Good morning, New York/New Jersey sports fans! Let's get started with our first look at the regional sports scene.
Yankees Take Two Of Three From Blue Jays: The Yankees head to the West Coast having taken two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto starter Jo-Jo Reyes tied Matt Keough's record for pitching fututility as he has now gone 28 starts without a victory.
Mets Snap Three-Game Slide: Owner Fred Wilpon might believe Carlos Beltran is not the player he used to be, and he might be right. Beltran, though, was good enough Wednesday to get a pair of hits and help the Mets end a three-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Maybe the more Beltran hits the more he helps the Mets by increasing his trade value -- because there is little doubt the veteran outfielder is getting traded before this season's deadline.
Kyle Okposo Signs 5-Year Deal With Islanders: The Islanders are trying everything they can to solidify a foundation for the future, and getting the 23-year-old right wing to stick around for five years is another big building block firmly in place.
Red Bulls, Rapids Tie: New York fell behind twice, but came back to tie each time and wound up earning a draw in Colorado. All four goals were scored in a wild six-minute stretch of the first half.
NFL Lockout 2011: Goodell Acknowledges Fans' Unhappiness: Nice of the commish to nice! Now, it would be even nicer if he and NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith would do something about it.
Around the Nation
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals Wednesday night, ousting Oklahoma City. ... NFL rule changes will allow teams to be penalized for repeat illegal hits.