(Long Island, NY) This is the way it should be. Two rivals fighting it out all summer in both halves, with one team winning the first and the other taking the second. Tuesday evening in Bridgeport, the Bluefish hosted the first game in the Atlantic League playoffs against the Long Island Ducks. The ‘Fish topped the Ducks by a score of 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

These teams know each other well. They have gone tooth and nail for seven years, but this will be their first playoff series. That is the official stat, but on August 9th, 2004, they played a regular season contest that amounted to a playoff game.

That season, the Ducks needed to sweep a three-game series in Bridgeport in July to win the North Division First Half title. They won the first two and were tied with the ‘Fish after nine innings in the final game of the first half. The Connecticut skies were threatening all game with a steady drizzle. But then the skies opened up and the game was postponed. The All-Star break was upon us without a division winner.

A make-up date was decided, and the first available for both clubs was August 9th. So practically one month into the second half would be the deciding game for the first half championship. The Bridgeport officials coined the game, ‘the one for all the marbles.’

The Ducks had come so close to qualifying for the playoffs during their existence with nothing to show for it. Now all they needed to do was win one game and they would erase some of that disappointment.

A wild win gave the team its first post-season berth and they didn’t disappoint. They defeated the Nashua Pride in the first round and then disposed of the Camden Riversharks in the championship series to win the crown. They celebrated their fifth anniversary season in 2004 and saved the biggest party for last.

Could 2006 be their lucky seventh season? They have a very good team and having pitcher Pat Mahomes and outfielder Dominick Ambrosini back after stints in the minor leagues will help. The 2004 pitching hero, Bill Pulsipher, is also here. Unfortunately, outfielder Juan Gonzalez has had nagging injuries and is currently on the inactive list.

Ducks manager Don McCormack has brought his team to the playoffs three consecutive seasons. He has done the job and is a steadying influence in the dugout. Pitching Coach Dick Such has kept the staff going strong even during periods when some of the arms were signed by major league organizations. He has done a fine job in his first season on Long Island.

Citibank Park will be rocking on Wednesday and (if necessary) Thursday evenings. With the Mets and Yankees gearing for their own playoff rounds, the Ducks will kick things off first.

(Long Island, NY) The inevitable happened this past week. Both the Mets and Yankees clinched their respective divisions, assuring themselves home field advantage in the Divisional Series. The Mets did it by recording the 27th out in a win against the Florida Marlins at Shea Stadium. The Yankees celebrated following a loss to the Blue Jays huddled around a television set in the bowels of a stadium north of the border.

At the end of the season, it all boils down to the same. But who do you think had more fun? It takes some of the sting out of pouring champagne on one another’s head when you couldn’t take of business on your own. The inept Boston Red Sox taking it on the chin from the Minnesota Twins popped the cork for the 26-time World Champion Yankees.

A good question would have been if the Yankees were at home under the same circumstances, would the crowd at the Stadium hung around for the result of the BoSox game? And if they did, would Jorge Posada had sprayed the box seat patrons with the groundskeeper’s hose, a-la Paul Lo Duca?

I’m sure it was elation to win the division any way, even by backing in. Perhaps I am being too critical of the Bronx Bombers. Nine consecutive division titles is a major accomplishment. They are an incredibly talented team who is getting some bodies back before the playoffs. They were my pre-season pick to win it all, and there does not appear to be any reason to change now.

Losing two key players such as Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield for much of the regular season could have been the excuse for a down year. But the Yankees kept pace with the Red Sox all summer long with youngster Melky Cabrera and old friend Bernie Williams picking up the pieces. Mid-season pick-up Aaron Guile did a nice job filling in, as well. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made two important moves at the July 31st trading deadline, acquiring right fielder Bobby Abreau and starting pitcher Corey Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies and outfielder/first baseman Craig Wilson from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Recently, both Matsui and Sheffield have returned from the Disabled List, the latter playing some first base. The Bombers are loaded offensively heading into October. Their biggest question mark is on the starting pitching.

Who’s number one? Chien Ming Wang has been the most consistent starter all season long. Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina are grizzled veterans that have done it before. Can they do it again?
And Lidle should get a post-season start, bringing experience with him.

If the Yankees pop the cork in the clubhouse following the World Series, no one will remember how they got in the playoffs. But for now, the Mets had a better celebration.

(Long Island, NY) By both New York baseball teams having the luxury of basically sitting back and watching, the Wild Card races in Major League Baseball have gone on quite well without either team. At this point, the teams and their fans are scoreboard watching, but not to see if their competition will fall to give them a post-season berth. It will be to see who their first victims will be.

Thinking with the glass half-full, the Mets and Yankees are both the best in their respective leagues. If all goes right, they should face off in a rematch of their 2000 ‘Subway Series.’ The road to the Fall Classic will not be easy, but with so many clubs battling for the right to make the playoffs, the fight may take some of the wind out of their sails.

In the National League, nothing is set besides the Mets. The St. Louis Cardinals have been the leaders in the Central, but they have had injury problems and their status is still in question. The Cincinnati Reds have been hanging around all season, and the Houston Astros have the big three in their starting rotation (Roy Oswalt, Roger Clemens and Andy Petite) but not much offense to supplement them.

The wild, wild West is just that. A handful of games separate the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Diego Padres, and the resurgent San Francisco Giants. The East is the most surprising division. Left for dead for most of the season have been the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins. Both teams are playing well and are in position to make the Wild Card.

Over in the junior circuit, the Detroit Tigers had a double-digit lead in the Central, but that has been pared down. The defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are both close enough to overtake the Tigers. One of these teams will be left watching the dance from the outside.

The Oakland Athletics are separating themselves and appear to be in good shape to win the AL West. The Los Angeles Angels still have a chance, and a very small one at that. The Wild Card team will come out of the Central, a big change from previous seasons when it was the consolation prize for finishing second in the AL East. The Boston Red Sox have not recovered from losing three series in a row in August. Losing five of six to weak sisters Kansas City and Tampa Bay was bad enough. But the BoSox sealed their fate when the Bronx Bombers came into Beantown and swept a five game series.

Baseball rules dictate that if the Wild Card team is in the same division as the team with the best record, they cannot face each other in the first round. That will only pertain to the Mets, and it is a guess currently if that will be the situation. If either Florida or Philadelphia qualify, the Mets would then have to face the weakest division winner.

October baseball is always special. But this can be one of those post-seasons where fate has a hand in deciding. It will not be the same if the Mets or Yankees are upset before having the chance to give New Yorkers their moneys worth.

(Long Island, NY) If you haven’t seen the movie ‘Invincible’ starring Mark Wahlberg as Philadelphia Eagle Vince Papale, you’re doing yourself a disservice. A great ‘feel-good’ true sports tale was well done. It conjures up memories of a few local athletes that have similar underdog stories.

Probably the most similar would be Wayne Chrebet of the Jets. The diminutive wide receiver was a local guy, such as Papale was for his team. The ‘Green Lantern’ was an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra University, the Long Island school where the Jets hold training camp and practice.

No one expected Chrebet to make the team. He even was named as an ‘On the bubble’ player in a recurring Daily News column on who may be the next cut during camp. But the Jets were coming off a 6-10 season and had a new coaching staff in place. The infamous Rich Kotite was the new man in charge and the team was low on receivers. Chrebet made the squad and played in all 16 games, catching 66 passes for 726 yards. It wasn’t like the Jets had much competition for his spot, with forgotten names such as Ryan Yarborough and Charles Wilson lining up as wide outs.

Chrebet played for 11 seasons for Gang Green and only retired recently due to post-concussion syndrome. He was an inspiration to everyone, fans and players alike.

One of the more obscure names of an underdog that had a few moments in the sun was infielder Brian Doyle of the Yankees, who was from Glasgow, Kentucky, about a different a place as the Bronx as you can get. He was 23 when he broke into the big leagues in 1978, hitting a paltry .192 in just 39 games. But in the post-season, he took over for an injured Willie Randolph and promptly hit .286 in the American League Championship Series versus the Kansas City Royals and .500 in the World Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shortstop Bucky Dent won MVP honors while batting .458 for the series. Many folks felt that Doyle was just as deserving. He played sparingly for three more seasons, the last being for Oakland, and had a career batting average of .161. But no one can take away that October from him.

How many more Papales, Chrebets and Doyles have there been? They are just some of the reasons why sports are more than just that. And material that movies are made from.

(Long Island, NY) What appeared to be a fight to the finish will end up a one horse race. September will not be the same as the Yankees pulled away from the Boston Red Sox towards the end of August. Injuries spelled disaster in Beantown, and with the trade of David Wells to San Diego, the Sox submitted.

A role reversal from earlier in the season when Boston was out in front and the Bombers had the Disabled List being filled. Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield are still out, but the emergence of Melky Cabrera and the acquisition of Bobby Abreau stemmed the tide.

The writing was on the wall when Boston dropped two series in a row to American League weak sisters Tampa Bay and Kansas City. They later hosted the Yanks for a 5 game set which would dictate the rest of the season.

A five game sweep either way was the last thing anyone expected. But that is exactly what happened, in favor of the Bombers. A thorough shellacking was handed to the depleted Red Sox, which blew the Yanks’ lead in the division wide open.

The injuries have been mounting in Boston. Captain Jason Varitek went down with a bad knee, and although he was replaced by Javy Lopez via a trade with Baltimore (who has since been released when Varitek returned), the production from the catcher’s spot dropped. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez then was next. Rookie starting pitcher Jon Lester was diagnosed with lymphoma after initially straining his back and being placed on the Disabled List. And recently, star rookie closer Jonathan Papelbon had to leave a game after experiencing shoulder pain.

Some of the walking wounded have returned, but it looks like it may be too late to matter. The July 31st and August 31st (waiver) trading deadlines have both passed and the only move that Boston has made was moving Wells. By comparison, the Yankees picked up Abreau, starter Corey Lidle and first baseman/outfielder Chris Wilson.

What used to be an automatic wild card consolation prize for the second place team in the AL East has changed. Strong seasons from three teams in the Central have changed the landscape of the Junior Circuit. The surprising Detroit Tigers have led, with the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins look like they will battle it out to the end for the wild card spot.

Many predictions had the Yankees winning the division and possibly more. So far, that looks to be falling into place. The difference is that their route will not include Boston.

(Long Island, NY) Think of all the great names that have stood upon the pitcher’s mound at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Al Leiter, Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine. Some of these names have pitched no-hitters in their storied careers. But never wearing the blue and orange.

More than seven thousand games have gone by for the Mets, and we are still waiting. Several ex-Mets have found their place in baseball history wearing other laundry. Seaver threw his gem as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 1978, following the ‘Midnight Massacre’ deals on June 15th, 1977. Ryan of course went on to be the no-hit king, with seven throughout his long career with the California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. Gooden (1996) and Cone (1999 perfect game) did it in New York, just that it was in the Bronx instead of Queens. Mike Scott re-energized his career in Houston and can hang his Astros hat on a no-hitter as a member of that team in 1986. Even also-ran names such as Hideo Nomo (1999) and Alejandro Pena have been added to the list, although Pena’s was only as a part of a combined no-hitter in 1991.

They have come close. Just this past Sunday in Houston, the Mets threw a one-hitter for the 30th time in team history. Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez combined with Roberto Hernandez and Darren Oliver to hold the Astros at bay offensively, but still lost the game by a score of 2-1. Of the five that Seaver had himself, two were broken up in the ninth inning. Steve Traschel has even thrown two. How about some of the more obscure names on the one-hitter list: Al Jackson (1962); Jack Hamilton (1966); Terry Leach (1982); Pete Schourek (1991); Bobby Jones (2000 Divisional Series versus San Francisco); Glendon Rusch (2001); Shawn Estes (2002) and a combined effort in 2003 from Jae Seo, David Weathers and Armando Benitez.

Ryan teased Mets fans with a near-miss in 1970. Gary Gentry had Roberto Clemente and Ernie Banks break up two of his bids in 1970 and 1971. Matlack also had consecutive years with close calls, starting in 1973. Doc had one in his rookie season of 1984. Ron Darling and a combined try from Sid Fernandez and Roger McDowell were two that just didn’t make it the following season. Cone has been involved in three, 1988 and two in 1991. The modern-day Mets have come close, especially with Glavine’s being spoiled by an eighth-inning hit against Colorado at Shea on May23, 2004.

No-hitters are special in baseball. But Met fans will worry about that another day. A World Series championship in 2006 will take away much of the sting from not having one.

(Long Island, NY) It used to be that you needed a program to find out all the roster changes on the teams in the first week of the NFL season. Now you also need a TV Guide to find out what channel to catch the games.

The new NFL season kicks off this week on Thursday evening on NBC. The Peacock Network is back and will also take over the Sunday night telecast from ESPN. The reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Miami Dolphins. For some fans, it still feels like a pre-season game before Sunday.

Get your cooler and chip bowls filled for a full day of gridiron action on Sunday. At 1 p.m. on CBS, the Jets travel down to Tennessee to face the Titans. Gang Green may have settled down their quarterback situation by naming Chad Pennington the starter and trading Brooks Bollinger to Minnesota. But the Titans’ QB story became more confusing in the past week. Billy Volek was the starter going into training camp to keep first round draft pick Vince Young’s seat warm. Then Tennessee signed veteran Kerry Collins, and Volek is looking for a trade.

Some other early games of note are Cincinnati at Kansas City (CBS) and Atlanta at Carolina (Fox). [The conferences will remain on the same networks]. Can Carson Palmer come back from a brutal knee injury suffered in last years’ playoffs? How will Herman Edwards do in his first year as Chiefs head coach after leaving the Jets? How about Michael Vick and new defensive stud John Abraham getting a good divisional match-up to start things off?

At 4:15, Fox gives us Dallas visiting Jacksonville. Will Terrell Owens erase much of the negativity from camp? Can the Jaguars have another good season behind Byron Leftwich?

The barn burner is the 8:15 prime-time battle of the brothers Manning. NBC starts their weekly coverage with a great game that has received much of the opening week hype. Peyton leads his Indianapolis Colts to the Meadowlands to take on younger sibling Eli and the Giants. Besides the obvious, this is a game between two division winners from last year.

Did you make it to Monday? You should strap in for not one, but two games. ESPN takes over Monday Night Football from ABC, and gives us Minnesota at Washington at 7 p.m., followed by a 10:15 kick off with San Diego traveling up to Oakland. MNF will carry one game after the opening week, starting a half hour earlier from the usual 9 p.m. ABC time.

The NFL Network gets into the action with Thursday night telecasts starting on Thanksgiving, and continuing through the season. Saturday nights are mixed in later in the season to replace a few Thursdays.

The wrinkle in the NBC Sunday night coverage is that they will have flexible scheduling in weeks 10-15 and the final game in week 17. This allows for the more favorable match-ups. NBC gets to choose the game from a previously scheduled Sunday afternoon scheduled match, and they must give 12 days notice to the league. This way they ensure a marquee game and allow some of the surprise teams a shot at national coverage.

The NFL is not the best professional league for nothing. If there is a way to improve perfection, these changes are a good example of that.

(Long Island, NY) Talk about one of your all-time busts. Fortunately for the Yankees, they have overcome it and have the money to spare. But for most major league baseball teams, a big free agent contract for a supposedly big-time starting pitcher that has blown up in their faces would set a franchise back.

When righthander Carl Pavano signed a four-year $39.95 million dollar contract with the Yankees before the 2005 season, it was looked at as a risk worth taking. Never being completely injury-free during his career, the man did play a big part in the Florida Marlins’ 2003 World Series victory over the Yanks. And when George Steinbrenner wants someone, he usually gets him. The Bronx Bombers needed to re-tool their starting rotation and get younger. Pavano seemed like a good start.

Keep in mind that this is the same pitcher that was lauded as a prospect enough to be the main piece in the Pedro Martinez trade between the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos. He never made an impact up north and was dealt to Florida, where he was basically a .500 pitcher. His last two seasons in the Sunshine state were his best, and he played that into a long-term deal.

His tenure in the Bronx reads like a laundry list of bad luck/bad pitcher. Last season, he left a lot to be desired in 17 starts before shutting himself down with shoulder pain, which was diagnosed as tendinitis. He was preparing to come back in Spring Training and once again had to curtail his work due to back pain. Two weeks later when he resumed work, he hurt his left buttock (no kidding) fielding a come-backer on the first batter he faced.

In May, he had surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow. That gave him off until last month, when he started making rehab starts in the minor leagues. In his last start, he complained of soreness under his armpit. It was later revealed that on August 15th, Pavano had a car accident in Florida that caused two fractured ribs. He attempted to keep this from the Yankees, but claimed that he had to come clean because of the pain.

In case you want to feel bad about Pavano, he also wrecked his Porsche in the car wreck. Some guys just have no luck.

There have been whispers that some of his Yankee teammates have been wondering about his desire to come back and actually earn his paycheck. Can’t say that I blame them, especially when the team is prepping for the playoffs. If you cannot get your competitive juices flowing for a post season appearance at Yankee Stadium, then you shouldn’t be playing this game.

The Yankees can look to void part of Pavano’s contract due to the fact that he hid an injury from them. But that is a long shot.

Maybe Pavano can leave his legacy in New York by being an even bigger bust than Mo Vaughn. At least Mo hit the Budweiser sign on a home run at Shea. What did Pavano ever hit accept for a truck on that rainy West Palm Beach road?

(Long Island, NY) Being one of the weakest part of practically every team in baseball, the number four and five starters of both the Mets and Yankees have been a mystery at times, and a disaster at others. But as the season has gone on for both first place clubs, these spots have started to look better and more consistent. This is especially helpful to take some pressure of the staff aces, who have carried the teams throughout.

It’s amazing that the Mets have had the success they have enjoyed with the way their rotation has been. At the start, rookie Brian Bannister and disappointment Victor Zambrano were in before injuries interrupted their seasons. The replacements have resembled a who’s-who of the scrap-heap. Jose Lima was dreadful in both his stints, Jeremi Gonzalez and Alay Soler not much better.

John Maine struggled in his first few starts, but has been a blessing since being recalled from Triple-A. Orlando ‘El Duque’ Hernandez has been up and down since he was acquired from Arizona in a mid-season trade, but he has the experience to give the team an October boost. Youngster Mike Pelfrey was up for a while and looked about as good as you would expect someone only a year removed from college.

The way it appears currently, Maine and Hernandez should stay in the rotation. In the post season, managers may decide to go with a three or four man rotation. Hernandez was very effective coming out of the bullpen in the Chicago White Sox’ championship run last season.

On the other side of town, injuries have hampered the Yankees staff, as well. Annual DL partners Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright have spent time on the sidelines together, with Wright being fair since his return. Pavano may turn out to be one of the biggest free agent busts of all time.

The Bombers have brought in arms such as Sidney Ponson and Kris Wilson with no results. Shawn Chacon and Aaron Smalls’ magic from last year ran out and they both are no longer around. GM Brian Cashman acquired Corey Lidle at the trading deadline in the Bobby Abreau deal, and he has been decent.

How much of a difference these pitchers make for both teams remains to be scene. But at least these four have brought some sense of stability to the bottom of their respective starting rotation on two teams that had a rough time finding it.

(Long Island, NY) What would be better in this thrilling New York baseball summer than topping it off with a Subway Series? The way things are shaping up, it is definitely a possibility. And this time around, both teams look to be poised for an October rematch.

The last time the city had the pleasure of experiencing it was in 2000. The Yankees were a dynasty and had won consecutive titles and three of the last four. The Mets were a Wild Card entry and did not have to go through their nemesis, the Atlanta Braves, courtesy of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The World Series lasted only five games, but it was hard fought and close. The turning point came during Game One at Yankee Stadium when Met firstbaseman Todd Ziele hit what appeared to be a home run to left field. The ball landed on top of the fence and rolled back on the field. Met rookie outfielder Timo Perez made the mistake of assuming it was gone and didn’t realize that Yankee leftfielder David Justice threw the ball to the cut-off man, Derek Jeter, who relayed the ball to Jorge Posada to cut Perez down at the plate.

The Mets blew a one-run ninth inning lead and lost the game in extra innings. Game Two had Roger Clemens throwing part of a broken bat at Mike Piazza. The Yankees eventually won the series at Shea Stadium when Luis Sojo hit a grounder up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning. Piazza gave the ball a ride in the bottom of the frame, but Bernie Williams put it away for the three-peat.

Currently, both teams are leading in their respective divisions. The Mets have a double-digit lead and can coast the rest of the way. The Yankees have overtaken the Boston Red Sox and it should be a dogfight until the end.

The National League is considered weak, which should play into the Mets’ favor. They should be able to defeat whoever comes out of the West. The St. Louis Cardinals are ahead in the Central and should be a tough out. The Mets do have the best team and barring an upset, should reach the Fall Classic.

The route through the stronger American League will be harder. The Detroit Tigers have led the Central all year and can punch their playoff ticket. The West has been bunched up, but the Oakland A’s look to be a good choice. The Wild Card will be either the Red Sox, Minnesota Twins or Chicago White Sox, the defending World Champions.

For the Yankees to get through those teams, it is doable but a tough task. The Mets may be awaiting their opponent once they capture the pennant, and that very well be the Bronx Bombers.