Sports Roundup1. The attacks on Isiah Thomas for the Knicks drafting of Renaldo Balkman in the first round of Wednesday night's draft remind me of the reaction to the Jets drafting of Jeff Lageman in the first round of the 1989 draft.
Immediately after Lageman was picked, Chris Russo went on a foam-mouthed tirade, ripping the Jets organization to shreds.
Russo was right about the state of the Jets in the late 80's, as are current critics of the sorry Knicks. But just as Lageman became a solid starter for the Jets, I wouldn't be surprised if Balkman becomes a productive player - if not a starter - for the Knicks.
It's easy to say that the Knicks should have drafted Marcus Williams and perhaps they should have, but Balkman is a decent fit for them, and late in the first round, the key is finding a player who will have a chance to contribute.
2. NBA and NHL free agency both commence tomorrow, but unlike last year, there aren't too many rumors about the local teams. For the Rangers, a big defenseman is a must, and they will have decide whether to bring back their own free agents, particularly Martin Straka, Petr Sykora and Tom Poti. If they can somehow pry Patrik Elias from the Devils, that along would make the offseason a major success.
3. The Mets seem to be taking things easy now that the rest of the NL East has collapsed. It's possible that the Mets could simply play slightly better than .500 the rest of the way and coast to a division title, but it's more likely that one team will go on a run and put some pressure on them.
4. There's nothing new to discuss about the Jets. The big question for 2006 will be how quickly rookie left tackle D'Brickishaw Ferguson and rookie center Nick Mangold can adjust to the NFL. If it takes them most of the season, 2006 will be a long season, and Chad Pennington will likely suffer another serious injury.
posted on 6/30/2006
