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MLB Power Rankings 2012: Yankees No. 7, Mets No. 9

2012-05-16T19:49:46Z

The New York Yankees and New York Mets are much closer in this week's aggregated MLB Power Rankings from Real Clear Sports than you would have thought possible when the 2012 season began. The Yankees are No. 7 and the Mets No. 9 in this week's rankings.

Real Clear Sports takes the rankings from eight popular Internet sports sites and compiles them into an agregated score.

The Yankees received one fourth-place vote (SI.com) and four eighth-place rankings. The Mets rankings ranged from 10th to 17th, but in an odd twist their aggregated total placed them ninth overall.

The top five teams in the RCS Rankings are:

Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
St. Louis Cardinals

The bottom-dwelling Minnesota Twins were a unanimous lat-place choice in all eight polls used.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream each week as we rank the top 10 players in New York, including -- of course -- both the Yankees and the Mets.

2012 NHL Playoffs, Rangers Vs. Devils: Martin Brodeur Releases Statement Saying Comment Taken Wrong Way

2012-05-16T19:13:42Z

Martin Brodeur still isn't talking to the media after morning skates, but the New Jersey Devils goalie released a statement through a team spokesman Wednesday saying his comment about hurting the New York Rangers with shots to discourage them from blocking shots was "off-the-cuff" and misunderstood.

After the Devils lost 3-0 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brodeur said he hoped the Devils would "be able to hurt a few guys getting one-timers in the foot or their head or something" to discourage the Rangers from doing such a good job protecting goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

The statement said Brodeur's comment was taken the wrong way.

"That was obviously not intent of his comments at all," a Devils spokesman said. "He would never even think like that. It's just an off-the-cuff comment. What he was trying to say is that they need to get pucks through."

"No one would think like that," Devils GM Lou Lamoriello told the Star-Ledger of Newark. "For anybody who know's Marty, it's not an issue. People are are looking for something. It's the playoffs. Marty will clarify his comments."

For more on the Rangers please be sure to visit our blog Blueshirt Banter. For the Devils, please check out In Lou We Trust and for all the latest news and updates, stay right here on SB Nation New York.

Mets (20-16) Vs. Reds (18-17): Series Preview TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

2012-05-16T18:14:28Z

The New York Mets open their second straight two-game series when the Cincinnati Reds visit Citi Field on Wednesday night. The Mets are fresh off splitting two games with the Milwaukee Brewers, while the Reds split their own two-game set with the Atlanta Braves.

Tuesday night the Mets fell 8-0 as their offense couldn't solve Brewers ace Zach Greinke, but the game was overshadowed by a screaming match between manager Terry Collins and third baseman David Wright. The two got into it after Collins pulled his star to prevent Milwaukee from retaliating for a seemingly intentional HBP of Ryan Braun.

Wright wanted to stay in the game, while Collins was clear after the game he had no interest in losing one of the few reliable bats in the Mets lineup to a stint on the DL.

With the fireworks hopefully behind them, New York will attempt to get back on track offensively against one of the worst starting pitchers in the league, Mike Leake. The 24-year old is 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA and has yet to give up less than three earned runs in a start this season.

Taking the ball for the Mets is Johan Santana. The veteran turned in a solid six innings of three run ball last time out, but got the no-decision in a 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins. Santana has just a 1-2 record, but he has pitched to an impressive 2.92 ERA and has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts.

This quick series is a warm up for both teams before they head off to their first interleague matchups of the year. The Mets hit the road to face the Toronto Raptors, while the Reds go across town to take on the New York Yankees.

You can watch all the action locally on SNY or listen on WFAN 660 with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ New York Mets

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:10 PM EDT
Citi Field

Mike Leake vs Johan Santana

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 70.

Complete Coverage >

New York Knicks 2011-12 Season Review, Part II: Player Grades

2012-05-16T16:09:36Z

It's been nearly a week since the New York Knicks season ended, which seems to be the right amount of time to ponder over and hand out yearly grades for each Knick. Any time sooner, and we let emotion get in the way (as in, Carmelo Anthony sucks get rid of him now!); any longer and we would have forgotten that Bill Walker was a 30 minute a game player for the Knicks at one point this year.

Tyson Chandler: A+

Chandler was everything the Knicks could have hoped for and more. He took home the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award, which he probably got because "Holy crap the Knicks don't suck at defense anymore!" He was largely responsible for the Knicks' being in the top five in Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). Chandler was incredibly consistent this season as you always knew what you were getting from him.

Jeremy Lin: A

How could I not give Jeremy Lin an A+? Yeah, it's an unfair grade, but it really would have been nice to see the kid stay healthy. Other than that, full marks. We all know the Linsanity story, as the little Asian dude from Harvard became an international superstar by dominating the NBA for a few weeks. The Knicks now have a young, talented point guard to run the show. It remains to be seen how Lin really fits in Mike Woodson's system, with Carmelo Anthony the main focal point of the offense (as it should be). The Knicks will need some balance going forward, a little bit more ball movement and shot-making from their backcourt, and Lin can help provide that.

Iman Shumpert: A-

Shumpert's health also prevented him from getting a higher grade. He'll be out for much of next year with a torn ACL and meniscus, suffered in the playoffs. But in his rookie year, Shumpert proved to be one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire league. He gives the Knicks something they've sorely lacked for a really long time. Shumpert looked more like a rookie on the offensive end, where his shot selection will need to improve quite a bit.

Steve Novak: A-

Novak showed during the regular season why he's a weapon. But during the playoffs he also showed how one-dimensional he is. When the Heat made it a point to close him down, he proved to be as useful on a basketball court as a three-ring binder. He led the NBA in 3-point percentage during the season though, and we all hope he comes back so we can watch more Discount Double Checking.

Jared Jeffries: B+

For what Jared Jeffries will give you, he did a pretty darn good job this season. Again, injuries hampered Jeffries down the stretch, and I think he would find a nice role on a Mike Woodson-coached team. If Jeffries returns, let's hope the NBA doesn't get TOO crazy in legislating flopping.

J.R. Smith: B

J.R. Smith's Evil Twin: F

If he returns next year, let's hope we see more of J.R. (Threes, dunks, decent defense) than Evil Twin (bricks, passes to the 12^th row, nut-shotting opponents on three-point attempts).

Josh Harrellson: B+

"Jorts" showed some nice promise as a second rounder in his rookie season. He's a very heady defender and can knock down the occasional three.

Mike Bibby: C+

The Knicks were dangerously thin at point guard this season, and one of the reasons was because we saw early in the season how little Bibby had left. Funny, though, how he ended up hitting probably the biggest shot in Game 4 against the Heat, the Knicks' lone playoff win in a decade.

Baron Davis: C

Remember that funny time before Linsanity where we all kept saying "We just have to wait and see what this team looks like with Baron Davis!"? Davis wasn't very good when he did come back but wasn't very good either, obviously slowed down and still hampered by injuries. We all hope that his garish knee injury suffered in the playoffs won't end his career, but it will likely end his Knicks tenure.

Bill Walker: C-

It's about time Bill Walker wasn't a Knick anymore.

Landry Fields: D

In today's NBA, it really hurts to have your starting shooting guard shoot 26 percent from behind the arc. Fields' points/rebounds per game were also down from last year. For some reason, Fields seems to play scared when Carmelo Anthony is on the floor, since Fields looked like the steal of the 2010 draft before the Knicks got ‘Melo, and also enjoyed his best span of the season in 2012 when ‘Melo was out. Unfortunately, ‘Melo ain't goin' anywhere, Landry.

Toney Douglas: F

From starter to Jerome Jordan and Josh Harrellson's bench buddy.

Jerome Jordan/Dan Gadzuric: Incomplete

And now, grading the Knicks' big guns:

Amare Stoudemire: C

Like Anthony, Amare Stoudemire hit numbers lows that we haven't seen from him since he was a teenager; 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 48 percent shooting. Stat had nagging injuries all season, and also underwent a personal tragedy when his brother passed away in the middle of the season. The Stoudemire that showed up in the Knicks' lone playoff win against the Heat, Game 4, is the one the Knicks need to see next year. Despite playing with his hand all bandaged up because of the fire extinguisher incident, Stoudemire played with a great amount of heart. He committed to rebounding the ball, used what's left of his athleticism to get easy baskets around the rim, and even showed a little bit of effort on defense. Stoudemire needs to bottle that up and play that way from now on. He has to find a way to become more of a scrappy player if this thing is going to work.

Carmelo Anthony: B

From an individual numbers standpoint, this was probably Carmelo Anthony's second or third worst season. His points, rebounds and shooting percentage were as low as they have been since his first few professional seasons. He did average a career second-best in assists at 3.6 per game, but who cares because ‘Melo is selfish gosh darnit!

‘Melo gets a B for his late season surge, since in the beginning of the season he was terrible and out of shape and likely helped getting Mike D'Antoni fired (wait, shouldn't that get him an A+?)

Anthony showed late in the season why it's possible to build around him and be a successful team. People (cough Harvey Araton cough) will read that and scoff, and that's fine. When we really think about how many players in the NBA could be absolute Alpha Males, guys who can take a team with little help and bring it to a truly elite level, how many are there? When did it become a crime to be a player like Anthony, a great player who simply needs some damn help? A guy I've recently come to compare Anthony to is someone who probably heard a lot of the same "not good enough" crap for a long time, Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk is an elite scorer, a decent at best defender, whose best characteristic is that he can get his team two points when they really need it. That, to me, sounds a lot like describing Carmelo Anthony. Before Nowitzki won a title in 2011, how were people ranking Dirk? How about after he helped the Mavs choke away a 2-0 Finals lead to the Heat in 2006, with four straight forgettable performances in games 3-6? Find me someone on Earth who right then thought Dirk would ever be the guy on a title winning team.

It's amazing what a title does for someone's legacy, and that's fair, but all top players need to be in favorable situations, on well-coached, well-balanced teams that compliment their skill set well in order to win. That simply hasn't been the case for Anthony since he put on a Knick uniform. Unfortunately with the way ~~CAA~~ the Knicks are running this ship, there's a good chance that never happens.

New York Knicks 2011-12 Season Review: Player Grades

2012-05-16T16:05:00Z

The 2011-12 Knicks' season was a wild one. Here's how we graded the players.

The 66^th season of New York Knicks basketball has come and gone. Two of the 66 have ended in NBA titles, 39 have ended at some point during the postseason, and 25 were without any playoffs whatsoever. Thinking about this is quickly getting depressing, but despite the 2011-12 season ultimately being a disappointment, it wasn't without great moments.

That's right...this Knicks season was pretty damn exciting if anything else. While the MILPCAT never materialized (if you don't know what MILPCAT is that means you don't read the best Knicks blog in the universe, our very own Posting and Toasting, and that also means that you generally suck at being a Knicks fan), the season was a wild ride that will own a place in the memory of Knicks' fans. Yes, we all thought the Knicks would be big time contenders back in December when the lockout was lifted and Tyson Chandler came aboard. But most of us didn't know who Jeremy Lin was back then, or that we'd end up loving Steve Novak, and we honestly didn't know until watching him every night that J.R. Smith was really that insane.

So before we get to the roster moves that have to be made, the necessary adjustments for guys like Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, and whether or not Mike Woodson is the right long-term head coach for the Knicks (all questions that will make you vomit if you think too hard about them), let's take the time to look back at the Top 5 games from the 2011-12 Knicks season:

5. The Streak Ends

After dropping the first three games of their first round series against the Miami Heat, the Knicks had set a new NBA record for playoff futility, losing their 13^th consecutive postseason game. Game 4 presented a chance to at least break the streak and extend the Knicks' season by a few days, and Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire delivered, at least for once. Anthony showed off his big-shot making ability, and Stoudemire gave an inspired effort in returning early from his self-inflicted, fire extinguisher case-breaking hand injury. Oh yeah, and Mike Bibby hit the biggest shot of the season. Wheeeeeeee!

4. Playoff Clincher In Milwaukee

The Knicks' win over the Bucks on April 11 didn't literally clinch a playoff spot, but it all but ensured the Knicks would be playing playoff ball again. Thankfully for the Knicks, J.R. Smith's good side picked a heck of a time to show up, late in the fourth quarter in drilling what essentially was the game-clinching three. Anthony had his then-customary 32 points, and five other Knicks scored in double figures in probably the most crucial win of the regular season.

3. Lin's Late Three Sinks Toronto

Jeremy Lin had seemingly done it all in the first five games of Linsanity; beating Kobe and the Lakers, dunking, etc. One thing he'd yet to do? Hit a last second, game-winning shot. Check.

The Knicks made a frantic comeback late in the fourth quarter with a lot of the credit going to Iman Shumpert for his great defense on Jose Calderon, including a late steal-and-dunk that kept the Knicks in it. With the score tied and the Knicks with the ball and the chance to take the last shot, the play was "Get out of Lin's way". Worked like a charm, as Lin decided to pull up and take a straight-on three, which he of course nailed. The Knicks' sixth straight win got them to within a game of .500 (well done, D'Antoni!)

2. Melo's Moment

After Mike D'Antoni ~~was pushed out the door by Carmelo Anthony~~ resigned, Carmelo Anthony seemed immediately galvanized. All of a sudden, ‘Melo looked like a guy that you can actually build a winning team around. Whether that's ultimately the case remains to be seen, but on Easter Sunday, Anthony had his first truly great Knicks moment, dropping 43 points in an OT victory. Anthony hit two clutch threes, one late in regulation, one late in overtime to lift the Knicks.

1. Linsanity's Official Arrival

Yeah, this whole Linsanity thing was nice...an unknown comes out of nowhere and becomes the star player for the New York Knicks, leading them to a few wins. Nice story, but really, this guy wasn't any good right? Look at the team's he's beaten; the Nets, the Jazz, the Wizards. Now the Lakers were coming to town, on a Friday night, on national TV, ready to play the role of buzz saw. So what did Lin do? Dominate the game to the tune of 38 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds, outscoring Kobe Bryant. The performance had The Garden rocking for a regular season game like never before. What's probably most impressive is that Lin led the Knicks to a win on a night when his starting lineup included Jared Jeffries (32 minutes played) and Bill Walker (30). While a knee injury ended Lin's season early, Linsanity gave us in two weeks a season's worth of memorable moments.

Laurie Fine Update: Attorney Accuses ESPN Of Acting With Malice

2012-05-16T15:58:05Z

Ex-assistant Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine's wife, Laurie, is suing ESPN on the grounds of libel.

Now, her attorney claims that ESPN did so with malice, according to Mike Rutherford via twitter.

Lawrence Fisher, Fine's attorney, said in today's press conference that Fine has had her life ruined by lies spread by ESPN, according to Rutherford.

"The personal life that has been stolen from Laurie is why we are here today," said Fisher.

The lawsuit also talks about ESPN's desire to link this case with that of the Penn State sex scandal involving ex-assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. In the suit, it's said ESPN wanted to capitalize financially on the situation by lumping the two together.

Fine didn't have much to say at the presser but did offer the following:

"It is impossible for me to describe what ESPN has taken away from me,"

According to Fisher, settlement talks with ESPN representation have begun, but nothing appears to be imminent for the time being.

For more on this case, please be sure to stay on SB Nation New York and our Syracuse blog Dunes Magician as details emerge.

Laurie Fine Is Suing ESPN For Libel

2012-05-16T15:47:31Z

Laurie Fine, wife of Bernie, is suing ESPN for libel.

Laurie Fine, wife of ex-assistant Syracuse basketball coach Bernie Fine, is suing ESPN for libel, according to Syracuse.com.

Fine is specifically going after reporter Mark Schwartz and producer Arty Berko of ESPN because they "spitefully destroyed Laurie Fine's reputation in an attempt to capitalize financially in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal," according to her lawsuit.

It also claims ESPN "doctored and otherwise highly edited this unreliable tape for publication in 2011."

All of this comes on the heels of her husband being terminated amongst alleged inappropriate conduct with ball-boys of the team.

Fine was accused by Mike Land of molesting him when he was a youth. The news then began to spread that Mrs. Fine was allegedly involved in another capacity; having sex with Bobby Davis, Lang's stepbrother.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Laurie Fine "has been forced to sell her family home...to escape the predictable aftermath of the defendants' continued malicious publication of certain false and defamatory statements."

It continued, reading that Bernie Fine "has already moved to another state to escape the same."

This will be a story to watch as it plays out in the following days and months.

For more on this story, please keep it here at SB Nation New York and check out Dunes Magician for all the latest news and updates.

Preakness Odds 2012: Bodemeister Remains The Early Favorite

2012-05-16T13:22:32Z

With the weekend drawing closer, the odds for the 2012 Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland are becoming a hot topic.

As it currently stands, Bodemeister is the legitimate favorite with 2-1 odds, according to the Daily Racing Form.

I'll Have Another comes in at 5-2 odds, making him second in the betting lines. Of course, a win and he'll be one step away from the elusive glory that is the Triple Crown of horse racing

Coming in at a tie for third are Creative Cause and Went The Day Well, with 6-1 chances. Daddy Nose Best could be a legitimate sleeper at 15-1 odds. He's under the radar but could surprise.

Below is a list of all the odds:

Bodemeister 2-1

I'll Have Another 5-2

Went The Day Well 6-1

Creative Cause 6-1

Daddy Nose Best 15-1

Teeth of the Dog 15-1

Tiger Walk 20-1

Cozzetti 30-1

Optimizer 30-1

Pretension 30-1

Zetterholm 30-1

Guyana Star Dweej 50-1

For all the Preakness coverage you need, please be sure to stay on this StoryStream and check out our blog And Down The Stretch They Come.