhaul this offseason and added a slew of high-priced veterans. Dickey may add a World Series ring to his trophy case before it’s all said and done.

And championships are what the Mets need to be concerned with. Building them one – or two – pieces at a time.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Heading into Week 15, the New York Giants held a slim lead over two of their most bitter rivals. Both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys were in a position to earn their eighth win of the season and grab a share of first place in the division if Big Blue dropped a tough road contest in Atlanta.

As luck – or bad luck, depending on your perspective – would have it, the scenario played out in that exact manner.

A three-way tie (not counting tie breakers for now) in the NFC East this late in the campaign brings back memories of when this division was the best in football. It is a far cry from that right now, but a much-improved group, nonetheless, from recent years.

Now with the season slowly slipping away from them, the Giants (8-6) know that they have to get back on track if they have any hope of defending their Super Bowl championship. “We have two games left and we have to win (them),” said Eli Manning. “What else happens after that we can’t control. We can control these next two games that we play. We need to win those two.”

With a 1-1 split in each season series versus Washington and Dallas, the G-Men also own a 2-3 mark versus all divisional opponents, with one left in the finale versus the Philadelphia Eagles. That is the second tiebreaker, if it comes down to it. So it is certainly possible that the Giants can finish on the outside looking in, even if they do win outright.

“We are not worried about (anything),” said defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. “We are just trying to win two more games. That’s it. There’s no destiny.”

Injured running back Ahmad Bradshaw missed the 34-0 defeat at the hands of the Falcons, but recognizes a similar path of being on the edge of the playoffs. “We do it every year,” he said. “Just right now we’re inconsistent and it’s something that we’ve got to work on. We play better with our backs up against the wall and the ‘playoffs’ start now. So that’s how we’re looking at it. We lose and we’ll be home for the playoffs. So we’ve just got to keep fighting; just keep our spirits up.”

The Giants’ next opponent is also a contender who has had their fare share of recent trouble and although they are not as desperate, can be just as dangerous. The Ravens (9-5) have dropped two straight games at home, a place where they were previously invincible. They have a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Bengals and are looking to snap an overall three-game losing streak. So Baltimore may be like heading into a hornet’s nest for the Giants on Sunday. But Tom Coughlin knows that there is no margin of error at this juncture.

“There is a lot of fire and a lot of character in that locker room,” the veteran head coach said. “We have to come back from a devastating loss and shake it off somehow, someway. We have to come back as competitors and prepare ourselves for a very difficult game and then one to follow.”

“With these two games left, unfortunately, we are two and two in this six game schedule and we needed to be better than that.”

The division was there for the taking and the Giants let it slip away. They still can recover and be exactly where they should have been, but the road will not be as easy.

(Long Island, N.Y.) To squeak by two of the league’s weakest teams is certainly not cause to beat one’s chest, but the New York Jets have to feel somewhat good about themselves that the word ‘playoffs’ is still in their present vernacular. One more loss in the final three games will in all likelihood spell doom for them and even though they are not playing like a desperate team, all that matters is that they have come away with two consecutive wins when all seemed lost.

Sunday’s 17-10 win at Jacksonville at least had the script that worked for the Jets a few years ago when they kept Mark Sanchez on a tight leash and relied on the running backs to do most of the production. The much-maligned quarterback threw for a mere 111 yards, but only had one turnover with a fumble. Two short yardage touchdown runs (one by Shonn Greene, the other by Bilal Powell) got the team in the end zone and the defense played well enough and were able to stop the punchless Jaguars with an interception in the final minute.

“We knew that if we did our job and they don’t score, they cannot win,” veteran linebacker Bart Scott said. “Our defense played well and it was good to get out of here with a ‘W.'”

Because the other teams ahead of the Jets in the AFC lost, it made the victory that much more important. At 6-7, New York is very much alive for the final wild card spot. It appears that the Indianapolis Colts will be a lock with a 9-4 mark, but it gets murky after that. Both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are 7-6, with the former holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jets.

As far as the schedules go, the Jets have the easiest of the three teams. They stay on the road this week to face the 4-9 Titans, but Tennessee is capable of running the ball all day long against a Jet defense that has had trouble stopping teams on the ground. It will take a near perfect effort to get out of the south with a win.

The San Diego Chargers (5-8) then visit MetLife Stadium in the Jets’ final home game of the season. Things are wrapped up in Buffalo, where the 5-8 Bills may be playing out the string or trying to finish with a .500 record. That may be the key, depending on how things go between now and then.

It borders on the ridiculous to actually be envisioning the Jets making the postseason the way they struggled to beat the now 4-9 Arizona Cardinals, 7-6, in Week 13. This is the same squad that took a 58-0 beating at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks this past week. And the Cards – who have now dropped nine in a row – were playing with who is considered their ‘better’ quarterback, while a 7th round rookie went against the Jets.

But why moan and groan about anything just yet? There will be an entire offseason to do that. We just don’t know when it will officially begin.

(Long Island, N.Y.) A trip to Nashville this time of year can be judged in a number of ways. Of course, the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are taking place and team representatives are burning the midnight oil trying to make either a big signing or trade. When the bags are packed and Tennessee is only visible from the airplane window, then the grades will begin filtering out.

So it behooves one’s front office to go down south with at least a partially loaded deck. Brian Cashman may not pull off a stunner now, but he set himself and the Yankees up pretty good before even walking through an airport security check.

The resigning of pitchers Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera were essential moves for a veteran-laden, win-now team and even though both have seen their best days and are coming off injuries, they mean so much to the entire organization and have off the field value, as well.

The lefthanded Pettitte, 40, came out of retirement to join his old squad and pitched fairly well (5-4, 2.87 ERA season totals) before going down with a fractured left ankle at the end of June. And even though his replacements did an admirable job (after Rivera tore an ACL in May), there is no one better than the 43-year-old Rivera on the mound in the ninth inning of a playoff game. Besides that, these two are all-time Yankee greats and will have their numbers retired one day, huge fan favorites and perfect spokesmen for not only the Bronx Bombers, but baseball in general.

Pettitte returned in September to help the playoff run, but Rivera missed the rest of the campaign, making him even more determined to pitch well in 2013. “I didn’t want to go out like that,” he said. “I didn’t want that to be the last image. It wasn’t an easy decision because there’s more than just baseball with me. But I feel that we have a great group of guys and can compete for a championship.

“I’m not just coming back to play; I’m coming back to win.”

Erasing the four-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series will not be an easy task, but one that the Bombers should be prepared for. Derek Jeter should be completely healed from the broken ankle he suffered in the ALCS, but now Alex Rodriguez will be out four to six months after he undergoes hip surgery.

So the Yankees are old and brittle, but experienced and talented in the same breath. They do need to make some changes and have to find a starting catcher after Russell Martin signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent. But Cashman can play his hand and take the necessary time because he did some important homework before meeting up with his brethren.

He won’t be singing the blues on the way out of the Music City.

(Long Island, N.Y.) For decades on end, the Nets were a non-entity throughout the National Basketball Association – even in their own backyard. The team that was one of the staple (and few stable) franchises of the old ABA had become a running joke as they toiled in the state of New Jersey and could not even sell out home games when they made the NBA Finals.

But what once seemed like a pipedream to build an arena in downtown Brooklyn and move the vagabond club to the site where Walter O’Malley wanted for a new Ebbetts Field did in fact come true and now the team, town and entire league are reaping the benefits.

All except for the Knicks, that is.

One game does not dictate the entire future, but the handwriting was already on the wall that the arena and team in the Borough of Churches was going to cut into the semi-monopoly that the Knicks had enjoyed. So take the 96-89 Nets win on Monday night at the Barclay’s Center as an aberration or a microcosm of what’s in store for both organizations.

Before the baton is unofficially passed, the Knicks will surely have something to say about that. They have put together a veteran-laden roster that screams of ‘win now’ and they hope to improve on their two consecutive first round playoff ousters in 2012-13.

The Nets? Although they may not publicly admit it, a ‘one-and-done’ postseason would be a nice step in the right direction. The Eastern Conference is one that is top heavy and ripe for the picking as far as the bottom four of the playoff-bound eight teams go. For the Nets to have an above .500 campaign and host at least one playoff game in their inaugural season in Flatbush, then they are on par with what the Knicks accomplished two years ago. (Hey, things don’t drastically change overnight.)

Midtown Manhattan was abuzz during the playoffs the last two springs and that has jumpstarted the Knicks into one of the most spoken about teams during the offseason. Now that they have started off playing well, it has intensified. The Nets garnered immediate attention because of the move, but also because the front office made some bold moves and attempted even bolder ones.

Re-signing point guard Deron Williams was the first and most important one. Inking him set the tone for what would eventually become a very successful turnover. The Nets did everything that could to make a deal for Dwight Howard, but did quite well for themselves with Joe Johnson as a consolation prize.

The former Atlanta Hawks guard has averaged over 15 points through the first 13 games of the season and Center Brook Lopez – who would have been a part of the trade for Howard – has played like an All-Star, averaging nearly 20 points a game.

So judging by the way that the two teams have came out of the starting gate (9-4, both sitting atop the Atlantic Division), the Nets may be a step or two ahead of the Knicks when it comes to gaining respectability and exposure. And the longer it goes like that, what was never really a rivalry will be a real one, indeed.