Kiki Vandeweghe named Nets Interim Coach

The Oh and 17 New Jersey Nets have named their General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe as interim head coach. If the Nets lose Wednesday against Dallas, the Nets will stand alone as the team with the worst start in NBA history. We were at the practice facility today and we talked to the new head coach and his players... Listen in!

Kiki Vandeweghe
 

Devin Harris & Rafer Alston
 

Lopez, Dooling, & Boone
 

YES, the Nets set the all-time NBA mark for the worst record to start a season, losing to the Mavs tonight to fall to 0-18.

But, NO, the teams they surpassed in achieving the mark, the ‘88-‘89 Heat and the 1999 Clippers, were much crappier than this season’s Nets.

I even think this Nets team is a GOOD TEAM.

Let’s talk starting five:

’88-’89 Heat
Kevin Edwards, Rory Sparrow, Grant Long, Billy Thompson and Rony Seikaly.
’99 Clippers
Maurice Taylor, Lamond Murray, Eric Piatkowski, Tyrone Nesby, and Michael Olowokandi.

Oy.

The Jets evened-up our New York teams’ records on Thursday night PIX games by topping the Bills north of the border tonight, 19-13 (bailing out the Giants and their abysmal effort last week).

But the big news trumping Gang Green’s big W is the 3rd quarter injury to QB Mark Sanchez, who was hurt doing exactly what he was told NOT to do.

Remember all the hoopla this week about Joe Girardi coming to Jets practice to teach Sanchez how to slide feet first?

Apparently Sanchez didn’t get the message.

The ‘Chize sprained his right knee diving helmet-first for a first down; lasting one more play after the run in question, then removing himself from the game.

Add that to his already dinged up left knee.

It's been an interesting up and down year for the Jets. The 3-0 start with the Anti (Eric) Mangini, Rex Ryan at the helm. Then, losing 6 out of 7. The weepy Rex after a team meeting. The Rex who doesn't know how to manage the clock and overestimates his ok, not great defense. Now, they've won 2 in a row and are still in the playoff chase.

Most Jet fans have been more concerned with the up and down play of Mark Sanchez. The kid has been as consistent as continued sobriety from Robert Downey, Jr. He's cost Gang Green games with poor decisions and needless interceptions. So Rex the Wonder Coach devised a color code system to make things easier for him.

Much was also made this week of the call to Yankees manager Joe Girardi to teach the kid to slide to hopefully avoid an injury like last Sunday when he tweaked his LEFT KNEE against Carolina.

Last night against Buffalo, Sanchez, trying to get a first down, dove headlong and sprained the PCL of his RIGHT KNEE. The Jets won the game even though "Sanchize" missed most of the 2nd half. Ryan blasted his young signal caller after the game, saying "he has to grow up", and "has to understand the responsibility" of being a big part of the organization. Sorry, but in this episode of Slidegate, Ryan is completely off base.

Loyal readers of the Huddle blog no doubt remember our BOLD PREDICTION that the Nets would beat the Bobcats tonight to end their 0-18 slide.

Need proof via link?....HERE IT IS (scroll to the bottom).

And not too shabby on the score either, eh? (Actual: 97-91…..Prediction: 94-87).

But enough patting ourselves on the back – this is more about a team that needed something to go their way and it finally did tonight.

In the opening minutes of the game the Nets seemed rejuvenated - perhaps by new coach Kiki Vandeweghe or maybe the prospect of facing a team they could actually beat.

Either way they finally played up to their considerable ability.

I’m not gonna bore you with another meaningless opinion on whether or not college football needs a playoff system (it does), instead I’d rather dole out some observations on today’s big game in the NCAA.

In the “defacto national championship game” between Florida and Alabama, I was particularly happy to see Tebow U. go down.

Not so much because I don’t like Tebow, rather I’d like to see somebody other than Florida win a title.

As a dude who went to a big sports school, I get jealous when other schools win MULTIPLE titles.

There’s no reason why Florida should win so many championships in basketball (2006 & 2007) and football (2006 & 2008) in such a short period of time.

I say if you go to a division one college, your quota should be one major national title during your four years of school - - if you’re lucky.

The Giants got their season back on track with a 31-24 win over the Cowboys at the Meadowlands.

The win puts the Giants back into the playoff picture – specifically in the NFC East where they now trail the ‘Pokes and the Eagles by only a game for first place.

And all this after the Giants looked absolutely TERRIBLE Thanksgiving night against the Broncos.

Today it was the big play for Big Blue.

Brandon Jacobs pulled a 74-yard touchdown catch and run out of his butt in the 3rd quarter…the longest play of any type for the Giants this season.

That milestone stood for all of about ten minutes before Domenik Hixon rattled off a 79-yard punt return touchdown that all but sealed the win for the G-Men.

Fun fact about Hixon’s punt return touchdown: it was only the SECOND punt returned for a score by the Giants this DECADE.

Trivia…..who has the other one? (Answer at the end of the blog).

While you mull that over, check out the post game interviews we got with Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, Osi and Mathias Kiwanuka and, of course, Jacobs and Hixon.

Enjoy!

We caught up with World Series Champion Manager/Highway Hero/Burrito Lover Joe Girardi at a Manhattan Chipotle to talk about the Yankees hot stove season.

The Skipper was at the popular lunch spot promoting his foundation “Catch 25” while simultaneously downing some of the infamous belly-bombers (which are his favorite, according to the Yankees’ press release).

We had the chance to talk to Joe (between bites of delicious, delicious burrito) about Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon, and the position he feels is most important for the Yankees to stock up on this winter.

I’ll give you a hint…it starts with a “P” and ends in “itcher.”

(And it’s not “professional belly itcher”…wise guy).

Take a listen:

Unless you've been in a cave the last few weeks, you've probably heard about Tiger Woods, wife Elin and some goings on that are not fit for those under 21 to even entertain, let alone think about. I hereby request that all the "media" hoopla over Eldrrick's adulterous dalliances stop-NOW!

The Giants quest towards the playoffs find them in prime time this Sunday against the hated Eagles.

Big Blue probably needs to win out to guarantee they make the playoffs, making this one against Philly a must-win.

Not that the Giants need motivation against the Eagles, but they did lose to Philly earlier in the season and the Eagles are one game ahead of the Giants in the NFC East standings.

Go get ‘em boys!

We were at practice today and talked to Eli Manning, Justin Tuck, Danny Clark and Steve Smith about Sunday.

Take a listen:

I am usually a patient person...a mother of a 5 year old, I kind of have to be. BUT I am getting a little nervous for all of my Mets fans out there including Mr. B. Taute in Sports. All these names and rumors but not one solid trade. Omar Minaya leaves Indianapolis Thursday, and he might go without a single deal being made by the Mets. They are close to getting catcher Bengie Molina (2 year deal possible) but it's not done.

They're in the hunt for Jason Marquis and John Lackey but so are other teams. Randy Wolf has gone to the Brewers. UGH! I understand this is all very technical. It's not as easy as we may all want. In fact a Mets official told me as much recently; there is money involved (obviously) but about 700 people, from players to agents to GMs to relatives, to make happy. Oh yeah then there are us...the fans. I will learn to be patient but please Mets give me a lead...soon...I'm waiting...

The big news of the NFL day surrounded the Jets and their decision to shelf Mark Sanchez for this weekend’s game against Tampa Bay.

Rex Ryan announced his choice to go with Kellen Clemens in place of the hobbled Sanchez, a decision that didn’t sit great with the rookie.

Don’t believe me, listen first to Rex’s reasoning for sitting Sanchez and then check out what the ‘Chize had to say about it.

Take a listen:

There’s been a lot of talk these past two days about whether or not the Yankees trading for Curtis Granderson – which became official tonight – is a good idea.

Put me squarely in the “yes” column.

I guess the main issue people had with the deal was giving up Austin Jackson. I know he’s a five-tool prospect, but here’s why you give him up for Granderson.

Because Jackson is just that….a PROSPECT. Granderson is already a proven all-star.

Maybe Jackson’s potential upside is above what Granderson will ever be, but if you’re the Yankees, are you willing to take that gamble?

Or do you go with the sure thing?

In the new ball park, Granderson will give the Yankees 30+ home runs and above average defensive play in the smaller Yankee Stadium (versus a cavernous CF in Detroit).

Jackson, though I understand is still developing, hit four home runs in a full AAA season.

Consider this scenario for the Tigers’ front office:

If you're into Hot Stove baseball and a Mets fan, you're CRAVING for them to do something, ANYTHING that says they are serious about winning in 2010. Yes, Halladay, Holliday, Lackey and Bay are all great potential presents under your Christmas tree. I'll throw out a name that may have more impact on the field than any player signing. The Mets should fire Dan Warthen and bring in Leo Mazzone to be their pitching coach.

How come Xavier Nady to the Mets hasn’t gained any traction?

This is completely a scenario that I made up this morning, but it makes so much sense (at least to me) that I’m bringing it up in blog form.

I’m sure there are some underlying contract and salary cap issues that I don’t understand, but strictly on paper it seems like a great fit.

The Mets have a need in the outfield and occasionally at first base. Nady can play either of those positions.

The Mets have a need for a power bat. On tonight’s sportscast, we highlighted the fact that Nady averages 21 home runs per season throughout his career.

The glaring issue is the injury bug, which bit Nady last year to the tune of all but seven games with the Yankees.

Tiger Woods

The internet, TV, radio and every other medium has been ablaze with the Tiger Woods saga. First the car accident the day after Thanksgiving, then the speculation, then the confirmation as Tiger's many "jump-offs" have come out of the woodwork. Don't know what jump-offs are? Ask someone. But it should be pretty clear in context. It makes for pretty interesting conversation. We in the sports department can always devote 20-30 seconds on the air on the latest fall-out. It helps us fill a show... but my question has to do with all of his endorsements. Saturday, Gillette said they will phase him out of their advertising campaigns. Sunday, Accenture dumped Woods completely. I find it humorous what these companies are doing. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone Tiger's behavior, I find it reprehensible... But what it comes down to is... This is an issue between Tiger and his wife and family... and no one else. Tiger has to mend fences with Elin. Woods did not commit a crime. He did not hit someone, or steal something or do anything of the sort. These companies who are taking their "Grand Stand" against Tiger's behavior are just trying to capitalize on Tiger's situation by saying: "We stand for something, Tiger cannot be our spokesman." thus making their company look more responsible and like a pillar of the community. But who knows how clean these companies are themselves. I'm sure there are employees of these companies that have made the same mistakes as Tiger has. I'm sure that these companies have some unsavory dealings that have not come to light. Be that as it may, they made their choice. I just wonder what will happen when this all blows over... and it will at some point... Tiger will be back in America's good graces, nailing birdies instead of cocktail waitresses... and will these companies come crawling back to him? If they do, he should turn his head, like they did to him.

There’s no doubt tonight’s Giants-Eagles game was a shootout, but if you ask me, the game turned on Eli Manning’s head-first dive/slide and resulting lost fumble in the 3rd quarter.

Having just cut the Eagle lead to 30-24, the Giants’ Jonathan Goff picked off Donovan McNabb deep in Philly territory and set up Big Blue with primo field position.

ONE PLAY after the Goff INT – and with the Giants OWNING the momentum - Eli scrambled for a first down and more, then lunged head first instead of diving feet first.

Upon impact with the turf the ball came loose and the Eagles recovered the fumble (granted Philly didn’t put up any points off that fumble directly, but had the Giants scored there it would have no doubt been huge).

This all begs the question – CAN ANY NEW YORK QUARTERBACKS SLIDE??!!

Well Mets Fans, Roy Halladay and John Lackey are gone. Lackey signs with the Boston Red Sox, making their rotation possibly the best top to bottom in the American League.

Worse, the Blue Jays trade Roy Halladay to none other than the Philadelphia Phillies. Why the Phils wouldn't want Halladay and Lee for one year, even if Lee is a free agent after 2010, is very strange. Together, they would have made the top starting duo in the majors.

But that will matter little to Mets fans. Yes, they need some offensive help, but they need pitching much more. They made little to no attempt for Halladay or Lackey. Without a reliable backup to Johan Santana, who is one of the myriad of Mets returning from injury, the Mets are left with a lot of hope, and not much else.

I spoke with several Mets today...Pagan, J Reyes, Niese, Francouer, Minaya and Parnell celebrated the holidays with local school kids at Citi Field and they were all in good spirits. Omar Minaya was his usual self...open without being too forthcoming. However, he made me feel like the Jason Bay thing could really happen and preached patience. (if you read my blog a few days back, you will know I am having problems with that). I was curious to see what the guys had to say about their offseason especially those in the M.A.S.H. unit from '09. How is Jose Reyes really feeling? Is Jonathan Niese ready to get back on the mound? How do Angel Pagan and Jeff Francouer feel when they hear a big time outfielder might be coming to town? Take a listen after the break and LETS GO METS!

Mark Sanchez made his return to Jets practice today, taking half the snaps with the first team offense….Kellen “We Don’t Trust You To Do Anything Other Than Hand It Off” Clemens took the rest.

The ‘Chize said his banged up right knee felt good and that he wants to start Sunday against the Falcons.

All indications are that that will be the case, but Rex Ryan is taking a wait-and-see approach towards the rest of the week before doing the inevitable.

We were at practice today and got both Rex and Mark talking about the most famous right knee in New York.

Check it out:

I know the last thing anyone wants to hear is someone with an all-access press credential to Yankee Stadium complain, but hear me out on this one:

Now that Hideki Matsui is an Angel, I might finally get to sit down in the press box at Yankee games!!

What does one thing have to do with the other, you ask?

You may already know this, but Matsui always rolled with a HUGE media entourage of Japanese journalists.

When I say huge, I mean like an average of 30 a game. Just to cover him. That’s a really intense situation for both parties.

Anyway, of those 30, roughly 20 were writers who deservedly had a permanent seat in the Yankee Stadium press box.

Here’s a little background:

Johnny Damon would love to come back to the Yankees and the team sounds like it still wants him. ARod and CC have already gotten in touch with the free agent, good friend and teammate, but the reserved way Brian Cashman spoke about the situation , I am not sure we will see Johnny back....despite all the players' efforts. LISTEN TO CC, AROD AND CASHMAN FROM TODAY AFTER THE BREAK and hear for yourself.

Damon wants multiple years and more money. (2009 salary: $13 million) He is starting to look elsewhere and is becoming impatient with the Yankees. He must think after a year of double steals in the World Series and being Mr. Consistent, the Yankees would jump at the chance especially with Hideki Matsui now gone (Angels).

The business of baseball...definitely have to take the emotion out of it. Sucks, I like Johnny but is he the best for the team? Maybe not. To be honest, it might give guys like Brett Gardner a chance to get out there more and I can appreciate that.

It seems like a rite of passage in the wintertime that we all convene on Yankee Stadium to meet the Bombers’ newest outrageous free agent/trade acquisition.

Last year it was CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Today it was All Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson.

I can see why there are all those Yankee haters out there.

Nevertheless, we put on our booties and mittens and slogged up to the Bronx to meet Mr. Granderson.

Something tells me this won’t lessen the Haters’ hatred for the Pinstripes, but Granderson is an A+ individual and was a pleasure to speak with.

Take a listen for yourself to the following piece we put together:

Our Matt Estreich spent the better part of today covering the Curtis Granderson love fest press conference at Yankee Stadium. In this case, Granderson is deserving. A 2009 All Star and baseball ambassador, even Bud Selig and A-Rod love him. We all know there are no two greater self absorbed individuaks than The Used Car Salesman and A-Roid.

Granderson may have already earned baseball's local Good Guy Award even though he has yet to see a pitch or steal a base in the Bronx. His personality is even better than his stats, which ain't bad.

That brings us to the Mets, who made an announcement of their own today in the form of a press release. Ryota Igarashi is a Met. YES, that Ryota Igarashi. Maybe I can re-new my season tickets now. Fans, the deadline to secure your full and partial duckets in Flushing is tomorrow. Whoo-hoo!! Chris Coste, Alex Cora, Igarashi. That's part of what makes the timing of announcing the signing of the Japanese import a lot to be desired.

Mr. Fix It Here:

Mike D’Antoni created a mini-stir yesterday when he said he would continue to bench Nate Robinson….and then said he’d play Satan himself if he’d help the Knicks win.

Therefore by my math, as far as D’Antoni is concerned, Satan > Nate. (That’s the sign for ‘greater than’, right?)

Anyway, with Nate still inexplicably in “Chateau Bow-Wow” (trademark my boss Bobby), I’ve come up with a clever solution to get Krypto-Nate some playing time; just now how he might think.

Follow me here.

Chances are you’re not leaving the couch tomorrow, especially if you have young kids and you can con them into shoveling the driveway for you (best $10 you’ll spend all winter).

So grab a hot cocoa, order some delivery and warm up your remote control thumb….and consult the following handy guide for tomorrow’s sports TV viewing pleasure.

Plan 1….watch the following if you actually are partaking in some snow-related stuff, like sledding and then a snowman build:

1:00 – Jets vs. Falcons, CBS
7:30 – Knicks vs. Bobcats, MSG

Plan 2….add this to your watch list if your snow activities consist of only a brief snowball ambush of your girlfriend/mother/mailman:

1:00 – Uconn vs. Central Florida (hoops), SNY
2:00 – St. Johns vs. Hofstra, MSG
4:00 – Bengals vs. Chargers, CBS
4:15 – Packers vs. Steelers, FOX
8:15 – Vikings vs. Panthers, NBC

Plan 3….this is the plan for you if you’re a hardcore couch potato/snow grinch and refuse to leave the house unless the temperature is above 50:

All of the above programs, plus:
9:00 a.m. – Italian Serie A: Parma vs. Roma
11:00 a.m. – English Premier: Chelsea vs. West Ham
12:00 – Cornell vs. Davidson (hoops), MSG
8:30 – New Orleans Bowl: So. Miss vs. Middle Tenn. State

That should keep you covered long enough to ignore the increasing impassibility of the sidewalk outside your house (the neighbors can walk in the freshly plowed street, I say).

Oh, and of course watch PIX News, too….6:30 and 10:00!

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

The NFL’s mathmagician nerds tell me that the Jets still statistically have a shot to make the playoffs, but after today’s embarrassing 10-7 loss to the Falcons, do they really deserve to?

Clearly the answer is NO.

This team has squandered too many golden opportunities to improve upon their 7-7 record that it’s obvious they are playoff pretenders.

The OT disaster against Buffalo, the late collapse vs. Jacksonville and EITHER of the two Dolphins loses should have been wins for this team.

Take JUST TWO of those four games, put them in the win column, and the Jets are all of a sudden 9-5 and sitting pretty in the AFC.

Instead they go up against a 14-0 Colts team next week that seems likely to play their starters in an effort to remain perfect.

After that they close out the season at home against a Bengal team that could be playing for a division title and home field advantage. No picnic there, either.

At a hypothetical 9-5 the Jets would have a decent shot of making the playoffs.

At 7-7, they likely don’t stand a chance.

But really, would they deserve it, anyway?

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Nate Robinson hasn't seen the court in the last 9 games.

It's now nine and counting for Nate Robinson. Krypto-Nate has had a DNP CD (Did not play--Coach's Decision) next to his name for nine long games. Mike D'Antoni obviously has the Lethal Liliputian (as Clyde Frazier might say) in chateau Bow-Wow. I don't understand it. I'm not sure when the weird energy between these two started. Was it the Nets game at the Meadowlands when Nate shot the ball into the Nets basket, clearly after the buzzer? I always thought that was really overblown, but D'Antoni was clearly hot that day. Maybe it started when Nate joked around with Dwight Howard before a game against Orlando. Whenever it started... It's a full blown beef now. Saturday, Nate's agent asked for a trade. Aaron Goodwin told the Daily News: "I can't allow Nate to rot on Mike's bench and not do anything about it. I can't allow this to happen to his career, It's clear that Mike D'Antoni doesn't want to play him." Nate has been the good citizen so far, saying all the right things. Before Sunday's win against Charlotte, Robinson said he would like to stay in the Big Apple. But when asked if he would want to stay in New York and not play or go elsewhere and play, Robinson became the "Artful Dodger."

Jason Marquis is now a Washington National. Darren Oliver went to the Rangers. Those were two guys we had in our "Hey Mets, check these guys out: not too costly and well worth it" piece last week. OH NO, what happened! Why won't they listen!?

31-year old Marquis said he was wooed in part because he can "mentor young pitchers" in Washington. We've got young pitchers and some not so young ones (Oliver Perez) who need plenty of mentoring. Texas brought in the veteran arm and mature mind of Darren Oliver. Add to my frustration that without a bonafide signing in the starting rotation, the Mets lose risk potential. The Yankees now have a better shot (and a greater chance to take a risk) at guys like Ben Sheets or Justin Duchschere. Omar Minaya praised patience. I'M TRYING! It's not easy! The time is now ...or at least really , really soon ...to sign someone big and hold a nice, camera packed press conference at Citi Field.

I couldn’t believe my eye/ears when I heard Rex Ryan say the Jets season was over after yesterday’s loss to the Falcons.

If you missed it here’s the direct quote from yesterday’s post game: “This is tough because we're obviously out of the playoffs. And that's unfortunate.”

I guess that’s an OK thing to say…were it actually true.

It’s not. At 7-7 the Jets are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, however slim that may be.

What’s amazing to me is that Rex didn’t know that yesterday! How could he coach the team yesterday under the impression that it was a must-win scenario??...when it wasn’t!!

Is it possible he coached that game differently because he thought it was do or die?

I mean, the Jets had to win that game, but they didn’t ABSOLUETLY have to win it.

This is an error on par with Donovan McNabb admitting he didn’t know the rules to overtime after just winning a game in OT.

What an embarrassment! Don’t take this as an assault on Rex. I really like him as a coach and think he’ll do well in New York.

It’s just that with all the preparation a coach goes through during the week (and we always hear stories about coaches coming in at 4 am and leaving at midnight…if not sleeping on the couch), how could he NOT know the most basic fact…..where his team stood in the playoff race.

To that end, Rex tried to make good on his faux pas today at Jets camp.

Take a listen to Rex in full back-pedal mode:

You may remember the old saying: If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound? Same could be said for the Mets. Signing Ryoya Igarashi, Chris Coste & Henry Blanco amounts to absolutely nothing. That means that of the 9 local teams in the 4 major sports, the Mets are as relevant as another facelift for Joan Rivers. Yet, they have the nerve to ask fans for money for tickets-money smart people won't spend without good reason in this economy.

There was a killer event tonight at St. John’s…and I’m not talking about the Johnnie’s slaying of (now) 0-12 Bryant University (guess they can’t suit up Kobe).

Tonight Carnesecca Arena joined dingy bars and frat houses everywhere in throwing an Ugly Sweater Party!

But this was no ordinary Ugly Sweater Party. This one aimed to be the biggest one of all time. I say ‘aimed’ because it fell…..well, let’s just say, kinda short.

But that’s not the point. The point is that those who participated no doubt had a great time and those that didn’t had a good laugh at the ugly sweater-wearers expense.

Plus, the University collected 100 coats during a pre-game coat drive that ran concurrent with the sweater celebration.

As for those brave souls who did go All-Ugly tonight, they had the ULTIMATE Johnnie in their corner:

Mr. Ugly Sweater himself, the legendary Lou Carnesecca!

We filed the following story (also included is the segment that appeared on our air tonight) complete with Lou’s expert musings on all things “Ugly Sweater.”

**Plus, the second guy interviewed for the story was crowned with the ugliest sweater of the night!

Enjoy!

In years past this was a no brainer.

The Knicks stunk and presents rule. Spend all day putting together your new Erector Set and ignore the Knicks’ latest blowout.

But this year there’s a dilemma.

All of a sudden the Knicks are (kinda) good and playing at noon (NOON!) against the Heat.

So I ask you, how do you reconcile this crappy Christmas scheduling for Knicks fans?

Chances are you like to sleep in on Christmas and open presents......then eating with/ignoring family takes up the other hours in your early afternoon.

Do the Knicks have a place in your holiday rotation tomorrow?

Or is your TV fixed to the Yule log tomorrow on PIX?

Whichever way you go, seems like you can’t lose.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

(***Kudos to anyone who gets the Bernard King connection to this post***)

The Knicks came up a bit short in their Christmas day matinee against the Heat, falling 93-87.

On the bright side, the uniform color combination of the Heat’s usual road reds and the Knicks alternate greenies made for additional holiday flavor.

But, alas, the Knicks were losers and their home winning streak came to an end at six games.

Afterward, we were in the locker room and got some post game reaction from David Lee, Al Harrington and Mr. Green and Orange shoes himself, Danilo Gallinari.

(Seriously, those shoes are awful).

Take a listen:

The Giants play their last game EVER at (the old) Giants Stadium tomorrow, ending 33 years in the building before moving across the parking lot.

But unlike the recent emotional stadium closings at Shea and the old Yankee Stadium, this one just doesn’t have that same cache.

So I ask ANYONE out there….are you nostalgic at all about this stadium closing?

There’s no question Giants Stadium has seen it’s share of memorable moments, but for some reason – and I’m a Giants fan – I’m not too choked up about their final game tomorrow.

The fact that the Giants don’t actually play the VERY LAST game at the Stadium might be a contributing factor to my indifference (that honor goes to the Jets (?) next week).

But I don’t sense I’m alone here.

By Glenn Petraitis

What the heck happened today to the NY Giants. After watching that debacle of a game against the Carolina Panthers, I ventured into the Giants locker room after the game.

There I was met by an obviously glum group of G-Men, but what came out of their mouths was most surprising to me. Kevin Boss said, "we didn't show up!" Huh? they didn't show up with their playoff lives on the line. Sean O'Hara, said, "..he couldn't imagine anything more disappointing," regarding the two-fold magnitude of the game, the playoff implications and the closing of Giants Stadium.

Brandon Jacobs looked like he was going to punch me when I asked the first question, "what went wrong today?" It seemed he thought for a minute, that is a stupid question, I'm going to smash you in the face, then the light bulb went on and he figured, not a bad question, because as he said, " we didn't respect this place to go out and get a win on the last day, we didn't want it bad enough!" Again, I say huh? Didn't want it bad enough. I'm pretty sure they wanted it, but wanting something and doing something is a whole different ball of wax.

I thought Tom Coughlin, a guy who gets it, said it best when he said he told the team this game came at the most inopportune time. Playoffs! Last game ever on your field! The funny thing is, I get it! It's sports, it happens. Most of the time, good teams win, but sometimes they lose. Today was different, truth be told, the Giants are not a good team this year. They showed that over and over this season, losing big at the most inopportune times, the Broncos on Thanksgiving night, the Eagles two weeks ago at home, getting stomped by the Eagles in week 8.

The best thing that could happen to this team now, is the Cowboys win against the Redskins on Sunday Night Football, putting this Giants team out of their misery and all the fans they tortured this year.

How ironic it will be if the once 5-0 Giants might miss out on the playoffs and the once 4-6 Jets could with a win next week against Cincinnati.

For more from the Giants uninspiring locker room post game comments check out the interviews below!

Who would’ve thought a few weeks ago that the Jets would be the team controlling their own destiny heading into week 17 and the Giants would be the ones on the outside looking in.

Obviously not Rex Ryan, who just last week thought his team was eliminated from the post season.

My how things have changed.

While the Giants laid one of the biggest eggs in recent history this afternoon (see Glenn’s post below), the Jets handed the Colts their first loss of the season, and in the process ensured that they’ll play a meaningful game next Sunday.

But the Jets’ win wasn’t without controversy…namely the Colts’ decision to rest Peyton Manning and a couple other stars while the game was still close in the 3rd quarter.

Instead of the Hall of Famer under center, the Colts went with rookie Curtis Painter who promptly fumbled in the end zone (leading to a Jets TD) and threw an interception.

Look for Painter to be out of the NFL and actually a painter sometime in the near future.

Earlier today the Mets made official what was announced last week: They've signed Kelvim Escobar to a 1 year deal. It's another "cost effective" deal for the Mets, who play in New York but run their team like they were Kansas City's diamond club.

Just what the Mets need: ANOTHER pitcher with injury trouble. Escobar has made 1 appearance in the last two years because of shoulder trouble. Leave it to the Mets to decide THEY can be the team that resurrects a guy off the scrap heap. Escobar could be the 8th inning guy, setting up for Frankie Rodriguez.

This Mets team is shaping up to have more questions on it than an episode of "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" This would be an OK move IF there weren't so many guys coming back from injuries.

NEWS: Word just after 9 pm that the Giants have signed versatile Mark DeRosa. There's another guy the Mets could have at least considered. Is it any wonder fans are not exactly clamoring for season tickets at Citi Field for the 2010 season. A little more than a month away from spring training, and the Mets still have done NOTHING substantial to better a 70 win (albeit with injuries) team.

Some recent scrappy play and gaudy records by a bunch of our local college basketball teams begs the question…..is college basketball back in the Tri State area?

A couple of performances as of late forced me to ask that question. Most recently (as I write this, in fact), I’m watching Rutgers give my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels all they can handle at the Dean Dome.

Before that Seton Hall took #6 (and undefeated) West Virginia to overtime over the weekend.

And the granddaddy of them all – St. John’s – has beaten a pair of ranked teams in Temple and Sienna this season and are earning votes in both national polls weekly.

Entering tonight’s play, those team’s records are:

St John’s: 10-2…..Seton Hall: 9-2…..Rutgers: 9-2.

Not bad for a trio of programs that for the last couple of seasons have been after thoughts, if not laughing stocks.

The Mets ARE NOT confirming or denying, but just about every sports news outlet is reporting that the Mets have signed free agent outfielder Jason Bay to a 4 year deal worth about $66 million. There's a vested option for a 5th year that could bring the deal over $80 million.

For the Flushing faithful waiting for the Mets to DO SOMETHING-ok, fine, we have a left fielder. Matt Holliday may be a little better, but the Mets have someone to play left field.

Something to watch out for: It sure doesn't/didn't seem like Bay was chomping on the bit to get here. Remember Carlos Beltran? He went BACK TO THE YANKEES to try and get a better deal. Bay wanted a 5th year and didn't agree till the two sides reached a compromise.

My other caveat: The Mets are quite likely to say, "There's our free agent signing. We spent money." But this team still needs help. You just cannot go into the season with the starting rotation the Mets have as constituted. Even Johan Santana, who should be fine, is coming off an injury.

They need a AT LEAST one more reliable starter to couple with Johan. They need a catcher, and like Bay, Benjgie Molina wants more years and money than the Mets are offering. You can't assume Luis Castillo will hiot in 2010 like he did in 2009. I still wince when I think that the team made NO effort at Orlando Hudson.

So, Jason Bay-welcome. But to Jason-and Mets fans put through the wringer the last few years:don't make your World Series plans just yet.

Hello all, here are your Jets and Giants Pro Bowlers:

Cornerback Darrelle Revis makes his second straight appearance and first start...WELL DESERVED...this guy is on fire and will be the NFL's best defensive player of the year.

Nick Mangold heads to Miami as the AFC backup center and Guard Alan Faneca makes his 9th straight start. (INCREDIBLE!) We think OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson got snubbed. Thoughts?

The lone Giant...Center Shaun O'Hara made the NFC team for the second straight year though I think most Giants fans are still too upset to care who made the Pro Bowl team.

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to the debut (and very likely the last) installment of the PIX Sports Investigative Unit.

The topic of today’s investigation: Is it possible for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis to cover the Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco in a Manhattan phone booth while inside a brown paper bag?

By now you’ve no doubt heard of Ochocinco’s rant calling out the Pro Bowl bound Revis on a conference call with local media earlier this morning.

Among the highlights was the aforementioned gem above - which got us thinking - how would such a scenario unfold? Darrelle Revis…chasing Chad Ochocinco…in a Manhattan phone booth….inside of a paper bag.

After a brief Modells/supermarket run, some expert arts and crafts and a walk up to the corner public telephone (no idea those still existed, by the way), the P.S.I.U. was ready to find out.

Here’s the hard-hitting report: