Starting a new thing on the blog called the Starting 9 which will be 9 different things from the sports world. Will try to make this fairly regular. Although most will be quick hits, the leadoff will start it off and cleanup will have the meat.
1) This is one of those times in my life where my sports dominates. Rumors are flying before the NFL Draft that my football team, the Giants, are going to trade for one of the two WR on the market: Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin. Yesterday the Yankees played at 4 PM and won the game on the back of their captain, Derek Jeter. At 7 PM I went to the NHL Tweetup in New York City at the NHL Store. It was a really cool event with a lot of giveaways and I got to see some fellow Twitterers (sort of odd seeing these people in person, but cool too), Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, and the Stanley Cup. At the Tweetup, I watched the Rangers take a two goal lead and then squander it, and then come back to win (more on that in the cleanup spot)
And today was the opening of the New Yankee Stadium for regular season baseball. Although I wanted to be there very badly, I had to work today so I sold my tickets. I watched some of the pregame ceremonies on a TV here at work and the stadium looks beautiful on a nice sunny day and I'm excited to visit it many times during the summers of my lifetime. In the end, as my dad pointed out, I've seen them trek the old players out and do all this pomp and circumstance for the All Star Game and last game at the old Stadium. I saw the first game at this new Stadium (the first Cubs one). So I'm sort of OK to just be watching from afar, especially with lots of good sports things going on in my life.
2) This morning's big news was that John Madden retired today after 30 years in the broadcast booth. I will miss his bromance with Brett Favre the most. But while he stated the obvious WAY too much, I actually enjoyed hearing him call a game...from time to time. He will forever live on in athlete foot and Outback Steakhouse commercials and his beloved video game.
3) The Jews got screwed (H/T to Jay). My people have suffered great hardship for many years and now the NFL is just piling it on. Deadspin adds a few Jewish word references. I wonder if they do change the dates or at least the times of those two games to try to be more accommodating. Maybe I'm asking for too much but seems like the right thing to do. Speaking of the Jews, a great amateur eater review of Citi/Taxpayer Field in the New York Times Bats blog with a pretty funny ending.
4) I may have said before that I LOVE postseason hockey. And this year, is no different despite my team not being great. I got home from the NHL Tweetup to see that the Rangers had blown a two goal lead. And then Brandon Dubinsky made me remember why I thought he was going to have a big season when it began. He deked the skates off the defensemen and scored the game winning goal. This was a game played in Washington, without Chris Drury, and in a series that no one has picked the Rangers to win. Although it's only one game, it was exciting to see Henrik Lundqvist put the Rangers on his back and guide them to victory. And a little play in the game, turned out huge, when Sean Avery had a little pick of the Caps defenseman, Mike Green, to free up Scott Gomez to score the Rangers first goal. It got the Rangers on the board and started their momentum swing. A lot of the talk afterward was not about how well Lundqvist and the Rangers played but how poorly Jose Theodore and the Caps defended...especially Theodore. This was a little unfair. Although the Caps had chances, the Rangers commitment to playing their game and stick it to the Caps is why they won game 1.
5) I was sent this by a bunch of people, but NICE house that CC Sabathia will be living in. Six bedroom, 12,000-square-foot, 2 acre mansion. Amazingly, he paid in cash for the house and paid less than the Yankees are paying him just to pitch in 2009. Wow.
6) I love this story of the guy stealing $43,000 in ketchup heading to Fenway Park. Even though he's not from Massachusetts, he qualifies as a honorary Masshole.
7) When I saw Mad Dog last night, there was no doubting why he is on radio. The man couldn't deal with being on TV. According to this story, he also can't deal with not being allowed inside the New York ballparks to broadcast his show. I guess that's why a professed non-NHL fan was in the NHL store last night doing a show.
8) As I said before, the imminent Edwards-to-Giants rumors turned out to be false. Not saying he's not coming, but both Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News and Tom Rock of Newsday confirm that the Giants interest in Anquan Boldin is growing. I actually think Edwards may be a better fit and cost less in money and picks. But the Giants should explore all options, at the very least to create some leverage in negotiations with the Browns.
9) This is pretty ridiculous: a guy got kicked out for trying to go to the bathroom during the 7th Inning Stretch at Yankee Stadium (H/T Jay). He claims a violation of his First Amendment rights and I totally agree with him. The Yankees have force fed this "God Bless America" down our throats, but now they're actually punishing you if you don't want to sit and listen to it. Pretty awful.
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