playing both sides to the middle...

depending on the outcome of a series of physicals, outfielder Jason Bay will be joining the New York Mets for the next 4 to 5 years. Great news depending on who you talk to. i can say the constellation is pleased. Adding another bat to a healthy lineup is just what the doctor ordered. Sure, GM Omar Minaya still needs to scour the streets for pitching but this isn't about the Mets, other than the fact we can be sure, as Met fans, that going into the New Year our ship isn't being steered by a complete simpleton. Temper your distaste, Omar's job is whole lot easier than the one my friends Knicks GM Donnie Walsh and Coach Mike D'Antoni have been knee deep in over at the World's Most Famous Arena for the past year and a half...

when i wrote for The TORCH, St John's Official Student Newspaper back in the early nineties i used to receive correspondence from Walsh, who was working as the Indiana Pacers top PR guy. He would keep me up to date on the comings and goings of SJU alum Malik Sealy, that is before Malik was traded to Minnesota and ultimately died tragically in an auto accident a few years later. i would foolishly ask for press credentials to Knick games when the Pacers were in town, i mean; its 1994—playoff tickets are too much to ask for? Walsh eventually went on to run the basketball operations over in Indianapolis until the room got too small with Larry Bird joining him in the front office. Walsh came home to NYC and inherited a Knick franchise in absolute disrepair...

fast forward to the current state of the Knick winners of 9 of their last 14 after starting 12-19 overall after starting 1-9. D'Antnoni has found a strong and short rotation. A hallmark of a team on mission is a good, tight 8 man rotation. The best teams in the league practice this philosophy. It identifies a players role and keeps play consistent. D'Antoni has received a little heat from fans and an agent about the 12 games Nate Robinson has sat on the bench with a DNP-Coaches Decision. Robinson is a fan favorite to be sure, and a favorite of mine, personality wise, but i can clearly see that he doesn't quite fit the program here. He might get his time at some point, especially if Larry Hughes play continues to ebb, but the mission here is to make the playoffs and if D'Antoni feels he's better off playing a guard rotation of Chris Duhon, Larry Hughes, and Toney Douglas then so be it. There is no lottery pick to play for, that is, unless your Utah Jazz fan. So playoffs ahoy...

Walsh has molded the current roster to allow for the largest amount of room under the salary cap to use next year in 2010 NBA Free Agency Bonanza. But there is still a piece of dead weight drowning any dream of LeBron James, Chris Bosh or the like. That dead weight is Eddy Curry, signed to the teeth for the better part of the next two years and not playing a minute ever since Jonathan Bender came from the gas station to take those 5-10 minutes away from him. Not that he was playing consistently well or, for that matter, consistently or well. Curry has been an abomination, the poster boy for an administration gone insane when Isiah Thomas reigned over the Franchise. Curry needs to go, no money down, and cash back. Imediamente!...

then comes news from Houston that oft-injured, former next Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady was sent home by Rockets management as they try to work a deal to get him out of town. McGrady wants meaningful minutes and a chance to prove his worth after micro-fracture surgery. Hmm, maybe we can do business here...

let's sum it up, neither Nate Robinson or Eddy Curry are happy and there is no answer for them as to when they will ever see the court again as anything more than a spectator. The Knicks need to clear cap space by jettisoning Curry but need to give a prospective trading partner something of worth in return. With no first round pick to speak of and a squad improving everyday with the emergence of David Lee's and Danillo Gallinari's all-around games and a team defense that has kept opposing teams shooting poorly and turning the ball over a Knick fan should be screaming for the playoffs, and D'Antoni and Walsh should be doing everything in their power to make that happen, while not jeopardizing cap space for next year...

I propose trading for Tracy McGrady and the Rockets 2010 first round pick, offering in return Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler and Eddy Curry. That makes Robinson happy, and gets Curry off the books for the next two years. Sure, i like Chandler's game, but there seems to be a disconnect between where he is as player and talent and the next level. Not to mention the 2010 free agent class is filled with better players who do the same thing. McGrady's contract is dust next June. McGrady's is a dyed in the wool scorer. A finisher, exactly what the Knicks need late in games when the pick and roll disappears. He is a perfect fit for a team starving for playoff experience and a team looking for a quick affair, not a long term relationship. Its exactly what McGrady wants, minutes on a team with something to prove, because he has something to prove as well. A good finish and a challenge in the first round of the playoffs and McGrady all but sews up his last professional contract somewhere else. Meanwhile the gaping hole that was once a multitude of attitudes and bloated contracts will go the way of Keyser Sose. Gone...

left will be a chasm of wants and dreams. LeBron? Sure, although he is a bit of a black hole and probably won't leave Cleveland. I'd rather lock up expiring contracts like Lee and Jared Jefferies, who has finally come around as the Knicks all purpose, do-all, cover anyone, take the charge, and hit the floor for the loose ball defensive specialist. Signing Chris Bosh would be another coup, giving us an All-Star post presence, rebounder and shot blocker, and probably should be the Knicks #1 priority. How badly do you think he wants out of Toronto? Layer in Joe Johnson, who thrived under D'Antoni in Phoenix and start making reservations for a perennial trip to the playoffs. Its like the NBA gods have finally seen fit to offer this opportunity to long suffering Knicks and their loyal fans, which right about now amounts to Spike Lee and myself, and i'm not sure about Spike...

make the deal Donnie, you can thank me later...with finals tickets...

a late Christmas present...

this might be the greatest thing i've ever seen!

please enjoy...

bringing that beat back...

t'was the night before Christmas, i was probably 7 or 8 years old. We ended up at the house of pa duke's old co-worker after spending the lion's share of the evening at my great-grandfather's house in Lynbrook, it might have been his last Christmas, details are sketchy when your 7...

the Rabinis had just sat down to their 15th meal of the day—they are Italian after all, so we stopped by. I had grown tired of the noise and hullabaloo, and retired to the cold and dark of the old brown station wagon although, at the time, we hadn't had it for very long. This was not an unusual event, i like my alone time, even when i was 7 or 8. Solace is one my favorite things...

i remember sitting there, with a smurf stuffed toy and deciding i had enough, went back into the house, walked over to my mother and requested that we wrap up the evening. After some pouting and some ribbing from the senior Rabini, we packed up the ship and my family and i started the journey home. During the ride my brothers began clamoring to my parents to open up presents that night rather then Christmas morning. If i was 7 then the elder would be 12 and the bastard would have been 10. They had grown into their cynicism by then and eschewed the idea of a Santa Claus. At some point, it might have been the elder, again semantics, who turned to me and said, 'you know there's no Santa Claus, right?'...

i've heard stories of this traumatic event played out many times by many people since, but for me there was no surprise, no horror, not even a blink before i said, 'yeah.' That settled it, the tradition of the Christmas Eve would be born. You see, even back then i was a full time resident of the constellation of logic. By pure scientific method i had already deduced that Santa could not exist. i was a good kid, stayed out of trouble, was fairly respectful and represented all prerequisite behavior that guarantees a swift delivery of whatever i asked for come Christmas morning. Two years before i had made my desire plain and simple. All i wanted for Christmas was a drum set...

i never received my drum set, which led me to believe that Santa Claus was probably some sort of control set long ago to keep kids in line. Not really, not back then at least, but its my story and i'm sticking to it...

i like the Christmas season, especially here in the big city. For all its manic, ultra-commercial, cut-throat self, it still breeds a togetherness as a people. Its one of the few things that still has the ability to foster that feeling in the modern world. i don't need Santa Claus or Baby Jesus to tell me so, it feels inbred...

so although we propagate tall tale after tall tale to our children, and feed into the machine like good little drones, i do sincerely wish you all a merry Christmas...

i gave up the dream of getting that drum set i always wanted, these days i wish for better times and getting a day closer to my Cat Mom. i'm easy, but if i wake up tomorrow to find a snare, bass and ride cymbal waiting for me then i'll take it all back...

merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

midnight obituaries

upon telling the Land Rover that i was a writer he retorted 'what do you write, obituaries?'...

well...

[Rodrigo Rodriguez] was unfortunately named. He grew to be an intrepid entrepreneur and an Undercover Baptist. He loved the lord as long as the lord loved him. Please send all condolences to Brian Mackle, Wilmington, N.C...

a picture is worth 1,000 words...

snow day? Hell no, get to work on 4,000 words...

weighing patience as a virtue...

Omar Minaya is imploring Met fans to have patience. He's got some set on him. Its difficult not to be impatient given the franchise's recent run amok. Forget the current ownership and management regime, Met fans have been served a yearly sack of fresh heartbreak since Dwight Gooden sniffed 1987 away. Listen folks, i was born into this. I have autograph pictures of John Sterns, Joel Youngblood AND Steve Henderson—what you got? At least i had Frank Cashen and Nelson Doubleday to temper the Wilpons or should i say Wilpon—back then, Jeff Wilpon was about as relevant in the organization as Jeffy from the Family Circle. So after the last few days with the sky falling and all, as well as a press conference with the sphinx himself, Omar would have us believe he and the organization have a plan and you know what? i think i believe him...

Did the Mets miss out on Roy Halladay or was Halladay calling the shots? Was Reyes actually in any trade conversation? Doesn't matter. The Mets don't have Cliff Lee or Kyle Drabeck, so they never had a chance. The Phillies have him, along with the rest of their core and a brand new sure handed third baseman with it for at least the next two years. The Phillies have made every move they could possibly make to assure themselves a stake in the big game until at least 2011, when the team's entire core does a free agent walk leaving Halladay all by his lonesome. They can't sign em' all...

Did we drop the ball by not signing Lackey? Eh, $80-85 million should be enough to get Cliff Lee next year, what's the rush? There is none, the Phillies are a better team regardless, the Phils will still take the division no matter who the Mets bring in. The team does have a chance at a wild card if they are healthy and fill some holes with quality baseball players. The Mets should be thinking about 2011 and beyond...

so how about this plan of Omar's?

i have no issue with signing Jason Bay. He is a very good bat. Especially when you put him in the mix with Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran. Matt Holliday is younger and might have be a better offensive player but i have an issue with a guy who pulls the old Ahmad Abdul Rahim in the playoffs. Bay may not be Joe Rudi or Barry Bonds in their defensive primes, but he didn't drop any easy fly balls...

Nobody wants to sign Bengie Molina for more than two years. So don't. Molina has one place that will give him a three year deal and that's Columbia House. He'll sweat it and us and then sign for two, start in 2010 and be the grandpa playing once a week in 2011, or after Thole is deemed ready for everyday consumption...

Pitching?, keep it cheap and exciting. Jason Marquis wants to pitch for the Mets. OK, son, enjoy your one-year deal. Kelvim Escobar, you want in?, the price of a minor league deal is yours. Ben Sheets? Erik Bedard, Chien Meng Wang? Remember, we're not going to beat the Phillies to the top of the division, why spend too much when you can hit a goldmine instead. Jenrry Mieja and Johnathan Niese will be ready in 2011 and i still believe in Mike Pelfrey, especially at only 26 years old and he will eventually be this team's horse. John Maine is a question, i'd rather not wait around for the answer, but if you can't get value for him, you hope for a good year that eats away at his rep and trade him for some real value in July...

You don't like Daniel Murphy at first? Maybe you didn't watch any games after July. i did, and i saw a 24 year old get thrown into the fire, handle that, a slump and a benching only to finish strong and turn himself into a pull hitter, who started to find that Pepsi Porch routinely. Double in the corner. Murphy, if nothing else will be chip for use in July to make this team better. If you want first base to be any better you grab a guy like Mark Derosa. He gives you a right handed platoon at first and a break at 5 other positions. The guy can hit, and if we're devoid of good pitching performances, we'll need all the bats we can get...

There is fruit on the vine. Thole, Mejia, Niese, Ruben Tejada, and Ike Davis—all probably ready for 2011. If Fernando Martinez can finally put together a full season in Triple A count him in for '11. Wilmer Flores won't be too far behind 2012 or so. There are reasons for optimism. And patience. Maybe this is Minaya's grand master plan. Why try to go for it all, when it just isn't there yet. The clock is running on Beltran and Johan Santana, sure, but Wright and Reyes are kids, and there is still time to decide if they are right for this franchise in the future. Spending wisely and giving the little we have in the minors time develop might just be a good idea. If that's, in fact, what Minaya has in mind, then i like how he's thinking. They brought in Wally Backman to breath down necks. Backman had a job as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks a few years back before this countries ass-backward value system jumped up to bite him the ass. i have to believe the only reason he was hired was to take over the major league job, so fear not Met fans, if things get shaky for Jerry Manuel, there is help about...

So give a little patience Met fans, its not like you've been waiting as long for a championship as us Knick fans...

nobody beats the Biz..

it's true. Nobody, but nobody beats the Biz...

Biz Markie has rapped and chilled with the legendary Juice Crew, and he appears in the video for the seminal Rob Base mega-hit 'It Takes Two.' He has released his own classic records like 'Goin' Off' and 'The Biz Never Sleeps.' He has even sung 'Bennie and the Jets' with the Beastie Boys. Lately you might have heard him here or seen and heard him here...

i guess my question is; Why hasn't biz hit the big time? i see the Biz with a talk show, a movie deal, a sit-com something. Tell me he wouldn't blow Sponge Bob or Barney out of the water hosting a kids show. Come on, someone give Marcel some dap. If i had my way the dude would be sitting lead anchor on CNN in place of Lou Dobbs...

this is a guy who had to forfeit royalties because of a landmark copyright case that changed the face of hip hop. His song 'Alone Again' ripped a sample from the song 'Alone Again (Naturally)' by Gilbert O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan sued him instead of thanking the Biz for making him remotely relevant again. The court decision requires all artists to clear their samples before releasing their records and got Biz bounced from his record contract. That's all fine and good, but do you really think the Biz is getting paid by Heiniken for using his song? Regardless where the sample comes from, ('You got What I Need,' Freddie Scott, 1968), i'm sure the Biz isn't waiting by the mailbox waiting for a check from Heiniken. i know Freddie Scott isn't...

there he is right now, above, actually crying about the loot he has lost and the loot he's not getting. Blues for the Biz indeed, he deserves a better agent...

if you need somebody with some real ideas for your career, by all means Biz, give me a call...

in the meantime, allow me to share some more of your timeless work...