ONE LAST MOVE

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THE CASE FOR THE PHILLIES

There aren't many Yankees fans I see on a day-to-day basis here in Massachusetts. Thus, I haven't been talking much to anyone who has an opinion on the Yankees' 3-man rotation.

So I'll offer mine - it's totally allowing the Phillies back into this World Series. And it might just cause the Yankees to blow their 3-games-to-1 lead.

(I know...if you rely on this space as your only source of sports news - and who doesn't? - you might be surprised to know there even was a World Series this year. But I've been keeping an eye on things. Not a close eye, mind you. But an eye nonetheless.)

Despite his 4-0 career record on short rest, I feel that starting A.J. Burnett on three days' rest was really a roll of the dice. He's inconsistent on regular rest, let alone when you blow up his routine. And I realize I have 20/20 hindsight...so let's start looking ahead.

I don't know that I can bet against Andy Pettitte in a series-clincher...but you also won't catch me betting on him on short rest at this stage of his career. The short rest probably won't affect C.C. Sabathia tremendously...but there are other factors at play if this series goes 7 - more on that in a minute. Let's look at Game 6.

Sure, Andy Pettitte could pitch well...but I think he will be out-performed by Pedro Martinez in Game 6. Pedro is all about drama...the big stage. Fired up in front of the Yankee Stadium crowd - combined with the fact that he's coming off a loss there less than a week ago. Throw in the fact that he can leave his career on the field if he has to, and he's going to be lights-out in Game 6. Think Sunday Night Baseball against the Mets - we're talking six-hit shutout type of stuff.

Which brings us to Game 7. The amount of pitches he's thrown on short rest after short rest could catch up to Sabathia...but until I see him fail in a big game I can't count him out. And Cole Hamels has done nothing but fail in the big games this year - but he's shown us in the past that he can show up...and I think he has something to prove after he was called out by teammate Brett Myers after some controversial comments he made.

I don't think the Game 7 starters factor into the decision at all though - I think it comes down to what had been the Phillies' weakness all along, but in Game 7 becomes their strength. They suddenly have all hands on deck out of the bullpen, including Cliff Lee. Sure, it's after only 2-days rest...but watch that guy pitch and tell me he won't be the first off the bench if need be. And Charlie Manuel, I'm sure, will have to think long and hard about passing up Lee for someone like Brad Lidge.

The Yankees will have Mariano Rivera and their solid relievers...but not their starters. And all of this doesn't even take into account that I think it's going to be Ryan Howard breaking out and turning himself into World Series MVP.

Yep. The Phillies are going to take the two games at Yankee Stadium and complete an improbable comeback. This World Series is just getting interesting. Phillies in 7.

I NEED THE BYE WEEK

I was talking to a friend Monday...someone who didn't see the Jets game Sunday.

I was explaining to him how the Jets should have won the game, like the previous Dolphins game, which the Jets also should have won. And I started thinking and said, "So the Jets are 4-4, which they really deserve to be...but man, they could have been 5-3. And if they had beaten the Dolphins that first time, they could be 6-2." And the more I thought about it, they should have beaten the Bills in that disaster of the game...dare I say they could have been 7-1 at this point?

I know, you can 'would have, should have' any team to death - but really, the Jets are that close to having turned 3 games right around - the two Dolphins games came down to the last play and the Bills game was an overtime loss. And the Jets gave the best team in football a run for their money in the Saints.

So I guess the second half of the season holds quite a bit of promise...filled with games the Jets could and probably should win...but I'm sure it, too, will hold its share of disappointments:

vs. Jacksonville
at New England
vs. Carolina
at Buffalo
at Tampa Bay
vs. Atlanta
at Indianapolis
vs. Cincinnati

On paper that looks like 4-4 again, leaving the Jets at 8-8 on the season, right where they belong. But if those would-have, should-haves had come through, the Jets would be sitting much prettier for that valued post-season experience for Mark Sanchez...and who knows what kind of team they are coming out of the bye week? (Actually, I think I know - a weaker team, less the likes of Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington.)

All told, the 3-0, back to 3-3, ending up at 4-4 has me pretty wiped out. (I can only imagine how the players feel.) Unless something dramatic takes place, I'm taking full advantage of the bye week and not writing about the Jets for a week. I need to regroup.

There will be plenty else to write about I'm sure, and we'll make this the last word on the Jets for now.

DOLPHINS 30, JETS 25

Can't blame the defense this time. And the offense did its job (in the second half, at least).

If you're pointing fingers, this one falls squarely on the shoulders of the special teams.

Kick returns for touchdowns are terrible. They come after a score (barring the opening of a half), taking away any excitement you just built. But every once in a while they happen. And you move on. Until they happen again.

That's what happened to the Jets on Sunday...and there's really no excuse for it. Yes, Ted Ginn can be explosive in those situations, but on the second kick return, the Jets should have had him at about the 20 - first Larry Izzo whiffed, then someone else flat-out missed him, before he made his moves and bolted 100+ yards for his second return touchdown of the third quarter.

That's why the special teams played the biggest role in dropping the Jets to 4-4.

The defense was very good. They only gave up 9 points (there was a defensive touchdown by Miami in that third quarter as well), and looked like they had the Miami offense figured out...but the Miami offense was not very good either, so take that for what it's worth.

The Jets offense was nothing to shout about either for the first part of the game. Mark Sanchez saw a lot of pressure, and made some pretty bad passes - short-hopping a number of his throws. When they needed to, though, after falling behind in the second half, they again scored seemingly at will on the Dolphins' defense, like they did Monday night in Miami a few weeks ago.

Until the final drive.

Let's stop here to examine two things - 1) the Jets mismanaged their points, and 2) they kind of got jobbed by the refs.

They mismanaged their points because in the third quarter they started chasing 2-point conversions when they didn't need to yet. Kicking an extra point would have left them in the same position at the end of the game that their failed 2-point conversion left them...although I guess it didn't hurt them tremendously either. (I'll add that after the Jets scored following the second kickoff return TD I would have gone with an onsides kick - it would not have been returned for a touchdown like their previous two kickoffs, and the Jets could have recovered. At the very least the Dolphins would have had the ball at midfield instead of in the Jets' end zone...)

The Jets got jobbed because after they scored to make it 24-19 Dolphins, they converted a 2-point play that was negated by an illegal shift penalty. There was no clear violation...though if you held a gun to my head I'll admit that Mark Sanchez took a step backwards while the receiver was in motion, which could have been the shift. (But Phil Simms didn't see it, so if he doesn't call it, who am I to say I saw something.) Anyway, that's a terrible call in front of the home crowd, and it cost the Jets the game, because at the end (after the Dolphins went for a questionable 2-point conversion), the Jets needed a touchdown and couldn't get it on 4th down, when they could have kicked a game-tying (or winning) field goal.

So now the Jets are .500, and really, they're no better than that. But they could have stolen another game and gotten to 5-3, which would have been a whole lot closer to the beneficial playoff experience that I want for Mark Sanchez.

SUNDAY PAPER

Someday soon it will be time to measure up Mark Sanchez again. Maybe the next time he plays in cold weather, which wasn't so successful two weeks ago against Buffalo. Maybe it's when he plays Buffalo next, since that's the team that picked him off five times in that game. Maybe it's the next matchup against the Patriots - in New England, instead of in front of the home crowd.

But this week the object of scrutiny is not the rookie quarterback - it's the rookie coach. The last time the Jets played the Dolphins, Sanchez was fine. It was Rex Ryan's vaunted defense that looked exposed just three short weeks ago against Miami and its wildcat formation.

That shortcoming seems a bit more magnified following the Saints' ability to neutralize the wildcat last week as they staged a monster comeback on Miami.

At the same time, the Jets' defense was showing signs of life again after a couple of 'just OK' weeks - nothing close to the way they started the season. But that performance comes with a huge asterisk, because it was against the subpar Oakland offense.

And now it's Jets-Dolphins again, and it's a chance for Ryan to show how he can game plan.

*Tough to see Pedro Martinez pitching for the Phillies in the World Series. That was the dream in 2006, and after helping the Mets to first place that season, Pedro wasn't around for the post-season. The Mets wouldn't be back to the post-season in the rest of Pedro's tenure. I had no doubt Pedro would be able to help someone this year after seeing how he pitched in the World Baseball Classic way back in March and April...but to have it be the Phillies and to have it go this deep into the post-season is a little hard to take.

*I know it's a little late by now, but I haven't addressed it yet: I don't see how Mark McGwire coming back to be the St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach does anyone any favors. For baseball in general it's a scar that becomes visible again. Unless he plans on having a tell-all press conference and owning up to the black eye he contributed to (and which he has hid from these past few years), it's going to be a burden for him. And it's certainly not doing the Cardinals hitters any favors - since when is Mark McGwire qualified to coach hitting?

*I'm already bored with the NBA.

*Nothing freaks me out more on Halloween than a kid standing at my door wearing one of those masks from 'Scream'. It happened again Saturday night. This year, my 3-year-old daughter happened to be with me, and it got her a little frightened. So I asked the kid to take off the mask to show her it was no one to be afraid of. The kid was nice enough to do it. I think it worked. You know. For my daughter.

*I'll go with the Jets to get that revenge win over Miami today, but it won't be by much. I'll say a touchdown. Jets 27, Dolphins 20

*How much disrespect are the undefeated Broncos getting? They're underdogs (again) in Baltimore today. I haven't picked the Broncos right all season, and I haven't picked the Ravens right all year. I'm taking Denver getting points, because I think they win this game outright...but that probably means it'll turn out to be their first 'L' of the year. How bad are the Jaguars to go into winless Tennessee as underdogs? I'm picking the Jaguars getting those points, which means welcome to the win column, Titans. And I don't think the Falcons hand the Saints their first loss Monday night, but I also don't think the Saints win by 10 (despite their unimaginably doing so last week). I'm taking Atlanta getting 9-and-a-half.

WORLD SERIES NOSTALGIA

I imagine there are children in New York City in the 8-10 years old range who are loving this World Series appearance by the Yankees. It's new for them - they've heard all about these world champion Yankees of the past (decade) and they're probably very excited about their team playing for a championship.

I remember when I was one of those kids.

The 2000 World Series came at a time that I didn't live in New York, but more importantly, during my first full year in the workforce. As such, I was transitioning from someone who cared only about sports to someone who had other things on his mind (a new relationship with the woman who would later become my wife, an entry job in what I thought would be my career). I worked nights, so I saw the games, but I don't have a distinct memory about that post-season.

It's 1986 that comes back to me whenever the World Series rolls around.

I remember being in the schoolyard after school and people from the Daily News were handing out scorecards (I still have them) for the NLCS. A very cool book - 7-10 newspaper pages with spots to keep score of every game. I remember taking them home and my parents being very suspicious about how I got them. I had to convince them they were free handouts. To this day, though, it's strange to me why they were handed out at an elementary school.

I remember afternoon NLCS games at Shea...and I distinctly remember Billy Hatcher's homer in Game 6 that went into the netting on the foul pole. And I remember the celebration when the Mets won the NLCS.

I remember going to my best friend's house to watch a game of the World Series - I'm not sure which one it was. I remember watching a bit of the early innings, but then we went into his bedroom to play tackle football. I remember the entire time wanting to watch the game, but I never said anything.

There's a chance this may have been Game 6 of the 1986 World Series - I have a faint memory of the parachute guy coming down while I was at Steven's house. But that's about all I remember about Game 6. I wrote this earlier in the week - but I don't know if it's because I've seen the game on video so many times since or why it is, but I don't have any other live memories of what is probably my favorite sports memory ever.

There's a strong possibility that I was asleep for the end of Game 6...but it was a Saturday night, so I doubt it - I was pretty sports-crazy. Sports-crazy enough that my dad woke me up for the end of Game 7 a couple of nights later....like he did a month before after the Mets clinched the NL East. I remember watching the champagne celebrations - the "champagne party", we called it - and exclaiming, "We should have a milk party!!"

I remember how exciting it was.

I want to feel that feeling again.

IT'S LIKE 1950 ALL OVER AGAIN

Here's the deal, so that you never have to read me go through it again - from now on, whenever I write about this, I'll just link back to this page (the day of Game 1 of the 2009 World Series) so that you can refresh your memory if need be.

The 2009 baseball season is dead to me.

If the Mets aren't in the World Series, I start rooting for matchups that have never happened before. So the Angels would have been a great fit in the 2009 World Series - they have only been to the World Series once before, and they didn't play the Phillies.

The Yankees? They've been, many times...and they've already played the Phillies.

So this season, in my crazy, muddled mind, becomes a waste. (Not like I didn't see that coming after watching the Mets play in April and May.)

The past couple of years had been great - the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies each checked a team off of their 'played in the World Series' list (yes, there is one) - but there have been some wasted years recently, too. So many, in fact, that I've had to begin making exceptions to my rules, like:

1) "At least they haven't played in my lifetime." This applied to the Red Sox-Cardinals in 2004, Tigers-Cardinals in 2006, and this year with the Phils and Yanks.

and

2) "Well, maybe at least the team that lost before will win this time." That worked in 2004. And I guess under this clause I'd be rooting for the Phillies this year.

But it's just not the same as a new matchup.

This all applies to the Super Bowl, too (it's in the back of my mind with the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, too, but I just don't apply myself to those sports in the same way).

As such, it makes the back-to-back Bills-Cowboys Super Bowls tremendous wastes - not only did the same team win twice, but both were in my lifetime. Ditto for Yankees-Braves.

I suppose if the Mets made the World Series, I'd waive this idiosyncrasy...but it's gotten so bad that if the Mets played the Red Sox, Yankees, A's, or Orioles, part of me would feel like I wasted a season. That's not the case in 2009, though - this year there's no doubt the season feels wasted.

And so another baseball season comes to a close for me - before the World Series even gets underway.

INJURIES AND SURPRISES

There was some bad news to come out of the Jets' 38-0 blasting of the Oakland Raiders - Leon Washington was lost for the season with a broken leg.

Apparently this was one of those gruesome football injuries. You can go elsewhere to read the bloody descriptions - I'm a bit squeamish. But it's not your run-of-the-mill broken leg. There are whispers that this could be a career-threatening injury.

The injury comes a week after a season-ending knee injury to Kris Jenkins, who has been a monster up front on defense for the Jets. That's two pretty significant injuries in two weeks suffered by the Jets...one on offense, one on defense.

Leon Washington wasn't lighting the league on fire this year - he has been passed, performance-wise, by Thomas Jones the past few weeks - but he is always exciting, and on many possessions, his kick returns are the entire offense. And if the injury is very serious, this will hurt the Jets beyond this year.

But this does give them an opportunity to give Shonn Green some playing time. And at the very least, that could give them a trading chip in the off-season, if they're looking for extra draft picks or help at some other position (assuming Washington comes back healthy). Because if the Jets have three effective backs (Jones, Washington, and Green), one of those guys becomes expendable at some point. Maybe the Jets can get something out of them before they lose them to free agency.

What can't the Saints do? They had no business hanging around in that game against the Dolphins on Sunday, let alone coming back and winning by two touchdowns (and covering the spread....). They proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt in that game that they are the best team in the league.

But they had better not lose Drew Brees to injury - were you as surprised as I was to learn after the missed extra point that their backup quarterback (and place kick holder) is Mark Brunell? Has he been effective at all since 1999?

A pleasant surprise came Sunday night watching the Giants-Cardinals game and learning that the 'starting' tight end for the Cardinals is former Jet Anthony Becht. Becht was one of my favorite Jets in the early 2000s. I never felt he reached his full potential. I don't think he ever will...especially not in the Cardinals offense - I don't think I see him and Kurt Warner connecting much in the near future.

But I'm glad he's hanging on somewhere after a stint with Tampa Bay - I thought he was out of the league.

**23 years ago today the Mets won the World Series. *wipe tear*

GOOD BOUNCEBACK

The Jets put a pretty emphatic end to their 3-game losing streak, shutting out the Raiders in Oakland 38-0.

I don't know about you, but I was pretty surprised.

Not so much that the Jets won....just the way they won. No matter how bad the Raiders have been throughout the years (especially recent years), the Jets have always had trouble out there. So I never expected them to hand the Raiders their most lopsided home loss ever.

The Jets' running game and defense helped out Mark Sanchez, coming off a 5-interception game last week, which was the direction Rex Ryan said he'd go. Shonn Green, he of the monster pre-season but only about one or two games so far in the regular season, had a big performance, going for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.

For the first time this season, and probably the first time in years, I didn't seek out the Jets. They weren't on local TV, and I didn't go out to find them...I guess because I'm still recovering from the 400-mile round trip last week just to watch them crap out on TV.

The most disappointing part of not watching the blowout was that I didn't know until I saw some highlights afterwards that the Jets' road Titans uniforms are awesome. I love blue and yellow in a uniform, but for some reason, I don't love the Titans uniforms - the home ones, anyway...the blue, I think, way outdoes the yellow. The road ones are awesome, with the yellow pants, white shirt, blue helmet. I really like those.
So now the Jets get the Dolphins again. The Dolphins are coming off a loss to the Saints - a game which they should have won. The Jets showed that they are going to win their share of games still this season - they can beat the bad teams, and their schedule is full of bad teams the rest of the season....so if they can get a win at home against Miami, that will go a long way to deciding whether or not they'll be a playoff team. And hopefully there's still a bad taste in the Jets' mouths from their trip to Miami not three weeks ago.

I know the Jets aren't a legit playoff threat, but they really could win enough games against bad teams to get in...and that would be one more huge learning experience for Mark Sanchez (and Rex Ryan) in a season full of learning.

SUNDAY PAPER

I was really looking forward to a Game 6 of the ALCS Saturday night - the night I could actually stay up to watch a game. Now I need to either set myself back entirely for the week by staying up late for a Sunday night game, or miss the late innings.

I really have a lot riding on the outcome, too. There are a few reasons I want the Angels to pull this series out, none of which have anything to do with rooting against the Yankees just because.

One thing is, I'd like to see the Angels win Game 6 so that there's a Game 7. That would be exciting. Secondly, it has been a long haul for the Angels this season. As I've mentioned before, they have the best story this post-season - no one would have blamed them if they had mailed their season in after the early-season Nick Adenhart tragedy. But they've come this far, it would be a shame if they fell short of the World Series.

Finally, though, I don't want it to be a Phillies-Yankees World Series. There are two reasons for this. One is that this is a repeat World Series, and I would feel like we wasted the year if there wasn't a new matchup in the World Series. Secondly, this is the baseball equivalent of the Super Bowl a couple of years ago when the Giants beat the Patriots.

The Yankees are the Giants - the team that but for the grace of God I could have chosen as my own, resulting in me celebrating multiple championships in my lifetime in either sport rather than the one (1986 Mets) I've lived through.

The Phillies are the Patriots - the rival team that is enjoying all of its success at the expense of my team. I have to watch them celebrate championships while my team watches from home...and it becomes more and more clear that this situation bothers me more than it ever will them.

So there's a no-win situation for me with Phillies-Yankees. Let's Go Angels.

*A few articles this week called the Mets "winners" in the Bernie Madoff situation, because they ended up 'making' money on the Ponzi scheme. I think that's just tasteless - no one is a winner in that situation, and it shouldn't be said no matter how clever it makes a headline. Second to that, the Mets will literally not end up winners - won't they have to pay back those millions of dollars? What I took from those stories is that the Madoff scandal may affect the Mets for years down the road.

*I feel like I need to weigh in on this ESPN controversy this week. I don't know why I'm always surprised when these things, like the Steve Phillips situation, come out - I worked in the TV news business for a number of years and there must be something about the egos involved, but there's a lot of low-lifes in the industry. And the people at ESPN have turned me off for a number of years - I never watch SportsCenter anymore - I get my sports news in quick chunks on ESPNEWS and then move on. So I shouldn't be surprised when these types of revelations come out - yet I always am. I guess I expect the best of people. Now, though, I may have to take the opposite approach - and it's going to be hard for any of the ESPN-affiliated folks to earn my respect.

*Today is the 23rd anniversary of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. It's funny - I think this merits another blog another day, maybe during the World Series, but I have some very distinct memories from the 1986 post-season (and season)...Game 6 is not one of them. (I was 8 years old.) I'm not sure why - maybe because I've seen it so many times on tape since....but I feel like of all the games this is one I would have seen much if not all of - it was a Saturday night, I remember being up for other games....I don't know. Just no memory of it as a live event. I will re-visit this conversation.

*Thanks to the reality check offered by the Jets these past few weeks, I no longer feel like I have to make an argument for the Jets to win every week. I still think they beat Oakland in Oakland, but we all know what a tough place that has been for the Jets historically. I'll say Jets 13, Raiders 10, but I would not be the least bit surprised if Oakland wins. (The Eagles probably helped the Jets out last week by laying an egg in Oakland - I just figure it's less likely for the Raiders to win two weeks in a row.)

*In other pick news, I'm big on the road teams this week. (And not to brag or anything, but I'm currently second place overall in my pool...I win a lot of the games that I don't write about here, believe it or not.) I like Chicago, Atlanta, Arizona, San Francisco, and Minnesota - all getting points on the road, and I like Green Bay, San Diego, Indy, and the Patriots (the 'road' team in England) all giving points on the road. One road team I do not like, you may remember from my rambling earlier in the week, is the Saints. Watch out for the Dolphins upset.

*For those of you reading 200 Miles From the Citi who may not know this, my new blog location (not so new anymore, I guess) is through a sort of parent group - http://www.worldsportsblogs.com/ - you may want to start coming to my site through there. There's some other stuff worth reading there on a variety of topics.

A (MADE-UP) CONVERSATION WITH THE OWNER OF THE JETS

My brother (Still About 10 Miles From The Citi) works in the radio industry in New York City. As such, he was at the Bon Jovi World Tour announcement Thursday afternoon.

Perhaps you're wondering why non-sports/non-Billy Joel music news makes news on my blog.

Well, first of all, the Bon Jovi concerts will be the first events at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Secondly, in attendance to announce the event was Jets owner Robert "Woody" Johnson. My brother shook Johnson's hand and said, "I'm a big fan." Johnson reportedly complimented my brother's sunglasses. (My brother is quite stylish.)

Of course, I fully expected my brother to then say, "My brother is an even bigger fan, and writes this great blog - you should check it out." He didn't. He tells me that if the conversation had lasted longer it probably would have been the next thing he mentioned. I'll buy that.

Anyway, it made me think of what I would say to Woody Johnson in a similar spot. It might go something like this:

"Hello, Mr. Johnson.

I just want to let you know I'm a huge Jets fan, and you've done a really nice job of getting the team going in the right direction since you took over the operation.

I'm a little disappointed, though, in the way you've handled this new stadium situation. The Jets belong in New York. You really dropped the ball with this stadium deal remaining in New Jersey.
The Jets have never had a home to call their own...and you're marketing this Jersey stadium as changing that. I hate to tell you, though, that a shared stadium won't feel much different than what the Jets' situation is right now. Sure, the stadium is beautiful and it won't have the Giants name on it...but it's still shared by both teams.

And I can't believe how terribly long-time season ticket holders are being treated in all this. My dad has had tickets for 40+ years, but your people aren't recognizing about a decade of that time. I bet if he was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each season on the premium seats things would be different. But he's an upper deck ticket holder, who doesn't even have a personal seat license. So I guess he's not that important to you. That's the way I see it anyway, and why we're going to probably give up those season tickets after next season.

So that's been a bummer. But thanks for everything else. It's not so bad being a Jets fan anymore - Rex Ryan brings some excitement to the picture, and I like the promise of Mark Sanchez.

Keep up the good on-the-field work. And don't forget about us fans who might not be a certain cheerleading fireman.

And oh yeah, I wanted to give you these sunglasses. I thought you might like them.

I stole them from my brother."

UNACCEPTABLE UMPIRING

This post-season has been a disgrace as far as the umpiring in Major League Baseball.

Generally, I know, umpires do a good job. They only stand out when something goes wrong.

Well, I don't want my umpires to stand out - ever. And especially not during the playoffs. But that's exactly what's happened far too much this year.

There were terrible calls in the Yankees-Twins series, one a possible game-changer. There were terrible calls in the Red Sox-Angels series. And the capper on an awful post-season for MLB umps came Tuesday night in Game 4 of the Yankees-Angels series.

There was a tag on a pickoff where the runner was clearly out. There was an appeal play to third where the runner was not out. Both calls went the wrong way (and I strongly suspect the latter was to make up for the former).
Then, the most unbelievable of all the calls. With 1 out, Angels catcher Jeff Mathis tagged two Yankees, clear as day, right in front of the umpire, for a definite double play. The umpire called one of the Yankees out and for some reason gave the other runner the base.

Little leaguers watching the game (if they could make it that late - to be honest, there could have been more bad calls but I fell asleep after this one) were probably screaming at the TV that the umpire blew it - that's how elementary the call was.

I don't want instant replay over plays like that one. I want the umpire to get it right. I want the umpire to admit his mistake and change his call - it doesn't take instant replay to convince someone that what he saw and what he called were incompatible. Not to mention there are five other umpires on the field who know what the right call is and could make it.

I want what the SEC did on Wednesday - they didn't like some of the calls coming from one of their officiating crew (some fishy-sounding calls, incidentally), so they suspended the crew. I want the crew calling this Yankees-Angels series suspended. Bring up the backups, the umpires who didn't quite make the League Championship Series cut....or better yet, bring in the ones that just missed making the post-season....to replace them.

Because to this point, none of the calls has had a disastrous impact on a game or a series. But at this rate, one will.

DEFENDING CHAD PENNINGTON

I'm re-learning that one of the things you can't control without DirecTV is who you watch the games with on Sundays.

Sure, I have some control over who I go out with, and thanks go out to Dave in Brighton, who currently leads the league in football outings with me. But we can't really control who else we watch the game with.

Take Week 3 - we tried an old haunt where we get our own booth with our own TV to watch the Jets-Titans game. We were allowed to watch the game mostly in peace until a Patriots fan made his way over and adopted our TV to watch the end of the game. He had picked the Jets that week, and had money riding on the outcome. I was happy to have someone on my side in hostile territory, but I wouldn't have minded if he was a little more sober, and a little less physical.

A couple of weeks ago, Dave in Brighton and a friend of a friend of his were out, and I met up with them to watch the Jets-Saints. We sat behind a huge Bengals fan (mostly in stature...although he seemed like he was also really into his team) - and this was the week they almost tied the Browns. He watched that game in the bar like I watch Jets games in my living room. At our table was a girl (the aforementioned friend of a friend) who was rooting for the Bucs...and after meeting her I hope the Bucs don't win a game the rest of the season. But that's not the point.

The point was, as we watched some of the Bills getting smoked by Chad Henne and the Dolphins that week, she started dumping on Chad Pennington. I tried to get her to stop and strongly hinted something along the lines of "But he's my hero...", but she continued, and she became more offensive with each sentence. Comments like, "Addition by subtraction", and "they're better off with Henne"....I mean, it sounded like she was talking about someone like Plaxico Burress.

Well, I feel the need once again to defend Chad Pennington. Especially because the Dolphins are riding a pretty convincing 2-game winning streak with Henne at the helm, and because there's a better than 50% chance that they beat the best team in football this weekend. (Aside: this is such a trap game for the Saints - the Dolphins are coming off a bye week, the Saints have the Falcons the following week in a battle for NFC South supremacy....it's a total look-ahead game...and let's face it, they're not going undefeated...so why not lose this one?) Anyway, after that happens, everyone will be all over Pennington for standing in Henne's way at the beginning of this season.

But I have one simple argument to make - probably for the last time until Pennington becomes relevant again - by backing up a starting quarterback somewhere in the league, taking over that team following an injury, and leading them to a Super Bowl win....and here's that argument:

The New England Patriots have won the AFC East 8 of the last 9 years. The player to stop that streak - Chad Pennington, quarterbacking the Miami Dolphins last year. In every other year that he was healthy, his teams were the only teams to come within sniffing distance of those Patriots (2002 - Jets and Pats both 9-7, but the Patriots won the division; 2004 - the Jets were 10-6 to the Pats' 14-2; 2006 - the Jets were 10-6 to the Pats' 12-4). Now, I know this argument gets weaker in that the Patriots went on to win Super Bowls and the Jets only won a playoff game that whole time (should have been more if not for a certain kicker in 2004, but I don't want to get into that right now), but that's a whole lot better than 90% of the quarterbacks in the league.

So think twice before you go after Chad Pennington and his arm. Because when that arm was healthy, all he did was win.

I SUPPOSE IT COULD BE WORSE....

Every time I want to wallow in my own misery with the Jets I have to remind myself that they're doing the right things...and once Mark Sanchez works through his "firsts", things will be OK. Really, things are on the upswing for the Jets. There are other teams that are not so lucky:

*Take the Tennessee Titans. Was I missing something huge here picking them to do well again this year? They're essentially the same team as last year's that piled up the best record in the league. Now they're 0-6...and coming off a 59-0 thrashing to the Patriots. And it's only going to get worse for them before it gets better.

(A positive note for Tennessee, though, is that they were part of the "best-looking game" of the season, as far as I'm concerned. I love the red/white Patriots uniforms, and those uniforms looked especially good on the field with the old Oilers' blue and white uniforms...and then with the snow background, they just looked even sharper. So congratulations on that, Titans.)

*Then there's the Washington Redskins. Seems like no matter how much money they spend, things aren't going to go their way under their current ownership. And I thought they were going to be good this year...they've now lost back-to-back games to the struggling Chiefs and Panthers...after barely getting by the Bucs and losing to the Lions. That's a rougher stretch than what the Jets have been going through...oh yeah...and the Redskins' quarterback of the future is not really panning out (hopefully the Jets aren't going to follow that script).

*The Rams and Buccaneers are in a downward spiral, sitting at 0-6 and not going anywhere anytime soon...and the aforementioned Chiefs, as well as the Browns, are lucky to have a win. Those teams are all far worse off than the Jets.

*Then there is a team like the Cowboys, who play well year after year, and are likely to make the playoffs again this year....but if you've watched them play, they won't win anything this year.

So I guess all I'm asking is for the Jets to take advantage of this time where I'm not going to be terribly upset by the growing pains...so that when they reach full maturity, I won't be disappointed year after year and I can finally enjoy some consistent winning football.

Speaking of winning football - the Saints looked good again beating the Giants on Sunday. About the only thing that keeps me from wanting to see them do well is the presence of Jeremy Shockey on that team. Otherwise, they seem a very likeable bunch....and they're really, really good.

Yes, Drew Brees continues to put the ball where his receivers can make plays. But I've NEVER seen a group of receivers that more consistently makes plays without dropping balls. They just haven't made mistakes yet this season - especially the two games I've watched them play extensively - against the Jets and Giants.

Now both teams may not be as good as advertised (the Jets are no better than their 3-3 record indicates, and the Giants are still good but did beat up on some bad teams...), but that doesn't matter when evaluating New Orleans.

They are the real deal - and if they keep this up, they'll be the Super Bowl champions.

BILLS 16, JETS 13 OT

It took almost an entire overtime period for the Jets to drop to 3-3 and officially be considered a .500 team.

But if you watched the game (which in one of my most desperate acts as a football fan I drove to New York to do), you saw early on that the Jets really are no better than a .500 team.

You may remember in the preseason that I said Mark Sanchez's fast start (48-yard touchdown on his first throw) was probably the worst thing that could happen to him. I also said the humbling game he had against the Ravens might turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to him. I forgot about that lesson as the Jets jumped out to a 3-0 start this year. And I take back what I said about his first preseason game - the 3-0 start to his career is THE worst thing that could have happened to Mark Sanchez.

What today's game showed me is that the Jets are far closer to the team that went 0-3 the past few weeks instead of the team that started the season 3-0. And Mark Sanchez, at this stage in his career, is more likely to throw 5 interceptions than throw, oh, I don't know....6 touchdowns.

The Bills are terrible. That assessment did not change after watching them play today. But the Jets are not too much better.

Because of their upcoming schedule, the Jets may continue to fool people into thinking they are better than they really are. They'll beat up on some teams that are worse than they are...and, as they showed today, they'll probably lose to a couple of those teams as well.

It's all part of the learning experience with a rookie quarterback...and a rookie coach. It's just unfortunate for them that they made people forget what comes along with rookies in those spots with such a fast start.

And unfortunate for me that I was one of the people who got caught up in the ride.

SUNDAY PAPER

Ryan Madson's bases loaded walk to give up the go-ahead run in Game 2 of the NLCS reminded me that it was 10 years ago that Kenny Rogers did same for the Mets in the NLCS.

The stakes were higher in Rogers' case - it was the bottom of the 11th of Game 6, and the run not only won the game but also clinched the series for the Braves. I can't imagine a more anti-climactic event than a series-ending bases loaded walk.

The bases loaded walk has been the bane of my existence this past decade or so - it just drives me nuts every time I see it - throw a strike! So with tomorrow being the 10-year anniversary of Kenny Rogers' becoming my number one baseball enemy...I turn to prose for therapy:



The Bases Loaded Walk
There are fewer things I do not like
With three men on, Count: three and two,
Than when the pitcher can't throw a strike
And "Ball Four," says the man in blue.

It seems like such a simple thing
He's done so many times before
To throw a strike, induce cheering
Rather than a walk and a free score.

I suppose if it would help my team
I wouldn't mind as much
But lately every time, it seems,
My team fails in the clutch.

A pitcher's role within the game
Is to help his team, not hurt.
He has no one but himself to blame
When his pitches hit the dirt.

With the bases loaded walk, you know,
The defense has no play,
Can't aid the pitcher in his show,
And it's hard to win that way.

It's annoying, that walk, to say the least,
When the bases are fully jammed...
It's a quiet killer, a silent beast...
I'd almost rather a grand slam.

*Hall of Famer Gary Carter has yet another new gig - Carter will manage the Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish. That's a Division II college team. Carter, once he got no offers from anything at the major league level, decided he'd rather work close to home in Florida - apparently he became a grandfather for the first time in August and felt like he missed out not being there. Lots of talk that people in baseball are still upset with him for 'campaigning' for Willie Randolph's job in 2008. I think it's time for people to get over themselves and admit that he rubs them the wrong way for more than that one thing.....and watch out for a Division II championship very shortly for PBAU.

*More former Mets are back in the New York fold. Tim Tuefel is the seeming 'chosen one' within the organization - he's expected to be named manager of AA Binghamton. Mookie Wilson is going to be back in the organization in some capacity, and Wally Backman will be managing at the single-A level. Wish Carter was in this mix...

*Jose Reyes had surgery this week to clean scar tissue from the torn hamstring tendon behind his right knee. He's expected to be ready for spring training. I suppose of all the players whose injuries affected the 2009 season, Reyes was the most costly. I'm so torn, though - clearly the Mets are a more exciting team when Reyes is healthy and is a threat, but are they that much better with him than without him? I used to think, if healthy, he was the most important player on the team....I view him now, if healthy, as the most valuable trading chip.

*Jets can't lose to the Bills today. Just can't. It has to be a blowout, too, none of this piddly sit on a lead stuff. The Bills are terrible. Jets 30, Bills 14.

*I like Houston to cover in Cincinnati (they're getting five-and-a-half), but Cincinnati to win again...I don't care that Jacksonville is playing the Rams - they shouldn't be giving 9-and-a-half to anyone - St. Louis keeps it close...Arizona will beat Seattle outright - let alone take 2-and-a-half points from a favored Seattle...and I'm not learning my lesson from the New England game, I guess - I'm taking the Ravens as road 'dogs again, getting 2-and-a-half in Minnesota.

A CAUTIONARY TALE

There are all sorts of Jets seasons I could throw at you as evidence that I've been through this type of thing before.

A hot start followed by a disappointing collapse.

The Jets have written that book through the years...and I've devoured it cover-to-cover.

But 2009 seems different.

I've mentioned this before - I go into every new season optimistic. So those other years were extra disappointing to me when I went in thinking good things, had my expectations met, then exceeded, then shot down.

This season, I went in with my enthusiasm tempered. I accepted that it was a year of adjustment, with a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach and coming off a lackluster year a year ago.

Then they earned my enthusiasm...they earned my optimism...starting out the year 3-0, then losing a tough game at New Orleans.

Like so many of these similar seasons of the past, this year might have taken a sharp turn towards disaster against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football (my brain has just recovered enough from the late night to reason this all out, incidentally).

But still, I get the feeling that 2009 is different.

Sunday brings the Buffalo Bills to town...and they are a disaster. They couldn't score against Cleveland, which by all rights should not have won a game this season. They got blown out by the same Miami Dolphins the Jets came within seven seconds of beating...or at least going to OT with. They are in a bad spot right now.

The old Jets...they lose this game in disappointing fashion.

The 2009 Jets - they should win this game, if they show the same kind of aggressive play they opened the season with.

And then the Jets are sitting at 4-2 with some winnable games to be played. Things could be looking up...

But, again, I'm cautious.

I GUESS I LOVE LA

First of all, I want to take this opportunity to officially throw the 200 Miles From The Citi endorsement behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Not only are they my only hope for a non-wasted baseball year (read: no repeat matchup in the World Series), I really like them. Especially this year - they're my feel-good story. So go Angels!

That said, time for my predictions...it's kind of an L.A. story:

ALCS - Angels vs. Yankees

I don't have much solid evidence to back up my rooting for the Angels here...other than the fact that I'm still not 100% buying the Yankees this year.

If the Minnesota Twins could run the bases without looking like the New York Mets, they could have pushed the Yankees to four games...possibly even a fifth...but they just couldn't figure out New York this whole season.

The Angels, on the other hand, match up well against the Yankees.

What's to stop them from running all over Jorge Posada and taking extra bases? Certainly not Jorge Posada...maybe Jose Molina.

The Angels have the team of destiny thing going right now...and I'm not saying it will be easy....and I don't really love Brian Fuentes closing out games against the Yankees....but I'm going to take a flyer here and say Angels in seven.

NLCS - Phillies vs. Dodgers
Here's what's happening in the National League - things are settling back into a somewhat normal order.

The Dodgers played that first round series against St. Louis like the team they were early in the season - the best team in the National League.

The Phillies started to get the major contributions from the heart of their order that Phillies fans have been waiting for all season.

I think both of those things will continue in the NLCS.

The one thing that was more flukey in the NLDS was the thing that has plagued the Phillies all season long - closing out ballgames. That strength for that four-game series will disappear in this series - and that will be the difference.

It's going to be LA-LA in the World Series - Dodgers in six.

DOLPHINS 31, JETS 27

Well, that was unexpected.

I didn't think the Jets would lose to the Dolphins...but the Dolphins played a really great game.

They ran the Jets' defense ragged all game - a very tough defense looked tired all game.

Chad Henne looked good, but mostly because he had the time to make things happen. It's the same thing that allowed Miami to win last year - they have a very good offensive line.

It was nice to see Braylon Edwards make such a significant contribution right away. Hopefully it's because of a chip on his shoulder, and hopefully that chip stays all year.

The bottom line is the Jets' strategy, which we've seen all year, in which they don't turn Mark Sanchez loose at key moments when they're leading, came back to bite them tonight. We saw it when they started trailing - he can be trusted to throw the ball. He can help protect a lead...it doesn't have to be only the defense.

I think I'm getting old - Monday Night Football is too late for me these days.

At first I was surprised when I saw the schedule and saw that the Jets play the Dolphins again so quickly - just a few weeks from now. Now I'm really glad they get them back so soon...there's some hatred back in this Jets-Dolphins rivalry.

I know I'm glad Chad Pennington isn't playing - it makes it easier to hate the Dolphins. I want the Jets to get back on the field against them tomorrow.

I hope the Jets players feel the same way.

MIND WANDERINGS

A Sunday on which the Jets don't play allows my mind to wander. This is either a good thing for you because my mind touches on lots of topics and maybe one or two will catch your interest, or a bad thing for you because you have to read them all. Here we go:

*I didn't really think the Angels would sweep and when they trailed late I actually thought, "Here we go again with the Angels unable to close out the Sox." I hope they win it all.

*The bad thing about an Angels sweep is Don Orsillo is probably done calling games. I hope the nation got a taste of what New England has been able to hear for almost a decade now - just how good of a play-by-play man he is. He has also improved as the years have gone on to get to where he is now - he had a rough first year (replacing a local favorite in Sean McDonough), and I remember his second game in the bigs was a no-hitter (I can't remember if it was Nomo or Lowe...I think Nomo in Baltimore) and he was so nervous it affected his call of the game. I also need to make clear that my liking of Orsillo is heavily influenced by how nice he was to me when we met a couple of times in 2003, when I was working in TV news, and he was showing up for our morning show to be an analyst. He could have been a jerk like 90% of the TV people I know...and I wouldn't really have blamed him because things did not go his way that post-season...but he was awesome. I have a soft spot for him ever since.

*I also think Ron Darling has grown by leaps and bounds as an analyst. I thought he was very dry in his year with Washington (I think his first year in the booth), but he's come a long way since joining the Mets. The nation is getting a taste of him in the Yankees-Twins series (and in the one-game playoff, too - he must have wanted to slap Chip Caray in the head after his blown call of the lineout to left-double play which Caray called a base hit). Anyway, I can't say the same for Darling about him as a person as I did about Orsillo. I don't get the feeling he's as great a person. I read Darling's book, and he really comes off as not very nice, and unapologetic about it. If you're not coming across nicely in your own book, you're probably not very nice. Second time in recent years I've been entirely turned off of someone by their own book - Mike Greenberg was the other.

*I guess we have to start believing the Broncos are for real now, huh?

*I want Rex Ryan to celebrate on the field after wins like Josh McDaniels did on Sunday.

*Boy, did the Dodgers look like a different team this post-season. Well, not really a different team, but they looked like the team that started the season, not the one that ended it.

*I think the New York Giants are going to get a heavy dose of reality next week against the Saints - the first legit team they've played all season (and I'm including the Cowboys in that...what a joke they are). Should be a good game though.

*I know I've been talking a lot lately about Hall of Famer Gary Carter and his managing prospects, but I haven't mentioned a huge player in the upcoming managerial openings - Bobby Valentine. First of all, I don't really know who's looking for a manager at this point...but Bobby V.'ll bring some excitement to wherever that is.

*Just like I feel tonight's game with Miami is a game the Jets can't lose...there are others coming up on the 2009 schedule. Among them is the Raiders. The Giants made the Raiders look silly, but the Jets have had their struggles against Oakland...and they have to play out west. The old Jets would lose that game, or win by a field goal. I'm curious how these Jets will play.

*I'm ready for some football.