Hey everyone:
So I think it’s safe to categorize this weekend as a washout huh?
Tim had a meet Friday afternoon when the rains started and now as we are going to press here Sunday night, it’s still coming down. Well, tis the season as they say.
Let's get to it....
CABLE NEWS: Carlson and Lemon OUT!
I would never categorize myself as a Fox News aficionado, but back in the day, especially working at the Post during the week, I would catch some of their prime time shows. I didn't always like the way Bill O'Reilly would interview people, but some of his shows were interesting. When Sean Hannity had Alan Colmes as his partner, it bore some resemblance to the Fair and Balanced slogan the network was trumpeting. I once said hello to Hannity in the lobby of the News Corp building, and he looked at me as if I had just told him his momma wore combat boots. I had little use for him after that.
But even when he was on CNN Crossfire, and even when I leaned more to the right after 9/11, I never really liked Tucker Carlson. To me, he was like a grown up version of Spalding from Caddyshack.
When O'Reilly was sent packing because Fox got tired of paying off all the young women he harassed, they hired Tucker to replace him. Admittedly, I didn't watch one second of his show, but there were enough clips that made it to social media that I got the gist of where he was coming from. Another rich guy pretending to be a victim.
So when it came out in the depositions that Tucker admitted that the 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, and that he went on his show and said otherwise, and then Fox settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787 million, well someone had to take the fall for that. I was as surprised as anyone that it was Tucker Carlson. As I said I never watched his show, but millions of people did, and ratings = $$$ usually. But like with O'Reilly, the higher-ups must have figured that the money Tucker was bringing in wasn't enough to cover the 3/4 of a billion bucks going out to Dominion. So out the door he went.
And speaking of guys who became more trouble than they were worth, only hours after Fox bid au revoir to Tucker, CNN sent Don Lemon on his way. His was another show I didn't watch too much of, not even when they moved him to the mornings.
Lemon didn't do himself any favors by saying that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was "past her prime" Pissing off over half your viewership is not in any news network's playbook.
There were also reports that he wasn't exactly what you would call a team player, and that he had made sexist comments to several female colleagues. CNN finally ran out of patience with him.
Is it a coincidence that Carlson and Lemon, two controversy lightning rods were $h-tcanned on the same day? I'll let you decide on that. But I can't really say I was sorry to see either one of them go.
FOOTBALL- Jets Finally get their man
Over a month after he told his buddy Pat McAfee that he wanted to play for the Jets, Aaron Rodgers officially arrived in NY. The Jets and Packers came to terms Monday afternoon on the long awaited trade.
The Jets gave up probably more than they had wanted to. They swapped 2023 first round picks with the Packers, which ended up costing them getting one of the offensive lineman they wanted. They also gave up a 2024 second rounder that becomes a first rounder if Rodgers plays in 65% of the Jets plays this year. The Jets also gave up one of the two second round picks they had, and I believe got back a 6th rounder.
I was just pulling into the parking lot of OHS to pick Tim up after practice when I heard someone yell out "Aaron Rodgers!" Sure enough when I looked at my phone, ESPN was announcing that Adam Schefter was confirming the trade. My best guess is that the Jets finally caved on swapping the 2023 first round picks.
To be honest, I'm just glad it's over. I still have the same reservations I did when all this chat started up. He's still closing in on 40 years old, he's still, as a former co-worker of mine used to say, "a little bit strange guy." On the other hand, he seems genuinely enthusiastic to be here, and he clearly feels like he has something to prove. Two other positive things that I was happy about.. he had the good sense not to take Joe Namath up on his offer to un-retire number 12. That was awfully nice of Broadway Joe, but Rodgers was smart not to bite, instead he'll wear his college number 8, and he was emphatic that he respected that 12 should stay up in the proverbial rafters.
Also he seemed genuinely interested in doing what he can to help Zach Wilson reach his potential. I realize that most Jets fans are ready to write off Wilson as another Jets draft bust, but he is still just 23, (he'll be 24 on August 3) and not every QB can develop quickly. There's another QB the Jets drafted who everyone cast off as a bust. His name is Geno Smith and he's doing really well in Seattle. Maybe with Rodgers on the team, Wilson can develop at his own pace and learn from a guy who has done it before.
This is of course all best case scenarios, and that's what makes this time of year so much fun for football fans. I've suffered through so many of these, that it's difficult to work up big enthusiasm for it all. But I have to admit, I'm glad the trade happened, because if it had fallen through, that would have been a disaster.
As for the draft, Tim (who watched most of the first round and was providing updates as I was watching my Rangers implode), asked me how I think the Jets did. I tried to explain to him that one of the most colossal wastes of time and space is grading a draft as it's happening. I've seen the Jets have what was called at the time A+ drafts and here we are, 54 years later, still waiting for another Lombardi Trophy. If he wants to ask me how we did last year, when Joe Douglas drafted both the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the year in the same round, not THAT I would give an A+ to. I'll grade this year's draft next January, how bout dah?
BASKETBALL- How 'bout dem Knicks?
I was at McFadden's on May 4, 2001 when the Knicks were playing the Raptors in a winner take all Game 5 at MSG. The Raptors eked out a 93-89 victory that sent the Knicks home for the summer. Little did I know that night that game essentially ended a 15 year run of Knick playoff games. They have spent the overwhelming majority of the 21st Century on the outside looking in. And in the unlikely event that they made the post-season, they were usually sent packing in the first round. A quick check of basketball reference.com has confirmed these suspicions, only the Knicks of 2012-13 made it out of the first round, they lost in the second round to the Pacers.
So watching the Knicks lay the Cleveland Cavaliers to waste the other night was a rare (to say the least) treat. The Cavs were favorites, plus they were the team that ended up acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Jazz last off-season. Mitchell, a NY Native who practically begged Jazz GM Danny Ainge to trade him to the Knicks, (which the former Celtic was of course loathe to do) was the Cavs best player this year, and of course seemed primed to stick it to the Knicks. You know how the old saying goes, If you can't join 'em, beat 'em.
Instead, with the exception of Game 2, where they got their doors blown off, the Knicks took care of business, returning the blowout favor with a 20 point win last Friday, pulling away after a close game on Sunday, and then clinching the series on Wednesday night, when the Cavs pretty much waved the white flag.
So now, it's a definite throwback to the golden days of yesteryear, as the Knicks will take on Miami Heat, who pulled off an even bigger upset by knocking off the NBA top seeded Bucks in 5 games.
Remember how Pat Riley weaseled his way out of the last year of his Knicks contract to become head honcho in Miami. Of course the Knicks and Heat met in the playoffs in 4 of the next 5 seasons, with the Knicks taking 3 of those, and only a bull$hit ruling against them by NBA Commissioner David Stern after a fight, prevented it from being 4 out of four. These were the Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Jamal Mashburn Heat vs the Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson (and for the last two Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby) Knicks. Those games were classics.
The Heat have a player, Jimmy Butler, who was unbelievable in the series vs the Bucks. Hopefully the Knicks can figure out how to stop him and get themselves a trip to the Conference Finals. Things didn’t start off so well today, as the Heat took Game 1. Hopefully they tie it up on Tuesday.
HOCKEY- Rangers-Devils head to Game 7
This time last week I was feeling pretty good about my Rangers. They had dominated the first two games of their series against the Devils, and had played well enough to win Game 3, an OT loss at the Garden.
Then the Devils dominated Game 4 and the Rangers inexplicably no-showed for Game 5, and just like that, the Rangers were on the brink of getting sent to the golf course.
I’ll give the Devils credit for tightening up their defense and making fewer unforced errors, but what I’m not going to do is turn their young goalie into the second coming of Patrick Roy. Akira Schmid has been good, but the Rangers didn’t get a lot of good shots at him from what I saw.
Saturday night with their backs to the wall, like they usually are in the playoffs, the Rangers did manage more pressure on Schmid and they came away with a 5-2 win to send this series to a Game Seven. How do I feel about it? Depends on which Ranger team is going to show up to the Rock on Monday night? The one from Saturday night or the one from last Thursday? I really don’t know.
THIS JUST IN- from WM two weeks ago...
And while I have a very hard time seeing anybody beating the Bruins 4 times out of 7 games, that too has happened, in the not too distant past. Remember, the record the Bruins just beat was held by the 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning, who after winning 62 games and accumulating 128 points, proceeded to get swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. I'll be shocked if the Florida Panthers pull that off, but also recall who won the President's Trophy last year. That's right, the Panthers.
