MLB Play Of The Year

We've seen some fantastic defensive plays to this point in the 2015 Major League Baseball season. Now, on August 28th, I'd like to put it to a vote. Below I will display the four plays I feel have been the best of the year so far. Then we put it to a vote as to what has been the best play of the year. So lets begin the debate shall we.


First up, we go back to June 28th. Tampa Bay Rays against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers center in Toronto. Blue Jays 3rd baseman Josh Donaldson does this:


Next up we go back to August 12th, just a couple of weeks ago. The Milwaukee Brewers are playing at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. Cubs 1st Baseman Anthony Rizzo heads into foul ground to make this catch:


Play number three up for nomination, we go back a little over a week. The Washington Nationals are out in San Francisco playing the Giants at AT&T Park. It's late in the ball game when this happened:


Finally, we head to last night. Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is the place. Philles and the Mets are the two teams. Its extra innings, there was this:


Now its up to you. Which of these four plays has been the best of the year?

Mets Flounder But Don't Lose Ground

This past weekend was a tough one for the New York Mets. They were riding high coming into the weekend. They just swept the Colorado Rockies, outscoring them 23-5. That series allowed the Mets to open up a 4.5 game lead over the 2nd place Washington Nationals. It gave Mets fans something to smile about, it made you feel comfortable and excited going into this weekend series against the Pirates. Then reality set in and it all fell apart for the Mets, to a certain degree.

This season the Mets have struggled against the NL Central, now going a combined 9-20 vs. the NL Central. They are 48-29 against the rest of the league. In this series against the Pirates, New York was outscored 16-6. The first two series were close, having to go to extra innings in both games, before the Pirates got the clutch hits they needed. In the Sunday game, it was a double whammy that cost the Mets the ballgame.

First it was the mental error by Ruben Tejada in the 7th. After a rain delay, the teams came out for the top of the 7th. Bobby Parnell took over on the mound. With one on, Parnell then coaxed a comebacker from pinch-hitter Michael Morse that seemed destined to result in a double play. However, shortstop Ruben Tejada appeared late covering second and Parnell's throw went into center field, placing runners on the corners with none out. Officially, the error was assigned to Parnell. After that the flood gates opened on the Mets, allowing the Pirates to cruise to an 8-1 victory.

As of late I've been all over Booby Parnell for not really being able to get a quick inning in relief. He has caused indigestion for Mets fans as of late, seemingly getting rocked almost every time he has come out to pitch as of late. I know Parnell is just coming off Tommy John Surgery, which is a tough thing for pitchers to come back from. Sure there have been some instances where a pitcher doesn't fully recover from the operation, but more often than not, pitchers will come back to form (or as close to back to form as possible) and continue on with their careers. Parnell hasn't looked like his old self. Yes he is still throwing very hard, that hasn't been in question. He's just having trouble locating his pitches. They have gas but no movement. If you can't get movement on your pitches, it won't lead to too much success. In two outings this series, Parnell, who’s coming off Tommy John surgery, gave up five hits and six runs, four of which were earned, while only getting two outs. He was booed off the mound after both appearances. This is not to say that other players on the Mets haven't struggled, because they have. Juan Lagares dropped a ball in the outfield Sunday as he crashed into the wall to try and make a catch. Stuff like that can be easily covered up. Bobby Parnell having trouble getting guys out can't really be covered up that quickly, or easily.

After the way this weekend went, it has to make you worry just a little bit as to how the Mets might fair come playoff time. As it sits right now, three of the five playoff spots are being held down by the top three teams in the National League Central, the Cardinals, the Pirates and the Cubs. The Mets have a total of 9 wins against that entire central division, which could spell trouble. I don't know what it is, but the Mets just can't get a win against the Central to save their lives at the moment. But the Mets have caught a couple of big breaks.

As it sits right now, the team still holds a four and a half game lead on the Washington Nationals, who now sit a game under .500. Washington has been an underachieving teams this season. I know they have been dealing with injuries most of the year, but still they were expected to run away with the East, and that hasn't been the case at all. The Mets have gotten a little bit lucky, in that the Natinoals just got Swept by the Giants out in San Francisco. It has helped the Mets out that the Nats have now lost six straight games. Washington last got a win by beating the Dodgers on August 10th. Things have gotten rough for the Nationals, as they are now 10-21 since the all-star break, one of the worst records in the National League in that time frame.

New York does catch a bit of a break going down the stretch run here. As it sits right now (at the time of this writing) the Mets will face two teams, TWO TEAMS, with winning records. They play the Baltimore Orioles (60-56) during the upcoming two-game series at Camden Yards. Then they don't face another team with a winning record until the American League East-leading Yankees (64-52) come into Queens for a weekend series September 18th to the 20th.

Yes the Mets stumbled against Pittsburgh this past weekend, but, as far as the division standings go, they got lucky they didn't lose any ground.

NBA Schedules Announced

You know your getting close to the fall when this is announced. That's right the schedules have been announced for the 2015-16 NBA Season. For the 30 teams that make up the NBA, there will be a total of 1,230 games played during the regular season. There are some pretty interesting, must watch games coming up this season, but we'll get into that in a little while. First things first, here's what the schedules look like for the local teams.

2015-16 New York Knicks Schedule
10/28 at Milwaukee 8:00 p.m.
10/29 vs. Atlanta 8:00 p.m.
10/31 at Washington 7:00 p.m.
11/2 vs. San Antonio 7:30 p.m.
11/4 at Cleveland 8:00 p.m.
11/6 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.
11/8 vs. L.A. Lakers 3:30 p.m.
11/10 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
11/11 at Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
11/13 vs. Cleveland 7:30 p.m.
11/15 vs. New Orleans noon
11/17 vs. Charlotte 7:30 p.m.
11/20 at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
11/21 at Houston 8:00 p.m.
11/23 at Miami 7:30 p.m.
11/25 at Orlando 7:00 p.m.
11/27 vs. Miami 7:30 p.m.
11/29 vs. Houston 7:30 p.m.
12/2 vs. Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
12/4 vs. Brooklyn 7:00 p.m.
12/5 at Milwaukee 8:30 p.m.
12/7 vs. Dallas 7:30 p.m.
12/9 at Utah 9:00 p.m.
12/10 at Sacramento 10:30 p.m.
12/12 at Portland 10:00 p.m.
12/16 vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m.
12/18 at Philadelphia 7:00 p.m.
12/19 vs. Chicago 7:30 p.m.
12/21 vs. Orlando 7:30 p.m.
12/23 at Cleveland 7:00 p.m.
12/26 at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
12/27 at Boston 6:00 p.m
12/29 vs. Detroit 7:30 p.m.
1/1 at Chicago 8:00 p.m.
1/3 vs. Atlanta 3:30 p.m.
1/5 at Atlanta 8:00 p.m.
1/6 at Miami 7:00 p.m.
1/8 at San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
1/10 vs. Milwaukee 7:30 p.m.
1/12 vs. Boston 7:30 p.m.
1/13 at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
1/16 at Memphis 8:00 p.m.
1/18 vs. Philadelphia 1:00 p.m.
1/20 vs. Utah 7:30 p.m.
1/22 vs. L.A. Clippers 7:30 p.m.
1/23 at Charlotte 7:00 p.m.
1/26 vs. Oklahoma City. 7:30 p.m.
1/28 at Toronto 8:00 p.m.
1/29 vs. Phoenix 7:30 p.m.
1/31 vs. Golden State 7:30 p.m.
2/1 vs. Boston 7:30 p.m.
2/4 at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
2/5 vs. Memphis 7:30 p.m.
2/7 vs. Denver 1:00 p.m.
2/9 vs. Washington 8:00 p.m.
2/19 at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
2/20 at Minnesota 8:00 p.m.
2/22 vs. Toronto 7:30 p.m.
2/24 at Indiana 7:00 p.m.
2/26 vs. Orlando 7:30 p.m.
2/28 vs. Miami 7:30 p.m.
3/1 vs. Portland 7:30 p.m.
3/4 at Boston 7:30 p.m.
3/5 vs. Detroit 7:00 p.m.
3/8 at Denver 9:00 p.m.
3/9 at Phoenix 9:00 p.m.
3/11 at L.A. Clippers. 10:30 p.m.
3/13 at L.A. Lakers 9:30 p.m.
3/16 at Golden State. 10:30 p.m.
3/19 at Washington 7:00 p.m.
3/20 vs. Sacramento 7:30 p.m.
3/23 at Chicago 8:00 p.m.
3/24 vs. Chicago 7:30 p.m.
3/26 vs. Cleveland 7:30 p.m.
3/28 at New Orleans 8:00 p.m.
3/30 at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
4/1 vs. Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
4/3 vs. Indiana 7:30 p.m.
4/6 vs. Charlotte 7:30 p.m.
4/8 at Philadelphia 7:00 p.m.
4/10 vs. Toronto 7:30 p.m.
4/12 at Indiana 7:00 p.m.

2015-16 Brooklyn Nets Schedule
10/28 vs Chicago 7:30 PM
10/28 at San Antonio 8:30 PM
10/31 at Memphis 8:00 PM
11/2 vs Milwaukee 7:30 PM
11/4 at Atlanta 8:00 PM
11/6  vs Los Angeles 7:30 PM
11/7 at Milwaukee 8:30 PM
11/11 at Houston 8:00 PM
11/13 at Sacramento 10:00 PM
11/14 at Golden State 10:30 PM
11/17 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
11/18 at Charlotte 7:00 PM
11/20 at Boston 7:30 PM
11/22 vs Boston 6:00 PM
11/25 at Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
11/28 at Cleveland 7:30 PM
11/29 vs Detroit 6:00 PM
12/1 vs Phoenix 7:30 PM
12/4 at NY Knicks 7:00 PM
12/6 vs Golden State 6:00 PM
12/8 vs Houston 7:30 PM
12/10 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
12/12 vs Los Angeles 5:00 PM
12/14 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
12/16 vs Miami 7:30 PM
12/18 at Indiana 7:00 PM
12/20 vs Minnesota 1:00 PM
12/21 at Chicago 8:00 PM
12/23 vs Dallas 7:30 PM
12/26 vs Washington 8:00 PM
12/28 at Miami 7:30 PM
12/30 at Orlando 7:00 PM
1/2 at Boston 3:00 PM
1/4 vs Boston 7:30 PM
1/6 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
1/8 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
1/9 at Detroit 7:30 PM
1/11 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
1/13 vs NY Knicks 7:30 PM
1/15 vs Portland 7:30 PM
1/16 at Atlanta 7:30 PM
1/18 at Toronto 7:30 PM
1/20 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM
1/22 vs Utah 7:30 PM
1/24 vs Oklahoma City 3:30 PM
1/26 vs Miami 7:30 PM
1/29 at Dallas 8:30 PM
1/30 at New Orleans 7:00 PM
2/1  vs Detroit 7:30 PM
2/3 vs Indiana 7:30 PM
2/5 vs Sacramento 7:30 PM
2/6 at Philadelphia 7:30 PM
2/8 vs Denver 7:30 PM
2/10 vs Memphis 7:30 PM
2/19 vs NY Knicks 7:30 PM
2/21 vs Charlotte 6:00 PM
2/23 at Portland 10:00 PM
2/25 at Phoenix 9:00 PM
2/27 at Utah 9:30 PM
2/29 at Los Angeles 10:30 PM
3/1 at Los Angeles 10:30 PM
3/4 at Denver 9:00 PM
3/5 at Minnesota 8:00 PM
3/8 at Toronto 7:30 PM
3/11 at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
3/13 vs Milwaukee 6:00 PM
3/15 vs Philadelphia 7:30 PM
3/17 at Chicago 8:00 PM
3/19 at Detroit 7:00 PM
3/22 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
3/24 vs Cleveland 7:30 PM
3/26 vs Indiana 6:00 PM
3/28 at Miami 7:30 PM
3/29 at Orlando 7:00 PM
3/31 at Cleveland 7:00 PM
4/1 at NY Knicks 7:30 PM
4/3 vs New Orleans 1:00 PM
4/6 at Washington 7:00 PM
4/8 at Charlotte 7:00 PM
4/10 at Indiana 6:00 PM
4/11 vs Washington 7:30 PM
4/13 vs Toronto 8:00 PM

So that's what it looks like for the local basketball teams this season.

Geno Smith Injured At Camp

This season looked like it was going to be a coming out party for Geno Smith in 2015. He had weapons to work with in the passing game with the addition of Brandon Marshall. His offensive line has shown a better, more sound protection game through the start of camp. He showed signs that he might have finally turned the corner to becoming a good quarterback in the NFL. And then it all went away. For six to ten weeks at least anyway. That's how long the Jets QB will be out of action with a broken jaw.

This all took place during an altercation in the New York Jets locker room that ended with quarterback Geno Smith suffering a broken jaw began as a dispute over $600, sources told ESPN. It all started, apparently according to ESPN, when Geno accepted a $600 plane ticket from IK Enemkpali to appear at the reserve linebacker's football camp in Pflugerville, Texas, on July 11, according to sources. Problems arose when Smith did not show to the camp, which took place days after someone close to Smith was killed in a motorcycle accident in Miami, sources said. After Smith did not attend, Enemkpali demanded that the Jets quarterback refund him the $600 he allegedly used to purchase the plane ticket. Smith told Enemkpali he would reimburse him the money, but he had not as of Tuesday morning. Enkempali confronted Smith on Tuesday about the money, and the confrontation ended in a punch and a broken jaw. All of this is coming from an ESPN report.

According to the same report, Geno had tried to go up to Enemkpali and tried to pay off the $600 and had planned on attending the event out of goodwill, but clearly something came up. Jets head coach Todd Bowles said in a press conference after the fact, stating "It takes two to tango -- one to throw a punch, but two to tango."

There's a couple of ways to look at this whole messed up situation. First there's IK Enemkpali. This is not Enemkpali's first brush with off-the-field violence. At 19, while at a bar when he was at college at Louisiana Tech, a fight broke out and he punched an off-duty cop who was working security at the bar. On that night, Enemkpali had to be subdued first with pepper spray and then with a stun gun. He was arrested and charged with battery on a police officer and disturbing the peace/drunk, according to court records. The charge was amended to simple battery, and he received a suspended jail sentence and was placed on 13 months' probation. He also was ordered to perform 32 hours of community service and to complete an anger-management course (ESPN).

So, as you can read, Enemkpali has had some anger issues in the past. It may have lead to this and him having a short fuse. It doesn't come as a surprise that he was cut as soon as this happened. Its a good move, a statement move, by the Jets. Its telling the fans that there is no tolerance for this kind of stuff in the locker room or with this team. I fully support Coach Bowles and how he has handled this whole thing. Todd Bowles has had a lot to deal with in his first few weeks at Jets camp and as Jets head coach for that matter. I mean think about it, from what has happened before camp with Sheldon Richardson to now having to deal with this. That's a lot for a first year head coach to take on and he's handled it quite well.

When it comes to Geno and the quarterback position, that's a whole different story in and of itself. First there's Geno. He hasn't had the greatest first two years for an NFL Quarterback.  His 41 turnovers, and 34 interceptions, have been well documented. He is 11-18 lifetime as a starter, coming off a 3-10 season last year. Everybody, including myself, had gotten on Geno the last few years for being a weak starting QB. I was willing to give him a little more slack going into this season. Why? Because he now has weapons to work with in the passing game. I was looking forward to see what he could do with better receivers. Now who knows what's going to happen with Geno when he comes back.

With Geno out of action, it sits that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting QB with Bryce Petty, a rookie, serving as the backup. Fitzpatrick is a solid quarterback, he doesn't have as strong a throwing arm as Geno does, but he is still a  good QB. Fitzpatrick best years as a starter came with back to back 6-10 seasons as the starter for the Buffalo Bills in 2011 and 2012. Sure he has a tendency to turn the ball over, as he did throw 23 interceptions in 2011, he has more experience and is a more well rounded QB than Smith. I would have trusted Fitzpatrick as a starter than Geno. Now this leads me to believe what will happen when Geno gets healthy. The earliest he can come back is Week Three against the Eagles at home, and he can come back no later than Week Seven in New England. Who is going to start when Geno gets back is up to Fitzpatrick. If Fitz is playing well, I wouldn't see going back to Geno. You have to stick with the hot hand at QB. The Jets may also look other places for QB's. Some sources say that the team has looked into Tyler Thigpen and Rex Grossman.

The whole incident was childish on both IK's and Geno's part. It could have easily been taken care of quietly, but it wasn't and it lead to this. Both guys were in the wrong and now both guys are suffering from it.

Remembering Frank Gifford

This past weekend, the NFL and the football world for that matter, lost a true Giant of a man. A big huliking, but shifty running back, Frank Gifford was the face of the New York Giants from 1952 to 1964. He was able to then make a smooth transition into the broadcast booth, being a staple of Monday Night Football from 177 until 1997. Gifford passed away this past Sunday in his home in Connecticut. He was 84 at the time of his passing, which came of natural causes.

Gifford got his start in the football world, making a name for himself as a shifty running back at USC. He was an all-american in 1952, putting up stellar numbers the year before. In 1951 alone, he ran for 841 yards on 195 carries. People knew right then that Gifford was going to be a big star in the game. He began his NFL career with the New York Giants by playing both offense and defense. He made eight Pro Bowl appearances and had five trips to the NFL Championship Game. Gifford's biggest season may have been 1956, when he won the Most Valuable Player award of the NFL, and led the Giants to the NFL title over the Chicago Bears. During his 12 seasons with the New York Giants (136 regular season games) Frank Gifford had 3,609 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in 840 carries, he also had 367 receptions for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns. Gifford completed 29 of the 63 passes he threw for 823 yards and 14 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. The 6 interceptions is tied with Walter Payton for most interceptions thrown by a non-quarterback in NFL history, while the 14 touchdowns is also the most among any non-quarterback in NFL history. When Gifford finished his career, the numbers are staggering. All told, Gifford ran for 3,609 yards and 34 touchdowns, caught 367 passes for 5,434 yards and 43 touchdowns, and threw 14 touchdown passes on the halfback option (NY Times).

Gifford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 30, 1977. Giffrod's three Pro Bowl selections came at three different positions: defensive back, running back, and wide receiver. Once his playing career came to an end, Gifford couldn't truly leave the game he loved, so he tried his hand at broadcasting. Gifford broadcasting career took off when he became a commentator mainly for NFL games on CBS. His big break came in 1971 when he replaced Keith Jackson as play-by-play announcer on ABC's Monday Night Football, joining Howard Cosell and Don Meredith, and would continue on as a commentator until 1997 (He was the last surviving member of the group. Cosell died in 1997 and Meredith passed in 2010). The three of them became the face of Monday Night Football, becoming must watch TV every week during football season. He was so good in the broadcast booth, Gifford was able to pull home some awards and honors for his broadcasting work. Gifford was a Two-time Emmy Award winner, winning Outstanding Sports Personality in 1977, and winning a Lifetime Achievement Award for broadcasting in 1997. Also, in 1995, Gifford won the Pete Rozelle Award for longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.

As a player, Gifford was the personification of the Giants during their glory years in the 1950s and early ’60s, the best-known figure on teams that featured many other stars, including quarterbacks Charlie Conerly and Y. A. Tittle, linebacker Sam Huff, fullback Alex Webster, defensive back Emlen Tunnell, defensive linemen Andy Robustelli and Roosevelt Grier, and his fellow running back and receiver Kyle Rote. He was the face of the Ginats, as he bleed Blue form the time he was drafted until the day he died. Gifford always believed in the franchise he played for, never giving up on the Giants in his career.

As great a football player as he was, he was all that as a broadcaster, which is what most football fans of the younger generation remember him for. Some of his work in the broadcast booth will go down in history. He was able to bring the game to life, providing new insight to the world of football like few before him. Tuning into Monday Night Football during the late 80's and early 90's was enjoyable in part because of the men in the booth. Frank Gifford made it fun to watch Monday Night Football

Frank Gifford is survived by his wife, Kathie Lee Gifford, and children.