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THE YANKEES PITCHING DILEMMA  By: Matthew Blittner What to do? What to do? After acquiring Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia before the MLB non-waiver trade deadline, the Yankees now find themselves in an interesting situation. With six starters for five slots, there appears to be a logjam in the starting rotation. Assuming that, because of their contracts, Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia are locks to remain in the rotation, that leaves four starters for three slots. Luis Severino has been the ace of the staff this season, and finally looks to be fulfilling the promise that scouts have seen in him since he was a teenager. As such, even with the team brass closely monitoring his innings, Severino should be remain in the rotation. That now leaves us with three starters for two slots. Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, and Jaime Garcia are left to duke it out for just two spots. After giving up three of their top-12 prospects, coupled with his standing as an a...

GRADING NY YANKEES TRADES By: Matthew Blittner Now that the MLB non-waiver trade deadline has past it's time for all the want-to-be General Managers and Monday Morning Quarterbacks to come out of hiding for their day in the sun. I'm not going to pretend that I'm above those that spew forth their own opinions as if it were gospel, but as a writer it is my duty to give you -- the reader -- something to talk about. This season has seen the Yankees' new Baby Bombers come of age sooner than expected. What was supposed to be a rebuilding year -- yes you can actually rebuild in New York -- has instead seen the Yanks in control of a playoff spot ever since the third week of the season. The likes of Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Jordan Montgomery, and Clint Frazier have helped make this season one to remember. With the presumed AL Rookie-of-the-Year and MVP winner in Aaron Judge; a CY Young candidate in Luis Severino; the Yankees are riding the...

Jordan Neal: D-III Coach Tells his story By: Matthew Blittner In sports, there is no more unforgiving job than that of a coach. If the coach’s team wins, the players get praised. If the team loses, the coach is vilified for making the wrong decisions -- the ultimate lose-lose scenario. In college athletics, schools are broken down into three main Divisions: I, II, and III. Division I schools get the most attention, have the best athletes, and have the most money. Division II schools are often underfunded and get next to no media attention. #Division Iii schools are at the lowest end of the totem pole. As such, the coaching staffs for these smaller schools, are given more responsibility than their Division I counterparts, as their staffs are much smaller. If coaches at the Division I level have it rough, their Division III counterparts have it 100 times worse. Rarely, if ever, do Division III coaches get media attention, but there is one coach, that has done so much fo...

BREAKING: NY YANKEES ACQUIRE SONNY GRAY FOR THREE PROSPECTS By: Matthew Blittner 'Tis the season. Everybody knows that today, July 31st, is Major League Baseball's annual non-waiver trade deadline. One of the biggest rumors leading up to the deadline has been that of the Yankees and Oakland Athletics making a significant trade for the first time in 15-years. The trade talk revolved around the name of Athletics' ace Sonny Gray, who, is signed to a team-friendly contract through 2019. Much of the speculation in recent weeks has centered around the name Jorge Mateo. Mateo is a young shortstop on the rise, whose prospect status had taken a bit of a hit in recent years due to inconsistency.  Jorge has since found his path to the majors blocked by the likes of Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, fellow prospects Gleyber Torres, and Cito Culver. The Yankees' farm system is stocked with middle-infield talent, and as such, made Mateo expandable.  At ro...

KEYS TO TRAINING CAMP: NY GIANTS AND JETS EDITION By: Matthew Blittner It's that time of year again. Across the NFL, teams are opening their training camps this week in preparation for their preseason slate of games, and then their regular seasons. The New York Giants, and the New York Jets, open their respective camps headed in vastly different directions. Last season, the Giants ended a five-year playoff drought, before ultimately falling to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the postseason. The Jets meanwhile opened the season as favorites to make the playoffs in the AFC, before falling flat with a 5-11 record and taking on the moniker of the NFL's most dysfunctional team. This season, the Jets open camp amid news that they will be tanking the season in hopes of drafting a franchise Quarterback in next year's draft -- the team hasn't had a franchise signal-caller since the days of Joe Namath. Meanwhile, the Giants open ...

RAY KATZ: THE DO IT ALL SPORTS EXECUTIVE TELLS ALL By: Matthew Blittner What do the likes of Joe Torre, Fred Wilpon, Stan Fischler, Jessica Berman, and so many others have in common? They are all esteemed sports figures that were born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. The list of sports figures from Brooklyn reads like a who’s who of celebrities, Hall of Famers, and more. While many of these names are synonymous with success, there are those that are just as successful, but whose names are not as well known. If a person has been in the sports industry for almost 30 years, and has managed to be an executive at the NFL and #Madison Square Garden; worked on the international tournament known as the World Baseball Classic; and been an integral founding member of multiple companies; would you say that person has been a success? Of course. For those who know Ray Katz, 58, he is somebody who can be viewed as a mentor or as a figure that you want to emulate because of his success. For th...

NY SPORTS ICONS: WHO HAD THE BETTER CAREER? By: Matthew Blittner There's a rather well known song that states, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." The, "here," referenced in the song is New York City. This is a city, that takes celebrities, athletes, etc. and turns them into legends of mythical status. There is nothing more desired in sports then to win a championship in New York. Athletes have come from around the globe just to be a part of New York sports lore. Former NY Rangers' Stanley Cup-winning captain Mark Messier once said, "I won multiple Cups in Edmonton, but this one here in New York is something special." Messier will forever be remembered as the man who led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup victory in 54 years. The city takes all-stars and makes them into superstars, and it takes superstars and turns them into legends. This has held true for over a hundred years, and will continue t...

BREAKING: NY RANGERS SIGN MIKA ZIBANEJAD TO LONG-TERM DEAL By: Matthew Blittner Finally! New York Rangers fans, you can exhale. Mika Zibanejad has been signed. Just hours before Mika and the Rangers were due to go before the arbitration panel, the two sides agreed to a long-term contract.  Mika received a five-year/$26.75 million contract ($5.35 Million AAV). This is significant because as late as yesterday afternoon, word was that Zib wanted no part of a long-term deal, and would prefer to go to arbitration this year and next, before becoming an unrestricted free agent.  This deal, which gives the Rangers the long-term answer that they were hoping for, is also a win for Mika as he received exactly what he wanted in average annual value. Now, is Zibanejad worth this type of contract? The short answer is not currently. But this contract is about the present as much as it is the future. The Rangers are banking on Mika taking the next step in hi...

NY YANKEES: WHOSE THE 5TH STARTER? By: Matthew Blittner We are one week from the MLB non-waiver trade deadline and the rumor mill is perpetually churning out gossip. Some of the speculations spit out are sheer nonsense, while others will prove that where there is smoke, there's generally fire. One team that is always mentioned in the rumor mill is the Yankees. Last season, the Bombers were sellers at the deadline for the first time since the early 1990's, but this season, it's back to business as usual. The team whose mantra is to win the World Series every year, and whose former owner, the late George M. Steinbrenner III, once said, "winning is second to breathing," has found themselves to once again be in contention for the Commissioner's Trophy. With a new core of Baby Bombers, surrounded by some savvy veterans, the Yanks are in prime position to make it back to the postseason for only the second time since 2012. A deep lineup -- ...

NY RANGERS: WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH MIKA ZIBANEJAD? By: Matthew Blittner It's that time of the year again. The time when the offseason hot stove that is the NHL rumor mill, drops to a barely flickering flame. During this time period, the news is dominated by announcements pertaining to the signings of minor leaguers, as well as the salary arbitration exchanges between players and their respective teams. In the NHL, it is a rare occurrence when a team and player actually go before the arbitration panel, as they usually manage to hammer out a deal beforehand -- sometimes just as they are about to enter the hearing. This year, the NY Rangers and presumed number one centre Mika Zibanejad look to be on a collision course with the arbitration panel. With Zibanejad's hearing scheduled for tomorrow, July 25th, it is worth noting that the team and player are no closer to a deal than they were when contract terms were exchanged. Larry Brooks of the New Yor...

NY METS: NON-WAIVER TRADE DEADLINE MOVES TO MAKE By: Matthew Blittner What a difference a year makes. Last season, as the MLB non-waiver trade deadline approached, New York City's two teams were headed in vastly different directions. The Yankees were sellers for the first time in the Wild Card Era (1994-present), while the Mets were buyers, coming off a World Series appearance in 2015. As the Yankees sold off veteran players such as Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran, the Mets acquired a power-hitting outfielder from the Reds named Jay Bruce. Just like at the 2015 deadline, the Mets acquisition of a slugging outfielder would pay immediate dividends as the team made it to the postseason for the second consecutive year -- a rarity in Mets history. This year, the tables have been turned. After a 21-9 stretch to begin the season, the Yankees have cooled off considerably, however, they still control a playoff spot and recently acquired To...

NY YANKEES: WHAT TRADE MEANS FOR PRESENT AND FUTURE By: Matthew Blittner It has happened. The New York Yankees have acquired the White Sox's Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle in exchange for 2016 first-round draft pick Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin, Tito Polo, and Tyler Clippard. This trade has major ramifications both in the present and the future.  The past few seasons have seen GM Brian Cashman stockpile talent in the minors so that the Yanks no longer had to rely on high-priced free agents to field a competitive team. A farm system that was among the worst in baseball as recently as four years ago, opened the 2017 season, ranked second by Baseball America. The fruits of Cashman's vision began to pay off when all-star reliever Dellin Betances made his presence known in 2014, (his first full season).  Since then, players such as: Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Clint Frazier, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge, have come u...

NY ISLANDERS OFFSEASON WRAPUP 7/14 By: Matthew Blittner Two weeks into the NHL free agency period most teams have finished signing big name free agents. A few big names -- Jaromir Jagr for example -- still remain on the open market, but most teams have shifted their attention to the trade market.  One of the most talked about teams is the NY Islanders.  From the day the regular season ended in disappointment, the Isles have been linked to almost every big name on the trade market. Before getting into those rumors, let's quickly recap all the Isles transactions thus far. On April 24th, Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg had his contract extended by one-year, this was notable because most felt that this was a precursor to a potential Expansion Draft deal with Vegas. Then on May 11th, Goalie Linus Soderstrom was signed to a three-year entry level contract, and he will be in contention for the Isles backup netminder spot this season. June 9th saw Rig...

RANGERS OFFSEASON ROUNDUP 7/14 By: Matthew Blittner We're officially two weeks into NHL Free Agency and essentially every big name that hit the market has been signed. During the NHL offseason, teams are permitted to be up to 10% over the cap ceiling, and thanks to a $2 million raise that was voted on by the NHL and NHLPA, that means that teams can currently have up to $82.5 million worth of contracts on their books without being subject to penalty. One of the busiest teams has been the NY Rangers. Coming into the offseason they had many questions and few answers, and even less in cap space. Signing players who are at or over the age of 30 to long-term contracts is a sure way to put yourself in cap hell and that's exactly where the Blueshirts were when the offseason opened. Since then, they have proceeded to claw their way out of cap hell through a number of avenues.  First, they bought out long-time defensive stalwart Dan Girardi -- a move that took ...

Robert DeVita: Brooklyn boy follows dream to success in the sports industry By: Matthew Blittner Brooklyn, New York. A place well known for its’ sports. From the old Brooklyn Dodgers, to the new Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders, and even Brooklyn Cyclones, the proud tradition of sports is well kept in this borough of New York City. Most young boys in the borough grow up with crazy and imaginative dreams of one day starring for a pro sports team, and, where better than in their own backyard? Some make it, not all do. But one boy, a simple young man, from a quiet section of south Brooklyn known as Bergen Beach, was determined to follow in the footsteps of the few rather than the many. Growing up, Robert DeVita was just like many others that came before him. He played little league baseball, and watched his favorite team -- the New York Mets -- while hoping that one day he would be working with the same people he once watched on television. Now, most young men w...