Two former Rangers die in plane crash

Tragic events have occurred this afternoon in Russia that will shake local hockey teams here in the New York area.

A Russian plane, carrying 45 people from the Russian ice hockey team the Lokomotiv of the EHL, crashed early Wednesday killing all but two people on board. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, as the players were heading to Minsk for a game on Thursday.

It is believed that two former Rangers, a former Islander and a former Devils' prospect were aboard the plane.

Former Rangers player Alexander Karpovtsev, who won the Stanley Cup with the team in 1994, and was working with the Russian team, as well as former Rangers defenseman Karel Rachunek, 32; center Josef Vasicek, 30, who played for the New York Islanders from 2005 to 2008; and Alexandr Vayunov, an NHL prospect who played for the New Jersey Devils, all perished on the flight.

Giants lose Goff for the season

Another one gone, Another one gone, Another one bites the dust!

So the musical chairs of injury continues for the New York Giants as Jon Goff is expected to miss the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee. Goff was the Giants starting middle linebacker, a guy who was showing steady improvement over the past three seasons. He was a run stuffer for the Giants, as recorded 70 tackles last season.

Ironically this was Goff's walk year, he was scheduled to be a free agent after the season, and now he won't even have a chance to take his play to the next level in order to make a mega contract next year.

Goff is one in a long line of injuries for the Giants this year. The G-Men already lost Terrell Thomas, Clint Sintom, Marvin Austin, Bruce Armstrong and Bruce Johnson for the season. They have also lost Prince Amukarua for the first month of the year with a broken foot.

Plus the G-Men will also be without Osi Umenyiora who is nursing a knee injury for the first month of the year as well.

The once formidable Giants defense is starting to look more and more like a joke. Teams will be licking their chops at the prospects of facing a Giants D that is not at full speed. That being said, the G-Men still have a healthy Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Kenny Phillips, and Antrele Rolle. They will get Osi back before October, so it shouldn't be this bad for very long.

One would think.

Injuries this early in the season are a bad sign. When a team starts to lose players, its like a conga-line, suddenly dozens of starters begin to drop like flies. The Giants have to hope that the injuries stop here, otherwise it could be a looooooong season.

Jets vs. Cowboys: America's Team vs. Rex's Dream Team

As posted on Bleacher Report:

Are you ready for some football?

Eight weeks ago, it seemed unfathomable that the NFL would be up and running at this point in September.Talks between the owners and players were so distant and bitter, there was discussion of cancelling the entire pre-season and the first half of the year, or even cancelling the entire 2011 season.

Thankfully, both sides realized the price of no football was too great a risk, and eventually the sides agreed to a new CBA, and with it, a new dawn.

Now that football is back, we are going to get a heck of a marquee match-up on Sunday night. New York's bright lights may not be enough to keep the glow on this match-up between the up-start, big mouthed Jets and America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys.

Rex Ryan, once again, has written a blank check for his New York Jets, stating that this is the best roster he has had in his three years as head coach, and that this team will win the Super Bowl this season.

Rex and his Jets stunned the world each of the last two years when the Jets advanced to back-to-back AFC title game appearances. While 2009 was mostly due to luck, (thank you Jim Caldwell for pulling out the Colts starters in Week 16), 2010 was a big statement year for the Jets. Victories over the Colts and Patriots in the playoffs proved that the Jets were a real player in the AFC.

However, a last ditch comeback against the Steelers in the AFC title game was not enough to make up for an empty first half as Gang Green lost 24-19.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, had a 2010 to forget. The Boys got off to a dreadful 1-6 start that led to the ouster of coach Wade Phillips. To add insult to injury, Tony Romo was lost for the year with a broken collarbone he suffered in a game against the Giants.

Still, there was reason for optimism in Dallas. Jason Garrett took over at mid-season, and Dallas won five of eight games to end the season. Now the Cowboys are healthy are Jerry Jones is pumped up about the possibilities for this year's team.

It should be an exciting opener, so let's take a look at some of the key match-ups in this heavyweight clash.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING!!!

Open Mike Debuts on Flippin' Out Radio

On September 2, I held my first official radio program on Flippin Out Radio broadcast from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.



The show titled "Open Mike," opens with a discussion of A.J. Burnett's performance against the Boston Red Sox on September 1, a virtuoso performance by Burnett who shut down the Red Sox for five and a third innings.



Then I move on to the Mets fiasco involving Fred Wilpon and David Einhorn. Einhorn was denied rights to become a partner with the Wilpons because he wanted to eventually become a full time owner of the Mets franchise, which the Wilpons didn't want. I have strong words for the Wilpons.



Later I welcome in Mike Sanfillipo of Triple Coverage, and Magic 98.3 FM. Sanfillipo joins me to talk about the Mets as well as the opening of the NFL season. LISTEN TO THE POD CAST HERE!

Burnett Impressive & Rivera holds off Sox as Yanks win

Yankees 4

Red Sox 2

This was a game the Yankees truly needed to win.



With so much to prove to themselves, in a season where their pitching has staff has been abominable, the Yankees got the kind of effort from A.J. Burnett that they had been waiting for all season.



Burnett was brilliant. For the first time in months, he impecable with his control, and never wavered in his confidence. A noticible difference in Burnett's performance was his delivery. Burnett understands that he is no longer a guy who gun rip off 98 mph on the radar gun, and is in the midst of learning how to pitch more creatively.



He did it tonight, mixing and matching his pitches for five and a third innings, giving up five hits and two runs, while striking out four. The only mistake he made was a pitch to Dustin Pedroia, who cracked a two run homer in the fourth inning, but overall it was a big step for Burnett.



Burnett and Phil Hughes have been teetering on the brink of being out of the Yankees rotation. Burnett had a horrid August, and entered Thursday night with an ERA well over five. Another bad outing and he would likely be destined for the bullpen.



If the Yankees are going to go deep this fall, they need Burnett to step it up and put together solid performances like he did tonight. If he does, the Yankees will have a legit 1-2 punch in their rotation come October.



Offensivley, the Yankees did a great job getting to the Red Sox bullpen. After Jon Lester left with 114 pitches in five innings, the Yankees teed off Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard. Russell Martin's two run double off Bard gave the Bombers a 3-2 advantage. Eric Chavez, who has been swinging a hot stick, drove in Martin with a sharp single to right to make it 4-2.



Fast forward to the ninth, and Mariano Rivera got into some trouble. With a runner on and two out, Rivera walked Jacoby Ellsbury to keep Boston's hopes alive. Then, Rivera served up a single to Marco Scutaro to load the bases for MLB batting leader Adrian Gonzalez. Rivera bore down and struck Gonzalez looking on a cutter on the outside of the plate to end it, giving the Yankees a huge victory.

A.J. Burnett set to make another crucial start against Red Sox

The concerns about how far this New York Yankees club will go this fall are being expedited big time in this week's series against the Boston Red Sox.



Tuesday nights impressive 5-2 victory was huge from the standpoint it gave CC Sabathia his first win against Boston this year, in an epic 128 pitch marathon, that saw him throw 50 pitches through the first two innings of the game. Sabathia who was 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA against Boston this year, needed to show the Yankees he can beat their biggest rival, for if he struggles against them, then nobody can pitch well against Boston. While Tuesday was a shuttle reminder of how good the Yankees could be when things are clicking for them, Wednesday night was an example of what can go wrong for this team.



Phil Hughes was putrid again. Giving up six runs in five and two-thirds innings, Hughes' ERA rose to 6.75, and, now tonight the Bombers turn to A.J. Burnett.



Burnett has been the model of inconsistency and failure all season long. Last week after imploding against the Twins, Burnett was taken out of the game, when he turned to Joe Girardi and appeared to be talking back at his manager. The episode led Girardi to come to Burnett's defense later in the post-game when he angrily told a reporter that he and Burnett "had a fist-fight," calling such questions "ridiculous."



But this is all Girardi can do, defend Burnett as often as possible. Fact is Burnett can't hide from a 9-11 record and a 5.31 ERA. Tonight he goes up against Boston's ace Jon Lester (14-6), and if all goes as one would expect it could be an ugly night for the Yankees that drops them 2.5 behind Boston for the divisional title.



No matter what happens to the Yankees over the next 28 days, they will make the postseason, but their problems in the rotation is such a black eye that it will be hard to envision them moving past the first round.



Sure Ivan Nova (11-4) has been spectacular, and outside of Sabathia is the Yankees only reliable arm, but after Nova and CC, the Yankees have to hang their hopes on Freddy Garcia, who is coming off a cut finger, Bartolo Colon, who has been inconsistent and Hughes and Burnett.



Match this staff up against the Texas Rangers who have a lot of good pitchers, and one of the best offenses in baseball and it will be difficult to see the Yankees winning more than two games in a best-of-five set.



Match the Yankees up against the Tigers, you can call game one a wash with Sabathia squaring off against Justin Verlander, and again after Sabathia the Yankees don't have a reliable answer in the rotation.



Whoever steps up over the next four weeks will determine who will remain in the rotation, and who will even remain on the roster come October. For Burnett this is his chance to save his job. As a veteran pitcher with electric stuff, he has an edge over Hughes, and even the hulking Colon to make the team in October, but another lackluster outing in Boston and the Yankees will have some tough decisions to make.



The choice is Burentt's to make.

David Einhorn out as Mets co-owner

David Einhorn will not become a part owner of the New York Mets after all. Both the Mets and Einhorn failed to come to terms on a agreement on terms that would require Einhorn to give the Wilpon's $200 million in order to have a non-controlling stake in the franchise.



According to terms of the deal, Einhorn could have become majority owner in three to five years, but that all fell through when the sides couldn't agree on the initial stake in the franchise.



Adam Rhubin of ESPN New York reports that the Mets will now try to sell off smaller shares to family and friends in order to make up for the $200 million they need to help pay off the team's debts.



This is another in a long line of black eyes for the Mets franchise. Not only are the nearing bankruptcy thanks to the Bernie Maddoff scheme, they can't even sell off a small portion of the team without making mass headlines.



What a joke, and this is a franchise that believes it can re-sign Jose Reyes in the off-season. Even with Einhorn out of the pitcher the Wilpon's continue to sing the same ole song that they are not in financial ruin and that they can pay off the losses from the 2011 season. It is not known how much in ticket sales they Mets sold this year, but just by looking at the empty seats in Citi Field every night, it would be stunning if the Mets drew two million fans to the ball park this year.



The Einhorn is also a power play for the Wilpon's, another example why they have no intention of selling the bumbling baseball team anytime soon, if ever. Which means that the Mets will continue to stir in baseball hell for the next handful of years, until either the team turns it around on the field, or the Wilpon's finally give up and sell, or the lawsuits against the Wilpon's push them to the brink of utter financial Armageddon.