New York Islanders's New York Islanders friend's fan blogs

              The nhl season's right around the corner and the NY Rangers are looking to start strong. Expectations are much higher this year as the team has had one of their quietest but most succesful offseasons in recent memory. With the young core of home bred talent and leadership hitting their stride and coming to full maturity, whispers are starting to get louder about the solid squad these Rangers have. With basically one player's health in question (Staal), the Rangers are aspiring to finish the reagular season with home ice advatage to start the playoffs. They needed a quality first line center and they went out and signed the prize of the offseason free agents. They needed some toughness, went o

Continue reading "True Blue has some truly high expectations"

I'm not sure if the New York Knicks have all the pieces in place right now, but by adding Carmelo Anthony they are certainly one big step closer to being a NBA championship contender. Although considering the mismanagement over the last 10 years it's heard to believe they won't mess this up too.

Watch for the Knicks to make some strong stragetic moves during this off season to sure things up and make them a true Eastern conference powerhouse.

New York NY Direct TV can bring you all the Knicks action you want.

Continue reading "Are the New York Knicks real contenders with Carmelo Anthony on board?"

     Any basketball fan can tell Melo didn't have his BEST game. But the final game stats read 27pts., 10 reb....A double-double.....ON AN OFF NIGHT!!

     The night that was billed as Legend's Night from the start of the season....actually started the way it should have. The introduction of a future legend in his prime. Complete with a laser light show and all, this was a superstar coming home. This Knicks team still has to learn how to play something called DEFENSE. The fact that this team needs a defense tutorial might be an understatement. But we'll dwell a little more on this glaring hole in their game at some other point. Probably right after next game! But tonight belonged to Melo.....This man closed the show the way a rock star closes shows. He hit the important couple shots that need for a W. That's what we like here Melo. A winner. 

Continue reading "NY Knicks - When the going gets tough, Melo gets going"

Two cities that produce NBA Eastern Conference contenders also have the two teams that are favored to win the Super Bowl as the NFL playoffs are set to begin this weekend.

NBA spread betting experts might recognize that Atlanta and Boston produce two East contenders and with the Falcons and Patriots, both cities have the Super Bowl XLV juggernauts as well.

Just as in the NBA’s East, Atlanta’s team is viewed with an eye of pessimism. The Falcons had a great regular season but don’t have a ton of playoff experience. They’re a young squad that is gaining it on the fly.

Meanwhile, Boston’s team - just like in the NBA – is experienced, savvy and has done it before. The Patriots are the odds-on favorites to do it all and considering they’ve won it three times this decade, why bet against them?

Continue reading "Patriots, Falcons Super Bowl Favorites"

Basketball betting is not quite as common as betting on some other sports, but if you do your research, take your time and keep accurate records, there’s no reason you can’t be as successful at betting on basketball as betting on anything else. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Top Basketball Betting Tip: NCAA vs. NBA

Of course you are welcome to bet both college and pro basketball (including the WNBA), like placing your bets in online video poker games, you need to be aware that each type of basketball may have very different factors in play. In college basketball, every game counts, whereas pro teams can afford to drop a few games here and there and still have a great shot at the championship. There may be a much larger disparity between two competing college teams. Know the league you’re betting.

Continue reading "Top Basketball Betting Tips"

I really like the direction this team is going but I'm not so sure they can really be a contender in the East this year.  The East has gotten a lot stronger over the last few years and while I think they can make the playoffs I don't really see any chance that they can really beat The Magic, the Heat, the Celtics, of the Bulls.  And I'm skeptical they can even beat teams like the 76ers or the Hawks.

What do you think? 

Continue reading "Can the Charlotte Bobcats be a contender in the East?"

(I've also posted this on my blog at FanNation.com).

It's been an interesting NFL Sunday thus far, so I had the urge to get my two cents in on the day's events. First thing that comes to my mind, it's going right into this post...

-New York football is riding high, as both the Jets and Giants have improved to 3-0. The Giants had a walk in the park against the laughable Tampa Bay Bucs, but the Jets had to work extremely hard for their victory against the desperate Tennessee Titans. Rex Ryan's boys (and my favorite team) certainly earned the win, but Tennessee's wide receiver drops had a little something to do with it. Kerry Collins' statistics were very misleading today; he actually played well. 

-My preseason predictions suggested a bit of a surprising season for the Washington Redskins in the NFC East, but the surprise is how BAD they are. Congrats to the Detroit Lions on breaking their seemingly endless losing streak against the 'Skins. Jim Zorn's crew had the opportunity to steal away the victory in the late fourth, but Detroit held its ground. Washington simply doesn't have the weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Clinton Portis played banged up but didn't provide much. 

Continue reading "NFL Week 3: Notes and Commentary"

If the Mets head into next season with Bobby Parnell in their plans for the starting rotation, I'm becoming either a Phillies or Yankees fan. I can't take it anymore...I just can't. Parnell is garbage!

Can he be decent as a one inning middle reliever in not-so-tight situations? Probably, because he has a 94-99 MPH fastball when he works short appearances. But other than that, this guy is probably closer to a AAA pitcher than a major leaguer. 

Unless you have natural ability the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, you have to have a BRAIN to be a successful starting pitcher at the game's highest level. Parnell stays on a plain with the opposing hitters' belts, which is an obvious recipe for disaster. He has extreme difficulty shooting the knees, and that's why his 96 MPH heaters get smacked around like 87 or 88. 

Continue reading "Bobby Parnell is NOT a starting pitcher."

When the 2009 MLB season comes to a close, the Chicago Cubs have announced that they will shop starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano in hopes of swinging a trade and dumping much of his monstrous contract. The question is, should the Mets be interested in the massive right-hander?

That's the question a friend asked me earlier today, and I said, "Sure. It's not like we have anyone better" -- with the obvious exception of Johan Santana. As far as physical ability goes, Zambrano isn't the 97-99 MPH flamethrower he was four or five seasons ago, but he maintains an effective power sinker that would work nicely at Citi Field. I thought he looked hurt in 2008, but I've seen the life return to his sinker this season. 

The obstacle in the Mets' way would be of the financial variety. By now many of you know that the Wilpons were ripped off by Bernie Madoff, and reports have suggested as much as $700 million in losses. If the actual number is anywhere near that figure, it would be awfully difficult for the Mets to house Zambrano's hefty contract. Only time will tell, I guess. 

Continue reading "Cubs Say They Will Shop Zambrano"

As it stands right now, the Colorado Rockies are 4.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card race. The Rockies have been a bit of a surprise team this season, after an unimpressive '08 campaign and the loss of Matt Holliday during the offseason. They've thrived after the firing of Clint Hurdle, as Jim Tracy has pushed the right buttons, rarely ever taking a misstep.

Considering the way they've played in recent months, is a 4.5 game cushion plenty for the Rockies? Can the Giants, Marlins, and Braves kiss their playoff hopes goodbye?

Well, I've never quite been a believer in the Giants. Sure they have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of their rotation, but it's difficult to gather momentum with an offense as impotent as theirs. They'd be tough in a short series because of their starting pitching, but I doubt they'll get to that point. 

Continue reading "Have the Rockies locked up the NL Wild Card?"