(Long Island, NY) Baseball in April is always special, and the home opener is a day that breathes new life into the players and fans alike. Trying to forget about the Mets’ September collapse was made easier by the return of baseball in New York, National League style.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Mets hosted the Philadelphia Phillies at a brisk but sun drenched Shea Stadium for their home opener after beginning the 2008 campaign 2-3 after stops in Florida and Atlanta. Lefthander Oliver Perez took the hill for the Amazin’s after moving up to the number two spot in the starting rotation following Pedro Martinez’s hamstring injury in Game Two against the Marlins, and picked up where he left off a year ago. Perez won 15 games in 2007 and battled fellow southpaw Jamie Moyer inning for inning. Unfortunately for the Mets, the bullpen blew a 2-0 seventh inning lead and fell to the reigning NL East champions, 5-2.

To celebrate the closing of Shea and the impending 2009 opening of Citi Field, the Mets retired Bill Shea’s name and placed it on the ring of honor, just to the left of their first field boss, the great Casey Stengel’s uniform number 37. The organization also has a countdown of home dates left on the outfield wall, which stated’81’ at first pitch.

Looking back on some of the great moments at Shea, it is easy to remember some of the more magical moments. Here are a few of them:

1- April 17, 1964 – The inaugural game at Shea Stadium after two seasons playing at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. The borough of Queens welcomed their lovable losers, who predictably dropped a 4-3 decision to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Leftfielder Willie Stargell went four for five and drove in two runs while Bob Friend threw a complete game, seven-hitter for the Bucs.

2- July 7, 1964 – The All-Star Game was held at the new ballpark and the National League defeated their junior circuit brethren by a score of 7-4. Bill Robinson, who would later become a key member of the Mets’ coaching staff in the 1980s, drove in two runs and the NL’ers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the win. The winning pitcher was the great Juan Marichal.

3- October 16, 1969 – What would be called one of the biggest upsets in World Series history, the upstart Mets became champions by defeating the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3. Jerry Koosman went all the way, and when future Met manager Davey Johnson hit a fly ball to Cleon Jones in left field, the Mets won the series, four games to one.

4- October 8, 1973 – During Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson and Cincinnati Reds superstar Pete Rose had a fight at second base, following Rose’s attempt to break up a double play. The diminutive Harrelson stood his ground and stood up to the larger and thicker hit king, and the result was a bench-clearing brawl. The Mets defeated the Big Red Machine in the series to win the pennant, but fell to the Swingin’ A’s in seven games in the World Series.

5- April 5, 1983 – The Midnight Massacre of 1977 was forgiven just a bit when Tom Seaver was traded back to the Mets. The returning hero received a standing ovation from the large crowd as he strolled in from the right field bullpen after warming up prior to the game. Seaver allowed only three hits in six innings, but had a no decision in the 2-0 win over Steve Carlton and the Phillies.

6- October 27, 1986 – The Mets won their second World Championship with a Game Seven 8-5 win over Boston. Darryl Strawberry and series MVP Ray Knight went long in support of four Met pitchers to wrap up one of the most exciting World Series in years.

7- September 21, 2001 – In the first game back at Shea after the 9-11 attacks, the Mets honored the rescue workers by wearing baseball caps with the NYPD, FDNY, PAPD and EMS patches. Mike Piazza’s two-run home run off Steve Karsay in the bottom of eighth gave the Mets an emotional 3-2 win over Atlanta.

These dates may have just scratched the surface of the memories at Shea. Hopefully there will be a final chapter added this October.

(Long Island, NY) All the questions could have been avoided if the Yankees just pulled the trigger on the most obvious of needs and make the deal for lefthanded starter Johan Santana. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and arguably the game’s best pitcher was dangled by Minnesota general manager Bill Smith during the Winter Meetings in Nashville. After failing to come to an agreement on a contract extension with him, the Twins practically begged someone to make them a reasonable offer for Santana. Not as many clubs lined up as one would have expected.

The front-runners ended up being the Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Both made quality offers, which Smith contemplated by seeming to be holding out for more. As the winter progressed, the Mets started to look like a team that may end up with the star hurler by default. The Bronx Bombers and Red Sox would not give in and include a second blue-chip prospect, while the Mets waited it out.

After becoming the only suitor, Mets GM Omar Minaya offered a package of four youngsters that – on paper – appeared to be much less than what both American League East teams had on the table. However, the Mets were the ones to make the deal and now are showcasing their ace to throw the first pitch in 2008 on March 31 in Florida.

The Yankees? They are going north with a rotation that can be viewed as a disaster waiting to happen. Their ace, Chien-Ming Wang, has an 8.04 ERA in five spring training starts. Andy Pettitte, who had a rough offseason with all the HGH talk, has already been scratched from his scheduled start in the second game of the regular season due to back spasms and will be replaced by Mike Mussina, who is coming off his worst season in 2007 but actually looked sharp in three exhibition starts.

Pettitte is starting a minor league game on March 30 and if all goes well, he will be in line to start either the fourth or fifth game of the season. Not having thrown in a game since St. Patrick’s Day, he will need to get an ample amount of work in before being in regular-season form.

“I think it’s fairly important so we know he can get close to 100 [pitches] his first start,” manager Joe Girardi said to reporters. “His bullpen was good [Wednesday] and his arm felt great. In the long run, this might help him.”

Bumping up in the rotation are the two phenoms, Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, who were discussed prominently in the Santana trade talks. Kennedy has fared well, with a 2.00 ERA in five spring appearances. But Hughes, the more highly-touted prospect, has surrendered 18 hits and 8 runs in 18 innings, bad enough for an ERA over seven.

It is not the end of the world when pitchers are not sharp in spring training, but considering the Yankees do not have a big margin of error, passing on a sure-thing like Santana may come back to haunt them all summer long.

(Long Island, NY) Spring Training may not be the World Series, but it still serves a purpose. Exhibition games are still played for a reason let it be reps for regulars or important at-bats for a player trying to grab the last spot on the roster.

No matter how much of a fan someone may be, or hold celebrity status, that doesn’t give them any right to have a moment in the sun, even if it is the Florida sun in March. Billy Crystal, to his credit, did do a heck of a job on “*61” and that HBO movie was one to remember. He also has been a great public Yankee fan and at onetime a fairly funny guy. But where do you stop?

Jerry Seinfeld, a great comic and an avid Met fan, shouldn’t expect to be suiting up for the Amazin’s anytime soon. Maybe after seeing some of the negative hype that the entire Crystal charade caused, he would probably sit that one out anyway.

Maybe it was not the worst thing in the world, but for an organization as serious about everything as the Yankees are, this seemed like a bit of a stretch. They had to go to Commissioner Bud Selig and ask for an approval on an extension for a one-day official contract for Crystal, who last played organized baseball for Long Beach High School around the same time the Beatles first flew across ‘the pond.’ The comedian worked out with the team on Wednesday, so that counted as his one day. A lot of time and effort was put into this, while the front office should be more worried about who is going to round out the starting rotation.

Apparently the Bombers’ brass was more than happy to make a mockery out of America’s Pastime. “The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees,” COO Lonn Trost informed reporters.

Before his big game, Crystal met with reporters after taking infield practice. “I’m really relaxed, I really am,” he said. “That’s until I see the 6’2”, 230-pound guy who’s going to throw who’s never been to a Seder.” Just for trying to be funny with a term not familiar to all of us (a Hebrew word meaning “order” that can be hold many meanings, according to Wikipedia), he should have had one thrown behind him. Just for laughs, you know.

Just in case you couldn’t sleep without knowing how this charade of nonsense turned out, Crystal was listed as the Designated Hitter on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at legends Field in Tampa. He wore uniform number 60, which is the birthday that he will celebrate on Friday. Leading off for the Yanks, he actually worked his way to a 3-1 count before eventually striking out swinging against lefthander Paul Maholm. Saving himself from lifelong ridicule, the 26 year-old hurler did not allow a man 33 years his senior to reach base safely. The Mississippi State alum has his own problems to deal with playing on a second-division club and trying to crack a staff after a 10-15 season a year ago.

If this makes the highlights on ESPN – which it probably will just because of the sheer ridiculousness of it all – after watching a ball inside, Crystal actually made contact on the second pitch and fouled it off. After taking two more pitches off the plate, the man who wore a Mets cap in two of his films swung and missed at two 88-mph fastballs. He received a standing ovation from the crowd, and Alex Rodriguez signaled for Malholm to be kind enough to toss the ball into the Bombers’ dugout. When his next turn at-bat came around, Johnny Damon pinched hit and just like that, his baseball career was thrown off the train.

Some may say to leave the barbs behind because country singer Garth Brooks suited up for three different teams in spring training since 1999, including the Mets (2000). The difference with him was that he was doing it to raise money for the Touch ‘Em All Foundation charity. What was Crystal doing besides inflating his already oversized ego? Not raising money for a good cause, but rather saving money on Fantasy Camp and getting to do something that non-professionals should not have the opportunity to do.

Not ‘mah-velous,’ but rather this was ludicrous. Shame on the game we all love.

(Long Island, NY) Taking nothing away from his 18-year career, Mike Mussina has been a quality pitcher in the American League. 250 wins, an ERA under four and over 2,500 strikeouts will give you credibility. But these are the Yankees that we’re talking about. You know, the ‘Evil Empire.’ The ‘what-have-you-done-for-me-lately’ bunch that strives to add to their collection of championships. Reputation has no bearing on your job security.

Last summer, Mussina was bounced from the rotation at the end of August after giving up 19 earned runs in his three previous starts, in which he was able to pitch only 9 2/3 innings combined. Ian Kennedy, one of the Yanks young arms the team is counting on in 2008, was recalled from the minor leagues to replace Moose, who found himself banished to mop-up duty out of the bullpen.

When it was all said and done, Mussina finished with an 11-10 record, a 5.15 ERA, and an alarming 188 hits in 152 innings pitched. In his last appearance of the season on September 28, the weak Baltimore Orioles – Mussina’s original team – knocked him around for six earned runs in five innings. With the righthander turning 39, the whispers can be heard questioning if he is washed up or not.

The Bombers’ rotation may or may not include the veteran Mussina. Kennedy and his fellow youngsters Philip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are all going to get a good look in Tampa and have the chance to earn a job. Chamberlain came out of the pen a year ago and may do it again this year, or begin the season getting some starts in Triple-A.

That may leave Mussina on the outside looking in or the number five starter at best. For now, he is playing the consummate teammate and showing the ropes to Kennedy, who may in fact end up taking his job two years in a row.

”We’ve got some young kids on the pitching staff that people are expecting a lot from,” Mussina said to reporters at the Yankees facility in Florida. ”I’ve been lucky enough to be doing this for a long time, and I’ve been doing it in New York for, this is my eighth year. So if I can tell them anything, show them anything, give them any help I can, that’s what I should be doing.”

So far this spring, Mussina has been seen regularly with Hughes and Kennedy, and the three sit at their lockers and speak after workouts. Hughes sees this as a benefit and has picked the vet’s brain for pointers. “It’s been good,” Hughes told reporters. “He’s opened up a little bit more. If I have a question about something, I’ll ask him.”

That may surprise some of Mussina’s critics, who have become to know the man as aloof at best and surly at worst. He is not a big talker, to the media and otherwise. So to see him assisting someone who may very well occupy his spot is encouraging.

After Chien Men Wang and Andy Pettitte, the Bombers will choose between Mussina and the ‘Big Three,’ with someone not making the cut. Whoever that will be remains to be seen. But at least Mussina has changed a few minds on his attitude towards earning a job.

(Long Island, NY) After nearly five hours of testimony, both Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee appeared to be worse for wear. The big difference is that the star pitcher needed a slam-dunk in front of Congress to appear more believable and his former personal trainer had more wiggle room. The investigation into performance-enhancing drugs and baseball may never be fully completed, but this session at least told us that even the game’s biggest stars are not exempt.

Neither side wavered from their earlier statements, and without the proverbial ‘smoking gun,’ it may come down to personal opinion. McNamee’s physical evidence, seven-year old syringes and gauze pads encased in an empty beer can, cannot be considered that due to chain of custody and quality control. Items such as them would never hold up in a court of law, but their mere existence has to at least be considered as to their possible validity.

McNamee claimed that although he was friendly with Clemens at the time, he decided to hold on to the evidence in the event that something blew up, similar to what did transpire. He also said that he had another set of evidence that belonged to Chuck Knoblauch, another former Yankee who admitted in a deposition that McNamee injected him with Human Growth Hormone.

Along with Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte also verified McNamee’s claims, as well. The Yankee veteran lefthander, who is reportedly a close friend of Clemens, added to his previous admission following the release of the George Mitchell Report in December. Back then; he stated that McNamee injected him with HGH on two previous occasions. When Pettitte met with congressional members, he also stated that he used HGH on one further occasion, and that he had discussions with McNamee and Clemens where anabolic steroids and HGH were discussed further.

McNamee informed Pettitte that Clemens had used steroids, upon which Clemens explained to Congress by stating, “Andy Pettitte is my friend. He was my friend before this. He will be my friend after this and again. I think Andy has misheard. I think he misremembers.”

That is a mouthful. If anyone believes that one, you probably also believe the one about Debbie Clemens, aka Mrs. Rocket. What came out of the wash this past week was also that Clemens’ wife used HGH, and was injected with the drug by McNamee in the Clemens bedroom – all without Roger’s knowledge!

Debbie Clemens wanted to tighten up her look for a photo shoot with her husband for Sports Illustrated. If you have had the pleasure of seeing the actual issue, it is quite the eye-opener. Mrs. Clemens appears to be a twenty-something fitness model, and if that is the effects of HGH, it must be hard to say this stuff is all bad.

McNamee did not come out of the hearings looking like a schoolboy. He did admit that he had lied in the past, but attributed that to protecting his client (Clemens). He didn’t want to publicize what he promised to keep confidential, he said, thus the reason for the inconsistencies in his earlier testimony. This did not sit well with Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who went after McNamee and said, “You’re here under oath, and yet we have lie after lie after lie after lie.”

At the end of the day, the big question was – what’s next? Will either or both of the subjects be prosecuted? It appears that neither will and the court of public opinion will judge them. That will not matter much to McNamee, but in Clemens’ case, he has the Hall of Fame to think about. His legacy is what comes into play now. Although he publicly stated in a press conference that he “does not give a rat’s a** about the Hall of Fame,” there are no professional athletes – especially ones as successful as Clemens – that do not think about it. It is normal to do so, and with an ego as big as The Rocket’s, it is probably on his mind more than other’s.

When Clemens falls well short and only receives less than 25 percent of the vote in five years – the same treatment that Mark McGwire has had the past two years – that is when justice will prevail.

(Long Island, NY) Being the underdog is a familiar scenario for the New York Giants. Heading into the 2007 season without Tiki Barber, the team was not expected to qualify for the playoffs. Even when they joined the postseason dance, heading on the road as an NFC wild card entry, they were given little to no chance to make it very far.

Well, even the experts are wrong once in a while, and the Giants proved that by capturing the Vince Lombardi Trophy with a stunning 17-14 win over the previous unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Eli Manning, the much-maligned former number one draft pick and brother of star Peyton, took home the MVP Award a year after his sibling did the same. Dad Archie, who never had the success of his sons while mostly playing with the woeful New Orleans Saints, must be the proudest father in America.

The youngest of the Manning clan led the Giants on a 12-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left in the contest.

“It feels great. It’s unbelievable,” said Manning in the postgame press conference, standing on a podium similar to what his older brother did practically one year ago in Miami. “It’s the fight on this team. I’m so proud of our players, or coaches, everybody. We’re always believing and having faith in each other and having faith on our team.

“It don’t matter (because) we find a way to win,” Manning added. “We had no doubt. We believed the whole time and we made it happen.”

They made it happen by harassing Pats quarterback Tom Brady all night long with constant pressure from their defensive line. Big Blue finished the game with five sacks (two by Justin Tuck), and pressured him into numerous hurries and hits.

“I think it is their overall defensive scheme,” Brady commented. “They got good coverage guys; they have a good pass rush. They are a good team. I think they are coordinated very well. They are obviously very well coached. They were just more than we could handle tonight.”

For a player like Brady to make that last comment, it means that the defense was more than special and was the reason why the Giants are world champions today. That is attributed to the game plan of Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants defensive coordinator.

“Even when you do blitz, that Patriots are so good at knowing how to pick it up, it still had to come down to somebody beating a block. It wasn’t like we outnumbered anything. We didn’t fool anybody.

“I think the players just made up their mind that they were going to get it done.”

Spagnuolo is on the short list to become a head coach in the league, possibly with the Washington Redskins. If he does leave the Giants, it will be a big loss. Michael Strahan, who waited 15 years to get his ring, lamented on the possibility.

“He made the most incredible adjustments the second and third times that we played teams that we just shut down the best offense in the league and made them look very mediocre. I think that’s a great testament to him and I hope he doesn’t leave us to go someplace else.”

One of the loudest voices heard in the locker room celebration was the veteran Strahan’s. What was a sea of emotions coming from every stall seemed even more special from number 92’s, who held out of training camp and the pre-season, contemplating retirement.

When asked what his future holds, the man known as ‘Stray’ didn’t want to hear it. “Don’t ask that,” he said with a smile. “Let me celebrate today.”

Of all the Giants vindicated by this win, perhaps there was no more than head coach Tom Coughlin, who was nearly fired a year ago. He persevered and is expected to receive a four-year extension, which is well deserved. He toned down his ‘Major Tom’ style a little this season after meeting with the brass and it obviously has paid off.

Winning cures everything, even on a team that was as dysfunctional last season as the Giants were. Barber wrote a book that took shots at Manning and Coughlin, and Strahan followed that up with one of his own that talked about dirty little locker room secrets.

Their regular season had moments of good and bad, and they stuck together and played as a team. When a starter went down with an injury, another player stepped in and picked up the slack. The Giants drafted well and had good depth on their bench.

This translated into getting hot at the right time and believing in yourself. The entire coaching staff put them in a position to win and they took advantage of it. All the way to the championship.

(Long Island, NY) Even the most loyal of Giants fans have to admit that they woke up this morning and had to check the score to ensure that it wasn’t a dream. Through all the adversity and criticism, the NFC participant in Super Bowl XLII will be none other than Big Blue.

Reaching the big game is an accomplishment no matter how you look at it. Getting there as a wild card entry and facing three road games is a total different animal, especially when you factor in that they had to go through the top two teams in the conference.

“10 straight, looking for 11,” said linebacker Antonio Pierce, lamenting on the Giants’ winning streak away from home, where they have not dropped a game since the season opener. “Our next one is a road game, too. That’s how we’re treating it. It’s just a mentality.”

The ‘next one’ that Pierce is referring to will take place in two weeks in Phoenix, Arizona. The improbable run by the G-Men is taking the country by storm and may not be over yet. It may be hard to duplicate what occurred on Sunday night in Green Bay, but if they can upset the AFC champion New England Patriots, the Giants will prove
that midnight does not strike for all Cinderellas.

What is even more surprising is that the Giants actually outplayed the Packers and almost gave the game away. Only after missing two potential game-winning field goal attempts did placekicker Lawrence Tynes redeem himself with a 47-yarder in overtime to end one of the great games in NFL playoff history, 23-20.

“He’s made big field goals for us before, and it just seems like we just like to put ourselves in those situations,” said winning quarterback Eli Manning. “We like to make it tough on ourselves. We can’t make the short one and win at home, but we can win on the road, make the 47-yard field goal in overtime just to make it exciting.”

Exciting is an understatement for this squad. The Giants went 10-6 during the regular season and had to go through Tampa Bay and Dallas before earning the right play in sub-zero weather conditions at the ‘Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field.’ Packers quarterback Brett Favre (19 for 35, 236 yards) did not appear comfortable all game in the cold and set up the winning field goal by throwing his second interception of the game in the extra period.

By comparison, Manning kept his streak of not throwing a pick for the third consecutive postseason game and completed 21 of 40 passes for 254 yards. The low-keyed gunslinger out of Ole Miss was his usual modest self after leading his team to the Super Bowl in just his fourth season in the NFL.

“Well, for me to play well, all the guys around me have to be doing their job, so they’re doing that and I’m getting them the ball,” said Manning. “My job, it can be easy when guys are playing well around you.”

The early odds makers have New England as 13 and a half-point favorites over the Giants. After winning all of their regular season games (16-0) and their two playoff contests, it is no wonder they are giving that many points. The Patriots took care of business by defeating the banged-up, but game San Diego Chargers in the AFC championship, 21-12, earlier in the day on Championship Sunday.

Maybe that last game at Giants Stadium against the Pats on December 29 – which resulted in a 38-35 loss – was exactly what the Giants needed to prove to themselves that they are for real.

(Long Island, NY) Being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame is the ultimate compliment for a player. Since the first class in 1936, the names read like a ‘who’s who’ for greatness in the National Pastime. The lone player inductee this summer can stand on his own, as he did 22 years on the mound as one of the game’s best closers. Rich “Goose” Gossage, who is best known from his days with the New York Yankees, will be enshrined and be a proud member of an exclusive club.

Although he pitched for nine teams, Gossage will be wearing a Yankees cap on his plaque, the team he had two stints with. After beginning his career with the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, he signed a free agent contract with the Bronx Bombers on November 22, 1977 and promptly won a world championship, the second consecutive for the Yankees over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Getting to play for the Yankees was kind of an out-of-body experience,” Gossage, who received 85.8 percent of the votes, told MLB.com. “Putting on the pinstripes did something for me that no other team did. I don’t mean to take anything at all away from all the other ballclubs, but getting to play for them and the success we enjoyed there both personally and as a team [was outstanding].”

The Boss himself, George Steinbrenner, seemed very happy that one of his favorite players was elected, and chose to represent the Yankees. “Goose was a fierce competitor and one of the all-time great pitchers, who in his career, set a new standard for relief pitching,” the Yankee owner released in a statement. “The New York Yankees are very proud of his achievement and I, personally, would like to congratulate him and his family on this wonderful honor.”

The nine-time All-Star had a breakout season in 1975 in Chicago with 26 saves, which is the same number he had in his one season in Pittsburgh in 1977. Once arriving in the Bronx, the Goose saved 27, 18, 33, 20, 30 and 22 games between 1978 and 1983.

Gossage then signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent and led the once-bottom dwelling club to their first World Series appearance, where they lost to the Detroit Tigers. He spent four seasons on the west coast before being traded back to the Windy City, this time on the north side with the Cubs. He moved around quite a bit the final six seasons of his career, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, Yankees (again), Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics before riding into the sunset with the Seattle Mariners in 1994. All told, Gossage saved 310 games, struck out 1,502 batters and had a 124-107 win/loss record and 3.10 ERA.

The role of a closer in Gossage’s era was quite different from today’s specialists. Set-up men were rare and the stopper was expected to pitch two or more innings in every appearance. Throwing over 1,800 innings over his career, the Goose put in plenty of time on the hill. He would have had even better numbers if not for missing
nearly half of the 1979 season after injuring his thumb in a clubhouse fight with teammate Cliff Johnson and games missed as a result of the 1981 player’s strike.

Boston slugger Jim Rice nearly made the vote with 72.2 percent, and Andre Dawson finished third with 65.9 percent. Mark McGwire received only 23.6 percent, and it appears that the Baseball Writers Association of America will be hard on the alleged steroid users. Big Red finished with a similar amount in 2007, his first year eligible on the ballot.

One of Gossage’s former managers will join him in ‘The Hall’ this year. Dick Williams was elected earlier by the Veterans Committee as a manager. They were together on the Padres, but Williams will be wearing the cap of the A’s, the team that he won consecutive titles with in 1972 and 1973.

(Long Island, NY) A year ago, the entire metropolitan area media – and national, for that matter – was lauding the rookie head coach of the New York Jets. Eric Mangini was being touted as a savior for the franchise and being called ‘Mangenius’ for his turning around a 4-win team into a 10-6 playoff squad. How quickly fortunes turn in the NFL and after completing an extremely disappointing season, the entire organization will be expected to answer in Year 3 of their tenure.

Along with Mangini, general manager Mike Tannenbaum is not exempt from criticism, either. This 4-12 disaster can also be hung on his shoulders, maybe just not as much as Mangini’s.

In a season full of despair, two of the bright spots were the Jets’ two top draft picks that eventually became starters. Both cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris impressed, and Tannenbaum has to be given credit for trading up to select both of them. The criticism of the GM comes with the offensive and defensive line. The weakest links on the team were in the trenches. You will not win in this league when you cannot protect your quarterback, open holes for the running game, put pressure on the opposing quarterback and stop the run. Plain and simple.

“At any time you’re not moving the ball well as you’d like to be, there are things that need to improve, and the offensive line is one area,” said Mangini. “I think it’s the same thing as the defensive line. If they are not getting sacks, sometimes you can think they are not doing their job with the pass rush but the coverage isn’t as
tight as it should be.

“I think, overall defensively, part of our increase in sack percentage or the number of sacks was that the coverage improved,” he continued. “When there are no open receivers, you’re going to have more time to get to the quarterback, those things are going to look a lot better.”

A major change in the offensive line occurred when veteran Pete Kendall was traded to the Washington Redskins at the end of the preseason. He held the right guard spot in between youngsters D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, and the position became a revolving door of ineffective players by the end of the season.

Ferguson, in particular, stands out due to the fact that he was chosen fourth overall in the 2006 NFL draft. Mangini acknowledged that much when asked about the tackle. “I don’t think anybody is ever where they are at the top of their game in their second year,” he said. “I think he’s done some good things, but he needs to keep
developing just like all of those young guys need to keep developing.”

Mangold had a more solid season than Ferguson, but the second year center out of Ohio State does not see the line’s season as a whole as a total step back. “You [have to] look back at it, remove yourself and look at it,” he said in the locker room following the 13-10 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the final Sunday of the season. “I thought we did some good things. We obviously did some bad things. It’s something to build on.”

Perhaps the biggest question heading into the offseason is at the quarterback position. Kellen Clemens took over for the benched Chad Pennington on October 28 and did not exactly ‘light it up’ with a 60.9 quarterback rating, 5 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In comparison, Pennington – with only 10 more attempts, threw 10 touchdown passes with 9 picks for a 86.1 rating.

Who is the starter once mini camp rolls around, pending both are still with the Jets? “I’m going to look at everything, look at the games that [Clemens] played in and really look at the whole position,” Mangini said. “That will be part of the whole offensive evaluation, and a lot of that will be a function of [Clemens’] progress this offseason and the things that he’s able to do and the competition at that position and how that all plays out.”

Hopefully better than the 2007 season played out for Mangini and the Jets.

(Long Island, NY) Say what you want about the inconsistent play of Eli Manning, the mass of injuries and the questionable calls of head coach Tom Coughlin. Save it for another day and give the Giants the accolades they deserve after clinching their third consecutive playoff berth. 10 wins heading into the final game of the regular season is still 10 wins, and the team also went 7-1 on the road. In the watered down NFC, they are directly below Dallas and Green Bay.

Big Blue has not played its best football of late, and with the 15-0 New England Patriots up in Week 17, defeating the Bills up north became even more imperative. In the early going, Buffalo went ahead and the Giants looked as if they were in danger of needing a win over the Pats to get in. Staying with their game plan in the driving rain and swirling wind, the Giants plodded along and took care of business, 38-21

“It was a very elated locker room just from the standpoint of winning,” Coughlin said. “We were down 14 to nothing, we come back and win, it is a back and forth ball game, the weather is a tremendous factor in the game.”

When the Giants began the season 0-2 and their defense was being raked over the coals in the media, the team stuck together and began to jell. By qualifying for the fifth seed and the top wild card playoff spot, they have quieted the critics and played without some key components due to injuries at times this season, such as Jeremy Shockey, Brandon Jacobs, Mathias Kiawanuka and Derrick Ward.

The bottom line is making the postseason in the NFL, and that is where the Giants find themselves. “It feels great. We’re fortunate and I’m very excited,” said rookie linebacker Zak DeOssie, a second generation Giant.

Amani Toomer, who had a huge game with five receptions for 99 yards and possibly the most important reception of the season for a first down when the Giants were trailing by two touchdowns, knew as a veteran that there was no panic with the team.

“We knew we had a lot of time,” the Michigan product said. “Being down 14-0 didn’t really bother us as much because we knew we could put a lot of points on the board. We haven’t been the past couple of weeks (26 points combined versus Philadelphia and Washington), but I think everybody in the huddle on offense knew that we were capable of doing what we did today.”

What they did that day will transpire into Week 18, which only 12 out of the 32 teams in the NFL are still carrying their playbooks and watching game film. The Giants’ ticket for the big dance is already punched and the NFC South champion Buccaneers await. Playing in a weak division, they may only have nine wins as opposed to a possible 11 by the Giants, but still own home field advantage due to the division championship.

At home, Tampa Bay has a 6-1 record heading into the last game this weekend versus Carolina. Quarterback Jeff Garcia, who led the Eagles to a wild card round win over the Giants a year ago, has had a successful maiden season down south. The veteran has thrown for 2,440 yards with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

The receiving corps is quite formidable with Joey Galloway (over 1,000 yards receiving and six touchdowns) and old friend Ike Hilliard, who leads the Bucs with 62 receptions. On the ground, Earnest Graham and Michael Pittman have combined for over 1,000 yards rushing.

On the other side of the ball, Derrick Brooks leads the Tampa ‘d’ and has 84 solo tackles so far (107 total). Greg White (8) along with Jovan Haye and first round draft pick Gaines Adams (6 each) are leading the sack attack for Jon Gruden’s squad.

It will not be an easy task, but the Giants have been left for dead already at least once this season. They are still breathing and may surprise some people before it is all said and done.