Jets could lose both Holmes & Cromartie

When free agency begins next week after the new CBA is ratified by the players union and owners, the Jets could come up snake eyes when it comes to re-signing their most important players.

Reports have surfaced this week that the Washington Redskins are hot on the trail of Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder is no stranger to nabbing ex-Jets, he did so successfully with Lavernous Coles, John Hall, and Santana Moss over the years, and now it appears he is ready to make Holmes one of the games top paid players during this blitzkrieg off-season.

Snyder loves to throw money around, even if the results blow up in his face. With the salary cap around $123 million for 2011, Snyder will have the cap room to make big moves this season, especially if the Skins let go of malcontent defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Meanwhile, Antonio Cromartie said that he will not sign with the Jets, when he is given 72 hours to sign with them in a "take-it-or-leave-it" negotiation.

Cromartie told Sirius XM radio on Tuesday that he plans on hitting the free agent market with an open mind, and has listed the Cowboys, Raiders, Texans and Buccaneers as teams he's interested in playing for.

So much for the powers of Rex Ryan.

Lockout or no lockout, this year's free agent class was going to be huge for Gang Green. They put all of their eggs into one basket last season, and they came up short, now it appears they won't be able to keep these top talents on the roster anymore.

On the bright side, with 500 pending free agents the Jets will have plenty of players to pick from, so who knows, they could look bad if they stand to lose their players, but come up roses later in free agency.

Knicks to host LeBron James and Heat in 2011-2012 opener

While the NBA remains in complete lockdown over their players/owners lockout, the NBA revealed its schedule for the 2011-2012 season, and with it, both the Knicks and Nets have some intriguing matchups for the new season.

The Knicks were resurrected last year with the additions of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Even though they finished 42-40 and got swept by the Celtics in the playoffs, it didn't do much to dim what was a promising step forward for the Knicks.

For the first time in years, the Knicks were a watchable basketball team, and it should get better if and when the NBA returns later this year. Of course there are the front office issues, as usual, with the Knicks especially after Donnie Walsh left the team without an extension. Is this the return year for Isiah Thomas? I sure hope not.

Anyhow, the Knicks open the season in grand style with a matchup at the Garden on November 2 against the (cough ... cough) Miami Heat, A.K.A. the Kings of the Choke. That's right LeBron-a-mania, D-Wade and Chris Bosh will come to New York to renew the rivalry at the get-go. The Knicks will also welcome Oklahoma City into the Garden on Nov. 8.

The Knicks then play a brutal seven game road trip, five of which will be out West, including a November 17 match-up with the Lakers.

The Knicks visit the Nets on November 25.

On Christmas Day, expect a "green out" at the Garden as the Knicks host the Boston Celtics. We know the Celtics wear green. Will the Knicks wear those God-awful green Christmas/St. Patrick's Day jerseys? BLEECH!

Access the Knicks schedule here.

As for the Nets: will Darren Williams seriously re-sign with the Nets? Really!? Whatever happens in the CBA could determine how soon Williams can hit the free agent market. Currently he has one year left on his deal. If the season is wiped out, he will be a free agent when basketball returns. Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

As hard as it is to believe that Williams would even want to stay with a disaster as the Nets, or ... excusez moi ... Brooklyn New Yorkers as they are rumored to be named in two years, their schedule is now out.

The Nets visit Washington on opening night and host the Detroit Pistons on November 5 at Prudential Center. They will also welcome the World Champion Dallas Mavericks into Newark on November 9.

The Nets also go back to London next season; this time they will play the Orlando Magic in early March.

Access the Nets schedule here.

Devils name DeBoer new head coach

Peter DeBoer will be the latest person to call himself head coach of the New Jersey Devils, or at the very least, the latest to keep the seat warm until Lou Lamoriello changes his mind and fires him like he has done with just about everyone else.

DeBoer, 43, spent three years as head coach of the Florida Panthers, a team he never led to the playoffs. He hopes for a fresh start in New Jersey, taking over a team that missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-1996 season.

It should be interesting to see how long DeBoer lasts, taking into consideration Lamoriello's impatient trigger finger. Case in point: they have had four different head coaches the last two years combined! In fact, the Devils have had only one head coach last more than three years: Pat Burns 2002-2005.

DeBoer shouldn't get too comfortable, if you know what I'm sayin'.

NFL Lockout could be over by next week

In a extremely fast turnaround, NFL owners and players have gone from canceling the entire pre-season to possibly ending the four month long lockout as soon as early next week.

Sources say today that both sides are moving closer to a completed deal that will take effect almost immediately, and bring football back. When the league announces that the deal has been struck, free agency will begin almost immediately, with training camp following.

The new CBA will be 7-10 years in length. Issues that could be holding things up are resolution in the Brady et al vs. NFL lawsuit.

On Thursday the two sides agreed to a new rookie wage scale. Another hurdle they agreed on was a $120 million salary cap for this up coming season.

ESPN reports that they will put together the paperwork over the next two days, and then head to Minnesota to work with the judges to end the litigation process that submerged this lockout into very bleak conditions.

By Thursday of next week , after the players and owners ratify the new deal the 2011 season could begin.

Mets trade k-Rod to Brewers

The first chip has fallen for the New York Mets this evening.

While the NL was busy beating the AL in the All Star game 5-1, the Mets pulled off their first trade of this busy July 31 trade deadline, by shipping troubled closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for two players to be named and cash.

Rodriguez will not close for the Brewers, but will instead set up for John Axford. Milwaukee was one of the destinations that K-Rod had no power to veto, making it easier for the Mets to get rid of him and his vesting $17.5 million option. This means that he will become a free agent after this season.

Rodriguez wore out his welcome in New York when he beat up his ex-girlfriend's father outside Citi Field, leading to his arrest.

He pitched well this year, but it was clear the Mets wanted him off the team.

Next up is Carlos Beltran and possibly Jose Reyes, who will be dealt this month as the Mets try to cut payroll because of their bankrupt ownership.

Fan who caught Jeter's 3000 steps up to plate for Jeter

When Derek Jeter's 3000th hit landed in the stands, it was a question of who caught it, and what he would do with the ball. Would that person hold the ball up for big money? Would he try to keep it?

Thankfully, 23 year-old Christian Lopez didn't leave us hanging for long. Lopez did the right thing and willingly gave Jeter the baseball. He didn't want any money, didn't want any glory, he just wanted to reward Jeter for a career of hard work.

"He deserves this; he's worked hard for this . . . I'm not the type of person to take this away from him," Lopez told Michael Kay during the YES Network broadcast.

Lopez, who works for Verizon Wireless, got the magical game tickets from his girlfriend.

Lopez will get four passes to a suite for the rest of the regular season, including post season and World Series tickets. He will even get front row tickets to Sunday afternoon's contest in the Bronx.

Don't think the accolades will stop there. WFAN wanted to interview Lopez earlier this evening, so expect to see a lot of this young man in the coming days on radio and the morning show circuit. Maybe even a new career can come out of this; who knows?

Meanwhile, Jeter capped his grand day going 5-for-5 and now has 3,003 hits in his career. Oh, and the Yankees won 5-4.

Mr. 3000, Derek Jeter joins prestigious club

Some players shrink under the pressure of a milestone, going on long hittless droughts before they finally get that magic hit. Whether it be 3,000 hits, 400 or 500 homeruns. Consistently we see players choke up on the bat as they approach that milestone.

Not Derek Jeter.

Not the man who made pressure situations look routine through the course of a 16 year major league career, that includes five World Series rings and a World Series MVP in 2000.

After singling in the first inning to capture 2,999, Jeter didn't let the sell out crowd at Yankee Stadium wait too long for that magic 3,000th hit.

With the Rays leading 1-0 in the third inning, Jeter cracked a no doubt-about-it homerun into the the left field bleachers to tie the game and capture his 3,000th hit.

Three men battled for the ball, and at this point it is unknown who has the ball, and whether or not Yankee Stadium security found that person to retrieve the ball for Jeter.

After crossing home plate, Jeter was mobbed by his Yankee teammates, then gave two curtain calls to the crowd after the blast. WATCH HERE!

In a way, the homer was the only way Jeter could get that hit. He has made a career for the dramatic, and for a guy who is not a power hitter, seems to always get the big hit for homeruns when it matters the most.

Jeter joins a select group of players that includes, Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Cal Ripken Jr., Rickey Henderson, Hank Aaron, Stan "The Man" Musial, and Roberto Clemente of players who have hit this incredible milestone.

In fact Jeter is the first player in a Yankee uniform to accomplish the feat. Even though Wade Boggs, and Henderson both played for the Yankees, neither got the mark in Yankee uniforms. Bogss got 3,000 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Henderson as a member of the San Diego Padres.

Someone buy that man a beer; congratulations to the Captain of the Yankees!