How’s Manny Ramirez settling in at his new home on the west coast?  The Onion caught up with him:

“LOS ANGELES—Dodgers left-fielder Manny Ramirez, sent to Los Angeles in a three-team trade two weeks ago, said Monday that he “really likes” the Red Sox’s new blue-and-white uniforms. “I like it more than the red,” Ramirez told reporters following the Dodgers’ 8-6 win over the Phillies Monday. “I’m also happy that they shortened the Green Monster, and painted it blue, because that wall was too tall before. And I’m really enjoying the easy schedule we’ve been playing lately.” Although Ramirez admitted he didn’t appreciate having “that vampire from the Yankees” [Joe Torre] hanging out in the dugout all the time, he did say that he “completely approves of David Ortiz’s new mustache” while gesturing towards Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent.”

To start, let’s look at this as if Brett Favre wasn’t quarterback for the Jets this season.  Last season the Jets’ offense was hopeless, and the team ended 4-12.  However, they lost seven games by a score of a converted touchdown or less, and another two by 11 and 10.  They also kept the opposition to 20 points or less in nine games.  They have now spent nearly $150,000,000 bolstering their defensive and offensive lines, so you’ve got to think they’ll be competitive this season, with any sort of offense they could have easily been 8-8 last season.

Let’s look at their schedule for 2008.  At home they have Denver, Kansas City, Arizona, St. Louis, Cincinnati, New England, Buffalo and Miami.   Take away the Patriots and there are seven winnable games there, in fact, anything less than five will be a major disappointment.   Away and it’s Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tennessee, New England, Buffalo and Miami.  Let’s take San Diego and New England out of the equation.  Seattle and Tennessee are winnable, but let’s take them out as well.   That leaves four games that they should look at as wins.  So without taking into account Favre, that’s eleven games that the Jets would be targeting.

Obviously things don’t work out like that, and there’s always a couple of duds from one season that’ll surprise everyone next season.  But, that does mean that even with Pennington or Clemens, with the improvements to the roster they have made in the off-season, they had a good chance of winning 8 or 9.  Now add Favre to the mix, and the Jets have to be realistic contenders for a wild card place this season.

So that’s my prediction, 10 to 11 wins and a wild-card berth.  Ever the optimist…

We know by now, that whenever a major sports franchise makes a big trade, they’ll have a range of clothing featuring their new star in the team store within twenty-four hours, and the Jets are no different.  Already at their store the Jets have a range of Brett Favre merchandise, although at the time of writing I am unable to access the shop, probably due to web traffic!  EA Sports though have also been on the ball, and a visit to their website shows that they have already reacted to the Favre trade:

Courtesy EA Sports

Perhaps this isn’t surprising as they did choose Brett Favre, resplendent in his Green Bay uniform on the front of Madden 09, despite his being retired when they chose the image.  Well, they have until Monday to recall the game and replace the cover with a more up to date version.

What’s that you say about the Curse of Madden?  FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!

Sport’s funny.  Twenty-four hours ago I wished that the Brett Favre saga would just be done with and go away.  Now that he’s signed for my team, I can’t get enough of reading about it!  In the previous post I presented an overview of what was being said in the New York press, now I turn my attention to the various Jets blogs.  First up,GangGreen.com:

“By trading for Brett Favre, the Gang Green surely made a statement that they are a win now team. They are a team that only needs a real QB to make a run at the Super Bowl. Neither weak-armed QB Chad Pennington or interception prone QB Kellen Clems stepped up during training camp thus far, which obviously prompted the Jets management to make this desperate step.”

Okay, I’m confused.  Can the Jets’ acquisition of Favre be both a “statement that they are a win now team” and “a desperate step”?  At time of writing, 73% of respondents to their online poll are of the opinion that trading for Favre was a good move for the Gang Green.  Let’s move to TheJetsBlog.com, where blogger Bassett decided to air his opinions on the deal by means of a Q&A with himself:

“(Favre’s) a sure-fire upgrade. Favre marries what we all loved best in Pennington … his poise and experience with Clemens biggest promise … an unparalelled arm. Coles complained about not geting deep routes, now we’ll have a chance to see whether he’s as good as he thinks he is … There’s no question in my mind that as an athlete that Favre is a better player than what the Jets had on the roster and I think i some regards allows the team the offense they had in mind for this year … This looks deperate to outsiders though. But I read it as a pretty savvy move. It gives Clemens or Ainge time to develop and allows them to really compete this year. The sense of deperation, is more about filling a new stadium than for their jobs … I know that Favre makes them better, but it also sells more seats, jerseys, etc.”

I think all in all this was a pretty savvy post, and I agree with the majority of what was written.  An interesting take in all this, and one that I agree with, is that this wasn’t a case of Favre vs Pennington.  I am a big fan of Chad, he has a great quarterback brain and temperament, but unfortunately no arm and a massive tendency to get injured.  It’s nearly a decade since the Jets drafted him, he is now 32 and obviously isn’t the quarterback to take the Jets forward in the way we’d hoped.  As soon as the Jets decided they would look at Favre, it became whether Favre or Clemens would be better for the team, and then there really was no contest.

Gozer at HotStoveNewYork.com doesn’t buy into the general glee in Gotham, however:

“I’m just disappointed in my team today.  Two seasons ago, the 2006 Jets were the Cinderella story of the NFL, winning 10 games behind Chad Pennington and his weak arm. Brett Favre won 13 games with the Green Bay Packers last season.  Does this move really improve Gang Green’s outlook for 2008 and beyond, or is today’s front page splasher simply a “late, wild swing by the Jets for some attention,” as Greenberg puts it?  To me, it stinks of the latter.”

Gozer is referencing the column by The New York Post’s Jay Greenberg that I mentioned in my previous post.  I do believe that there is an element of selling PSLs at the new Meadowlands Stadium in this, but I don’t believe, as Gozer and a few others think, that’s it’s about diverting attention away from the Giants and their Superbowl win.  Hey, the Jets have been the second team in New York since we traded Namath to the Rams, and I don’t think it really bothers the men in suits - after all, the team still sells out every game and has a huge die-hard fan base that decades of mediocrity have made no dent in.  In fact, many Jets fans I know (myself included) rooted for the Giants to win, after all let’s not forget who they were playing…  I find it hard to believe that the Jets organization, after thirty years, suddenly woke up one morning and went “Omigod!  We’ve got to be RELEVANT!”  Okay, LegendOfCecilioGuante.com, how are you feeling?

“We’re giddy. That’s the simplest way to describe it. Kid-in-a-candy-store giddy. Stupid sh*t-eating-perma-grin giddy. Walking around fairly ignorant of anything else going on giddy. Here’s my morning, for those who care.”

Sorry, I’m not reading you very clearly…

“Brett Favre is the quarterback of the New York Jets. Behind center for the Jets, is Brett Favre. The Jets are led by Brett Favre. First-year Jets signal-caller, Brett Favre. Starting at quarterback for NY, #4, Brett Favre.”

No, I’m still unsure as to how you feel about the Favre trade!  One more go:

“Oh my goodness, please Eric Mangini dump that announce-the-whole-team-at-once thing for opening day at the Meadowlands. Can you imagine? Sunday, Sept. 14th. Home opener against the Pats. The PA announcer announces the starting offense. They show the grizzled vet standing in the shadow of the tunnel, waiting to sprint out. “And…at quarterback…#4…Brett…Favre.” Chills.”

Well, if you’re just going to sit on the fence I’m going to move on.  The final opinion comes from Anthony Stalter at ScoresReport.com:

“One would assume that (Favre) only makes the Jets’ offense more productive. He’s got a stronger arm than anyone on NY’s roster, takes risks (which sometimes translate into big rewards…and sometimes not) and he’s a veteran leader that guys like Jones, Laveranues Coles and a slew of young but talented offensive linemen can look up to. The Jets have been hamstrung by limited quarterback play for years. Favre is anything but limited.  But is his head in it? And is he ready to play? One of the reasons Favre was so productive last year was because he worked his ass off in the offseason to get into the best shape of his life. With all the hoopla that has occurred over the past few weeks/months, has he stayed in relatively good football shape? The guy is a grizzled veteran, so one would assume he’s taken care of his body. But only time will tell if the 38-year old signal caller is ready to take the Jets back to the playoffs in ’08.”

At the end of the day,  I think this sums up most Jets fans’ opinions.  The Jets have worked tirelessly to improve the offensive line, which lets face it, was woeful last year, and Favre should represent the final piece in that puzzle.   We know that we weren’t Favre’s preferred choice, and there is a lingering doubt over whether we will see the comeback Favre of last season, or someone who’s resigned to taking the money and playing out his career.  However, we all know that Favre is one hell of a competitor, and I believe that if he’s runs onto a football pitch, he’ll always give it 100% whatever shirt’s on his back.  What better motivation could there be for Brett than finishing a legendary career in the sports capitol of the world and leading the Jets from nobodies to true competitors?  Oh, what a sweet thought!

I’ve been quiet on the Brett Favre issue thus far, but now I know he’ll be lobbing the pigskin for my beloved Jets, I thought I’d do an overview on what the local press is saying about the hottest story in town. I’ll start with Steve Serby in The New York Post:

“By making this blockbuster play for Favre, what the Jets did last night, in no uncertain terms, was shout from here to Foxborough: Game on! Even after Tannenbaum’s $140 million offseason spending spree, no one could dare mention the Jets in the same sentence with the Patriots, Colts or Chargers. Or Super Bowl Giants. Now everyone can … The minute Favre shows up he transforms the Jets from a good team to a team that will not be afraid to knock on the door of greatness.”

Wow, that will get any Jets fan’s pulse racing!  But, wait, there is a dissenter in the same camp, in the form of Jay Greenberg:

“If Green Bay, which knows Favre best, has come to the conclusion … that he has become a dead end, shouldn’t the Jets have taken the hint?  They have a third-year kid, Kellen Clemens, with a big arm. If his head for the position proves not as promising as the arm, then it should have been back to Chad Pennington and the draft board in April for another quarterback of the future … After all (Favre) has been through, all he has put himself through, does he have enough heart left for the game to make this more than just a late, wild, swing by the Jets for some attention?”

Okay, so two wildly differing views there.  Still not sure whether to raise a beer in toast to the Jets management, or just cry into it instead.  Maybe The New York Daily News will help clarify things:

“Broadway Brett to the Jets is as stunning and daring a move for this hard luck/no luck organization as the well-conceived plan in 1997 to steal Bill Parcells away from New England.”

Yay!

“The difference is Parcells was in his prime coaching years back then, and while Favre, who will be 39 in October, is coming off one of his best seasons, he is at the age where his skills can deteriorate quickl”

Uh-oh.

“Parcells changed the culture back then. Favre will do it now. It was a terrific move for the Jets, one they had to make.”

Oh Gary Myers, you tease!  Don’t play with my emotions like that!  What does your colleague Mike Lupica think?

“Brett Favre does not put the Jets into the Super Bowl and Favre does not just show up in a different kind of football green and make the Jets better than the Patriots or the Charger or even the Colts. He does not make Eric Magini into a real genius or prove that Mike Tannenbaum, the young general manager, has the game to make the Jets a real contender in their conference or in their sport. What Favre does is make the Jets a team to watch again, and that is enough for now.”

So, the voice of reason there.  All very well, but not what people want from their sports columnists!  Come down on one side or the other, Lupica!  Messiah or mercenary?  Never mind, maybe I’ll get better hyperbole from The New York Sun, although it doesn’t look good, why isn’t it splashed all over the front page like the other two papers?  Where is this story?  Oh, wait, there it is way down the page.  Okay, Michael David Smith, give it to me straight:

“The Jets want to win the Super Bowl this year, and they made the boldest move imaginable to get it done … They made the only trade that could possibly transform them into a better team than the New England Patriots. Favre doesn’t make the Jets favorites to beat New England when the teams meet at the Meadowlands on September 14, but he gives them a better chance than anyone thought they had 24 hours ago.”

Well, nothing you can argue with there.  Or be remotely inspired by.  If I wanted my sports reporting cold and sober I’d read The New York Times.  Speaking of which:

“Will Favre be good for the Jets as a team? We’ll see. Opponents will have to respect Favre’s arm, something they stopped doing with Pennington several seasons ago. Opponents will have to respect Favre’s veteran savvy, something they had not done with Pennington … Was last season an omen of things to come or was it Favre’s last gasp? The Packers guessed that it was closer to a last gasp … On the other hand, a motivated Brett Favre on center stage, can be deadly … There are far more questions than answers now.”

Certainly in your column, William C. Rhoden!  I think I’ve squeezed as much as I can out of the New York Press for now.  Let’s go national.  What does ESPN think?  Let’s consult the man whose name you always cut-and-paste, never type: (hits ctrl-v) Gene Wojciechowski.  He’s a Packers fan, so it’s more on why the Packers let him go rather than what he will or won’t do with the Jets, but some of it is relevant to those of us east of Wisconsin:

“Instead of Favre - who earlier last season helped lead the Packers to the NFC Championship Game and finished second in the league’s MVP voting - (Packers’ General Manager Ted) Thompson would rather have three quarterbacks on his roster with a combined zero NFL starts … Why? It isn’t just because Favre wanted to unretire. It can’t be. It has to be something as fundamental as Thompson (and maybe (Head Coach Mike) McCarthy, too) having lost faith in Favre’s ability to win games. If so, Thompson miscalculated yet again.”

I hope so Gene, I truly do.

“Yes, (the Jets are) in the same division as the New England Patriots. But they’re also in the same division as the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.  They play Oakland, Kansas City, St. Louis and San Francisco. A nine-win season, maybe a game better, isn’t inconceivable. At least, not any more inconceivable than Favre in New York.”

So, Gene seems to think this is a positive move for the Jets.  Thanks, Gene.  However, slightly off topic, I do want to flag up something else you mention in the article:

“It will be strange to see Favre in a Jets helmet. It would have been strange to see him in any helmet that didn’t have the game’s best logo — that classic G — on the side.”

The game’s best logo?  Really?  Personally I’ve always found it a bit uninspiring and, well, college football-esque.  I’ll go as far as to say it’s better than Cleveland’s helmet logo, but I’m not sure I’ll go much further.  Right, back to the matter at hand.  Anyone else at The Worldwide Leader in Sports™ care to comment?  Okay, let’s look at their Scouts’ Blog, and how Matt Williamson thinks Favre will work with the Jets’ offense:

“It will be a matter of how quickly Favre can learn this new language. One huge advantage he has is he’ll be working with Bill Callahan, who knows the West Coast offense and can help translate the Jets’ offense for Favre … (and) show Favre how it is similar to plays he’s run in Green Bay in the past … Favre shouldn’t have a hard time adjusting, it just may take a little time.”

Well, that’s my major worry soothed.  Good work, Mr. Williamson!

So, on the whole, those who don’t sit on the fence seem to think that this is a good move for the Jets (with only Jay Greenberg dissenting).  Hurrah for that!  The Sports Media is only one side of the coin, however, and have made fools of themselves plenty of times in the past.  What about my brothers in the blogiverse (yuk, I can’t believe I used that word) and those who leave comments at the end of stories (I imagine them as strange, stunted, near-blind molemen like creatures, myself excepted, of course)?  I will come to them in my next post.

Part 2

It’s the debate that seems to be dividing Mets’ columnists, commentators and bloggers right down the middle - with all the problems the Mets have with outfielders, and particularly left fielders, why haven’t they called up Val Pascucci?

On paper, it might seem like a massive oversight - for the New Orleans Zephyrs he is currently hitting .284 with a .389 on-base percentage and .577 slugging.  Compare him against left-handed pitchers and his figures are stunning, .377 average, .495 OBP and .766 slugging.  It would seem bizarre that he’s still in AAA when the Mets have to rely on Nick Evans, Dan Murphy and Fernando Tatis as Ryan Church, Moises Alou and now Marlon Anderson are all on the disabled list and the Mets, depending on who you believe, didn’t or couldn’t make any moves before the trade deadline.   Certainly SportsNet New York’s Ted Berg and The New York Sun’s Tim Marchman seem to think that Omar Minaya has missed a trick here, and ESPN 1050 Radio’s Max Kellerman went so far as to say it was another example of how the Mets are mismanaged, which they are, but as a die-hard Yankees fan, you can’t give too much weight to Kellerman’s opinion on Mets’ affairs.

However, take a look at the Mets Merized blog to see a conflicting point of view.  There the valid point is made that the Pacific Coast League does tend to encourage good figures from average batters.  Indeed if you look at Pascucci’s Major League record while at the Montreal Expos, it doesn’t make for such good reading: a .177 average with just 2 home runs and 6 RBIs in 62 at bats.  Obviously Minaya and Jerry Manuel aren’t fools, they are fully aware of what Pascucci’s doing, and I have to bow down before their superior baseball knowledge to certain extent (well, Manuel’s anyway).

Pascucci is 29 years old, and certainly not the future for the Mets outfield - obviously a better bet here is Murphy or Evans, who Minaya has called up from the Zephyrs and AA Binghampton Bees respectively.  However, having said all that, I believe the Mets need short-term answers in left-field, and I can’t help thinking that even considering the reservations some have about Pascucci, the Mets should take a gamble on him while he’s hot.  If he doesn’t work out, then fine.  But at least they’ll have given him a chance, even if it’s just as a pinch-hitter.  Desperate times, and all that…

In the name of better crosstown relations between Mets fans and Yankees fans here is a little gift for you: video of Manny Ramirez leaving Fenway Park as a Red Sox player for the very last time. Enjoy, because if there’s one thing that unites us all, it’s hatred of Boston.

And while we’re on the subject, how about this story from NFL Fanhouse: Former Patriots Writer Spills Rumors of Bill Belichick Sex Tape.  Thinking about it, why wouldn’t it exist?  He videotapes everything else, after all…

At the time of speaking the Mets look like they will be sticking with what they’ve got and not making a trade before today’s 4pm deadline. They want players, but don’t want to give up any of their young prospects such as Fernando Martinez or John Neise. I think this is a mistake, and this is my reasoning:

Omar Minaya, a few seasons back, decided that he was going to build a team to win now. When you do that, you have to finish the job before you start to build for the future. That job is obviously unfinished. The Mets need have two obvious deficiencies. One is in corner outfielding. Right field isn’t too bad, I’d be happy to stick with Ryan Church and Endy Chavez. However, at the moment left field is Fernando Tatis, Marlon Anderson and Nick Evans. Tatis is performing miracles at the moment, but you wouldn’t want to rely on him down the stretch, and Anderson and Evans are not the cover you’d expect of a serious play-off contender. The second is in the bullpen.

So, who would I trade? I would definitely use Martinez in a trade. Yes, he’s a terrific prospect, but great outfielders are a dime-a-dozen, and even if he turned out to be an above-average player, it isn’t the greatest loss ever. It isn’t like trading away Scott Kazmir a few years back - that was a huge mistake as you should never trade away your hot young pitching prospects (especially not for Victor Zambrano!). Then I would probably throw in either Scott Schoenenweis or Carlos Gomez.

Of course, this doesn’t look like it will happen, so it’s all conjecture. The Mets are hot at the moment (despite the series loss to the Marlins), but it’s still a patched up team, and, despite the current form of Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and David Wright, they are still depending on what are to all intent and purposes bench players like Tatis, Chavez, Argenis Reyes, Damion Easley and Ramon Castro performing to the best of their ability. I wouldn’t like to have to keep depending on them for another two months.

On Sunday whilst pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson was distracted as he wound up by a loud blast from a boat horn out in the bay.  He ended up throwing an Eephus Pitch, a lobbed pitch so slow that the radar gun didn’t register it - for a strike!  Johnson is no stranger to the Eephus Pitch, and yesterday The New York Times site posted a brief but fascinating history of this strangest of pitches.

I grew up in the halcyon days of skating:  The Bones Brigade, Vision Street Wear, Christian Hosoi, Gator Rogowski, Santa Cruz, Sims, Mike McGill, Natas Kaupas, Jason Lee before his name was Earl…  falling off my Pacer skateboard with the Kryptonics Wheels while listening to the Dead Kennedys; sweet times.  Around at the time were people like Tony Alva, a member of the fabled Dogtown team from before my time.  Apart from Alva and Stacy Peralta, the Dogtown riders were unknown to us freshers then, but as we grew older we learnt about these legendary skaters such as Wentzle Ruml, Bob Biniak, Paul Constantineau and the most naturally gifted skater of them all, Jay Adams.

Jay Adams crashed and burned, unable to handle the fame and commercial aspects that had entered skating in the early eighties and has spent the next twenty-five years battling drugs and jail.  He was the first of many skaters who ended up falling from a great height, Gator and Hosoi were amongst those who would follow Adams.  The New York Times features Adams who has just been released from jail, and is trying hard to get his life back together.  I really have my fingers crossed that he can, and claim some of what’s owing to him as one of the true godfathers of skateboarding.

If this is all new to you, here’s a section on Adams from the brilliant 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.  If you’ve never seen it, you have to check it out along with the other docs Gator, and Rising Son (about Christian Hosoi).