The Mets played an intrasquad game today... Good news... The Mets won... But seriously, good news... Johnathon Niese pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first action since tearing his hamstring last year... and Jose Reyes legged out a triple... We know how much trouble Reyes has had with his legs... So what did Jose think?? Listen in after the jump!!

We have basically been the only camera at Yankees camp since Saturday...definitely the only local crew here (among the MLB and the Players Association folks that pop in and out). I think YES is mulling about but sporadically. I digress... It's been great because the guys are much more open and available to speak with us and we have had informative and fun conversations (Nick Swisher on the music he plays in the locker room--hear from him tomorrow night!...or Curtis Granderson on his REAL thoughts about First Lady, Michelle Obama). That's him taking BP today. Check out our story in the video player: we speak with CG, Mr. October and Jorge catches AJ. YES it's true! We have proof!

It's nice the Yankees are so candid and even more refreshing from an organization that has been a little stiff in years past. I completely agree with the strict rules those in Pinstripes must keep. It's like living with my dad, "the Coach" (Rice University Women's track/Olympic coach for 35 years). I love it and totally get it! However, humans are not robots and I think in years past the Yankees wanted baseball prototypes not baseball men. It's okay to have a good time, joke on the field and smile..oh my, so many smiles. Maybe I am surprised because it's been awhile since I, personally, was at Yankees camp but in talking with some of those who come day in/day out, the attitudes have changed more circa 1996, 1997. I guess that's what winning a ring does! I'm loving it both as a baseball fan and as a journalist.

FYI: Alex Rodriguez addressed the media in passing in the locker room (no cameras allowed inside--have to pull guys out in the hallway--a disadvantage to us cameras. Told you it was tough!) He said he would cooperate with the FBI who is investigating Canadian Dr. Tony Galea, under suspicion of smuggling HGH and other PEDs into the US. ARod is slated to talk with agents about any treatments that Dr. Galea gave him. The Yankees would not comment until they got up to speed on the issue but I was struck by a source telling the NYT that the team never gave ARod permission to be treated by Galea. Jose Reyes spoke with the feds the other day. He said he only tried the blood spinning treatment that's supposed to help injuries recover quickly. This treatment is NOT illegal and the Mets seemed much more aware of the situation. Reyes and Rodriguez have different pasts. Despite the catch up being done by the Yanks now, I have to think ARod went through full disclosure with the team. The way he is feeling and being treated now, he does NOT want a repeat of Spring 2009.

That's it all! More tomorrow and the Yankees secret outing. Find out where they go on the PIX News at 10PM and the other things that they do to pump themselves up with none other than Mr Swisher. That guy is hysterical!

Soon to be ex-Jet Thomas Jones

By Glenn Petraitis

What's a dude gotta do to get a contract these days.
Not happy with the Jets and their lack of loyalty today toward their star running back, Mr. Jones.
Thomas Jones did everything possible to carry this team on his back as they were fighting through the aches and pains of a rookie quarterback, a rookie coach, and a fellow running back in Leon Washington who destroyed his leg midways through the season.
Mr. Jones set career highs in carries with 331, career high in yards with 1,402 and a career high in touchdowns with 14.
Yes, he did wear down a bit in the end, before the playoffs, but who wouldn't after the paces Rex Ryan put him through. Essentially he ran him into the ground and then punched him in the gut, not once, but twice. The first punch, came in the last couple of games when rookie Shonn Greene started getting the majority of the carries, supplanting Mr. Jones as the primary option at running back.
The second punch comes now, after the season he had leading Gang Green's rushing attack, he gets cut because he won't take a pay cut.
Listen, I'm not an idiot, thinking football's not a business and at 32 some running backs do wear down around that age, but Jones only started wearing down because you ran him to death Rex. Now it's time to chuck him on the scrap heap. I hate the lack of loyalty in sports. Use him, abuse him, and then toss him aside. It stinks. Mr. Jones deserves better.
He'll be fine. Thomas Jones is a class guy, a hard worker and a great teammate. Good Luck TJ, you deserve better!

There was limited action for the Yankees today...on the field that is...the group, 66 guys including coaches, went to a local Arcade in Tampa to compete in three games: Indy Racing, Skee Ball, and Pop-A-Shot. The Spring Training outing has become an annual ritual for the group, the brain child of Manager Joe Girardi. There was some action on the field. Andy Pettitte threw live BP, two rounds of 15 pitches.

Girardi kept everything secret but guys did throw out ideas of where to go (last year, it was a pool tournament). One idea was Paintball but that was determined to be too dangerous. Bowling was another option but the pitchers were worried about their arms. A Pool Party came up...can you say... CANNONBALL!!! Imagine CC Sabathia jumping in? Who would have the best style--ARod, Mariano??? Regardless, the Yankees picked the safest way the team could spend some time together. Some of these guys have clauses in their contracts that don't allow for things like skiing or basketball...remember Former Yankee Aaron Boone, knee surgery, pick up basketball game, missed entire season, violated his $5.75 M contract at the time? THOUGHT: Maybe teams should worry as much about the doctors these guys visit then the activities they do on off time.

Feel good time: talking to some of the guys, they find the outing a good way to relax and get off the field for a bit. Girardi insists it's particularly important for the young guys to hang with the veterans or pitchers to hang with position players. (They train semi-separately in the Spring). He adds: think of Francisco Cervelli who came up last year when Posada and Molina were out due to injury. He needed to feel he has some sort of relationship with the pitchers. Best thought from Skip: the guys "face so much adversity", it's important to "remember to have fun".

Speaking of adversity: Girardi says he will not comment on ARod/Feds situation but insists it will not be a distraction in the clubhouse. He will "cross that bridge when it comes".

***UPDATE***

From the Yankees: "The Yankees today went to Gameworks in Tampa, where they participated in three arcade game tournaments – Indy Car Racing (won by RHP A.J. Burnett), Skee-Ball (won by RHP Andrew Brackman) and Basketball (won by LHP Royce Ring)"

Thanks to the Yankees for the following pictures:

The debate over Performance Enhancing Drugs has raged in baseball and football for years. Now it has spread to boxing. Floyd Mayweather was supposed to fight Manny Pacquiao but that fight has been scrapped because Pacquiao won't agree to Olympic style drug testing.

So... a fight between Mayweather and Shane Mosley for May 1st in Vegas will happen. Both fighters will undergo random blood testing. Mosley admits to unknowingly using steroids supplied by the Balco Lab in 2003 when he fought Oscar De La Hoya. The Golden Boy, ironically, is promoting this fight. We were at the Press Conference which had the usual pushing and shoving and verbal taunts... Check it out after the jump...

David Lee called it one of his 3 worst losses... LeBron James didn't even play in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers 124-93 win on Monday night over the Knicks. So what can they do? Get back to the practice floor... which is exactly what the Knicks did. There's not much to play for anymore except pride... They're not going to make the playoffs and everyone knows how important July 1, 2010 is. But the Knicks must continue to try hard to win these remaining games. They owe it to their fans. We were at their practice and they talked about trying to bounce back from that ugly loss... Coach Mike D'Antoni also talked about Eddy Curry who was on the practice floor for the first time since undergoing left knee surgery six weeks ago. Listen in... after the jump.

We caught up with the Rangers at their morning skate today and talked to the club about their push toward the playoffs.

Head coach John Tortorella, goalie Henrik Lundvist, Erik Christensen and (newly un-injured) Michael Del Zotto talk about the following:

-returning Olympic players’ reception tomorrow night at the Garden
-last night’s win against Ottawa
-what it takes to win games this time of the year
-tomorrow night’s game vs. the Penguins
-playing newly-minted national hero Sidney Crosby
-playing without Gaborik
-and much MUCH more!

The Rangers are tied for the 8th playoff spot with Boston points-wise (65) – though the Blue Shirts have played two more games and therefore sit in 9th.

The real question I’m interested in, though, is; if you didn’t care about NHL hockey BEFORE the Olympics, do you care now?

What could the Knicks possibly have to say at practice, you ask? Well, a lot, actually.

The Knicks touched on a bunch of topics today up in Westchester, not the least of which was the upcoming return of oft-injured center Eddy Curry to the lineup.

With the Knicks having traded away pretty much all of their size EXCEPT for David Lee (and Curry), Eddy is being pressed into service (I know, finally).

Big City – apparently that’s his nickname – met with the media today and discussed his prospects for returning to the court, and what he hopes to accomplish during this last part of the season.

Does he think he has a future in NY? How does he rate his fitness (and don’t say ‘somewhere between Pilsbury Dough Boy and Michelin Tire Man.’)?

Take a listen below and find out what BC has to say for himself.

Also you’ll hear from Coach on the Eddy topic and many MANY more. T-Mac weighs in on the new look lineup in which he’s running the point (hint: he likes it!). And David Lee also chimes in on Eddy and his thoughts on the surprising play of Bill Walker.

All just a click away!!

Mets Shortstop Jose Reyes has a thyroid imbalance

Mets Fans: If you thought this year would go by without any health issues, you were mistaken. Jose Reyes has been sent home to New York to undergo tests after doctors in Florida discovered a thyroid imbalance. Reyes will take the tests on Monday and the results might not be available for as long as 48 hours. That means the earliest that Reyes will be back in action is Wednesday.

Reyes was cleared to play Friday after a blood test but the Mets wanted to be cautious with their shortstop so they pulled him out of pre-game stretching for more testing. Reyes said he was feeling well and did not experience dizziness or fatigue. Those are symptoms of a thyroid problem. For the uninitiated, like myself, the thyroid is the gland in the neck that produces hormones and controls metabolism.

Reyes missed most of last season with various leg injuries but says this is different "We're not talking about my leg, nothing like that, we're talking about my health," he said, "so I have to be concerned about it."

The Nets have had a dreadful season... Hopefully they won't wind up with the worst 82 game season record in NBA history. Their present is horrible but their future is bright. They can sign a big time free agent or two. They are planning their long awaited move to Brooklyn. While they wait for that arena to be built, they will play their home games in a brand new facility... The Prudential Center in Newark. They held a press conference today to announce next season's move and of course, we were there. Listen in!! The people you'll be hearing from are: Nets CEO Brett Yormark, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Nets Forward Kris Humphries. And watch till the end for some bonus footage. Is Cory Booker a baller?? Find out!!

Newest Jet Antonio Cromartie

By Glenn Petraitis

What are the Jets thinking? Antonio Cromartie? Why? He was good one year with the Chargers and since then he's been nothing but trouble.
Little background on the Jets newest cornerback. In 2007, he was a Pro-Bowl cornerback with the Chargers, intercepting 10 passes that year. Then, things went south quickly for him, totalling only 5 INT's the next two years. Some cite his extensive baggage as the reason.
Baggage, what baggage? He only, reportedly, has fathered seven children who live in five states, and he was named in at least five paternity suits.
Before training camp last year, he told a San Diego newspaper, "My head wasn't in there (in 2008). I was dealing with my kids and their moms. It had my mind somewhere else."
Ya think!?
He is also known as a bad tackler. He is also known as a jaker. He openly questioned the Chargers defensive scheme this past year, wanting to play more man-to-man, and when he didn't get his way, he pouted, complained on his twitter page (for which he was fined) and he jaked it in games, meaning going half, or less than full-speed, and full intensity.
One particular play stands out to me. In the AFC divisional playoffs against the Jets this past season, when approached at the line of scrimmage by rookie running back Shonn Green, he shied away from the hit and Greene broke off a 50+ yard touchdown run. The cherry on top was, as Green was 5 yards deep in the end zone, Cromartie delivered a cheap-shot hit to Greene, earning himself a late-hit penalty and an embarrassing guest spot on You Tube.
Cromartie could be a good player and I trust Rex Ryan will get the most out of him, but also know this. Cromartie is in the last year of his rookie deal, and the Jets have no designs on extending that deal until they know what they're getting out of him. That may be a true tell-tale sign reagrding Cromartie right there. So with no new deal, you already might have trouble brewing with him come time training camp.
Secondly, he is not a character guy, what, with all the illegitimate kids and paternity suits hanging over his head.
So the idea of having Darrelle Revis cornering one side of the field and Cromartie the other, sounds great, in theory, but really this will just end up a failed experiment.
What are the Jets thinking here? This will blow up in their face quickly, but good signing fellas!

By Glenn Petraitis

That being said, with Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli getting nailed in the head today in the Yankees/Jays spring training game, thus being forced to leave the game and later diagnosed with a concussion, I guess it hurts a lot! Doesn't make complete sense to me that the helmet wouldn't dissipate the force of the ball, with all that plastic and padding inside, but who am I to say.

The Giants wasted no time trying to get their defense back to where it should be. They acquired Antrel Rolle late Friday night. That should help the Giants defense who allowed 40 points or more 5 times this past season. That's a stunning stat for me. The Giants defense is what they built their recent Super Bowl Championship upon. They hope to bring the D back to that level. With Rolle and a healthy Kenny Phillips, the G-Men are on their way. Rolle held a conference call with the media this morning. Listen in!!

Oliver Perez

By Glenn Petraitis

What the heck is wrong with Oliver Perez? I mean it can't be as simple as he "that guy" who pushes hard to get the big contract, gets that contract, and then can't or won't perform anymore at the level his contract warrants, can it?

Two years ago, essentially no one else would take a chance on him because of his flaky ways, and his questionable talent. Yeah, he showed flashes, when he needed to, but you cannot rest on those few times. You build on them, at least anyone with a competitive bone in his body does.

I, like the Mets, am hoping Ollie gets his act together, for just the simple reason, he got paid. Now back it up! But, more importantly, the Mets need the quirky lefty to pitch well to HELP them out of their funk. Citi Field is a pitchers park and he's a lefty. Lotta things working in his favor, but does he have it between the ears to do it?

At this point, he is not there and people are questioning if he was a big waste of money.
Ollie, for the sake of your career and your fans, the time is now, not another day should go by. Your knee is fixed, now it's time to get your head straight and pitch for your teammates and the guys who gave you all that money.

Baseball and steroids, perhaps the most sickening combination since peanut butter & fluff sandwiches, won't go away. Just when you think you can move on, tidbits float in on drips and drabs to remind us that pure sport is GONE from baseball.

By Glenn Petraitis

As I previously wrote, he is apparently a good football player, but as far as being a father to his 7 kids in 5 different states, well, that's another story.
My eyes popped out of my head when I read in the Post today, sources say the Jets fronted Cromartie $500,000 of his 2010 salary, to take care of his outstanding paternity issues.
So they paid him off to get rid of a distraction. Seriously? Is that the best way to handle this problem? Might a better way to handle it be, not signing him at all. Is this the kinds of problem-child you want on your roster. What happened to character guys.
Remember, this is the same team who fined Rex Ryan 50K for flipping-off a rude fan, who was heckling him non-stop. What? What kind of point were you trying to make there by fining Rex, who by the way, did it with a smile on his face? I believe the point was, you won't stand for that type of behavior from anyone in your organization. Am I right? But here we are, just a couple weeks removed from Rex's bird incident, wondering what the Jets are thinking with the signing of the serial Green Sugar Daddy! We were there when Cromartie met the New York media for the first time. Listen in... after the jump!

Its a very popular genre right now... Perform for me and I'll make you famous. You see it on American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America's Got Talent, etc. Well the Mets have their own version. They are conducting an anthem search... The winner, of course, gets to sing the National Anthem at Citi Field before a Mets game. Many auditioned today. The rules were, sing any song besides the National Anthem... the good singers advanced to the next round. Here are some samples... Listen in... after the jump.

While the Yankees prepare to defend their World Series title in Tampa, Yankee brass made an announcement at the New Stadium in the Bronx. The Stadium will host the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl on December 30th. The game will be a matchup of the 3rd seeded Big East school against the 6th seeded Big 12 school if neither of those schools are in the BCS. Notre Dame will be considered as a replacement if need be. It will be the first bowl game at Yankee Stadium in 48 years. You can see the game on ESPN. New Era Cap Co. Inc is a sponsor of the event. They held a press conference at the Stadium and of course we were there. Listen in... after the jump.

Eddy Curry

Not much to watch these days with the Knicks, or my Nets, for that matter. But maybe a little bit of interest when the Knicks face the Spurs in San Antonio on Wednesday. Eddy Curry will take the floor for the first time since having surgery on his left knee on January 18th. What will he bring to the table? I don't think anyone knows. But my thought is: Can Curry show something, anything that might make him attractive trade bait. Donnie Walsh has almost completely undone the mess that Isiah Thomas made. The only thing left... get rid of Curry's contract. That would open up even more cap space. So if Curry plays well in these last few games for the Knicks, maybe Curry makes himself valuable to another team and the Knicks can dump him. He practiced on Tuesday and of course, we were there. Listen to what Curry, Mike D'Antoni, and David Lee had to say... after the jump

The Big East Tournament began today and while many out there might not care, there is a slew of fans packing MSG (might be more than at Knicks games) to watch their schools win. I have always liked tournaments especially when I played volleyball in college. It's a moment where teams can be on some sort of equal ground, no matter the outcome of the regular season...kind of. I say, "kind of", because there are some teams like Syracuse that will get an at-large bid to the Big Dance whether they win this tournament or not. However, a Seton Hall, who almost lost to Providence tonight (Seton Hall 109 Providence 106), could make a run and sneak in. There's a chance to"make it" if you have a ridiculous tournament. Regardless, the tourney is for bragging rights: who is the best in the East?(even if you are in Wisconsin).. Plus, rivalry always makes things exciting. Here are today's scores (USF 58 DePaul 49 & St Johns 73 UConn 51) plus the standings from the season: I think Orange is my color this Spring...and you?

2009-10 STANDINGS
BIG EAST
Syracuse 15-3
Villanova 13-5
West Virginia 13-5 .
Pittsburgh 13-5
Marquette 11-7
Louisville 11-7
Georgetown 10-8
Notre Dame 10-8
USF 9-9
Seton Hall 9-9
Cincinnati 7-11
Connecticut 7-11
St. John's 6-12
Rutgers 5-13
Providence 4-14
DePaul 1-17

First it's Beltran and his knee surgery miscommunication, then Alex Rodriguez and his Dr. Galea connection, now Jose Reyes says oh no, it's not a overactive thyroid but a sore throat. REALLY?!?! When are these athletes, managers, and owners going to get on the same page? For the Yankees, I put the responsibility mostly on ARod.

I mean, come on, after what happened last season, you really aren't going to tell your bosses which doctors you visit??!?!? Did you simply forget to call the GM or Asst GM and say "hey my surgeon just told me to visit this Canadian doctor, is that okay with you guys?" No instead, ARod throws everyone off during Spring Training (I know, I WAS THERE!) when the news breaks and the Yankees brass are just finding out he visited Dr. Anthony Galea for treatment following his hip surgery. (Galea is accused of trafficking illegal drugs, including HGH, into the US. He has said he only treated the 3rd baseman with anti-inflammatories) I remember the look on Brian Cashman's face when he told us reporters, he didn't know ARod had seen this guy. "That's all I can tell you right now" Soon after that, the team released a statement: in short the Yanks said they never gave ARod permission to see Galea. Hey Alex, the team won't protect you if keep blindsiding them, especially the Yankees! No matter how good you might be, the Yankees are better.

Then there's the Mets...isn't it enough we have to worry about what players will do on the field? Do we now have to be concerned with calls not being made to the right people? How can anyone trust the team did all it could during the offseason, when there are 1700 different stories on what Carlos Beltran said about his knee surgery to GM Omar Minaya and what Minaya and Owner Jeff Wilpon interpreted, blah blah blah? Is Ben Sheets' agent out there saying, oh so that's why they didn't call? Just saying....

I got over that Beltran miscommunication and in speaking with everyone down in Port St. Lucie, I was satisfied with the responses. NOW, Reyes is saying he has a sore throat while the team is literally emailing a statement to all media personnel CONFIRMING an overactive thyroid. OH NO, NOT AGAIN? (and that's not just Mets PR talking) When the results came out, there should have been a discussion with players, managers et al. to figure out what the group will say publically, in English, Spanish, Japanese, whatever! Today, Minaya had to correct all miscomments and stress that he talked to Reyes and his agent and the doctors. Everyone is on the same page. WHOOSH! If I was an owner, I would know every little thing possible my athletes, especially the ones under a microscope, are doing. My father, an international track and field coach, knows even the Tylenol his athletes take for a headache. It's better to be safe than sorry. As an athlete, I would know to "check in" first. It's like a teenager who goes from the library to a friend's house, let me just call Mom so she knows where I am. Get back to basics. We aren't talking about being grounded. Now, it's the loss of millions of dollars in wages and the respect people will have for you. I don't risk that and I am not making $17, $25 mill....I'm no dummy!

Curtis Granderson shares his thoughts on what it has been like to be a Yankee. The pregame media session was held today as he faced his former team, the Detroit Tigers, in a spring training game: (So nice, doesn't even bash the Tigers...gentleman!)

Question: What are some comments you’ve heard from the fans during batting practice?
A: "You’re still my Tiger."

Q: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned about the Yankees that maybe surprises you?
A: The fans. They want to win right now. That started as soon as I got down in February, with no games on the schedule. There was already talk about repeating. Rightfully so. And the amount of people coming out to watch us practice -- not even a game.

Q: What players have you gotten to know?
A: Derek Jeter gave me a ride home from Bradenton (after an exhibition game with the Pirates). Alex Rodriguez was in the car, too.

Q: Was there a point during that ride where you said, "What’s going on?"
A: At first glance, you think, "Do I call home and tell my friends who I got a ride with?"
Derek drove. We were trying to find out how to get home. His GPS was showing up a little different than my iPhone. We were a little confused, and then we made it back.

Q: How much are you following the Tigers?
A: On my iPhone, one of my bookmarks is still the Tigers’ Web site. There’s no reason for me to delete it. I always want to see what’s going on with some of the guys because of the relationship I’ve had with them.

Q: You’re such an optimistic, forward-looking person. By the time the Tigers were going after Johnny Damon, did you give any thought to, "If they want Damon, why was I traded?"
A: I hadn’t thought about it. I knew he was a free agent. Getting Johnny Damon to any team is going to be an added help. He gets on base; he steals bases; he hits home runs; and he hits for average. So any team would have wanted to get him. The fact that Detroit wanted to get him didn’t roll into my head. I was just waiting to see where he signed.

(Courtesy: Detroit Free Press)

It says a lot about the state of Rutgers football that the program hosts it’s own Pro Day – an afternoon where scouts from EVERY NFL team come to campus to test draft-eligible players Combine-style.

It also says a lot that former players like Pro Bowler Ray Rice and Titans defensive back Jason McCourty come back to Piscataway to support guys going through the nerve-wracking experience.

We were there today for drills ranging from the 40-yard dash to the standing broad jump.

Rutgers has turned several out top draft picks this season, and 2010 shouldn’t be an exception.

Offensive tackle Anthony Davis is a near lock to be drafted in the first round (though he wasn’t a Pro Day today…he worked at the NFL Combine last week in Indianapolis) and defensive back Devin McCourty could do anywhere between the first and third rounds.

Take a listen below to all the awesome stuff we’ve compiled from Pro Day. There’s a couple ways you can go about it:

1) There’s a Cliff Notes version of the afternoon in the first video player.

2) But if you want more (and trust me, it’s good stuff), we’ve added complete interviews with guys like Rice, both McCourty’s, wide receiver Tim Brown, and coach Greg Schiano.

Check it out:

Jose Reyes won't be resuming his baseball duties anytime soon. Despite the optimistic comments that things weren't so bad, the Mets shortstop's thyroid levels are elevated enough that he must wait to see if rest (that means no activity!) and changes in his diet will regulate his condition BEFORE he can return to play. The estimate now is 2-8 weeks....that could be June! As we sit here right now, NO Jose Reyes and NO Carlos Beltran for the start of the season. Time for a move if you ask me! Omar get on the phone and quick!!! Check out the Mets statement below:

CONFERENCE CALL HELD BEFORE TODAY'S GAME AT 1PM AGAINST THE RED SOX: THE HIGHLIGHTS

*on the call GM Omar Minaya and Reyes' agent Peter Greenberg

*Reyes OUT 2-8 weeks, NO physical activity, nothing that can raise his heart rate
(this is bad. even when he is cleared, he still has to get into shape. He won't be able to maintain AT ALL during this "off time".) Greenberg says Reyes will be "idle" after he gets the all clear to resume activities.

*Secondary tests on thyroid levels showed a spike upward even though controlled activity earlier this week. He will have blood tests each week to check levels

*Treatable and curable. No medication needed. Reyes must watch his diet closely.

*Greenberg: a virus or dietary cause may have triggered the initial thyroid trouble.

*Veteran Alex Cora could be the Mets opening day starting shortstop or even 20-year-old Ruben Tejada.

STATEMENT FROM THIS MORNING:

FLUSHING, N.Y., March 11, 2010 – The additional blood tests confirmed that Jose Reyes's thyroid hormone blood levels are elevated and he is hyperthyroid. Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek last night spoke with Jose and his representatives. As prescribed by the doctors and specialists, Jose’s treatment plan is to rest, refrain from athletic activity and make changes in his diet. The doctors will monitor Jose's thyroid levels through regular blood tests. Once Jose’s thyroid levels return to normal, he will be cleared to resume baseball activities.

We’ve condensed today’s Mets phoner press conference from roughly a half hour to the BEST one minute forty-four seconds. (You're welcome).

On the call you’ll hear from Mets GM Omar Minaya and Jose’s agent Peter Greenberg.

Take a listen to find out why you probably won’t see Reyes on the field until AFTER opening day….sheesh!:

By Bobby Taute

The Mets have begged us (media & fans alike) to put 2009 in the rear view mirror and focus on THIS year. The team’s slogans this year have been “WE BELIEVE IN COMEBACKS” (as an advertising campaign) and “PREVENTION AND RECOVERY” in the clubhouse at Port St. Lucie. Basically, put last year’s injury plagued team out of your mind, and move forward.

After today’s news regarding Jose Reyes, it may be time for a new slogan: “WE BETTER PRAY FOR A MIRACLE.”

First the apparent good news: The Mets shortstop is NOT in any type of life threatening danger. His overactive thyroid seems to be a matter of inflammation, and he’ll be OK. THANK GOD for that. In the grand scheme of things,

Reyes’ well being is the most important thing. If Jose could live a “normal” life but never play baseball again, that is still a plus. A man’s welfare is priority #1.

Now that we know Reyes will play again, it is safe to wonder about this season. With Carlos Beltran already out till possibly June, that makes 2 of the “core” lineup guys (David Wright & Jason Bay being the others) that won’t be around to start the season.

Even if Reyes and Beltran WERE healthy, there are enough questions: pitching, second base, catcher & bullpen to project maybe 83-85 wins for the team. That’s better than last year-but not enough to keep fans happy-or guarantee Jerry Manuel & Omar Minaya are still employed at the end of the season. The Mets year could already be derailed less than 3 weeks to Opening Day.

By Bobby Taute

Just a note here-ENOUGH OF TIGER WOODS!

All day it’s either he’s coming back at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational in 2 weeks. OR is it The Masters? Word is out that Eldrick has hired former Presidential adviser Ari Fleischer to aid with his “comeback.”

Bay Hill is supervised by Woods’ management company, but Augusta would give him more insulation from the media throngs and multitude of fans he’ll see.

Either way: I don’t care! All Tiger, all the time has run its course. Let me know when Woods is back in the swing of things (on the golf course) and I’ll get back to you.

Breaking news out of Yankees camp: the Great Gazoo Lives – and we have Francisco Cervelli and his vulnerable melon to thank.

The Yanks backup catcher said today that he’ll wear the same gigantic protective helmet that David Wright wore last year after he was hit in the head with a pitch.

Even Jorge Posada has taken to calling his understudy “Gazoo.”

You’ll recall that Cervelli was hit last Saturday by a 94-MPH heater right in the dome. It gave him his second concussion since the World Series – apparently he was concussed during a winter league game.

Unlike David Wright, who (most likely) ditched the helmet after a few games because it was uncool, Cervelli said he’s choosing safety over sauve-ity.

Considering that the helmet is about the ugliest/funniest/least fashionable thing ever worn on an athletic field of play – you know he means it.

So here’s to Cervelli and to our future as fans with the Great Gazoo helmet. However saddened we were when David ditched it we now rejoice it’s return atop the soon-to-be gargantuan head of Francisco Cevelli.

In the immortal words of Mike Myers' grandpa character in "So I Married An Ax Murderer," "LOOK AT THAT HEAD.....IT'S LIKE AN ORANGE ON A TOOTHPICK!!"

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Friday, three New York Jets were at the Haitian Consulate in Manhattan packing boxes that will be sent to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti as part of earthquake relief. David Clowney, James Ihedigbo, and Vernon Gholston along with other NFL players will travel to Haiti March 15-18 as part of "Hope for Haiti." They will endeavor to get that country back on its feet after the devastating earthquake in January. We wish them well... Of course, we were there as they prepared for their trip. We couldn't help and talk a little football... We asked them about new Jets corner back Antonio Cromartie and possible Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who met with Jets brass on Friday... Listen In... after the jump... You'll hear from Ihedigbo, Gholston, and then Clowney.

The flashy, loud-mouthed Chad Ochocinco is embarking on a new way to connect with his fans...well maybe at least the ladies...starring in his own dating show.

So what does a girl have to do to win Ochocinco's heart?

By Glenn Petraitis

What the heck is going on over at the Garden? How the heck is West Virginia and Georgetown in the conference final? They're not the 2 best teams in the conference. Syracuse and Villanova is!

Yes, Villanova has lost 4 of their last 6 games and is struggling with their lack of size, but they're still very good, and will be a nightmare for most teams to play against in the NCAA tournament.

Syracuse…The #2 team in the land, #1 a couple of weeks ago, should've been in the final. That's what the conference was hoping! I was at the game the other day and they had a bigger, Orange crowd than the Knicks get. PACKED! Yeah, they played Georgetown, and there were pockets of Hoya fans there, but it was 80% S-U fans, all decked out in Orange.

Only problem S-U stunk in the 2nd half. They were so out of rhythm, they deserved to lose to Georgetown. But take into account these 2 teams know each other better than they know themselves, so it was bound to happen, but I never would've thought G'Town was good enough the to get to the final.

Now, as far as West Virginia, 4 of their starters are from the metropolitan area, and yes they're good too, but again, they should've been beat by any number of better teams along the way.

This is why they play the games, though and I love that about tournaments and sports in general. Any given night, any given team can, can win any given game, especially in the BIG, BAD, Big East!

By Glenn Petraitis

So who's home is it anyway? The New Giants-slash-Jets stadium, who's name is going on the side of this brand-spankin' new monstrosity?

The old stadium was called "Giants Stadium" even though the jets played their too? That's wrong! Not fair!

But now, they have a chance to right the wrong, On the Sunday the jets play there, Have a revolving sign, all decked out in GREEN, saying "Jets Stadium." When the Giants are home, flip it to the blue side, saying "Giants Stadium." Simple, right? Right, except when they play each other, which is what I'm getting at.

The Jets and Giants are fighting over who should play the first game ever at the New Giants/Jets Stadium. The Jets say it should be them. Then Giants say, no way buddy, we're first! The NFL is thinking about flipping a coin. That's dumb! The Solution is to PLAY EACH OTHER in Game 1! Simple, right? Right!

Then, as far as the naming rights, how 'bout we add a little spice to the atmosphere. Since you're playing each other in Game 1, Winner takes all! The Winner gets to name it their stadium, and the other team gets to just pay half the bills, like the jets did all those years!

I'm a solution guy, have a problem, come with a solution. I think this is a perfect solution to a stupid problem. If you've got a better idea, lay it on me, brother!

Join my tweet-team too! @glenntvsports

That’s that answer to a question I asked just before the New Year in a blog titled “Is Local College Basketball Back” in the metropolitan area.

Now, three months later, I have my answer. No, it’s not.

At the time I wrote that blog St. John’s was 10-2, and both Seton Hall and Rutgers were 9-2.

That was then, this is now.

The announcement today of the NCAA tournament pool also means the much-less heralded NIT tournament bracket has officially taken shape.

While our local teams that I so optimistically hoped would contend for the Big Dance were shut out of the field of 65, I have good news to announce!!

Two of them are going to the Little Dance. Lesser Dance? Other Dance?

I’m not sure what the NIT’s nickname is, but I know that St. John’s and Seton Hall will be there.

The Jets are the winners of the LT (that’s right Giants fans, there’s a new LT in town…deal with it) sweepstakes.

It’s a two-year deal reportedly worth $5.1 million with performance bonuses that could bring it up to $5.6 million.

That’s what pretty much what Thomas Jones signed for with the Chiefs.

Do you think the Jets are better off with the (aging) future Hall of Famer?

Love the deal? Hate the deal? Not sure how to comment or are you just shy?

I’m sure opinions will vary wildly on this one. Me, I like it.

Using Tomlinson in a limited basis where Schotty can pick and choose his spots to insert him into the lineup should make the best of his skills while keeping him relatively healthy.

Plus, if you can’t beat ‘em…join ‘em!

LT’s last game, 24 yards on 12 carries against the Jets in the AFC Divisional playoffs.

Welcome to NY, LT.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Ronan Tynan

By Glenn Petraitis

I thought I was seeing things when I saw Ronan Tynan, world renowned Irish Tenor, wearing a Red Sox jersey, singing God Bless America up in Boston. I first thought it was a publicity stunt, or he lost a bet, but then I found out it was real. Ronan Tynan donned the dreaded Red Sox jersey, stood in front of hundreds of Bostonians and sang God Bless America, proudly I might add. How could he do that? How could he trade his Yankees allegiance for Red Sox nation. You can't do that! Now here's the back-story.

Tynan allegedly made an off-color remark about Jews to a person who was looking to buy his apartment. The buyer was stunned and told someone, who told someone, who told a local newspaper reporter. The news hit the tabloids and when the Yankees heard about the alleged comments, they fired him from singing at Yankee Stadium. Tynan said he was sorry and met with the appropriate political and religious people to show how sorry he was.

Tynan was already moving, but ended up in Boston and the sly Red Sox nation scooped him up. Now, what's the old saying, money talks and bull#&*t walks. I'm assuming the Red Sox people are paying him, like the yankees people did, but he didn't have to become a Benedict Tenor and go to the Red Sox. That's just wrong! How can you be a Yankees fan one day and switch to the Red Sox the next. Bad Ronan, Bad!

Well... He's back... or he will be back... Tiger Woods has announced that his return to golf will take place at the Masters in Augusta on beginning on April 8th. I have to say I am not surprised. After all, the Masters is one of Tiger's favorite tournaments, if not his favorite. He's won it four times. "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect," Woods said in a statement. "After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta."

And seriously... who doesn't think he will win it? If I were a betting man, (wink, wink) I might lay down a shekel or two on Woods to take his 5th green jacket. He hasn't played professional golf since the "Crash heard around the World" in November when he crashed his SUV, setting off a media frenzy. Of course, Tiger's many infidelities came to light as a result.

The PGA loves the news while I'm sure its players are not so happy. Tiger isn't that popular among his fellow duffers... one, because he beats their heads in on a weekly basis... and two... he's not the most personable dude on the planet. But CBS doesn't care about that... They are expecting BIG ratings numbers that weekend. CBS Prez Sean McManus told AP that he thinks Tiger's return will be second to only President Obama's inauguration as a media event.

Tiger will probably dodge all non golf questions because... he can. The Masters is run like a tight ship. Any offending reporters will probably be excused.. So Tiger can insulate himself and focus on golf. That's probably when he's at his best anyway. Also, I think scandal brings out the best in top flight athletes. Remember when Michael Jordan was chided for being in Atlantic City during the Knicks playoff series? The Knicks wished the media left M-J alone because he took out all his frustrations on them. Similar to what Tiger will probably do at Augusta.

LaDainian Tomlinson

I titled this blog The "New LT" just to tick off Giants fans. There's one Giants fan who sternly tells me that there's only one LT and he's the greatest defensive player that ever lived. I like ticking off certain folks.

Anyway.. to the point of my blog... The Jets making moves to try and better their offense. Tuesday, they re-signed fullback Tony Richardson to a one year deal. This coming just two days after they signed Future Hall of Fame Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson is probably past his prime which makes you wonder why the Jets got rid of Thomas Jones. But he seems to have the right attitude, saying that he'll accept a secondary role in the Jets offense when you know he's used to being the featured back. He addressed that topic among others today on a conference call.. Of course we have it for you here. It's separated into 4 parts... something about gigabites... I don't know... anyway... Listen in after the jump... He even discusses the whole LT thing.

It's not that I thought everyone would love the fact Tiger Woods is coming to town. I mean, if I lived in Augusta, I would be annoyed with the anticipated throngs of media/people NOT interested in his golf game and the ladies flaunting their feminine gifts (or "bought goods") in a quest to untame the Tiger, again. Some of the quotes from residents are pretty damn funny...possibly exaggerated...but maybe not.

"There isn't a respectable parent of a teenage daughter within 10 miles who can feel safe with Tiger Woods coming to town," said Jim Searan, 43, a dad with 12- and 16-year-old daughters." (Courtesy NY Daily News)

"The only thing I know about Tiger Woods is that I'm going to try to date him," said Sydney Balogh, a 27-year-old stylist at a downtown spa. "I may not be blond but after looking at the other women he's been with, I think I stand a good chance." (Courtesy NY Daily News)

**This is how the town is getting ready for Tiger...thank you, Godfather of Soul.

"Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver told Augusta TV station WRDW the city put together a plan for Brown's funeral in less than a week, so getting ready for the April 8 start of The Masters will be no different.

Brown's services in December 2006 included a procession to James Brown Arena, where an estimated 8,500 fans attended a public service in the Georgia town where the singer spent much of his childhood. (Courtesy USA Today)

**if you can't get enough Tiger in standard definition, he will come to you in 3D. (Thank goodness only the GOLF!)

"...Comcast has teamed up with the Augusta National Golf Club, which organizes the Masters tournament.

Multiple 3-D cameras will be strategically deployed around the course for the event, the golf club said, and two hours of 3-D coverage will be available each day beginning Wednesday April 7 and continuing through Sunday, April 11, the golf club..." (Courtesy Boston Globe)

You might think it's all glamour and glitz or maybe you don't but either way, don't you want to know? I just joined Kontain (I know a little late) and will be posting videos/pictures of what goes on behind the scenes in the sports office and when we go on shoots. I started with our experiences during the Yankees World Series win...can you tell I am super psyched for the start of the regular season!??!?!?

http://www.kontain.com/lolitalopez11/profile/31054

Ok, we're a few hours into the NCAA Tournament. As a sporting event, only the Super Bowl brings people together like THe Big Dance does. People that don't know a peach basket from a hoops basket (and hey, the first hoops baskets WERE peach baskets!) watch the firs 3-4 days of the tourney with the intensity of a woman giving birth to triplets!

Already, the drama has started. The Big East got 8 invites to the field of 64. But Notre Dame is done, thanks to Old Dominion. Meanwhile, the Villanova Wildcats were nearly declawed by the Colonials of Robert Morris before winning in OT. BYU knocked off Florida in 2 overtimes. Though a 10 seed, the Gators were thought of as a potential sleeper. Now, they sleep with the fishes.

So watch your back-the guy in the next cubicle over, who only watches his kid's CYO team each year, will be pounding the floor if his "upset special" North Texas takes out K-State. Make sure the coffee and stationery are nailed down!

For the record, my Final Four: OHIO STATE, WEST VIRGINIA, KANSAS STATE, and BAYLOR. The Buckeyes top Mountaineers for the title.

Big East haters; fire away! The conference that bills itself as the best in the land went an embarrassing 1-3 today in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Among the disposed teams were the three-seed Georgetown Hoyas, 97-83 losers to #14 Ohio in a game that wasn’t even close.

Also laying an egg were a pair of 6th seeded Big East teams, Marquette and Notre Dame.

The Golden Eagles were bested by Washington, a team from the horrid Pac-10 (but after this Big East showing, how bad are they, really?).

As for Notre Dame, they got a big no-show from All-Everything Luke Harangody – who didn’t score his first points until there was less than a minute to go in the game.

He scored four. Whoopie!!

Hopefully you’re a better man than I and you didn’t fall for all the Big East hype. Me, I had Notre Dame and Georgetown in the Elite Eight.

Nothing like having more red lines than green check marks after the FIRST 12 GAMES OF THE DAY.

What does the forecast hold for the Big Least tomorrow? On tap are #1 Syracuse, #2 West Virginia, #3 Pitt, and #9 Louisville.

All are favorites to win and all advance to the next round in my bracket. Hopefully the conference snaps-to in time for tomorrow’s slate.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

The speculation is over... Norm Roberts was fired on Friday after six seasons at St. John's. Roberts compiled an 81-101 record while leading the Johnnies to only two winning seasons. Roberts was put at a great disadvantage when he inherited a program in shambles, on and off the court, from Mike Jarvis. Roberts did improve the team but he never really lived up to his reputation as a great recruiter, never really bringing in that true blue chip player. Roberts was a class act. I knew him and grew to like him when he was the head coach many years ago at Queens College. But St. John's wasn't paying him to be a nice guy, they paid him for results.. which they didn't get. Roberts never led St. John's to the NCAA tournament and he finished this season at 17-16. The team did play hard for Norm but they never got over the hump. Of course, we were at the press conference held at St. John's to announce Roberts' firing. The gentleman you'll hear from is St. John's athletic director Chris Monasch... Listen in after the jump...

The NCAA tournament is the best tournament in the world, bar none. Today you had Villanova, who was really taking on water the last couple of weeks, go down to St. Mary's. Little known St. Mary's from Northern California. They were a 10 seed, but they could've been a 164th seed for all we knew, but there they were stickin' it to Jay Wright and his undersized Wildcats. This is why I love sports and this is why I love this tournament. Anyone can win. Now St. Mary's probably won't win the whole thing, but this win today over a BIG EAST BEAST like Villanova, just put their school on the map, not just in Northern California, but the entire nation.
Remember Gonzaga. They are in the tourrnament again this year, play Syracuse tomorrow, but there are people out there who continue to pick Gonzaga in their pools year after year only because they heard they were a gritty team and they won a couple tournament games a couple of years ago when they weren't supposed to. They were the definition of "Cinderella" . No one knew anything about Gonzaga, until they saw Adam Morrison, with his crazy hair and 70's porn-star mustache, running around..throwing up wild shots, making everything, and then when they finally lost in the later rounds, he cried on the court, like a little girl. But there wasn't a person who loves sports that didn't love that!
Then, just hours after 'Nova goes down, the #1 team in the land, Kansas loses to Northern Iowa. I can see it now, 5 years from now, when Northern Iowa makes the tournament again as a 15 seed, people far and wide are going to be penning that school onto a bracket line to win a couple games, all because they beat the heavy favorite and #1 Kansas Jayhawks today.
To steal a line from Dick Vitale (and I hate to, but...) "it's awesome baby, with a capital A.
This is why they play the games, for days like this.
Let me know wat you think. Give me a comment. Good luck, Follow me on twitter @glenntvsports and watch the PIX News at 10 tonight.

Since our LOCAL local college basketball teams are either bad (Rutgers), kinda bad (St. John’s) or partly behind bars (Seton Hall), is it wrong for us NY-Metro area fans to claim Cornell as our own during their Sweet 16 run?

We are a city who loves a winner, and I say ‘big deal’ that Ithaca is four hours away from the five boroughs.

I don’t consider this bandwagon-jumping…just an awakening to the quality college basketball being played in our “area.”

We got a taste of what the Big Red could do here in NYC when Cornell played in holiday tournament at the Garden in late December.

It was then that they won on a buzzer beater to top Davidson and then beat St. John’s the next night to win the whole shebang.

Feel free to drop that knowledge on your co-workers tomorrow morning when they accuse you of not knowing anything about Cornell, your new favorite team.

In much the same way some people try to claim Syracuse as a NYC team, I say we shouldn’t be ashamed to do the same with our new tournament darlings, Cornell.

So what if they’re Ivy League, egg-heads. They’re good at basketball. And they play in New York State.

There aren’t too many of those programs around anymore, so we’ll take what we can get!

Go Big Red.

Matt Estreich for the Huddle

Tiger Woods gave dueling interviews Sunday night... One to ESPN and the other to the Golf Channel. Both had time limits of 5 minutes and both reporters (Tom Rinaldi of ESPN and Kelly Tilghman of The Golf Channel) were told there were no restrictions when it came to their questions. Both interviews were pre-recorded and ran at 7:30 ET as both networks tried to one up the other...

I came out of both interviews not really learning anything new. Personally, I'd rather just watch him play golf and let him sort out his personal problems on his own. But in today's society... the story lives and lives and lives. I guess I'm partly to blame because I'm writing about this now but we really didn't learn anything new.

Woods had a "mental script" that he stuck to. Similar answers popped up in both interviews. When asked about the car crash and what happened that night in November, Tiger told both reporters "It's in the police report." He told both reporters that he got away from his "core values" and stopped practicing Buddhism. He also told both reporters that he was "living a lie" and had to "strip away denial."

I guess its a step in the right direction because he again took ownership of his infidelities and said that he was to blame because he did these things. But if you wanted to hear that Elin busted his a** that night or his Mom cursed him out, you weren't getting that from Tiger. I agree with Woods in this regard... This IS between he and Elin. Let them work it out. Let's talk golf now. Tiger sure wants you to.

With July 1st just around the corner, Knicks fans are very hopeful about the free agent sweepstakes. But the Knicks themselves have to keep playing even though the games don't mean anything. Tuesday should be a good one at MSG as Carmelo Anthony brings his Denver Nuggets into town. If you're a Knicks fan these days, you're reduced to watching the games for the other team's stars. 'Melo is one of those such stars. We caught up with David Lee, Toney Douglas and Mike D'Antoni and they talk about defending Anthony... Listen in after the jump...

The Mets have needed some good news all winter. Today, they got a jolr of joy: Jose Reyes' thyroid hormone levels have returned to normal. Reyes will rejoin the team tomorrow. He probably won't be ready in time for Opening Day but could see action during their first homestand.

If you saw the top of the Mets-Braves exibition game today, GM Omar Minaya looked like he was just rescued from "Lost." Why not? The guy's job is on the line if the Mets don't get off to a good start-maybe. That's assuming the Wilpons grow a conscience and realize that even with their shortstop healthy, the Amazin's are an 85 win team at best. But Reyes will soon be in EVERY Mets TV and radio promo the Mets have. They may believe in COMEBACKS-but they sure didn't believe in bolstering the starting rotation. Let's see how long the good feeling lasts.

The National Football League is the most popular sport in America. People that could care less about other sports watch the NFL. Families often plan their Sundays around their favorite team.

Today, the league announced they have "modified" the overtime rule for the postseason. My take: Why the heck are they reinventing the wheel?

Here is a synopsis of the recent 28-4 vote by NFL team owners on changing overtime rules during the PLAYOFFS...I am not sure how I feel about it. Let me ponder the topic and regroup tomorrow but tell us what you think...I have so much Yankees/Mets baseball on the brain. Preseason special airing April 4...a full hour...it's going to be hot!

"...NFL owners voted in a new postseason overtime rule 28-4, allowing a team to win on the opening possession only by scoring a touchdown. A field goal necessitates a kickoff, giving the opposition a chance to tie the game with a field goal or to win with a touchdown. After each team has had the opportunity to possess the ball, the game would revert to sudden death.

"This idea, in our mind, did the right thing for football," said Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, the co-chairman of the competition committee. "It kept the football decisions the same, and it kept the strategy the same, and in our minds, it dealt with the statistical advantage that had occurred with the coin toss that we just didn't think was fair."

Since 1994, when the kickoff was moved back 5 yards to the 30-yard line, teams winning the coin toss won 59.8 percent of overtime games. Teams winning the coin toss won 34.4 percent of those 244 overtime games on their first possession (64 field goals, 20 touchdowns).

From 1974-93, teams won in overtime with a first-possession field goal only 17.9 percent of the time. In those 20 seasons, the team winning the coin toss won only 46.8 percent of the time, the same percentage as the team losing the coin toss.

The statistics were so convincing that, at the May meetings in Dallas, owners will discuss the modified sudden-death rule for the regular season as well..." (Courtesy: McClatchy Newspapers)

Here we are less than two weeks to Opening Day, and another bad news story for the Mets-and HONESTLY all baseball fans. This one is the worst of all, because it doesn't involve runs, hits or errors-at least not on the field. Dwight Gooden, one of the stalwarts of the '86 Champion Mets, is in trouble again.

There was a very cool event tonight at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the first EVER hockey game broadcast in live 3-D.

More than 2,000 fans were in the house to watch a simulcast of the game being played in the adjacent arena.

The game was the first sporting event EVER broadcast in 3-D to customers in their homes…that is, if you’re one of the very few lucky folks who have a 3-D set at home.

But if you do, you were in business tonight.

If you’re like the rest of us shlubs, your best bet was at the theater tonight to see it in person.

I along with a handful of NY sports celebs were on hand to check out the game, and let me tell you, it was pretty cool.

It wasn’t like the players were so in your face that you felt like you could touch them. The beauty behind this 3-D was that everything that wasn’t part of the background seemed to pop-out.

For instance the players and the goal cages in particular seemed to rise out of the theater screen. During pre-game and intermissions the MSG crew did some of those cliché 3-D tricks that you see in horror movies, but in the sports world they were pretty cool.

For instance one of the analysts (I forget who) thrust his stick at the screen and then did a hockey stop and shaved ice seemed to fly right at you. That got the crowd going.

So did a 1st period fight that brought everyone to their feet. Like I said, it was pretty cool.

Among the Big Wigs we caught up with were Ranger legend Mike Richter, Commissioner Gary Bettman (cool of him to talk with us….and model the glasses – you’ll see what I mean), the Knicks’ David Lee, the Jets’ D’Brickashaw Ferguson and the Giants’ Shaun O’Hara.

Check it out (regrettably, not in 3-D. Sorry):

If you haven’t heard by now, the Jets were picked to star in this summer’s edition of “Hard Knocks” on HBO.

The Rex Ryan-led Jets seem like a natural pick for a reality show, but some might wonder why they’d want to mess with a good thing.

I don’t really have an opinion either way. I think if any team has the leadership and maturity to handle the Hard Knocks assignment, it’s the Jets.

So good for them. It’s a free hour long commercial for a couple of weeks during the summer.

What does Rex think about it? He spoke today at Jets camp…take a listen:

Steve Sabol, the head of NFL Films, was part of today’s press conference announcing the Jets as the subject of this season of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks'.

Sabol mostly kept quiet during the Q&A but added his two cents when Rex was asked whether or not he thought Sabol’s NFL Films/HBO cameras would be a distraction.

The story revolves around Sabol’s experience filming Packers’ practices during the 60’s when Vince Lombardi was at the helm.

Take a listen to Sabol describing what Lombardi thought of the cameras back then....I think you might be surprised:

And then there was one.

Syracuse became the SEVENTH Big East team eliminated from the NCAA Tournament tonight, losing to the Butler Butts (I never should have asked that 4th grader what their nickname is….).

West Virginia is the only Big East team to move on to the Elite Eight. So much for the theory of NOT playing hard during your conference tournament.

The only consolation here is that annoying ‘Cuse fans finally got their comeuppance.

All Syracuse fans secretly want to say is that they can win a title without the assistance of a one-and-done superstar (Carmelo Anthony, anyone?).

Tonight’s embarrassment just proves their program is a joke incapable of winning without a sure-fire top-3 NBA draft pick on their roster.

Now West Virginia….that’s a program!! Not really, but hey, they’re still alive.

I’m a North Carolina fan/alum and we’re still alive….in the NIT.

I guess the moral of this story is you can hate on the Big East for barely showing up to the Tournament, but at least they got in.

Still, though, we (UNC) have a chance to win titles in back to back years.

Who else can say that?? Better question…who wants to be able to say that??

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

The fastest growing sport in the United States invades the Prudential Center Saturday night. UFC 111 will host its latest pay per view in Newark. Don't think it hasn't escaped NY politicians, most notably Governor David Paterson, that the majority of pre fight events were held in Manhattan before captivated throngs. UFC President Dana White is no idiot. He knows the local area is a hotbed of MMA fighters and fans. Paterson, meanwhile, just needs something positive-and adding cash to the state's treasury would help.

What's A-Rod Hiding? What the heck is going on with Alex Rodriguez? Why does everything involving steroids or HGH or anything illegal have to be be such a big deal with A-Rod?
Since the beginning of spring training, all we've heard about was how A-Rod was supposed to meet with federal investigators about his dealings with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea. Galea has been charged with transporting HGH as well as another illegal drug, into our country from Canada, but said he never gave any of his clients HGH or anything illegal.
Galea has treated numerous athletes, with a blood spinning procedure that extracts the person's blood from their body, runs it through a fancy machine while cleaning it and then re-injecting the blood back into the person's body with plateletts from a cow. Sounds weird!
But, here's the thing, Jose Reyes admitted to having this procedure performed on him by Galea, so did Carlos Beltran, but both those guys met with the feds the first week of spring training and were done with it. No fan fare, no fuss, they just did it and were done with it.
But, like everything else with A-Rod, his interview is a big production. Why? Yesterday he was supposed to finally meet with them in Buffalo, but at the last minute A-Rod's lawyers decided to cancel it because A-Rod was going to be photographed going into the meeting place. SO WHAT!
Now they are rescheduling it for next week in a private place so he can't be photographed.
I've got to admit, now he's got me thinking? Why this big air of mystery? What did he do? I have given him the benefit of the doubt but, I'll admit, it's crossed my mind. He must've done something illegal or he wouldn't be pushing this meeting off so long or trying to avoid it altogether. Here we go again!
Does anyone agree with me? Let me hear your opinion on this.

After this most unpredictable of tournaments, I ask you, Huddle Nation, who among you has anything to “play” for during the Final Four.

By “play”, of course, I mean “do you have any of the four remaning teams on the bracket in your office pool?” Unless you had West Virginia or Duke moving on to Indy, I’m guessing you don’t.

I’m no stranger to patting myself on the back, and I’m happy to announce that despite a dreadful two rounds for yours truly – including losing my title team, Kansas in round 2 – I correctly picked both Duke and West Virginia to make it to the Final Four.

All of a sudden my bracket went from ripped up in the garbage can to suddenly retrieved, taped together, and studied religiously.

Only during a tournament like this could you lose your national champion in the 2nd round and still have a shot to win your pool.

I’m wondering how many other people out there are having a similar experience this March?

Unfortunately for me I’m in the last pool on Earth NOT to be submitted online (when was the last time you filled out a paper bracket?), so I have NO IDEA where I stand at the moment.

Clearly if someone has Duke or West Virginia winning it all I have no shot.

In case you’re wondering, I have Duke beating WVU, advancing, of course, to lose to Kansas in the title game. So I need the Dookies to win Saturday in order to achieve maximum points for my bracket and give myself the best chance to win it all.

That’s pretty much all you can ask for when you lose your champion before the Sweet 16.

What a tournament.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

Mikhail Prokhorov

Right now, life for the New Jersey Nets is pretty sad. The team has won 9 out of 73 games and is going nowhere fast. The only intrigue now is to see if they can squeeze one more win out of their remaining 9 games so they don't tie the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record in NBA history. But the future, we hope is bright. Unless lightning strikes and some other team wins the lottery, the Nets will have the number one pick. Presumably that will be Kentucky guard John Wall. The Nets are very cap friendly right now. They can sign a max free agent... and when some more contracts expire, they may be able to sign two.

But the big story is about Nets pending owner Mikhail Prokhorov. He was featured Sunday night on 60 Minutes. The gun toting, womanizing bachelor billionaire promises to turn the team around. I found the piece very interesting, not that I would encourage viewing another channel or website. (wink) We asked some of the Nets about their soon to be boss... We also got their comments about Tim Duncan and the Spurs (who they play Monday Night)... Also we learn a little about the Nets TV viewing choices... An interesting listen... after the jump

Jose Reyes took his first round of live batting practice today since he was cleared to resume baseball work. His overactive thyroid at normal levels, the Mets shortstop looks like HE will get back to "normal" very soon. Opening Day is no longer a long shot but a reality...though if it were up to me, I would be REALLY REALLY sure Reyes was at 100%. Give me two blood tests that say his thyroid is normal and another couple of "live" workouts before we put him out there. The worst thing would be to jump the gun...the Mets don't need that from the get-go. Listen to Jose and watch his workout after the break. I don't usually leave the video up full but Jose is a character and I love showing that!

Nets celebrate their 90-84 win over the Spurs.

In sports... the pursuit of numbers and records sometimes outshines wins and losses. But some records, you want no part of. The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers set the gold standard for futility when they limped to a 9-73 record. For a while, it looked like the New Jersey Nets might break that record. But Monday night, the Nets avoided history by winning a very unlikely game. They beat the San Antonio Spurs 90-84 at the Izod Center to win their 10th game of the season. Those 72-73 Sixers will remain the team with the worst record in NBA history. The Nets... well they're just another bad team. Jason Kidd used to say that about the Knicks back in the day.

The Nets stopped two Spurs 14 game winning streaks at once. San Antonio had won 14 straight games overall and had also won 14 games in a row against the Nets. The last Nets win came in 2003 when the Nets beat San Antonio in game 4 of the NBA Finals. But the Nets used a late 13-2 run to grab the win. Brook Lopez dropped 22 and grabbed 12 rebounds. Tim Duncan committed a costly turnover late and that was your ballgame. Public address announcer Gary Sussman announced to the arena "We got 10! The Nets win!" Never was there so much excitement for a team that is 54 games under the 500 mark.

So now, with the Nets at the 10 win mark, I guess the next time we'll talk about them is when the NBA Draft Lottery happens. It will be a travesty if the Nets don't get the Number #1 pick... But it could happen! I have to admit, I'm happy they won this game. I didn't want my team having the label as worst ever. When this season ends, everyone will forget it... I mean everyone... We know they're bad, but not historically bad. We have to try and find the positives, ya know? Can we please fast forward to July 1st?

New St. John's Head Coach Steve Lavin

The search for Norm Roberts' replacement is over. St. John's has hired former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin. He will be officially introduced to the media on Wednesday. Lavin hasn't coached since the Bruins fired him in 2003, working as a college basketball analyst on ESPN. He had only one losing year and compiled a 145-78 record in 7 seasons at UCLA, reaching the Sweet 16 five times. Lavin inherits a Red Storm team that hasn't been to the dance since 2002. They will return all 5 of their starters. Before hiring Lavin, St. John's interviewed Al Skinner and was rejected by Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. Red Storm Director of Athletics Chris Monasch said in a press release “Today is the start of a new era in the venerable history of St. John’s basketball. Steve brings the skill set and persona that we feel gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in the BIG EAST. Since Coach Lavin was unveiled as a candidate, you could feel the excitement throughout the city. St. John’s is poised to recapture its legacy as New York’s college team.”

Ok... Will they ever lose?? Or better yet, will they ever be actually challenged in a game? The UConn women have won 76 straight games and none of them.... NONE of the wins were by less than 10 points. Tuesday night they beat Florida State 90-50... That's 40 points! That type of score is more than norm than the exception. That blowout win earned the Huskies their 8th Final Four berth since 2000. Maya Moore had 22 points and Tina Charles had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead UConn. But seriously, does it matter? Whether its Rebecca Lobo, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, or anyone else, this program just wins.

Geno Auriemma does a wonderful job every year getting this team to play for him. My question is... How is the rest of women's college basketball so far behind UConn? Shouldn't there be someone to challenge this team. It can't be good for women's hoops to have such a dominant team. Why watch because each time UConn plays, you know they're going to win. The question is, by how much. The studio analysts were asked if they were surprised UConn won by 40. They actually said they thought they would win by 25 or 30 but 40 surprised them. All the dominant teams in every other sport don't win like this. You think the (insert dominant team here) will win but it won't be a blowout every time out... And it won't take 2 years or more just for someone to beat them.

I'm sure the staff and players work very hard to achieve their excellence and its great if you live in Storrs, Connecticut but I just can't watch when there's no intrigue. Well... Maybe I've spoken too soon. The next game for UConn might have some intrigue. They play Baylor next in the Final 4. Baylor has a 6 foot 8 center named Brittney Griner who is pretty darn good. Will they be able to stop her or will it be another 40 point blowout? We'll find out Sunday. I'm hoping it's at least a close game!!

If you are trying to keep up with all the basketball coaching hires at Big East schools, we have you covered. Things certainly needed to change; out of 8 Big East teams in the NCAA Tournament, only West Virginia remains. Four Big East teams were out after the first round. Here is today's latest...we have interviews with folks at Seton Hall and St. Johns on the way so stay tuned!!

St John's welcomes Steve Lavin to Queens. The former UCLA coach finalized a 6-year, $8-9 million dollar deal and will be introduced a little later this afternoon (we will have it!)

Former Iona coach, Kevin Willard takes on Seton Hall. That's no easy task after the mess Bobby Gonzalez left behind. He has NBA and previous Big East experience (coached at Pitt and Louisville) so if experience helps, Willard will have to tap into it for sure!

Tim Welsh heads to Long Island to be the head coach at Hofstra. The former Providence and Iona coach replaces Tom Pecora, who took the job at Fordham last week. The Pride finished the season at 19-15. Welsh spent 10 seasons at Providence, leading the Friars to the NCAA tournament in 2001 and 2004. He was

…there’s a new King of ‘hitting someone’s mother in the stands with a baseball.’

His name is Denard Span.

Not only did the Twins leadoff man hit a woman in the crowd with a foul ball today against the Yankees – that woman was his mother.

It came in the first inning today in Tampa. Span was facing Phil Hughes when he checked his swing and hit a line-drive into the first row next to the visiting third base dugout.

What’s amazing was that Span knew immediately that the person he hit was among the entourage of 20 or so family members he invited to the game.

About three seconds after he hit the ball, Span was in a full sprint towards the stands, then up and over the barrier and attending to his mom who was clutching her chest.

Long story short, she was checked out by paramedics and returned to the stands (a different seat, though) to watch the game, and Span struck out looking on the very next pitch from Hughes.

Now as for the Knoblauch connection…

If you’re any kind of a random sports history buff, you’ll remember the infamous incident in which Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch threw a routine groundball into the stands behind first base, hitting Keith Olbermann’s mom in the process.

Yes, THAT Keith Olbermann.

Until now that was the quintessential ‘mom getting hit by baseball’ anecdote. Today, I nominate Mr. Span’s unbelievable achievement to dethrone the famously erratic Knoblauch.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle

The injury bug strikes the Mets AGAIN: Daniel Murphy, the first baseman Mets fans aren't really comfortable with, will miss antwhere from 2-6 weeks with a knee sprain. I say: Get Ike Davis up here-NOW.