Good morning, New York sports fans! Have you gone green today? Are you putting green coloring in your coffee? Wearing green clothes? Drinking green beer? The New York Jets are facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS), looking for their first Super Bowl trip since 1968, and it seems like everyone has gone green.
If you are a Jets fan nothing else matters. Kickoff can't come fast enough. Question is, will tonight bring despair or jubilation? We will just have to wait and see.
There are some other things to talk about around the local sports scene, as well, so let's do that.
- Syracuse (No. 3) came up short Saturday in a matchup with No. 7 Villanova. Even a huge Carrier Dome crowd could not help the Orange, as they lost, 83-72.
- Syracuse's Delone Carter took advantage of his chance to shine in front of NFL scouts Saturday, earning offensive MVP honors as the East won the East West Shrine Game, 25-8. Carter is not a breakaway back, but he is a tough, durable runner. He will find a home somewhere in the NFL.
- The New York Islanders tried to swoop in and grab goaltender Evgeni Nabokov away from the Detroit Red Wings via a waiver claim, but it sounds like the veteran goaltender has no plans of ever suiting up for the Islanders. Can't blame the guy. He wants to return to the NHL on a team that has a chance to win now, and the Islanders are not that team.
- The New York Knicks are reeling. The Knicks lost their sixth straight game Saturday night, falling to Oklahoma city, 101-98.
- The New Jersey Nets came close to their 13th victory of the season, which would have eclipsed their total from all of last season. A Dirk Nowtizki jumper in the final seconds, however, squashed that as Dallas topped the Nets, 87-86.
- The New York Rangers defeated the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-2, in a shootout Saturday night.