(Long Island, N.Y.) When you begin your season with two home games, the worst you can fare is a split. With a 16-game schedule, every loss is a big one, especially at your stadium. So once the finishing touches were put on Monday night’s 10-9 defeat at the New Meadowlands, the Jets’ thoughts immediately switched to this weekend’s affair with the New England Patriots.

“New England looked pretty darn good (in their opening win over Cincinnati),” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “There are no easy games in this league.”

By mustering only three field goals against the Baltimore Ravens, the Jets used the conservative section of their playbook and never had anything going in the passing game. Quarterback Mark Sanchez appeared to have happy feet and his protection failed him in key moments.

The team’s running game – which led the league a year ago – underperformed as a whole. Shonn Greene was given the starting job once Thomas Jones was let go and the second year back looked nothing like the bruiser he was in the 2009 playoffs. He had a paltry 18 yards on the ground and a big dropped pass. Newcomer LaDanian Tomlinson impressed the masses with 62 yards and a 5.6 average per carry.

The Jets offensive success is dictated by how their rushing attack is working that day. If Sanchez is forced into making things happen with his right arm, then they will be in trouble on Sunday. The USC product was only 10 for 21 for 74 yards, hardly numbers that put a scare into anyone. Perhaps the most alarming statistic to take out of the game was the Jets’ poor efficiency in moving the chains.

“There’s no excuse to be 1-for-11 on third downs,” Sanchez commented. “We’re disappointed with that. We had too many self-inflicted wounds.”

That is for sure, especially when the Jets committed 14 penalties for 125 yards. “We pride ourselves on being one of the least penalized teams in the league. Today was a joke,” a frustrated Ryan said. “Without question, we’ve got to get better at things like that. We have to be physical, but we have to play smart.”

Although the defense played extremely well at times (two forced fumbles, one interception), the unit lost nose tackle Kris Jenkins for the year with a torn left ACL, the same knee that caused him to miss a big part of last season. “We just have to step up,” said Ryan. “We’ve got to find a way to overcome it, just like we did last year.”

Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito will once again be counted on to fill the gap of Jenkins’ loss. The top defense in the league managed to keep it together then and they will have to do it again, especially with the offense struggling the way it did during the preseason and the opener.

If the Jets lose to New England, they will be 0-2 and the Pats 2-0. That will be a tough thing to overcome, especially with only six home games remaining after that. If there ever was an early season ‘must win,’ this game coming up is certainly that.

(Long Island, N.Y.) There have been no HBO cameras following them around training camp and no need for washing the head coach’s mouth out with soap, but the Giants are taking all of that in with stride. While the Jets have been extremely conspicuous throughout the preseason with their starring roles on “Hard Knocks,” not much has been said about the Giants.

Perhaps it is also because the Jets reached the 2009 AFC Championship Game and the G-Men missed the playoffs after a 5-0 start. A mixed bag can be taken out of the preseason (2-2) so is Tom Coughlin happy where the team is heading into Sunday’s season opener against Carolina at the New Meadowlands?

“Well, we’re excited about having the opportunity to play,” the head coach said. “I don’t use that word (happy) very often. We are getting ready to play our first game and we have our starting group together.”

Part of that group includes Ahmad Bradshaw, who has unseated Brandon Jacobs as the number one running back. “That’s what I play this game for,” Bradshaw said. “I’ve worked hard these first three years. I feel like I deserve it, take pride in it and want to take advantage of it.”

After a rough preseason that included suffering a three-inch gash on his forehead, quarterback Eli Manning must be glad that the games that count are now here. “I look forward to the start of the season and Carolina,” the Ole Miss product said. “They’re a good team and we’ve met them these past couple years so it should be a great contest.”

A big part of the Giants’ demise a year ago was at the hand of their defense and that unit needs to be more consistent if the Giants are to return to the playoffs. Throughout the four exhibition games this summer, the team did not show their opponents everything in the defensive playbook but being on the same page does not appear to be a problem according to Perry Fewell.

“You probably say 10, maybe 20 percent in the preseason,” the defensive coordinator said. “How confident am I that our guys have our package down? I’m very confident. They had good retention.”

The NFC East may be a wide-open division this year, too, which bodes well for the Giants. The Dallas Cowboys have been the general consensus to finish in first place, but the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles are two teams in transition – one perhaps going up and the other down. Mike Shanahan has taken over in our nation’s capital and they traded for quarterback Donovan McNabb, who leaves Philly and hands off the ball to Kevin Kolb. Expect some growing pains there.

So with a lot of action going on around them, the Giants have been business-like as usual. And Coughlin didn’t have to deal with a former Super Bowl winning coach (Tony Dungy) or his own mother come down hard on him for cursing on cable television like Rex Ryan.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Take it any way you want to, but the Mets dumping Rod Barajas and Jeff Francouer recently is hopefully a sign of things to come for the disappointing organization. They will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and may finally be forced to strip it down and start over. But how far will they go?

The front office has been hanging on to the core of David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. All three have proven to end up with impressive stats but not come through in the clutch or be a leader in the clubhouse. If you are going to build your team around someone, that player should be able to pick up a slumping group on the field or behind close doors. This trio has proven time and time again that they will not be able to fill either role.

A winning team needs at least one player to step up and be the voice of the roster. Wright has been the unofficial person for this, but does not have the fiery personality needed for the job. Reyes and Beltran cannot stay healthy long enough to convince anyone they can become the guy to stand in front.

Wright leads the team with a .293 batting average and has 23 home runs and 90 RBI. Reyes, who is currently out for the second time this summer with a strained oblique muscle, is stuck at .287, 44 RBI and 28 stolen bases. In 48 games since returning from offseason knee surgery, Beltran has struggled with a .231 batting average and production numbers (two home runs, 17 RBI) worthy of a weak eighth place hitter.

Perhaps the best way to scrutinize a player’s production is taking a look at what he does when there are ‘ducks in the pond.’ Wright is hitting a very pedestrian .271 with runners in scoring position and a paltry .229 with RISP and two out. Reyes is hitting .286 with RISP but an abysmal .167 when there are two down. Beltran? His numbers are even worse with .211/.136 in these situational stats.

This situation is even more difficult because these men are what makes the Met marketing machine tick. Look into the stands on any given day at Citi Field and the majority of the jerseys and shirts being worn by the fans will have either #5, #7 or #15 on the back.

If the Mets are going to move any of these three, it would be Beltran. The centerfielder is entering the final year of what has mostly been a mistake of a long term free agent contract that he signed before the 2005 season. He is making nearly $20 million a year, so any taker will have to have deep pockets or the Mets will be forced to pick some of that up.

However this plays out, the Mets will not become a winner until they bring someone in who can be a leader. Especially if they insist on keeping one, two or all three of their current core. Someone who can come through when it is needed most has to be added or else this organization will keep spinning its wheels. They need to formulate a plan and either fix what is broken or start over.

These players will bring a good return, so the Mets should look into possible scenarios where they will fill some holes by getting the most for them while they are still young enough. Everyone wants to win now, but there are times when patience is the best medicine.

(Long Island, N.Y.) If you used your imagination to the best of your ability Wednesday night at James Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University, one could almost get a true hometown feeling for the New York Jets. Not the type that comes approximately every other weekend for four or five months a year subsequent to a three hour journey south west, but on a daily basis.

Over 10,000 loud folks made themselves heard during the team’s annual trek back to their roots and true fan base on Long Island when the Jets held an open workout on the grounds of their former ‘home.’ For 40 years, they held training camp and practice at Hofstra until moving to the Atlantic Health Training Center in Florham Park, New Jersey in 2009.

“There’s a lot of Jets fans right in that area,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “We want to be true to that. I know the Jets were there for years and years, back when my dad (Buddy) was coaching.

“I thought it was a great opportunity for us – even though it’s one day – to keep our fan base out there and let them know that we still think about them,” continued Ryan. “It’s an opportunity for us to do it. It is an inconvenience. You never know how the traffic is going to be there, but it’s the least we could do.”

The last part of that statement is something that the actual New York fans deal with each and every time they make the long trip to a Jet home game since 1984, when the team moved from Flushing’s Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The brand new stadium did absolutely nothing for the commute, as it was built adjacent to the old one and still off Exit 16W on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Just ask the average fan that made it out to Hofstra that evening and you’ll hear a similar tune. “I used to come out to camp here every summer,” said Mike, 46, from West Islip. “Going to games at Shea was a great experience, but that went away when the team did.” The long-time Jets fan went on to explain that he found himself going to fewer games each year to avoid the traffic and tolls. “I’d rather just take it in from the couch now,” he said with a smile.”

That has been the argument from the contingent – that the real fans are back home east of a stadium filled with corporate suits that couldn’t tell you the difference between a 3-4 defense and a 3-point stance. Especially now with the new building, it’s high ticket and concession prices and Personal Seat Licensing fees, the blue collar, green jersey sporting fans will become scarcer than before.

Just how many of the 10,000 plus who came out to Hofstra also attend Jet home games can only be guessed, but it would be a shock if the number were more than half. But it could be higher if you just close your eyes…

(Long Island, N.Y.) There’s an old saying that you can hear on any given day around a courthouse, and it simply is, “You can even indict a ham sandwich.” Handing down an indictment is a far cry from getting a conviction. But no matter how you slice it, Roger Clemens is in hot water.

A federal grand jury in Washington, DC indicted the former ace righthander on six counts, with charges stemming from Obstruction of Congress, False Statements and Perjury from his testimony at the 2008 Committee Hearings about his usage of anabolic steroids and human growth hormone.

Apparently there were a few people that didn’t believe Clemens when he said matter-of-factually on February 5, 2008, “”I am just making it as possibly clear as I can. I haven’t done steroids or growth hormone.”

In turn, part of the indictment reads, “In truth and fact, as Clemens well knew when he made this sworn statement, Clemens knowingly received injections of anabolic steroids while he was a Major League Baseball player.”

Since Day One, the Texas native has denied any and all allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs. The majority of the testimony that stated otherwise came from Brian McNamee, his former trainer and strength and conditioning coach on two teams that Clemens played on, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

McNamee, who is identified in the indictment as Strength Coach #1, gave damaging testimony in the Mitchell Report that included nine pages on Clemens’ PED use alone. The ink was barely dry on the report before Clemens made his first statement denying everything that McNamee had reported to the investigators. His dramatic appearance on “60 Minutes” and then his days of testimony seated within arm’s distance of McNamee were fodder for sports junkies for months and even years to follow.

Ask the average person in the street and they will probably say that they feel that Clemens used PEDs at some point in his career. All of Clemens’s denials and showboating by his attorney Rusty Hardin aside, it is difficult to believe that he was totally clean while maintaining the skills from his twenties into his forties.

Now the next move belongs to Clemens. Does he continue his denial and take this to trial? Or does he take a plea to a lesser charge and hope it goes away? He can roll the dice, but that may or may not result in jail time for him (most likely not). Congress and the federal government are obviously using Clemens as a target to set an example and baseball can look at this one of two ways. They can view it as a major black eye that one of their all-time great pitchers has shamed the game and himself, or they can say that the system is working and that all avenues available to them will be used to clean up the National Pastime.

The screaming headlines do make it sound as if Clemens has been found guilty of the highest possible crime, but in reality this is just a political ploy to show who is boss.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Avoidable nonsense. That is the easiest way to sum up the latest public relations disaster coming out of Madison Square Garden. It was bad enough that the name Isiah Thomas was brought into the forefront and that the organization at least tried to bring him back into the fold but was rebuffed by a savior of an NBA rule.

Perhaps what makes this even more embarrassing is that this could have easily been avoided in two separate ways. First of all, the Knicks have finally begun to cleanse themselves of the mess that Thomas created when he was running the show. Why they felt the need to bring him back in any capacity borders on insanity, but that’s exactly what they had in mind this offseason and when they recently named him an official team consultant.

They let Thomas tag along during their free agent courting and actually gave him some of the credit for convincing Amar’e Stoudemire to take $99 million of owner James Dolan’s money. Then Donnie Walsh and company brought Thomas to Ohio when they visited LeBron James, but let’s not pile on him for that not working out.

“I’m excited to once again be a part of the New York Knicks organization,” Thomas said when the cursed announcement was made. “I was honored to have been asked to help during the recent free agent recruiting process and believe that this new role takes full advantage of my skill set as an evaluator of basketball talent.”

Thomas was also going to continue in his role as head coach at Florida International and the Knicks supposedly had done their homework with the league to ensure that this move was not breaking any rules. But just as most things at 2 Penn Plaza do not work out as planned, this one followed suit.

“After speaking with Commissioner David Stern and Knicks executives, it has become apparent that my new agreement violates certain NBA bylaws,” Thomas said in a statement five days later. “Because of this, I have decided to rescind my contract with the team.”

Being a college coach prohibits someone from working for an NBA team for obvious reasons, but ones that the Knicks front office failed to see. “Although I am disappointed that Isiah will not be working with the Knicks as a consultant. I continue to believe in his basketball knowledge, including his ability to judge talent,” said Dolan in a statement. “He’s a good friend of mine and of the organization and I will continue to solicit his views. He will always have strong ties to me and the team. We wish him continued success at FIU.”

As difficult as that statement is hard to digest, it is apparent that Dolan is putting some weird sense of loyalty to Thomas – who also cost him millions in losing a sexual harassment lawsuit to former employee Anucha Brown Sanders – over winning and public perception.

The Isiah era in New York was filled with forgettable years of losing, booing and KGB-like behavior. Why Dolan would do anything to bring back even a hint of that is puzzling. There is no role for Thomas for any NBA team, especially the Knicks.

The one saving grace in this horrendous temporary move was that Thomas was not around long enough to do any more damage.

(Long Island, N.Y.) The New York Jets were one win away from representing the AFC in Super Bowl XVIV, have ESPN cameras everywhere filming “Hard Knocks,” and have multiple Pro Bowl players on both sides of the ball. Even with all of those positives, a 67-year-old guy who last wore a Jet jersey in combat back in 1976 stole all the thunder from the present team.

That shouldn’t be a surprise when “Broadway” Joe Namath is in town, as he was on Thursday at Jets training camp in Cortland, New York. Even 100 years from now, he will always be the face of the franchise. Namath led them to their first and only title in Super Bowl III.

“I new it was big time,” he recalled of that victory. “I knew it was more meaningful for us because we were representing the American Football League and we (the AFL) had lost two in a row (in the Super Bowl).”

That 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts is still considered the biggest upset in Super Bowl history and the game that made the merger of the two leagues a much easier transition. “We weren’t looking to lose, we were looking to win, and we did,” added Namath.

Although Namath admitted that he never thought that it would be 41 years and counting between Super Bowls for his old team, the Alabama product believes in the current group to have a legitimate shot to change that.

“The team that I’m looking at today is more suited to be able to follow through with the championship,” he said. “”I don’t remember a team that we’ve had this kind of defense coming off a season this defense played.”

One player that was a huge component of that defense that led the NFL in 2009 is Darrelle Revis, the All-Pro cornerback who is holding out of camp for a renegotiated contract.

“I’m confident that he’s going to be here,” said Namath. “I know (team owner Woody) Mr. Johnson wants him. I know (head coach) Rex Ryan wants him. We all want him here.”

What the outcome is with Revis remains to be seen, but speaking of the players who are present in camp was the main focus of Namath’s visit. Quarterback to quarterback, the Hall of Famer likes what he sees in Mark Sanchez.

“From Day One, I never gave Sanchez any advice,” he said. “He doesn’t need any. He comes from a tremendous background with his family and getting his work ethic together. He won the team over as far as his position as a leader on the team because he works so hard. The man wants to win.”

With Ryan leading the way, the Jets are a team that has plenty of self-confidence and that went a long way in making them believe in themselves a year ago. That is definitely something that Namath can relate to, but also sees the differences from his day.

“They have more swagger than we had,” he said. “This team is out there more. It’s a reflection of Rex and his style. Rex has a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of confidence. Being able to win is the only thing that continues that kind of confidence.”

Sort of like guaranteeing an unlikely Super Bowl win.

(Long Island, N.Y.) With a flurry of activity the week of the Major League Baseball trading deadline, one would suspect that things will be fairly quiet from now until Saturday at midnight. But neither the Yankees nor Mets have made any moves and it would be an unlikely dealing period without the two big market teams making some noise.

Both clubs are looking to upgrade their pitching, in the starting rotation and bullpen. For the Bronx Bombers, it is more of a luxury and a replacement for the injured Andy Pettitte, who is expected to be out at least another month. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman thought he had Cliff Lee, the solid lefthander and soon-to-be free agent. But the Seattle Mariners switched direction at the last moment and sent him to the Texas Rangers.

With the best record in baseball (65-36) and a playoff spot all but assured of them, the Yankees do not need to make any moves at this time. Anything they do will be a spare part or middle reliever addition.

The Mets could have used Lee but were never in the mix for him. They also have a big decision to make – stand pat with their surprising youngsters or package a few of them for a veteran and a playoff run.

Their abysmal west coast road trip following the All-Star break put them out of the mix for both the division and wild card, but the Mets then took two of three at home from the St. Louis Cardinals. With that can bring a sense of false hope and a possible deal. If Mets general manager Omar Minaya feels that the team can be a contender, he may pull the trigger and make a panic move.

Right now, the Mets have been able to integrate some talented youth into their line-up. Players such as first baseman Ike Davis, catcher Josh Thole and lefthanded starter Jonathan Niese have all contributed this season and can form a nice core for years to come.

If any of these players are dealt away, then Minaya is taking a huge gamble. But he may be looking to save not only manager Jerry Manuel’s job, but also his own. Both are safe for now, but if the Mets do not make the postseason, then it will be a long winter for them.

Only two games over .500 (52-50), the Mets are staring up at five teams in the wild card race and are 6.5 games back in the National League East. Without a lot of help from the teams above them, the Mets will find themselves out of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

As it is, the Philadelphia Phillies went out and acquired starter Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros. The righthander has been on the Mets radar for years and now their divisional rivals will be adding him to a rotation that already includes Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels.

The way things appear right now, both the Mets and Yankees front offices are better off enjoying the warm weather on Saturday and let the other general managers burn up the telephone lines.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Whoever thought the New York Mets would be a mere half game out of first place near the All-Star break, please raise your hands. Now that all of you are standing with your hands at your sides, they are now seven games behind the National League East front-running Atlanta Braves and seven and a half out of last place.

Sure, the Mets were playing over their heads for a spell and even had some quality starting pitching for most of the first half, but it has all fallen apart mighty fast as the temperatures have heated up. If not for a blown call at home plate this past Sunday in San Francisco, the losing streak would be seven and counting.

The Mets most recent blunder has been getting swept at the hands of the Diamondbacks, who are firmly entrenched in the basement of the National League West. And this has come with the return of Carlos Beltran, once viewed as a boost for a team in dire need of one.

The problem with that is Angel Pagan, who has been the biggest surprise of the season for the Mets. The young outfielder is better defensively by far to a rusty Beltran wearing a knee brace, but has been moved to right field and Jeff Francouer to the bench.

“We have four great outfielders,” Pagan told reporters, “and that’s a good problem to have because you feel comfortable with whoever is playing.”

And what about Jose Reyes, who is still smarting from a strained oblique? It seems as if the flashy shortstop finds the Disabled List more than not and takes longer than usual to heal from basic injuries that all athletes sustain throughout their careers. What would Kevin Mawae says about Reyes? If you recall, the former Jet center broke his right hand a few years back and played with a cast. Not only that, but he learned how to snap the football with his left hand while his right was incapacitated.

Moving over to the rotation, Johan Santana got through a rough patch but still cannot find the offensive support when he is on the hill. Number two starter Mike Pelfrey has been getting pounded after a great start, as has R.A. Dickey. The knuckleballer came up from the minors and won his first five decisions, but has gone 1-4 since then. Jonathan Niese (6-4, 3.54) has had a nice season interrupted for a bit by an injury while the bloom has come off the rose that is Hisanori Takahashi. The Japanese lefty is better suited back in the bullpen and will return there once another starter is found.

And that brings up the $64,000 question for general manager Omar Minaya. Should he make a deal for an arm that may help the Mets right now in their quest for the postseason or hang onto a nice young nucleus that they have put together so far? Here’s a vote for the latter, considering that the Mets are also looking up at four teams in the Wild Card race. Chances are that they will not have enough – even with a good starter being added – to make the playoffs. Why trade someone such as Niese, Ike Davis or Josh Thole to find that out the hard way?

Being three games over .500 this late in the year is a surprise in its own, so the Mets should use the remainder of the season to get some quality reps in for the talented rookies and prospects that are up and will be arriving in September.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Although the past few years have been ones without the same George M. Steinbrenner III that sports fans have come to know, love and sometimes even hate, it was comforting to know that the Yankees principal owner and chairperson was still around and part of the front office, at least in some capacity.

When his sons Hal and Hank rose to the forefront, both gave subtle reminders that they were chips off the old block. Hank is the spittin’ image of George and his brashness is definitely a trait that he inherited. Hal has that ‘win at all costs’ attitude that has been a part of the Yankee organization since 1973.

That just happened to be the same year that an Ohio native who had successfully run the family shipping business bought into the most storied franchise in sports, albeit one that had fallen on hard times.

“He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports,” the Steinbrenner family said in a statement. “He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it around into a champion again.”

A mere three years after becoming owner, Steinbrenner – who recently turned 80 on the Fourth of July – had the Bronx Bombers back in the World Series. But it was the next two seasons that have become the staple of a team that expects to win a championship every season or consider it a failure. The Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in both the 1977 and 1978 Fall Classics with teams that were stacked with superstar players, many of them big-ticket free agents that Steinbrenner lured to Gotham with million dollar contracts.

Although he earned the ire of his fellow owners for that, Steinbrenner never apologized for trying to add titles to his collection. “His overriding objective was to win, the sign of a true sportsman,” said Jeff Idelson, the president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and a former Yankees media relations director from 1989 to 1993. “You have to give him credit for always having the best interest of Yankee fans at heart, which was bringing a World Series winner to the Bronx, something he accomplished seven times.

“He bought a wilting franchise in 1973 and turned it into a worldwide brand through his vision, work ethic and overall Yankee ingenuity.”

There is a large contingent that feels Steinbrenner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and you can certainly make an argument that he belongs there. The Veteran’s Committee has not yet voted him in, but there will probably come a day when Steinbrenner takes his deserved place in Cooperstown amongst the great players, many who he paid very handsomely for a good portion of their careers.

This is a man who wore his heart on his sleeve and said what was on his mind. Steinbrenner made many friends and enemies throughout his tenure in baseball and the outpouring of praise since his death was announced shows that there are more in the former category.

Yankee Stadium will not be the same place without him.