Isles Return Home

Three years has been a long enough of a wait for hockey fans on Long Island. April 25th, 2015 was the last time a professional hockey game was played in the building, the Islanders game six win in the opening round of the playoffs against the Capitals. Now, after over three years of waiting, Islanders fans will get to see their team play home games at the Nassau Coliseum once again, beginning with the 2018-19 season.

When the Islanders were in their hayday in the 1980's, Nassau Coliseum could really rock with the noise of the crowd. It was dubbed Fort Neverlose. It really was a tough place to play in because the crowds would get really into it and make it hard for the opposition to deal with. Since the Islanders couldn't get a new deal done on the arena after the 2015 season, the Islanders had to move. Next stop after that was the current place they play, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Nowhere an ideal place to be playing a hockey game, but it was a home for the team, allowing them to stay in the New York City area. Though a state-of-the-art facility, Barclays was not constructed with hockey in mind. It happens to be one of the worst buildings to watch a hockey game in. Its a pain for most Islanders fans to get to for a game, the ice surface is horrible, from what I've heard an seen and some of the sight lines suck for hockey.

On top of all that, fans have often said Barclays’ operators have never understood hockey, specifically the traditions that are associated with the gameday experience. Hearing stuff like that has been another reason why fans have wanted to kind of stay away from going to Barclays Center. Now the Islanders will be back in the Coliseum, to a degree, over the next three seasons. The completion of the Islanders new home at Belmont Park won't be completed until 2020, they have a deal worked out to split time between Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. According to a report from Newsday the Islanders will play 12 games at the Coliseum in 2018-19 and a combined 48 regular and preseason games the following two seasons. This does make sense. Barclays Sports Entertainment runs both the Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum. They haven't profited from the Islanders at Barclays as they originally hoped, and their management agreement of the Coliseum requires pro hockey to be played at the building. The Isles could be out of the lease with Barclays after next season, which would give them without a home rink before the new one gets built.

A move like this is something that could only happen to the Islanders. They have been a bit of a laughing stock in the league,m in some way or another. Between ugly jerseys, messed up ownership, a building that was falling apart and at times just plain horrible play on the ice, an announcement like this seems only fitting for the Islanders. Yes its annoying to see the Islanders have to bounce back and forth between Barclays and the Coliseum, but it can also be good for the team as well. If the preseason game against the Flyers back in September was any indication, the people of Long Island are starving to have the Islanders back on home ice. The building can support it and the fans are ready for it. This is something that this team and this area is ready for and needs to happen. It can be a little bit messy, but it could work out well for everybody involved, at least from the Long Island point of view.

It's Coming Back!

This Is The XFL! That was the proclamation made by Vince McMahon in 2001 when he launched the brand spanking new football league. Well, that was a business venture that failed miserably for Vince. He's giving it another go, well over fifteen years later. It has been announced that in early 2020, the XFL is making a comeback! Play is set to begin in late January, maybe early February. Here's some of the things that McMahon made a point of saying during the press conference in regards to his new league (according to For The Win).

-McMahon didn’t have many firm details about the league at this point, but explained that he believes the XFL will have plenty of time to “listen to players [and] coaches. We’re going to listen to medical experts, technology executives, members of the media, and anyone else who understands and loves the game of football.”

-The XFL will feature a “shorter, faster-paced, family-friendly and easier to understand game.” McMahon did not give any specifics about how the rules of the game would be altered.

-The XFL will start as an eight-team league with a 10-game regular season and four playoff teams.

-The league will not operate on a franchise model, will be a single entity.

-McMahon said that the XFL is “way away” from announcing potential cities, but that the XFL will target cities that have NFL infrastructure

-McMahon promised that “in the XFL the quality of the human being is going to be as important as the quality of the player.”Players with a criminal record will not be eligible to play in the XFL. “Even if you have a DUI, you will not play in the XFL.”

-McMahon did not say if the XFL will be aired on broadcast television or streamed on his own platform, but said the XFL will have “a combination of forms of presentation.”

-McMahon said that there will “be no crossover whatsoever” of talent from WWE to XFL broadcasts.

-When asked if President Trump would support the league, McMahon took the opportunity to announce that “as far as our league is concerned, it will have nothing to do with politics. Absolutely nothing. And nothing to do with social issues, either. We’re there to play football.” McMahon did not explain how the XFL will police players who speak out on social issues, but explained that the rules of the league will be clear.

-McMahon said that the national anthem is a “time-honored tradition,” but did not specify if players will be required to stand. McMahon later said that it would be appropriate to require players to stand.

So here's what I got out of the results of the XFL. It will be different, and for the sake of Vince I really hope a very much improved product then it was the last time he tried. I love the fact that he's going to take all this time to make sure he tries to get it right, because I feel he rushed it the last time he tried doing this league. The idea of taking politics out of the game is great, because Vince wants to keep the action just on the field, which is where it should be all along. He wants to get players with some name value into the league, maybe somebody like a Tim Tebow, which again isn't a bad idea.

At the same time I do have some reservations about it. The biggest one being we all saw how bad a flop the last league was. I just really hope that Vince has learned from his mistake in 2001 and will be able to take this league off the ground. Having his parent company run the entire thing could be a good thing. At the same time, outside of the wrestling business that he got from his father, Vince McMahon has failed at outside business ventures before, so what makes you think that this is going to be any different? He's having a little trouble putting a quality product that fans are enjoying now from his wrestling show. If Vince is having trouble doing that, what is to make somebody like me believe that he can pull that and a football league off? I'm going to give it time and hope it works out but I have my reservations as to whether or not this will actually be something that can be pulled off.

Baseball Hall Makes Call

Its the words that every baseball player, or athlete for that matter, wants to hear. Hall of Famer. By definition, a hall of famer is a person recognized as one of the top performers in a particular activity, especially a sport. There are 322 total members of the hall of fame for Baseball, and you can now extend that number by six. Jack Morris and Alan Trammell have been selected by the veterans committee and just selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America have elected Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Vladimir Guerrero have all been selected to the Hall. They will be inducted at a ceremony in Cooperstown on July 29th.

Chipper received 97.2% of the votes for hall induction, and rightfully so.His career accomplishments are pretty impressive. He was an eight time all star for the National League, winning two Silver Slugger awards (1999 and 2000) and was voted National League MVP in 1999. He's got a World Series ring to his credit too, winning in 1995 with the Atlanta Braves, with his number 10 being retired by the Braves in 2013. In 19 years in the Majors, Chipper played in 2,499 games, collecting 2,726 hits, smacking 468 home runs, driving in 1,623 runs and finished his career as a .303 hitter. He has driven in more runs then any other third baseman in the game and had the second most RBI ever for a switch hitter (only Eddie Murphy drove in more runs as a switch hitter). Chipper is the only switch-hitter with at least 1,000 at-bats and a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. He never won a gold glove award at third, but he still was no slouch playing at the hot corner. Whenever people mention the name Chipper Jones, it brings up memories. If you mention the name in New York, it causes a different reaction as he killed the Mets during the course of his career and he was a big reason why the Braces won the NL East for 14 years in a row.

The other infielder you have in this years class is Jim Thome, who received 89.8% of the votes for induction. Thome played 22 years in the Majors. played for a few different teams, like the White Sox, Twins, Dodgers, Orioles and Phillies, but everybody is going to remember him for his time as a member of the Cleveland Indians. Thome played in 2,543 games, collecting 2,328 hits, while blasting 612 home runs and driving in 1,699 runs and finished his career with a .276 batting average. Thome was an all star five times, won a Silver Slugger in 1996, as well as AL Comeback PLayer of the year in 2006 and was inducted into both the Indians and Phillies Halls of Fame. When Jim Thome gets talked about, its because the guy was one of the great offensive threats in the game during his hayday. He was known for getting a lot of power behind his swings and because he was such a pull hitter, teams used the left shift against him, which usually had three infielders on the right side of the diamond against him. He was just a good hitter and had that aura around him that he could crank one out of the park at will almost. He was that good of a hitter.

The outfielder in this group is Vladimir Guerrero, who got into the hall after earning 929% of the votes. Vlad spent 16 years in the Majors, playing for Texas and Baltimore at the end of his career, but it is mostly known for his playing time with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Montreal Expos. Vlad played in 2,147 games, collecting 2,590 hits, while smacking 449 home runs and drove in 1,496 runs, and finished his career with a .318 batting average. Vlad was a nine time all star and an eight time winner of the Silver Slugger award. He also won MVP of the American League in 2004. He was known in the field for having good range, playing stellar defense, and a strong throwing arm, which he showed off regularly. As good as that is, and it was very good, Vlad will always be known for what he did at the plate. He will go in the books as the best bad ball hitter ever. He had a skill that nobody else really had, being able to hit a ball that was anywhere near the plate, whether it was a strike or not. This point was made evident on August 14, 2009, when Guerrero hit a pitch which bounced in front of home plate. Vlad was able to hit 30 or more home runs eight times and drove in over 100 runs ten times. He wasn't as good a  power hitter as Thome but that's OK, he still had solid power to his game.

Last, but not least is Trevor Hoffman, who got in on 79.9% of the ballots. He played 18 years in the Majors, two with the Brewers after his first 16 were spent with the Padres. Hoffman appeared in 1,035 games, finishing with a 61-75 record, a 2.87 ERA, 1,133 strikeouts and 601 career saves. Hoffman was named an all star seven times, twice lead the National League in saves and was twice named the Rolaids Relief Man of the year (1998 and 2006 for both of those accomplishments). Hoffman joins Goose Gossage, Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, and Bruce Sutter as the now fifth reliever to ever be inducted into the Hall. He had a great variety of stuff out there on the mound and worked harder then almost anybody in the game in order to stay at the top of his game. The only pitcher in baseball history that has more saves then Hoffman is Mariano Rivera

Now there is some debate about the guys who have yet to get induction into the hall. Of course, there's still going to be debate about three really big names, like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling. The argument can be made for all three guys for what they did early on in their careers, before the steroid allegations came down. They had the tools and the numbers to back it up. They were never caught, which is why they are still placed so highly on the ballots every year. I know they all have stated that they didn't do anything but a picture is worth a thousand words and look at those guys from early on in their careers and what they looked like near the end of their playing days and tell us that they aren't on something.

One guy who got left out this year but should already be in is Edgar Martinez.Edgar has over 2,200 hits and smacked over 300 home runs in his career and yet still isn't in the Hall. I think the biggest knock against him was that he was a career designated hitter, which could be the biggest thing against him, which isn't exactly fair. I've always said it depends on who Edgar is on the ballot with to determine if he gets in or not. The fact that he still isn't in yet is a bit of a shame really.

So there you have it. The Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2018!

NBA All Star Rosters Announced

Its a gathering of the best talent in the game of basketball. February 18th, the best players in the NBA this season will gather at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to try and see which conference is truly the best one. This year, its going to be a little bit different. What the NBA is going to do this year is something that both the NHL and NFL have tried in past years. Team captains LeBron James and Steph Curry will be able to pick their teams from the list of players that have been selected to play in the game. Now conference designation does not matter, it's just the players will be picked and they will play. Here's the participants for this years game, based on the conferences they currently play for.

Eastern Conference
Starters
G Kyrie Irving Boston Celtics (5th ASG)
G DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors (4th ASG)
F LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers (14th ASG)
C Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers (1st ASG)
F/G Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks (2nd ASG)

Reserves 
G Bradley Beal Washington Wizards (1st ASG)
C/F Al Horford Boston Celtics (5th ASG)
F/C Kevin Love Cleveland Cavaliers (5th ASG)
G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors (4th ASG)
G Victor Oladipo Indiana Pacers (1st ASG)
F/C Kristaps Porzingis New York Knicks (1st ASG)
G John Wall Washington Wizards (5th ASG)

Western Conference
Starters
G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors (5th ASG)
G James Harden Houston Rockets (6th ASG)
F Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors (9th ASG)
C DeMarcus Cousins New Orleans Pelicans (4th ASG)
F/C Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans (5th ASG)

Reserves
G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder (7th ASG)
G Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers (3rd ASG)
F Draymond Green Golden State Warriors (3rd ASG)
C Karl-Anthony Towns Minnesota Timberwolves (1st ASG)
F/C LaMarcus Aldridge San Antonio Spurs (6th ASG)
G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors (4th ASG)
G/F Jimmy Butler Minnesota Timberwolves (4th ASG)

Of course this is now going to bring up some of the debate as to who got snubbed and who didn't. Andre Drummond has a bit of a reason to be upset. He'saveraging 14.3 points and leading the league with 15 rebounds a night. He's also turned into a facilitator as a key cog of the Pistons' offense with those numbers. And yes Porzingis and Embiid maybe putting up slightly better scoring numbers from their position, Drummond has his team playing well past expectations, keeping Detroit in a tight race with the 76ers and Knicks for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Lou Williams can make the exact same argument in the Western Conference as Drummond can in the East. Williams is averaging 23.3 PPG and is shooting at about 45% this year. He been a big reason why the Clippers are only half a game back in the West for that final playoff spot. Also worth noting that Paul George is missing the game for the 3rd straight year, but its not for a lack of effort. His numbers are down a little playing with Westbrook and Anthony out in OKC, but still they are very respectable. Considering the position he plays in a loaded Western Conference, he was going to miss. If he had stayed in the East, he would be playing in the game instead of Oladipo.

Otherwise the rosters look good for the All Star Game, one that should be fun to watch next month!

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

The time has arrived. We started this crazy journey with 32 teams, now were down to four. Sixty more minutes of football to decide who's gonna play for the biggest prize in American Football. The biggest game of the NFL year is just over the horizon and the four teams that are looking to play for the big prize have got a lot to look forward to. New England has been here for the 7th year in a row, so this is nothing new for them. Jacksonville is doing something they've done only twice before in the history of the franchise. Philadelphia is trying to break a slump of having never won the big game. Finally, there's Minnesota, who has the pressure of trying to be the first team ever to play in the big game on their home field. So lets get right into then shall we. Here's how the games break down this week.

First up we have the AFC South Champion Jacksonville Jaguars taking on the AFC East Champion New England Patriots. Jacksonville got here by winning the South with a 10-6 record. They started off with a 10-3 win over the Buffalo Bills and followed that up with a 45-42 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the AFC Championship game. This marks the 3rd time ever that the Jags have gone this far in the playoffs, losing in both 1996 and 1999.Jacksonville is now 9-6 lifetime in the Playoffs. As for New England, they went 13-3 to win the AFC East for the 9th straight year. After dispatching of the Tennessee Titans, 35-14 in the divisional round, New England has reached the AFC Title game for the 7th straight year and 15th time overall. New England is now 33-19 lifetime in the playoffs. This game will mark the 5th time that the jaguars and Patriots have met in the postseason, with the Patriots winning three of the previous four meetings.

Jacksonville played a sound football game last week against the Steelers. Yes they gave up 42 points, but it was enough to get the win. Sure they gave up 545 yards of total offense to Pittsburgh, the Jags did just enough to get a win. They are going to need to be able to get that kind of pressure against Brady and Co again this week. They have a good secondary and pass rush, as Pittsburgh found out last week. It doesn't just all fall on the defense, the Jags offense has to come alive against the Patriots as well, with the bulk of the load falling on the shoulders of  Lenoard Fornette and Blake Bortles. Both guys, and the rest of the Jacksonville offense for that matter, is pretty much going to have to play mistake free football. After what happened against Buffalo in the opening round, Bortles made up for it against the Steelers and is going to have to almost do the same thing again against New England in order to give his team a chance at victory. Jacksonville is going to have to be mentally prepared to go up against a team that is better prepared for any situation then the one they just faced last week.

New England is going to have a tough test in its own right, going against one of the best front sevens in all of football. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will have a gameplan for how to handle the Jaguars. As far as Brady is concerned, he's going to have to find a way to get his receivers open against Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in coverage. The matchup between tight end Rob Gronkowski and the Jaguars defensive backs will become a deciding factor down the stretch. Gronk can cause matchup problems for anybody he goes up against because he's as big and talented as he is. New England is very versatile in how they approach the pass game. They do have a run game that can be put to great effect at times, but if recent weeks, and playoff years, have been any indication, they have no problem letting their soon to be Hall of Fame quarterback do what he does best.

New England has the type of defense that can keep the Jags receivers under control, which is going to put more pressure on the backfield. Bortles and Fornette are going to have to play out of their minds if they want to give Jacksonville a chance. It won't matter anyway, because New England is just too good of a football team. The Pats may get off to a slow start at the outset of the game, but by the time all said is done, New England will find its groove and will be back in the Super Bowl once again.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Jaguars 17

Now we have the NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings taking on the NFC East Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota got here on the strength of winning their division with a 13-3 mark. They got into the playoffs and beat the New Orleans Saints 29-24 in a thriller to reach the NFC Championship game. This marks the 10th appearance for the Vikings in the NFC title game and their first since 2009. Minnesota is now 21--28 lifetime in the playoffs. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, they also finished the year 13-3 which was good enough to run away with the NFC East. Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 in the Divisional round to reach the NFC title game. This marks the 7th time that the Eagles have played in the NFC title game and the first time since 2008 that they've got there. Philadelphia is now 20-21 lifetime in the post season. This marks the 4th time that the Vikings and eagles will have met in the playoffs, with Philadelphia having won every meeting prior to this one.

This one is going to be a battle of defenses. Minnesota and Philadelphia finished the year one and two in defense in the NFC during the year, so its going to be a tight defensive battle. Philadelphia squeaked by Atlanta last week to reach this point, and it was a huge statement game made by the Eagles. It was a wonder as to how well the Eagles would play without Wentz in the lineup. Filed goal kicking was the name of the game and it worked for Philly on Sunday. For as good a quarterback as Nick Foles is, he hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since Christmas day against the Raiders. Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz are going to have to step it up and have big games if the Eagles want to advance. Same thing with Jay Ajayi, who needs to do a better job of hanging onto the football, because he had trouble with it against the Falcons last week. They have the defense to be able to get to the big dance, but can the offense hold up and keep pace?

Minnesota is coming off one of the biggest miracle weekends in the history of football. Case Keenum has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game since Week 7, which is huge for the Vikings. He threw one last week as well and it was the biggest pass of his entire career. He was able to out duel Drew Brees last week, so there's a good chance he can be able to out duel Nick Foles this week (at least on paper).  They have the defense that should be able to shut down the Eagles run game and put plenty of pressure on Nick Foles. Its going to be a fun one to watch.

Minnesota has the defensive horses to be able to hold the Eagles run game in check and keep Foles on his toes all day long. On the offensive side of the ball, Minnesota has enough talent to be able to make the big plays when needed. Its going to be a close one but at the end of the day Case Keenum will have more of an answer then Nick Foles will.

Prediction: Vikings 21 Eagles 17

Is Brandon Nimmo Really That Good?

If there's one thing I can say about the New York Mets, they know how to make things interesting. It was announced on Monday that the Pittsburgh Pirates had traded Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants. Before that the Mets had made the move to ink Jay Bruce to a three year contract. What does this have to do with the man pictured above, Brandon Nimmo? Well the signing of Bruce, it is being reported, is an option that the Mets decided to go with instead of trading Nimmo to the Pirates for Andrew McCutchen.

You did read that correctly. According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Mets had a chance to land Andrew McCutchen in a trade, all they had to do was put Brandon Nimmo in the deal. They didn't do it and McCutchen is now a member of the Giants. Also, Rosenthal notes that while the Mets could still use Nimmo as the centerpiece for a Josh Harrison trade, their reluctance to trade him for one year of McCutchen could speak to a grander philosophy, in which they'd rather spend money on free agents than deal young talent.

To a degree this kind of makes sense. I'll give credit where its due, the Mets Outfielder knows how to be able to get on base and work counts, at least from every indication I've read. The numbers back that up, as is evident of his .379 on-base percentage and 15.3 walk percentage, the latter ranked 10th in baseball among all players with 200 or more plate appearances. But here also lies the downside, he sits 4th on the Mets depth chart in the outfield behind Jay Bruce, Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto (although Conforto will miss the first month of the season recovering from shoulder surgery). You still do have Matt Reynolds and Juan Lagares on the team, but the Mets do see a bright future for Nimmo here in New York.

The way it sits right now, New York does need more infield help then it does in the outfield. Now don't get me wrong, I like what I've seen from Nimmo, but not enough yet to warrant hanging on to him. There;'s not much really sitting there on the free agent market, as most of the moves being made to aquire players are through trades. It has also been noted by several insider and reporters that the Mets have shown interest in Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Josh Harrison. Harrison has said that he does want to be possibly traded too. So you have something right there you could work off of. Harrison can play both at second and third, both spots on the field the Mets have been looking to fill. Not only that, but Josh Harrison would be here for a long time, unlike McCutchen who's slated to be a free agent at the end of this upcoming season.

So as much as I like Nimmo, I think if the Mets can actually stick a crowbar in their wallet and actually make a move, this would be the one to make. If you really want to show this fan base that you want to be a winning team and keep the fans happy and coming back, then pull the trigger and make a move.

Matthew Barzal Is Kinda Good

There have been few moves in the tenure of Islanders General Manager Garth Snow that have looked really, really good for the Islanders. One of them was trading Griffin Reinhart to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2015 first-round draft pick, 16th overall. Now Reinhart is no longer with the Oilers, he's playing in the minors for the Vegas Golden Knights, and he has just two points in 39 games in the NHL. Meanwhile, the 16th overall pick the Islanders had in the 2015 draft, they used it to select center Matthew Barzal. Barzal, to this point, has 44 points on the year, which leads all rookies in scoring, coming off his five point performance on Saturday against the Rangers.

His stat line against the Rangers was two goals in three assists in a 7-2 win over the Rangers at MSG Saturday. it makes the 2nd time this year he's posted a five point game, his other one coming November 5th in a 6-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche (he had five assists in that game). It's kind of a big deal that Barzal has done that twice already this season. Think about some of these interesting facts (provided by NBC Sports). Barzal is the only player in the NHL this season that has at least two five point games. The rest of the NHL has combined for seven. Since 2005-06, there have been thirteen players that have had multiple five point games in a season. Barzal has a chance to join Evgeni Malkin (four in 2011-12), Sidney Crosby (three in 2009-10) and Alex Ovechkin (three in 2007-08) as the only guys to have more then two of those games in a season. Oh yeah, and Barzal is one of only two Islanders rookies to record two five point games in their rookie season, the other one being Brian Trottier back in 1975-76.

So what does this all mean? Well it means that this Barzal kid is pretty good. To date, he has 15 goals and 29 assists, which is good for 44 points. The point totals are most among rookies in the NHL and he's 3rd on the Islanders in scoring, behind Josh Bailey and John Tavares. Both Bailey and Tavares are slated, again as of now, to hit the free agent market at the end of this season. Both of those guys are extremely valuable to the success of the Islanders. So too is Barzal with the way he's played this year. He's got the talent to really be a big star in this league. Some of the moves that this kid can make with the puck on his stick, and when he's going at full flight, are really something to watch.

The Islanders have had a few rookies since the turn of the century. Trent Hunter finished 3rd in Calder voting in 2004 and Michael Grabner finished 3rd in 2011 voting. No Islander has won the award since Bryan Berard in 1997. Barzal has a legitimate chance to walk away with the Calder this year, at the pace he's been playing this season. He's also a reason why the Islanders are, despite having that slide earlier in the year, that they are hanging around the playoff race right now. They sit a point back from the Wild Card spot as of this writing.

There's no other way around it, Barzal is kinda good.