ALMOST POST TIME

With the Knicks just being outclassed by the Heat and the Yankees starting rotation pathetic, I am going to turn my attention to the Kentucky Derby.

During this week there will be argument after argument on who is going to win the Kentucky Derby. I have not done my handicapping yet but there are a number of horses that are going to be favored. I believe this year there will be no horse going off lower than 4-1, which is good. A bunch of us are going to pool our money and play some trifecta bets.

As of right now the horses that I feel are the favorites to do well in the Derby are:


Union Rags
Trainer: M. Matz
Jockey: J. Leparoux
Last race: Florida Derby 3-1¼

Bodemeister
Trainer: B. Baffert
Jockey: M. Smith
Last race: Arkansas Derby 1-9½

Creative Cause
Trainer: M. Harrington
Jockey: J. Rosario
Last race: Santa Anita Derby 2-nose

Dullahan
Trainer: D. Romans
Jockey: K. Desormeaux
Last race: Blue Grass 1-1¼

Gemologist
Trainer: T. Pletcher
Jockey: J. Castellano
Last race: Wood Memorial 1-neck


Hansen
Trainer: M. Maker
Jockey: Undecided
Last race: Blue Grass 2-1¼

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES

It has been 12 years since the Knicks and the Heat have met in the play-offs. Those games always seemed to bring out the worst in both teams. The rivalry was intense, so intense it became violent. Fast forward to 2012 and we have another play-off series between the Knicks and the Heat.

Game 1 was an awful example of a renewed rivalry. The Heat trounced the Knicks. The Knicks did not help their cause at all. They couldn't make a shot and they treated the ball like a hot potato. And to make matters worse Iman Shumpert went down with a knee injury in the third quarter.

The referees didn't help matters either. They became LeBron James' personal security force. In the second quarter LeBron and J.R. Smith went into the corner for a loose ball. LeBron and Smith got tangled and when LeBron grabbed the ball, Smith raised his arm. LeBron fell out of bounds. Foul on Smith and give LeBron 2 free throws. A few possessions later, Tyson Chandler sets a screen at the foul line for Shumpert. LeBron  runs into a perfectly legal screen and flops. Foul on Chandler, Heat ball. A few seconds later,  Shumpert is pushing the ball up the left side and LeBron is backpedaling in a soft cover. Chandler sets a back screen and LeBron runs into it and does his best soccer player flop. He was rolling on the floor and then jogged around the court doing the funky chicken. They give Chandler a flagrant foul and two shots for LeBron and the ball to the Heat. LeBron, just like a good soccer player, recovers remarkably and catches fire. The cherry on top of this referee sundae was later on in the quarter. Carmelo Anthony gets a foul called on him. Anthony is not all that happy with the call and throws a one bounce pass to the referee so the Heat can get their free throws. Technical on Anthony. Watching all of the refs' shenanigans with their lopsided calls against the Knicks reminded me of all those great play-off games in the 90s.

The series might not be like the series of old but the referee's disdain for the New York Knicks are just like old times.

GOAL POSTS ARE A GOALIE'S BEST FRIEND

Game 1 is in the books and the Rangers win 3-1 with only 14 shots on goal. The Capitals play a smothering defense so for the Rangers to score 3 was immense. On the other end of the ice, Lundquist was not at his best but he had his best friend with him, the goal post. Washington hit the red pipe three times throughout the game.

The game was a tight fought game through two periods with each goalie giving up a weak goal each. The start of the third period the game was tied at 1. The big difference came with about 13 minutes left in the third period and his name is Chris Kreider.

It appeared as the game wore on that the Capitals were losing their legs and Kreider took advantage of it. At the 13 minute mark, Kreider got a step behind Roman Hamerlnk in the Rangers end. Kreider took two quick strides and he was almost five feet behind the Capitals defense. Kreider took the pass at center ice and strides into the Washington end. He veered left and shot right and buried it, putting the Rangers up by one.

After that goal, the Capitals looked like they were kicked in the stomach. A few minutes later deep in the Washington end, Kreider went into the corner to fight for a loose puck. He was able to make a nifty pass to Brad Richards who walked up to the Capital net and went 5 hole on Bradon Holtby. Rangers went up 3-1 and that's how it stayed.

SPRINGSTEEN L.A. SPORTS ARENA 4/26/12

Last night we went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. I have seen Springsteen 15 times and last night was one of the best shows I have seen from him.

I was wondering how they were going to sound without Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici and I was pleasantly surprised. Springsteen has added a full horn section that includes Clarence Clemons' nephew Jake. When I listened to the concert at the Apollo, at the beginning of the tour, some of the songs that he played during that concert were arranged differently for the addition of a large horn section.  There were a number of songs he played last night that Jake went note for note and had the feel of his uncle. If you closed your eyes, you could see the Big Man up there.

The 17 piece band was firing on all cylinders and they brought an energy that had the crowd going for the nearly 3 hour concert.

Springsten did some crowd surfing, drank someones drink along the way, brought up a little girl from the crowd to help him sing the chorus for Waiting on a Sunny Day as well as just taking a walk through the crowd. He even brought up his little sister to just dance with him. I say this every time I see him in concert, "They just look like they are having so much fun!!!"

Tom Morello played with the band on three of the songs. He strutted his guitar chops on The Ghost of Tom Joad, that only Tom Morello can do.

The night only got better especially when the band did a medley of Temptation and Wilson Pickett. The band lined up in the front of the stage and sung a capella while the crowd joined in. The band also did a Riveras cover song, California Sun, which got the crowd back up on it's feet during his encore.

Twice during the show, Springsteen paid tribute to his great friend, Clarence Clemons. When he did his role call, Springsteen looked stage right where a spotlight shown on an empty microphone and called out, "If you're here, they're here!!!" 

If anyone knows how to go out with a bang, Springsteen is the master. During his last encore song, "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out", Springsteen took a walk through the crowd while singing the lyrics and when he got to a podium in the middle of the general admission floor seats, he climbed on it just in time to sing, "When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band...."  The whole band stopped and on the video screen was a Clarence Clemons montage. The crowd cheered for a least two minutes and the band picked up right where it left off. Springsteen made his way back to the stage and when the song ended he said, "Goodnight Los Angeles." How do you not want more?

Below is the set list from last night's show.

1. Badlands 
2. We Take Care Of Our Own 
3. Wrecking Ball 
4. The Ties That Bind 
5. Death to My Hometown 
   (with Tom Morello)
6. My City of Ruins 
7. The E Street Shuffle 
8. Jack of All Trades 
   (with Tom Morello)
9. Something in the Night 
10. Candy's Room 
11. She's the One 
12. Easy Money 
13. Waitin' on a Sunny Day 
14. The Promised Land 
15. Apollo Medley 
16. The Ghost of Tom Joad 
    (with Tom Morello)
17. The Rising 
18. Lonesome Day 
19. We Are Alive 
20. Land of Hope and Dreams 
21. Encore:
21. Rocky Ground 
    (With Michelle Moore)
22. California Sun 
    (The Rivieras cover)
23. Born to Run 
24. Dancing in the Dark 
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 

R.I.P. MOOSE

Bill "Moose" Skowron passed away yesterday at the age of 81.

Skowron, a four time All-Star, was the Yankees' regular first baseman from 1955-62, averaging 21 home runs and 75 RBIs and finished his career with a .282 average, 211 homers and 888 RBIs. In World Series play he compiled a .293 average, eight homers and 29 RBIs in 39 World Series game.

FROM ONE CAPITAL CITY TO THE NEXT

The Rangers sent the Senators back to the capital of Canada, Ottawa, after defeating them in a very fast and furious game 7. After this 2-1 victory, the Rangers now get to take on the team from our nation's capital, aptly named the Capitals.

The Garden crowd was loud early and kept it up throughout the game, willing the Blueshirts to win. You could hear the crowd roaring throughout the national anthem and it would not stop during the game. The Garden did not come up with any fancy chant for Chris Neil, they just went straight to the point. Before Neil took the ice, the crowd started the chant of "NEIL IS AN ASSHOLE" and then when he came on the ice, the crowd would chant "ASSHOLE" whenever he touched the puck. Not very imaginative but it is what it is.


The Rangers came out with as much fire as the crowd had. The Rangers attacked the Senator's net and took the body when they had to. They were going to play their game no matter what the refs and Shanahan thought. Halfway through the first period, the Senators goaltender, Craig Anderson decided to take a stroll behind his net to play the puck. Brandon Prust came barreling in and there was some minimum contact and Anderson went down to the ice. Anderson basically laid there looking for a call from the ref. It was not going to happen tonight.

Chris Kreider, the newly signed Boston College hockey star, is going to be a star in this league. He basically set up the Rangers first goal with 4:46 into the second period. Kreider forced the turnover at the Senator's blue line with Callahan picking it up and dishing it to Derek Stepan. Marc Staal was filling in the left lane and Stepan put the puck right on Staal's stick. Staal one timed it past Anderson for a one goal lead.

Approximately 4 minutes after this goal, Dan Girardi put one in past Anderson for a 2-0 Rangers lead. Nice to see that the two goals scored by the Rangers were by defensemen.

With about two minutes left in the second period, Daniel Alfredsson scored a power play goal making the score 2-1.

After this goal, Lundquist became Lundquist, and need we say more.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

When the season started the Yankees seemed to have enough starting pitchers. The word around town was who was going to sit when Petitte returns? That question is slowly answering itself.

Yesterday, Michael Pineda, the young pitcher that the Yankees traded Jesus Montero for, is out for the season. He will undergo shoulder surgery and hopefully he can return to the fireball thrower that the Yankees traded for.

The Yankees seem to have bad luck with obtaining pitchers. The list is long and distinguished, Carl Pavano, Kei Igawa, Jeff Weaver and AJ Burnett. We now add Pineda to these names. I still think it was a good trade for the pitching deficient Yankees. A good young live arm pitcher is always worth the risk. I know right now it looks like the Yankees got bamboozled but a pitcher is a fragile commodity. I think he'll be fine, he's 23.

Let's take a look at the starting rotation as it stands right now.

CC Sabathia and that's all we need to say.

Phil "I Had One Good Year" Hughes basically stinks as a starting pitcher right now.

Ivan Nova, the only hope the Yankees have for a number 2 starter right now, if Girardi would ever trust him.

Unsteady Freddy Garcia, wow does he stink.

Hiroki "Please Let The Wind Blow That Ball Back Into The Ballpark" Kuroda was supposed to be the heir apparent number 2 guy. I like him as a pitcher but he is going to have problems with those fly balls in Yankee Stadium, as well as anywhere else in the American "Softball" League. He is a good National League pitcher but it is going to be tough in the AL for him.

All we can hope is that Petitte is the Petitte of old because we need him to eat up productive innings.