Yankees injuries catching up

                                            New York Yankees win 3 out of 4 but LOSE
                                                  By, Nick Morgasen

The New York Yankees managed to beat Red Sox in an impressive 3 out of 4 games. For the most part the pitching in this series was pretty good. Ivan Nova pitched a great game going 7 1/3 innings giving up only 2 runs which was better then his first two starts. The bullpen was great the rest of the game. You had Hiroki Kuroda pitched not great, but still effective. McCann saved the game by hitting his first two home runs of the season. I don't understand why people panicked because it was only a matter of time before he was going to get hot with the bat. The one game that the Yankees lost in their series with the Red Sox was the game pitched by C.C. Sabathia and everybody is trying to write him off. I'M SICK OF HEARING THIS!!!!!!!!! Give the guy a chance he is readjusting to weight loss and knee surgery in the off season. I know he is only throwing 89-90 mph, but stop getting on the guy it has only been 3 starts. If your writing somebody off this early in the season you should just write the whole team off for the rest of the season. If your doing this you are looking at the glass half empty. C.C. made one mistake giving up a home run to Gomes in the 6th, but otherwise he pitched very well. The skeptics need to take a chill pill and give him a chance and if he is pitching bad after 10 starts then we can have a different discussion. The last starter to look at in this series was Michael Pineda who came off a lost season from multiple injuries. He has looked impressive so far as all his pitches are working and he is getting strikeouts and ground balls. He is going to be a huge factor in this Yankees rotation, but the key factor is going to be his health. If he can stay healthy then they have a potential 3rd starter in the 5th spot. So there were some other issues that happened in this series that caused a lot of shocked eyes. We saw instant replay used twice in this series. We saw Joe Girardi challenge a call on a ground ball hit by Fransisco Cervelli with runners on first and third and one out. First base umpire Bob Davidson called Cervelli out and as he went past first base he injured his hamstring. They went to replay and they ruled he was safe because the ball wasn't all the way in the glove and it looked like it was the right call, but it was very close. John Farrell came out and argued the call, but what is ironic is that he got into an argument with Davidson right after the instant replay was reviewed. It made Farrell look like a jerk, but I understand why he was upset because he had a call go against him earlier in the series where the replay people got it wrong and MLB admitted they were wrong. MLB needs to fine tune their replay system so they don't have this mess anymore. Back to the Yankees, so they lost Cervelli to a grade two hamstring, Derek Jeter had sour quads so he couldn't go and Brian Roberts is out due to a soar back so they have a lot of injuries now. The injuries got so bad that Carlos Beltran had to play FIRST BASE!!!!!!! Thank GOD he didn't get hurt playing out of position. Since no one is running away with division hopefully we can work on just getting healthy and getting the team back to full strength. We got good news that David Robertson their closer and Mark Teixeria (the new Mark Prior) will be back by the time their 15 day stint on the DL ends. The Yankees have better pitching and offense and the strength of the team the bullpen is weaker then the past two years as long as we stay consistent and not overwork people we should be fine. Also, I'm going to put good money on this year saying the Red Sox won't repeat because the odds of winning back to back world series' is very small.  

The Knicks Are A Disgrace

                                                            The Undoing of the Knicks
                                                                  By, Nick Morgasen


Congratulations New York Knicks on a disgraceful season this years as you will now have the summer off watching the playoffs from home. This has been a complete drop off from 54 wins to the mid 30's. They had huge expectations from James Dolan as it was a championship or bust season. You had Carmelo Anthony going into a contract year so you would think he is motivated to lead this Knicks team to the playoffs and possibly a title. Also, they were preparing to cut payroll to get ready for the 2015 free agency class. I don't know if the second time is the charm because the last time they cut payroll for free agency they struck out on every free agent possible including Lebron James laughing at this Knicks team basically saying, ya right!!!! I'm not going to say the Knicks completely struck out, they got Amare Stoudemire (LOL)!!!! He played better down the stretch, but come on he isn't going to carry this dysfunctional team. Another big problem now that J.R. Smith has his contract he wasn't going to try all season he is just going to untie people's shoelaces on the foul line or play with Vince Carter's headband. This team is going to need a lot of help in the future, but wait, THAT'S RIGHT THEY DON'T HAVE A PICK UNTIL 2018!!!!!!!!! Also the pick they would have had this year was part of the Carmelo trade with Denver. So much for take advantage of one of the best Draft classes in a long time!!!! It will also be interesting to see with Phil Jackson at the helm what major decisions he is going to make. Who is going to be the next head coach of the Knicks because it will most likely not be Mike Woodson. We are hearing rumors already of Steve Kerr being the next coach. Next, will Phil be able to get Carmelo to resign with the Knicks. A lot of people are saying if he signs with Knicks it will be only because the team can offer him the most money of any team. Disappointing season for the NY Knicks and if you disagree hit us up on Twitter @intheclutch881 and we will discuss the Knicks and we will talk about the playoff bound Brooklyn Nets. That's all for now this is a rebuilding team that will need at least 3 to 4 years if not all power to them.

         

                     The Captain Retires From The Game He Loves
                            By, Nick Morgasen

The end of an era is coming in 2014 for the New York Yankees. On Wednesday, Derek Jeter announced on his Facebook page that he is going to retire. According to espn.com Jeter said, "The 2014 season will be my last year playing professional baseball." The captain of the New York Yankees has had a storied career as he enters is 20^th and final season. Jeter has accomplished everything in his MLB career. According to espn.com, Jeter is “A five-time World Series champion and the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, the 39-year-old Jeter would be eligible for the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot.” Derek is a classy individual who hasn’t had a single blemish on his record. He has also had some amazing statistics, according to espn.com, “Jeter has 3,316 hits (ninth all time), a .312 batting average and 256 home runs. He ranks first in Yankees history in games played, at-bats, hits and stolen bases.”

So with Derek Jeter retiring he is the last of “The Core Four” to retire. Mariano Rivera had some kind words to say about Derek Jeter, “Just enjoy it. Be ready to enjoy everything, I think he deserves it, I think he has earned it." When Mariano announced his retirement he went on a good-bye tour which he enjoyed, but it was emotional at the same time. Mariano had been with the Yankees from 1995 to 2013. It was fun to see the different gifts he got at each ballpark including the rocking chair made out of broken bats at Target Field from the Minnesota Twins. Now it will be interesting to see if Derek Jeter’s final season will be treated the same way as Mo. Derek doesn’t like the spotlight and he would rather just focus on baseball and winning. I don’t blame him this is typical Derek Jeter putting other people before himself and that makes him a true gentlemen.

            You don’t want to forget some of the cool and amazing moments that Derek Jeter has had throughout his career. The first one I looked at is “The Flip” play he made in the 2001 American League Division Series against the Athletics. With Jeremy Giambi on first, Terrence Long hit a double into the gap and when outfielder Shane Spencer got the ball he overthrew the cutoff man, but Jeter moved from the normal cutoff position got the ball going up the first baseline and got the ball to Posada to get the out at home. This was an unbelievable play and it shows that Derek Jeter would never give up and this proved to be true throughout his career. Another great moment that I remember was also in the 2001 post season in the World Series. The Yankees were behind in the series 2-1 and Arizona closer Byung-Hyun Kim got two quick outs. The Yankees were on the verge of going back to Yankee Stadium down three games to one. Then Jeter worked a tough at bat as the count was 0-2 and on the ninth pitch of the at bat he hit an opposite homerun which led the crowd to go crazy. This led to Jeter getting the nickname Mr. November. This was an unbelievable moment that Yankee fans will never forget. Another amazing Derek Jeter moment took place on July 1^st, 2004 against the Red Sox. This game was an extra innings marathon and the moment happened in the 12^th inning when Tanyon Sturtze faced Trot Nixon. Sturtze threw a pitch that Nixon popped up over near the left field stands and Derek Jeter didn’t give up, on the play and he managed to catch the ball and ended up flying into the stands. It was an unbelievable play and the Yankees ended up sweeping the four game series from the Boston Red Sox. Derek managed to get a huge hitting milestone and that is the next great moment to share. On July 9^th, 2011 Derek got to 3,000 hits. He needed two hits that day and he managed to single to lead off the game. In his second at bat he got his 3000^th hit with a bang. He homered into the left field seats off David Price. What people don’t remember from that game is he managed a perfect day going 5-5 in his at bats and at the time it was only his fourth four hit game. Finally, my all time favorite Derek Jeter moment was when he passed Lou Gehrig for all-time hits in a Yankee uniform. On September 11, 2009 he passed Gehrig with 2,722 hits and in my opinion at that point he cemented his name for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Derek Jeter has had some great moments throughout his career and now we need to give him the spotlight that he never wanted throughout his whole career. He deserves to have it because he is a classy, respectful and humble individual. For Yankees fans it is an emotional day because he has been the shortstop since 1996. He will be greatly missed by Yankees fans including myself who has been a fan of his forever. Good luck in your future endeavors and hopefully in some capacity you will stay with the Yankees. Farewell to the Captain, it has been fun and we will never forget you!!!!!

   

Is The Dunk Contest Back?

                                                                                         By Deandre Wilson

    On Saturday night February 15, every basketball fan will be watching to see if  the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest will bring that same excitement that has been missing for several years now. Fans have been really disappointed for couple of years now because each player that has participated hasn’t really put on a show that’s been memorable. The dunk contest has always been the most anticipated event in All-Star weekend because it shows us some of the most acrobatic and insane dunks we thought we would never see. Players like Vince Carter, Jason Richardson, Dominique Wilkins, Blake Griffin and Michael Jordan performed dunks we never thought were possible. We have seen the incredible 360 windmill jam by Vince Carter in 2001, we seen a man by the name of Blake Griffin catch a alley-hoop over the hood of Kia in 2011, we seen an off the bounce between the legs reverse jam by Jason Richardson in 2003 and we seen the famous double pump free throw line dunk by Michael Jordan in 1988.

Vince Carter Windmill Jam in 2001 Dunk Contest 

Dunks that we seen in past years blew our minds as we jump out of our seats as soon as we seen these dunks performed. To this day we still mention these dunks wondering if there is more that can be done we never seen. This has been the issue recently in the dunk contest because we want to feel that same emotion we felt years ago when we saw something remarkable. It’s been so bad lately, we look towards Miami Heat pre-game warm ups when we get to see LeBron James do amazing dunks that haven’t even came close to being seen in the past two years of the dunk contest. We as basketball fans beg players like LeBron James, Josh Smith, Russell Westbrook and more to compete in the dunk contest because we see every night in games what they can do giving us hope that maybe they would show us something new. Unfortunately players like this are crucial parts of their teams in competing for a championship and they don’t want to risk injury. Since star players don’t really want to compete in the dunk contest anymore a lot of players that are not well known enter like Jeremy Evans and Javale McGee.   Since the last two years the dunk contest has become that event people don't really want to watch anymore when it use to be one of the most popular events. But good news basketball fans, this year three all-star players has stepped up to the plate. These three players will try to bring back that energy that has been missing in the contest with their different displays of crazy dunks in the first half of the season. Paul George, John Wall and Damian Lillard headline the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest as the favorites because they are the most noticeable players in the NBA. Paul George is a up and coming superstar for the Indiana Pacers, John Wall right now is playing as one of the top point guards in league and Damian Lillard is the key component on the Portland Trailblazers recent success being third in the Western confernce. The dunk contest will also feature last year champion Terrence Ross, Golden State Warrior Harrison Barnes and rookie Ben Mclemore. With these big names highlighting the dunk contest we can only imagine what will happen Saturday night.      

                               

 Who Is Your Winner ?

Oklahoma City Thunder serge pass the Knicks 112-100

By Brian Riley

 Kevin Durant was the biggest star this afternoon as he led all players with 41 points. He led his team to a 112-110 victory over the 10^th placed New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony had an off game with 15 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

The first half was very competitive with both teams going back and forth, neither opening a significant lead. Due to Anthony’s inefficiency, the supporting cast steeped up as Raymond Felton and Amare Stoudemire contributed 16 points each.

As for OKC’s role players Reggie Jackson continued his development with 19 points, and Ibaka added 18 points several of which were assist that came from Durant.

Durant continued his MVP level play with 12-of-22 shooting in addition to his nine assist as the Thunder pulled away in the second half. Durant helped seal the game by scoring 11 straight points in the fourth quarter. The Thunder shot 54.8% from the floor while the Knicks shot 44.2%. The Thunder also had an advantage in rebounding and fast break points.

The Thunder earned their 41^st win of the season and now sit four games ahead of the number two seed Portland Trailblazers. With this victory the Thunder have swept the Knicks in this year’s season series.

Curt Schilling Fights Another Tough Battle

By, Nick Morgasen

Curt Schilling is a pitcher that plays hard and fights until he gets where he wants to go. Schilling has accomplished a lot during his successful 20-year career. In 2001, Curt Schilling was a co-MVP with Randy Johnson when the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series. In 2004, while pitching against the Yankees in the American League Championship, he was pitching with a torn tendon and a bloody sock. He amazed everybody with the way he was pitching. Curt is a brave individual who was willing to do anything to help his team win no matter what the task was. According to espn.com, “last year Schilling told The Boston Globe he had a heart attack in November 2011 and had surgery to place a stent in one of his arteries. He said he experienced chest pains while watching his wife, Shonda, run in the New York City Marathon.” Also according to espn.com, “Shonda Schilling battled cancer after being diagnosed with stage 2 malignant melanoma in 2001.” So the Schilling family has faced adversity before and now they have to face it again. Curt Schilling has been diagnosed with cancer. It is a tough situation, but we all know that Schilling will fight like the all-start pitcher he was. We all get emotional when a loved one gets diagnosed with cancer, but we all hope that they fight to get into remission. Schilling had an interesting quote about fighting through tough situations, “My father left me with a saying that I've carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: 'Tough times don't last. Tough people do.” I agree with this statement because if you keep fighting through adversity it will eventually go away. We should all pray for Curt and his family and that he will get back to good health. It was announced through ESPN that Curt Schilling will be calling some Sunday Night Baseball games. I hope he gets healthy soon because his knowledge of baseball would sound great on ESPN during a MLB game. Get well soon Curt; we are all praying for your speedy recovery.

- Nick Morgasen

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