No means no

I never imagined myself in this twisting a situation. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but here's what I have been learning over the last six weeks through this situation.

1) Some people can't accept that no means no. And when I have to be assertive and put my foot down, I feel like the bad guy for refusing or rejecting something or someone. But you know, it can save me from a whole lot more chaos and frustration that would come if I chose to not be assertive.

2) And I have been abandoned by people I liked and even loved. So now I'm in the role I'm not used to. Telling someone I can't give them what they want when I still genuinely care...it's a hard call. 

3) I don't want to destroy anyone emotionally, but then again, they need to be strong enough to handle it. All I can do is explain myself with class and respect and the reaction...well, that's up to the recipient. I have responsibility, but only to a point.

4) Why do so many people want exactly what they can't have. It's refreshing to know people who aren't like that.

5) Oh yeah, Kirk Nieuwenhuis! Walk-off home run! Mets beat the Cubs!!!! Thank you Carlos Marmol for stinking!!!!

NY recap

OK, I'm overdue on this and I didn't even bother to keep a journal, so let's just go with bullet points for this trip recap.

Two flights to NY the night before had been cancelled
I barely made a flight
Was prepared to drive to LGA
Flew to JFK instead
Air Train
Arturo's Pizza
Met with Pete and Nicole
Fiesta pizza
Bacon and roasted peppers
Watched new 1994 NY Rangers DVD
Bedtime

Trattoria in Astoria for graduation party
Felt like an old family party
Met Rob Herer
Table #5
Clams, calamari, fried eggplant
Hugest shrimp ever
Awesome lamb
Red wine kept flowing
Back to house to change clothes
Over to Citi Field
Mets lose both games

Katz's
Saw my father
Corned beef/pastrami and a knoblewurst sandwich
Staten Island Ferry
Awesome view of Statue of Liberty
Coney Island
Bad restaurant
Sitting in lifeguard chairs
Wonder Wheel

Top 15 George Jones songs

As big a fan I am of country music (and older music, right Julie?), I just realized I didn't write a tribute to George Jones, perhaps the greatest country music singer of all-time, who passed away on April 26. So in his honor, I'm counting down my 15 favorite Possum songs I've ever heard. Ten just wouldn't be enough to do the man justice.

15) Two Story House
"I've got my story, and I've got mine too. How sad it is we now live in a two story house."
A tale about a young, married couple seeking fortune, fame, and the finer things in life. They achieve it and buy a two story house, only to realize that they "left love out".

14) Bartender's Blues
"Well, I'm just a bartender, And I don't like my work, But I don't mind the money at all."
An absolute jukebox staple. Penned by the legendary soft rock singer/songwriter James Taylor, who also sang backup on the record.

13) Walk Through This World With Me
"In life we search and some of us find. I've looked for you a long, long time"
The title pretty is pretty much all we need to know. Not too many lyrics, not many are needed. A man asking the woman of his dreams to stand by him for the rest of his life.

12) Golden Ring w/ Tammy Wynette
"By itself, it's just a cold metallic thing. Only love can make a golden wedding ring"
Ironically, for the First Couple, the song was a hit one year after their divorce.

11) The Grand Tour
"As you leave, you'll see the nursery. Oh, she left me without mercy, taking nothing but our baby and my heart."
I really prefer Aaron Neville's version, probably because it was the first version I heard of this absolute tear-jerker. George recorded this song about a broken relationship in 1974, the same year he and Tammy divorced. Is it a coincidence that the song was co-written by Tammy’s future husband, George Richey?

10) Finally Friday
"It's finally Friday, I'm outta control. Forget the working blues and let the good times roll."
It may be the best after-work song of all time. It's fun, it's happy, it makes you want to just stand up and cheer so loud!

9) White Lightning
"I took a little sip and right away I knew. And my eyes bugged out and my face turned blue"
Just a fun song about moonshine. The moan George gives before he gasps the title of the song have to make you chuckle.

8) She Thinks I Still Care
"Just because I saw her then went all to pieces, she thinks I still care."
Brilliant songwriting. A man putting on a brave face that he doesn't care about his ex, while all the while, it's breaking his heart.

7) If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)
"Lord it's been ten bottles since I tried to forget her. But the memory still lingers lying here on the ground."
It's a picture of the hell that comes from medicating by alcohol. This guy is dangerously desperate. He can't bear to live anymore because of the excrutiating pain of his woman leaving. Drinking appears to be an easier path to him.

6) High-Tech Redneck
"He ain't into hip hop, he ain't into rap. He likes to rattle them speakers with Ronnie Milsap"
One of George's last singles that hit the Top 30. Just a fun song, with a catchy riff that somehow combines a rural, blue-collar dude with the latest technology, such as cell phones, CD, picture-in-picture, and get ready for it...VCR's! Folks, we've come a long way since 1993!

5) A Good Year For the Roses (w/ Alan Jackson)
"A lip print on a half-filled cup of coffee that you poured and didn't drink. But at least you thought you wanted it, that's so much more than I can say for me."

Rarely is a re-made version of a song better than the original, but I adore this recording that leaves out the orchestra and includes steel guitar and dobro. Not to mention the melancholy vocals of the great Alan Jackson. Even Elvis Costello covered this track in the early 1980's.
4) The Window Up Above
I've posted the lyrics before, there's no need to do it again. But it's simply one of the best cheating songs ever, and I love it because it's the guy getting screwed over, I might know something about that. As the man confronts his wife, he tries to maintain control, but his voice betrays his pain. The background vocals become a funeral choir as his marriage dies before his eyes.

3) Choices
"If I had listened, no I wouldn't be here today living and dying with the choices I've made."
George's last Top 30 single that also earned a Grammy award. It's his swan song in a way. Anyone can relate to the lyrics, but since it's George Jones singing it, the lyrics feel that much more vibrant and that much more chilling. They're humbling and they're striking.

2) Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes
"Who's gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you? Lord I wonder, who's gonna fill their shoes?"
Recorded in 1986, this is pure truth. Who will rise up and assume the mantle left by the Waylon's, the Cash's, the Marty's, the Acuff's, etc. Now it begs a new question. Who could ever take the place of the Possum. The answer is easy. No one.

1) He Stopped Loving Her Today
"You know, she came to see him one last time. Oh, we all wondered if she would. And it kept running through my mind, this time he's over her for good.
Perhaps it is the quintessential country music song. Maybe the most painful love song ever written. The morbid story of a man who has to pass away to finally stop loving his ex was not a favorite of Jones at first as he thought it was too sad. And after years of substance abuse, he had no desire to record the song, but did so at the insistence of producer Billy Sherrill. And the song only earned him Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards and CMA Male Vocalist honors in 1980 and 1981. As Jones put it in his autobiography, “a four-decade career had been salvaged by a three-minute song.”

The winning hit

http://www.mlb.com/r/video?content_id=27537631

The tying hit

http://www.mlb.com/r/video?content_id=27537553

Breaking ties

1) I never wanted to date my twin. Just someone who respected the differences between us. Clearly, that is not what I had.

2) I did have too much drama in that certain part of my life. And now it's time to end it. In some cases, that means cutting ties in some cases. And I know that is going to make me the bad guy and the bad friend, but you know what? I had to put my foot down. I had to be assertive. For too long, I didn't do that and it cost me dearly. Not anymore.

3) Maybe I was making up for lost time with my various actions the last three years. I know I have some learning to do about that subject. But in the process, I wound up in a situation I truly never wanted to be in. I jeopardized relationships and lost a few.

4) I'm not going to settle. I deserve happiness, companionship, that special connection. I deserve the best there is.

5) I'm saying it. I miss someone I've talked to and never met. I don't care who knows it anymore.

The 7 Line chants

The top 5 chants from the 7 Line army at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

10) Daniel Murphyyyy - to the tube of the song Seven Nation Army
9) Ruben Tejada song - it went to the tune of some famous Mexican song, where we go Nah nah nah... We have faith in Tejada!
8) JV1 - at Jordany Valdespin, who is de man right now.
7) Pitcher's got a big butt - at Scott Feldman
6) Yankees suck/Asshole one guy wearing a Yankee cap in the group
5) Right field sucks - at the Chicago fans on the other side of the bleachers
4) 1908 - self explanatory
3) Rooftops suck - at the rooftop dwellers jeering us while we were taking a group photo
2) Seven line army! - post game
1) Yankee reject - at Alfonso Soriano

The heaven and the hell

I woke up at 3:45 in the morning to catch a 6:40 flight. Halfway through my drive, I realized I left my bag of liquids (toothpaste, cologne, Purell, etc) on my bathroom sink. The plane ride was easy, it only took 25 minutes and only about a quarter of the seats were occupied. I think I slept the whole way, in what amounts to barely more than a power nap.

I landed and took the 8 bus on a 45 minute ride to downtown. I got off at Ohio Street and had to walk seven blocks south on Capitol to get to the Crowne Plaza, where I was staying. On my way, I passed the State Capitol and St Elmo Steakhouse.

I didn't expect the hotel to be under renovation. I also didn't expect it to be at the site of the old Union Station. There is a lot of iron and metal inside, it really does feel like a train station that was used a century ago. There are even hallways where you could walk out of your hotel room and there's be a locomotive staring you right in the face!

My room wasn't that great, the lighting system is laid out poorly, the outlets are hard to teach, and the drawers always feel like they're about to collapse. But at least it was suitable and it was my own. First hotel room I ever stayed in alone.

I changed into a pair of cargo shorts and my Mets mesh shirt and headed north to the Sailors and Soldiers statue, which is in the middle of a circle that divides downtown Indy. It's almost as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

Then, I went to City Market, which has a lot of small food stands, kind of like a Quincy Market in Boston. But it reminded me more of the one I went to in Baltimore, kind of low quality and not in the best neighborhood. But I took an everything pretzel, actually it was a row of three everything pretzels. I liked it, though the salt seemed a little strong. The pretzel was also topped with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and garlic. I ate half of it with honey mustard and over the course of the entire day, I finished the whole thing off.

From there, I walked north to Massachusetts Avenue, a diagonal street that has become a very trendy shopping district. I stopped into the oldest shoe store in America, Stout's shoes.

I them headed north to the Indiana world war memorial. This site has a long series of steps just like the art museum in Rocky, and when I was done running them, my calves had a nice burn going. I took a quick look at the Veterans memorial plaza, which looks like the Washington Monument, and then headed south.

I was starting to get hungry, so I walked down Illinois St, past the mall, to Harry & Izzy, which is the sister restaurant of St Elmo. Basically it's an upscale, yet approachable, American eatery. I sat at the circular shaped bar and I appreciate that both bartenders introduced themselves to me. Allie was really pretty and said mentioned when I had a little horseradish on my face. Said she was looking out for me if a cute girl sat next to me. Two minutes later, a 40 year old business guy takes the adjacent seat.

What I didn't know was they had a $20 pre-fixed lunch menu. I could pick one of two entrees and I could also pick two items between two apps, two salads, and two desserts. I chose the half prime rib sandwich with a side of cole slaw, along with the famous shrimp cocktail and a romaine hearts salad. So I skipped dessert! The salad was nice, romaine with candied walnuts, a few veggies, and a champagne vinaigrette. As far as the shrimp go, I never expected that cocktail sauce to taste so hot! That was some intense horseradish! But I was impressed how large the shrimps were, I certainly didn't get skimped on that. The sandwich consisted of thinly sliced prime rib with an onion jam, white cheddar, and a side of horseradish sauce all on an onion roll with a cup of jus for dipping. The meat was moist and the horseradish added just the right amount of kick. I barely tasted the onion or cheese though. And I also liked the slaw, which was made with mayo, vinegar, and celery seed. Oh, I almost forgot. I added a fried chicken slider for another five bucks. Sesame bun, dill pickle, garlic aioli and a thick, crispy, juicy piece of fried chicken. Tremendous. And it only cost me about $36 with tip.

I had back north one block and visited the circle center mall. I never planned to buy anything and I didn't. But I found myself in the Colts team store and wound up in a ten minute conversation with the guy working there, which was very cool.

Wanting to clean up and charge my phone, I headed back to the hotel, where I checked in for my Wednesday flight, changed clothes, and surfed the Internet for a few minutes. After checking in for the plane at 1:30, I headed west to White River state park. I took some photos of Victory Field, home of the AAA Indy Indians. They were playing Buffalo, which would have been a hell of a lot more fun than what I wound up doing. I could have made fun of Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas...

Anyway, I walked through the park and found the Segway tour booth. I had researched these tours online, but never gave them much thought. 48 bucks seemed like a lot too. But I guess I'd always been a little curious about these vehicles, so on spur of the moment, I signed up to take a tour of Indy on a Segway.

I got the feel for it pretty quick, shifting my weight on my feet wasn't too hard to do. Even steering came quite easily, so I was excited to get going. I rode with five other people through the park, aside the central canal, on the Cultural Trail, over the downtown bridges. There was even a stretch at the end of the tour where we had to drive five or six sharp curves right in a row. That may have been one of the coolest parts, it was challenging and fun. I was ready to ride it all the way to Ohio.

I laid out in the sun for a half hour, before heading back to the room for a dip in the pool and a shower and I put on my new black plaid shorts and my new orange Melo t shirt. I was ready to invade Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

I met up with a couple other Knicks fans outside, which was cool. I went inside at 5:30 and headed straight behind the Knicks bench, where several players were doing warmups. I saw Raymond Felton shooting 3's, Steve Novak dribbling, Tyson Chandler working on a low post game, and that stiff J.R. Smith warming up while wearing headphones. I even saw the now retired Rasheed Wallace shooting some long distance shots...um, yeah, retiring was a good idea Sheed.

As for the game, it could not have gone worse. The officials called technical after technical on the Knicks and the Knicks whined and whined over the calls. Mike Woodson made one stupid decision after another. Mainly, that would be playing Smith and Kidd, while leaving Marcus Camby, Pablo Prigioni, Novak and Chris Copeland on the bench. I left midway through the third quarter and headed straight back to the hotel. I much rather would have been home sipping Jack Daniels. I knew the game was over and once again, I was right when I wished I could have been wrong. 

I had no interest in seeing or talking to another human being. No one. Especially the idiots who were going to tell me it's just a game. People who say that crap either almost always win or they don't know what being a fan is like.Anyway, I turned on channel 26, which was supposed to be NBC sports network. I wanted to watch hockey. I flip it on and it's the food network. Friggin Chopped is on. I called the front desk and they realized they didn't have it...terrible job by them. I hadn't had dinner, so I called room service, ordered a burger and a Bass, cost me 30 bucks...fell sleep around 12:30.

Woke up at 6:30, feeling groggy, and I didn't change my clothes. I wore the same sleeveless t and ripped shorts I wore to bed to the fitness center. Although it took me four minutes to find the stairs and another six to find the fitness center. I had to weave though tunnels and construction zones, only to find a bench press, two leg machines, give cardio machines, and a universal gym, which I hate. I did pull downs and the bench press and abruptly left. I admit I was in no mood to do a long workout.

I would have showered but the drain was clogged from the previous afternoon. So I changed clothes and walked south to Shapiro's deli. I got an egg sandwich with American cheese and beef bacon on a poppy seed bagel. Six bucks...not cheap. I also got a peppered beef sandwich to go, which I'll try later. Them I went back to the room, packed up, checked out and walked back seven blocks north to the bus station. At least I had a decently cute girl to walk and talk with the whole way from the hotel. I do like redheads after all.

So now I have to wait two hours in the terminal for my flight and I can't go early because I checked a bag...and I better make it...because if I don't get the 1:30, I don't know when I'm getting out.

Live blog...Rangers vs. Capitals-Game 6-Period 3

Stats
1) Brassard and Stepan have combined to win 15 of 21 faceoffs for the Rangers.
2) Kreider's ice time now at 4:05, lowest of any player in this game.
3) Del Zotto actually leads the Rangers with five hits. Huh?
4) Girardi with four shots on goal, Pyatt with three. Huh?

5:33: Faceoff starts as I get confronted on Facebook by someone who needs to go away. Ovechkin powers to the net and Henrik stops his shot attempt.
5:35: Rangers get a power play as Ward shoves down Derek Dorsett into the Washington net. Dangerous.
5:36: Callahan and Nash with a 2-on-1, but Holtby stops the captain. Both players still scoreless in this series.
5:37: Power play fails. The Rangers are 0-for-5. The odd-man rush was really their only good opportunity too. 12:00 to go.
5:38: Tortorella stops a wide-open Ribero on the backhand. Commercial time. Just waiting for Washington to get a power play.
5:42: Capitals poke away, but Henrik stones them again! Game has gone by fast, but now it's gonna take forever. 10 minutes left...a second goal would be beyond huge.
5:43: Lundqvist poke checks a puck away as Fehr had an excellent chance off a 2-on-1 with Ribiero.
5:48: Backstrom tried to set up Ovechkin, but Girardi blocks the pass, sliding on his stomach.
5:49: John Carlson's wicked slap shot is stopped by Henrik and cleared into the corner.
5:49: Jason Chimera blasts Anton Stralman into the boards. Ugh...
5:50: High sticking penalty on Washington! Dorsett slammed into the boards and while he's on his knees, Mike Green cross checks him in the mouth. Power play! An opportunity to put it away.
5:53: Nothing happens.
5:53: Fehr storms down, gets off a hard wrist shot, that Henrik snatches with his left glove! Crowd goes wild! 3:48 left.
5:56: Zuccarello clears the zone with 2:30 left. Surprised to see him on the ice this late.
5:57: Washington pass from the goal line deflected by Pyatt out of the zone. Net is empty! 1:15 to go!!!!
5:58: Ovechkin tries to baseball swing the puck in on the backhand. Save by Lundqvist! 45 seconds...
5:59: Carlson's slapper blocked by Cally and goes right back to him.
5:59: Green with a slapper...blocked by...who else? Callahan!
6:00: Five seconds left! Carlson with one more shot. Save by Lundqvist! He kicks it right into the corner!
6:00: Rangers win! We have Game 7 Monday night!
6:01: We have a brawl. Refs quickly break it up.
6:03: Rangers salute the crowd.

3 Stars of the Game
1) Henrik Lundqvist
2) Derick Brassard
3) Derek Dorsett

Live blog...Rangers vs. Capitals-Game 6-Period 2

4:36: After 20 not so exciting minutes, Period 2 underway. Rangers have won 15 of 20 faceoffs...
4:37: Del Zotto at least tries to shoot. He just doesn't have the ability to put a puck on net.
4:38: Henrik stops Marcus Johanssen off a 2-on-1.
4:38: We go the other way Derek Stepan with a beautiful spin-o-rama pass to wide-open Carl Hagelin who tips the puck wide! Ugh, that hurt.
4:40: Boyle set up by John Moore...wide again.
4:41: Very aggressive forechecking by the Rangers. Taylor Pyatt and Aaron Asham especially active today.
4:41: Brad Richards pass off the boards to Steve Eminger, who can't handle the puck and it goes out of the zone...
4:42: Nash with a decent shot from the slot...no sir.
4:43: Eric Fehr tips the puck out of the Capitals zone and against two Rangers defensemen, manages to get a good scoring chance on Henrik.
4:43: Rangers fans chanting "Shoot the puck!" with great venom.
4:45: Rangers up 14-10 in shots. Controlling the play, but still no score. And controlling the play isn't enough to win a do-or-die game.
4:49: Rangers continue to crash the net. Capitals defense do an amazing job at blocking shots. Crowd cheers the Rangers effort.
4:50: GOAL! John Moore passes from the point to Derick Brassard who fires a slap shot straight away from the blue line. Rick Nash screens Holtby and the puck goes in off Caps defenseman Steve Olesky. Rangers lead 1-0! 10:21 remaining in the second period.
4:51: Ovechkin misses a backhander with Hank flat on his stomach! WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4:58: Joel Ward and Jason F'N Chimera with several chances for Washington, but the Rangers clear the puck.
5:01: Stepan, Hagelin, and Callahan, doing a great job keeping the puck deep in the Washington zone, especially with Ovechkin on the ice. But Washington gets out, and Ovy gets off a hard low wrister thank Hank stops.
5:02: Rangers counter, with a 2-on-1, but Jon Carlson breaks it up as Rick Nash is about to fire a slapper from the left faceoff circle. Less than five minutes left.
5:03: "Hen-ry" chant!
5:03: Holtby stops Brassard, Del Zotto shoots wide again.
5:04: Richards nearly backhands one over Holtby's shoulder, but no can do. Rangers absolutely dominating play.
5:04: Fehr gets laid out in the open ice by Brian Boyle and Del Zotto.
5:06: Nash with some nifty stick handling around Karl Alzner, but waits to long too get a shot off. Holtby poke checks the puck away.
5:08: Second period ends with the Rangers ahead 1-0 and the crowd roars its approval. 20 minutes to go.

Live blog...Rangers vs. Capitals-Game 6-Period 1

And so it is Mother's Day. Hi Mom. Let's get right to it.

So after the Mets lost 3 of 4 at home to lousy Pittsburgh and the Knicks no-showed Game 3 in Indiana, the Rangers season is hanging by a thread as they play Game 6 against Washington in Madison Square Garden. Win and it's Game 7 tomorrow night at the Verizon Center. Lose and it's just another early flame out in a long line of them. Ryan Clowe and Marc Staal are injured, so Chris Kreider and Steve Eminger will play. And it would be nice if Rick Nash actually makes his presence felt for the first time this series...

3:40: Opening faceoff-Ovechkin decks Dan Girardi...ugh, he cares about this game.
3:43: Taylor Pyatt stopped by Braden Holtby on a short side from the side.
3:44: A very interesting line of Brad Richards, Kreider, and Aaron Asham generates a decent scoring chance as Asham tries the wraparound. Rangers with the first 4 shots.
3:47: Del Zotto actually hits someone hard, Mathieu Perrault, and he looks shaken up. Ref stops the play just as the Rangers had a 3-on--2 developing. Tortorella is incensed.
3:50: Boyle set and shoots it wide over Holtby's shoulder. Five minutes gone in the first period. Crowd making some noise, but not enough.
3:51: Capitals get a shooting gallery going, but Henrik makes a couple saves. Commercial.
3:57: Capitals have five straight shots on goal.
3:59: Jack Hillen takes a retaliation penalty for roughing Ryan Callahan. PP Rangers
4:04: Callahan and Patt both with chances from right by the net Each time, the Washington defense protects the net.
4:06: Ovechkin blocks a McDonagh shot. Geez. I have a sick feeling. As good as the Rangers have been, the Capitals are desperate to end this now.
4:10: Karl Alzner going to the penalty box for delay of game as he clears the puck over the boards.
4:11: Eric Fehr elbows Derick Brassard in the jaw. Very dirty. 2-man advantage.
4:13: Pass, pass, shot from the point, no rebounds, no deflections, no chance.
4:15: Power play wasted.
4:16: Derek Dorsett sets up Taylor Pyatt with a pass from the corner. Good effort, but couldn't beat Holtby.
4:16: First period over. Rangers control most of it, but the Capitals are just playing rope-a-dope, defense first. They're just waiting for a Rangers mistake...

4:32: Early stats. Chris Kreider has 1:43 of ice time. John Moore's PP time: 0:00. This coaching staff has me at my wits end.

Playoff beard stopped

1) I grew my beard out for 8 days, but I had to shave it this morning. Not because the Rangers season has ended, but because I stopped by Wheaton College to follow up about a possible job opportunity. Without going into detail just yet, I applied one week ago on Tuesday, I think it would be a great fit for me, and on the surface, this could be a possible dream job for me. Praying hard over it.

2) Now that the Knicks have knotted their second round playoff series with Indiana at 1-1, I went ahead and booked my trip for Indianapolis next week. I secured a 4th row ticket in the balcony for $46 and through a little wheeling and dealing through Kayak.com, got a hotel room at the Crown Plaza downtown for $77. By comparison, I could not find a hotel room in downtown Indy for under $150, even when I went through the discount websites. I really think this is an excellent deal. My third trip to Indy, hopefully this will end as the last one did. That's in victory.

3) Breckenridge Avalanche Ale has become one of my new favorite beers. It has just a hint of hops and a strong caramel flavor and is a little more robust than a typical wheat beer.

4) I hope someone in the world likes me enough to buy me a blue home Mets Matt Harvey jersey...

5) RIP Dallas Willard. If he mentored John Ortberg into what he is today as a speaker and writer, then he gets all my respect, admiration, and gratitude.

Song pick: "You Take Me For Granted" Merle Haggard

Yeah, it was over

Today I heard you got a new last name, sure didn't know it was gonna hit me this way. Thanks for quitting.

NHL Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference
(1) Pittsburgh over (8) NY Islanders in 5 games
(7) Ottawa over (2) Montreal in 6 games
(6) NY Rangers over (3) Washington in 7 games
(4) Boston over (5) Toronto in 5 games

(1) Pittsburgh over (7) Ottawa in 6 games
(4) Boston over (6) NY Rangers in 7 games

 (4) Boston over (1) Pittsburgh in 6 games

Western Conference
(1) Chicago over (8) Minnesota in 6 games
(7) Detroit over (2) Anaheim in 6 games
(3)Vancouver over (6) San Jose in 6 games
(5) Los Angeles over (4) St. Louis in 7 games

(1) Chicago over (7) Detroit in 5 games
(5) Los Angeles over (3) Vancouver in 6 games

(1) Chicago over (5) Los Angeles in 5 games

Stanley Cup Finals
Boston over Chicago in 7 games

Conn Smythe Trophy: Mlilan Lucic

Draft recap-Day 2

So today was Rounds 2 and 3. It started around 5:30 and by then I was in Lombard, getting ready to meet the boys at AMC to go see "Oblivion", the new Tom Cruise sci-fi flick. The Jets had the seventh pick in the second round and as the round began, I was walking around Sports Authority, checking out the running shirts, hockey gear, and exercise equipment.

I wanted the teams to pick quarterbacks and defensive players. Above all else, I wanted the RB's, WR's, and TE's left on the board. this team is so in need of weapons at the skill positions, it's scary. Jacksonville selects a safety, who is good, but no big deal, because there is no way the Jets can pick a defensive player in Round 2 after picking two defensive players in the first round. Then Tennessee makes a trade and grabs Justin Hunter, a talented wide receiver. Disappointing, but ok. Then Philly takes Zach Ertz, a Stanford tight end, and that annoyed me. This team desperately needs a starting tight end and Jeff Cumberland is not the guy. Then the Lions take a CB, fine. Cincinnati takes a running back from North Carolina who I had never heard of named Giovani Bernard. Then with one pick left, San Diego drafts the legendary Manti Te'o from Notre Dame.

So I'm figuring the Jets are likely to take Geno Smith. I didn't want a quarterback without any hint of a supporting cast, but the fact that he fell so far when he was expected to go in the top 10, maybe that will put a chip on his shoulder. Maybe it's a good thing. The guy I really wanted was Eddie Lacy, the running back from Alabama. But the Jets indeed take Geno, giving them not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six quarterbacks on their roster! They are Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Matt Simms, Greg McElroy, David Garrard, and of course, Tim Tebow. To say the least, two need to go before summer training camp begins.

No doubt, it's a very intriguing pick. The big question is will Mark Sanchez be on the roster in September? Earlier today, D'Brickashaw Ferguson restructured his contract, allowing the Jets to save $5 million on their salary cap. I wonder if that's to create room to absorb the hit they would have to take if Sanchez gets cut.

So then the movie began and I turned my phone off. Two hours later, I came out of this mind-bender of a film and checked the draft tracker on my phone. I see in the third round, the Jets drafted a guard from Kent State, named Brian Winters. I don't know the man, but I like what I'm reading about him.

"Solid starter." "Throws smaller ends to the ground if they let up as the whistle blows." "...steps out to attack his man quickly after the snap, latches on like he’s beginning a wrestling match." Exactly what I want. You can have the best QB in the world, but if the line cannot protect him, he's going to get annihilated.

I figured that would be it for the night. But then, I drive 45 minutes home and I make some popcorn and a soft pretzel and head to the basement. Once I'm in the basement, I turned the Knicks playoff game on the TV and I checked the Jets website. Then, I see the Jets acquired Smith, Winters, and Ivory. This had been rumored about for a week or two, but Idzik has pulled the trigger and made the move to acquire Chris Ivory, the 25-year-old running back from New Orleans. I am ecstatic over this trade. He has shown flashes of excellence throughout his career, but was simply a victim of the numbers game in New Orleans who have the likes of Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Darren Sproles at running back. In New York, he will have a golden opportunity to prove he can be a legitimate starting running back in the NFL. I feel much better about the draft tonight than I did 24 hours ago.

So the Jets have three picks left, in the 5th, 6th, and 7th rounds. It's hard to find great players there, but I would like to see them take a safety with one of them. And I think another offensive lineman would help too, they've rarely had enough depth at that position.