The Zionist Conspiracy |
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A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews. 
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Monday, December 31, 2007
FFL Shakeup: Elster Fired; Analytics Guru Quits MoC, Heads To Jetropolitans NEW YORK, December 31 - The Jetropolitans today announced the firing of Elster, their former General Manager, and his replacement with league champion MoC's former head of analytics. After his two subpar seasons at the helm, the Jetropolitans' jettisoning of Elster was hardly a surprise. But their hiring of Analytics Guru, who had been expected to take on a larger role for MoC, stunned observers, who now question the future viability of MoC's franchise. In a press conference to introduce him as MoC's team president, Analytics Guru shocked reporters when he announced that "I resign as AG of MoC." He did refer to MoC as his "mentor" and expressed "my deep appreciation for the opportunities he has given me. I consider him a very close friend." Analytics Guru had served as an assistant to MoC since MoC was assigned to due diligence as a junior associate in a New York law firm in 1983. MoC questioned Analytics Guru's mental health, and then stated that his team is hard at work preparing for the 2008 draft. Asked about facing the Jetropolitans, MoC responded, "They are a very tough team. Brett Favre is a great quarterback. Steven Jackson is going to come back strong. Steve Smith is a guy who can beat you by himself. We're going to have to play very well to win." Sunday, December 30, 2007
Week 17 1. I've at times been critical of Herm Edwards, but today he executed his game plan to perfection. As Herm says, "any drive that ends in a kick is a good drive." Today the Chiefs punted ten times and kicked a field goal. Kudos to Herm and the entire Chiefs staff, especially assistant HC Dick (Who Am I? Why Am I Here?) Curl. 2. I never root for the Jets to lose, but ... let's just say it's much better to have the #3 pick in the draft instead of the #6 pick. In any event, that was one terrible football game. 3. It's true that the offensive line has provided poor pass protection for Kellen Clemens, but Chad Pennington was brutalized the same way and it cost him the starting job. Through eight starts, Clemens remains very unimpressive. He has a strong arm but remains inaccurate and indecisive. He leaves the pocket almost immediately even when he has time. It's too early to tell whether Clemens is another Browning Nagle or if he will develop into a solid starter. But automatically handing him the starting QB position for 2008 would be a mistake. Unless jetsphan is right and the Jets can get a second round pick for Chad Pennington - I think a late 3rd round pick is the best offer the Jets will get - I'd keep Pennington and let him and Clemens split reps during mini-camp and the pre-season while battling for the QB job. 4. It was refreshing to finally not see Brad Smith on offense today. Instead, Wallace Wright got some overdue playing time and made a couple of nice catches, including on the long pass from Leon Washington. 5. Darrelle Revis was hardly seen today, which probably means that he played very well. David Harris played well again too. 6. Congratulations to MoC for defeating my 8-9ers to clinch The Zionist Conspiracy FFL title. In contrast, Elster started three inactive players. Pending tonight's Titans vs. Colts game, Elster's decision to rest his tired team will probably result in a close loss to superfeldman rather than a comfortable victory. Perhaps Elster was hoping to secure a better spot in next year's fantasy football draft. Friday, December 28, 2007
GPS Nightmare In Israel This (excerpts below) is why I do not rent cars in Israel, and will continue not to do so even with the availability of GPS. It is comforting that two Arabs ultimately saved this man's life from a lynch mob of fellow Arabs. But only a small comfort, considering that every day, Arabs can and do drive and walk around freely in Israel without being bothered at all, let alone lynched. For 28-year-old Bat Yam resident Amir Ochana flawed GPS navigation nearly Tuesday, December 25, 2007
The Daniel Cicciaro and John White Tragedy Since his fateful encounter with the angry and drunken group led by Daniel Cicciaro Jr., my sympathies have always been with John White Yet while I wasn't on the jury and didn't hear all of the evidence, my sense is that the jury got it right convicting White of manslaughter for shooting dead Cicciaro. In the end, you can't just kill someone, not even if they are cursing you, calling you "n*****" and threatening you and your son outside your own home. Cicciaro has been labeled a punk in the New York Post. The bottom line, though, is that while his behavior on the fateful night was not exactly exemplary - indeed it was despicable - he did not deserve to die. White seems to be a good man who did exactly what many others would have done. Sleeping in his own bed, he was awaken to find himself in a terrible situation. He is a very sympathetic figure and hopefully will not serve more than a short prison sentence. But that's for the Judge to decide. The jury seems to have done the right thing in applying the law, as was their civic duty. Of course, if White were Italian-American and Cicciaro and his friends were black, we know what the jury's verdict would have been. That is, in the unlikely event that any charges would have been filed at all. We can also come to our own conclusions as to why no charges whatsoever were filed against Cicciaro's friends. And why John White knew that calling the police would solve nothing. Sunday, December 23, 2007
Week 16 1. Is there any Jet fan who did know when the Jets accepted a penalty giving them 1st and goal rather than a Mike Nugent go-ahead field goal that they would end up scoring nothing at all? 2. No matter who plays QB next season, the Jets will continue to be terrible unless their offensive line somehow dramatically improves. Anthony Clement and D'Brickashaw Ferguson were particularly terrible again today. Ferguson looks like a complete bust. My guess is that he will develop into an average tackle. Today's Giants game is a good example of how important an offensive line is; the Giants' run blocking again covered for terrible QB play. 3. Ben Graham has been shaky, but changing holders didn't work out too well today, did it? 4. Brad Smith may be a great athlete, but he does not seem to be a very good NFL player. 5. Typical idiotic announcing today. First, the repeated praise for Eric Mangini because the Jets "are playing hard." Yeah, 3-12 is just great. Mangini and Herm will battle it out for coach of the year. If that weren't bad enough, we were informed that Brian Schottenheimer is soon going to be snatched away. I'm sure teams will be bidding high to replicate Schotty Jr.'s playcalling and leadership. Last but not least, we were told that the Jets offensive line "has had to be reworked due to injury." Injury? No, the offensive linemen are healthy. They're just terrible. 6. Mike Tannenbaum may be able to crunch numbers, but he has no business being an NFL GM. The terrible OL is bad enough. So is the fact that all of his free agent signings have failed. Worst of all, B.J. Askew is a Pro Bowl alternate for Tampa Bay. That's a huge indictment of Herm Edwards and Mangini for refusing to play Askew, and of Tannenbaum for getting rid of him. 7. Jerricho Cotchery and David Harris played well. Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Retirement - One Year Later Today is the first anniversary of my ill-fated retirement. While my "retirement" lasted a mere two months, most of my erstwhile readers took me quite seriously, never to return. Some bloggers removed their link to my then defunct blog. These days, I can occasionally be provoked into writing about something meaningful, but generally, I still have limited desire to post about the real issues of the day. Sunday, December 16, 2007
MSG Massacre With today's 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Coyotes, the Rangers have fallen to .500. 32 games into their season, they are again only a borderline playoff team. The reality is that the only reason the Rangers are not a complete disaster is Henrik Lundqvist and strong defense from Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury have been complete busts, and neither has clicked at all with Jaromir Jagr. Meanwhile, Matt Cullen and Michael Nylander, the two centers the Rangers let go of after the Gomez and Drury signings, would both lead the Rangers in scoring, while costing more than $6 million less annually in cap space. Tom Renney deserves blame for failing to find line combinations that best utilize the Rangers' talent. Like Roger Neilson, a very nice man who helped improve the Rangers but did not get them to the next level, it may be necessary to bring in someone tougher than Renney to get the most out of this team. Unfortunately, Mike Keenan - the only man to lead the Rangers to a Stanley Cup during the last 68 seasons - is coaching the Calgary Flames. Week 15 1. Today's game was similar to last year's visit to Foxboro, the difference ultimately being that the Jets' coaching, offense and special teams made numerous mistakes, wasting a great performance by the defense. 2. Kellen Clemens only threw one pass, but his 1st quarter interception was inexcusable. Clemens was rushed and then hit hard, but he could have thrown the ball out of bounds instead of in the middle of the field, where it was predictably picked off and returned for a touchdown. Through seven starts, Clemens' accuracy and decision-making remain poor. If he's healthy, he probably should start the remaining two games, but not because he gives the Jets the best chance to win. 3. I believe it was Adrian Clarke who was beat on that play. Clarke has been terrible all season in place of Pete Kendall, who GM Mike Tannenbaum never sought an adequate replacement for. 4. Also terrible all season has been Justin McCareins, who dropped a first down on 3rd and 13 (I believe that on the next play Ben Graham's punt was blocked), slipped on another play, dropped the ball on special teams into the end zone for a touchback instead of downing it at the Patriots 2 or 3 yard line, and then bobbled a touchdown pass. McCareins has to go and the Jets need better wide receivers. With Coles hurt and Cotchery at much less than 100 percent, there is nobody to throw the ball to. 5. Eric Mangini's decision to feature Brad Smith in the QB position during drives in Patriots territory was idiotic. The Patriots are too well-coached to repeatedly fall for the same gimmicks. Going for it on 4th and 2 inside the New England 20 and having Smith throw in that spot was particularly stupid. Not satisfied with his 1st quarter failure, Mangini again put Smith in during the 3rd quarter after a Revis INT put the Jets' at the Pats' 34. Smith predictably couldn't get anything going. In a close game, the heavy reliance on Smith was bizarre at best. 6. Mangini notably did not even bother to try to get Thomas Jones involved today. Jones has proven himself to be a mediocre RB whose durability allows him to accumulate a decent number of yards. 7. Just two weeks to the Herm Bowl and the merciful end to the Jets' abysmal 2007 season. Friday, December 14, 2007
FireHerm.Com The latest link to The Zionist Conspiracy comes, most appropriately, from FireHerm.com, a site created by a disgruntled Chiefs fan now learning that KC didn't exactly steal Herm from the Jets two years ago. Beginning immediately after the Jets' January 15, 2005 overtime playoff loss to the Steelers - a game lost mainly because of Herm's gross incompetence - I began a campaign that would last nearly a year to rid the Jets of Herm. January 6, 2006 would thus be a holiday for The Zionist Conspiracy, had it not been for an unrelated sad event that occurred at that same time. Thursday, December 13, 2007
Exclusive Interview With Suzyn Waldman Following the release of the Mitchell Report, The Zionist Conspiracy conducted an interview with Yankees broadcaster Suzyn Waldman. TZC: Suzyn, how are you today? SW: Please call me Ms. Waldman. TZC: Sorry. Hope you had a Happy Chanukah, by the way. SW: Thanks, and a very Merry Christmas to you. TZC: How do you feel about the Yankees' off-season thus far? SW: Wonderful! Alex Rodriguez is coming back! A-Rod is in Hank Steinbrenner's box! Oh my goodness gracious, of all the dramatic things -- of all the dramatic things I've ever seen, A-Rod is standing right in Hank Steinbrenner's box! TZC: Suzyn, er, Ms. Waldman, any thoughts on the news that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite have been implicated in the Mitchell Report? SW: This is rough. I was OK actually 'til I stopped over at Andy's -- and his kids are sitting in the living room with Koby, Kory and Kacy and they were watching this on ESPN. The tears you hear in my voice are coming down the faces of Kacy and Koby. TZC: I am so sorry to hear that. SW: Kody doesn't even know that.... They don't know how they will tell Kody. TZC: How about Koby? SW: I already said that Koby was in Andy's living room. He's getting ready for another great season. TZC: Right, sorry. Ms. Waldman, have you been in touch with Joe Torre? SW: I have been through so much with Joe. I was at Dodgers Stadium when he was introduced as the Dodgers' new manager. TZC: Really. Tell us about that. SW: You're going to have to bear with me here, you know me, I cry at Cinderella, and I couldn't believe what was going on there. What Joe Torre was saying at the podium ... Joe Torre is at the podium, and um, the first thing he said was that we wanted to congratulate Joe Girardi on getting the Yankees job ... That's just Joe. TZC: Are you in touch with Derek Jeter during the offseason? SW: Derek is amazing. I followed him around while he was clubbing last weekend. Amazing. You can see why he's the captain. TZC: Do you think the Yankees should agree to trade Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes as part of a package for Johan Santana? SW: It was so emotional being with Joba, Phil and Ian on Tuesday. Everybody knows there's going to be a lot of changes here, and people are absolutely saying goodbye to each other. And it's a very very tough place to be right now. TZC: Thank you for the time. Have a good evening. SW: Thank you. Oh my goodness gracious, of all the bad weather -- of all the bad weather I've ever seen, this is even worse than the earthquake. I have never been more frightened. TZC: Wow. Please be careful and post a comment to let us know that you're home safely. SW: Okay, though it will be very late. I'm meeting John Sterling for dinner and then going over to Jason Giambi's to celebrate with him and Jeremy. TZC: Sounds great. Give the Giambis our best wishes for the holidays. The 2000 Yankees Were there any members of the 2000 Yankees who did not use steroids? Okay, maybe a few. But the meager Mitchell Report includes a grossly disproportionate number of Yankees. In particular, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite and Denny Neagle were all on steroids or HGH. Together, they started four of the five games in the Series - and the Yanks won all of those games. The Mets' only victory came against none other than El Duque. Then there is Mike Stanton, who was lights-out in relief during the Series (unlike a certain Yankees closer). Also named from that team were David Justice and Chuck Knoblauch. There might be one or two that I missed while skimming the report. Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Mitchell Report UPDATE 2: 12/13/07 2:25 P.M. - I've reviewed the text of the report. Not much of substance considering that he investigated for 20 months. Almost all of Mitchell's information came from two sources or rehashes old news. UPDATE: 12/13/07 10:40 A.M. - ESPN is reporting that Roger Clemens appears in the Mitchell Report as an abuser of steroids, while Andy Pettite will be reported to have used human growth hormone. Perhaps the Mets should be retroactively declared 2000 World Series champions - unless, that is, their catcher and/or second baseman from that year are also named. Earlier today, Elster stated that in the event the Jets somehow cheated by videotaping the Patriots (a notion for which no evidence at all exists), he would be disgusted with his team. More than 6 1/2 years ago, George Mitchell issued the first Mitchell Report, a maddeningly evenhanded investigation requested by President Bush into who was to blame for the Palestinian terror war that had started the previous September. Tomorrow afternoon, Mitchell will be back with the latest Mitchell Report, which will name current and former players who used steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. While only a select few know who is on the list, it is more than speculation to sense that at least a few prominent members of the Mets and Yankees will likely be named in the Mitchell Report. What if a popular player who led off for the '86 Mets and was a star during that year's NLCS and World Series appears in the report? What if an otherwise certain Hall of Fame catcher who would later star for the Mets is named? Or a Mets second baseman who was a star and was then gone and quickly forgotten? Or a talented but erratic closer who blew saves when they most counted? Or a backup catcher whose pinch hit homer sent the Mets to the NLCS? Will this - and should this - affect our memories of the rare good times? Herm to Chiefs Fans: Get Used To Losing Today's Kansas City Star offers the following reassurance to Chiefs fans from coaching legend Herm Edwards: "People aren’t used to this in Kansas City. Get over it. It happens. It’s called life." The Topeka Capital-Journal also quotes Herm as saying: "What we're worrying about now is trying to figure out who to blame. But there is no blame, teams go through this... "Now is when you do your best coaching. This is when you've got to coach them, keep them together, keep them playing and then make some tough decisions at the end of the year. That's what we're going through this year. "We'll get this thing fixed, no doubt in my mind. It's already on the way to getting fixed; you just don't see it right now. But it'll come to fruition, and we'll be sitting here in a couple of years and we won't even be thinking about this year." Hopefully for Chiefs fans, Herm won't still be their team's head coach "in a couple of years." In the meantime, in addition to losing, they'll have to get used to Herm firing his coordinators and scapegoating them for his own ineptitude. Don't Run Up The Score There is little question about who will win Sunday's game between the Jets and the Patriots. Nor is there much question that the game will be a blowout. The only real question is how large the margin will be. In the interests of sportsmanship, respect for one's opponent, and basic human decency, I do hope that the Jets do not run up the score. When the score is 41-9 early in the 4th quarter, and Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery and Chris Baker have each caught a touchdown pass against the Patriots' soft secondary, Eric Mangini should do the right thing and pull Kellen Clemens. And he should not replace Clemens with Chad Pennington; after seven weeks on the sidelines, Chad, after all, will be motivated to show the NFL that his off-speed passes remain as on target as ever. Instead, it should be Marques Tuiasosopo throwing to Justin McCareins. And it wouldn't hurt if Brian Schottenheimer toned down his innovative playcalling, with Bob Sutton doing the same on defense and not blitzing a beleaguered Tom Brady down after down. Monday, December 10, 2007
Week 14 1. Eric Mangini's worst performance as Jets' head coach left little hope that 2006 was not a fluke and that he will get the Jets back on track next season. Mangini wasted a timeout late in the 2nd quarter on a useless challenge. That timeout would have been useful on the next drive. Much more egregious was Mangini's decision to kick a field goal with 4th and 10 from the Browns 20 with 1:45 left in the game and to then try a second onside kick. Even Herm would have gone for it there. Mangini's post-game praise for his players and his tiresome mantras about how the team practiced well sound exactly like Rich Kotite did after his losses. Kotite, unlike Mangini, did not make the playoffs with the Jets. But he did with the Eagles, and it has been pointed out that several bad Jets' head coaches, including Joe Walton, Bruce Coslet and Mr. "You Play To Lose The Game" himself, all made the playoffs with the Jets. In other words, the Jets 2006 success no longer gives Mangini or Mike Tannenbaum a free pass for their terrible performances. 2. Once again, the play-calling was uninspired on both sides of the ball. The Jets rarely blitzed and never sacked Derek Anderson. As a result, Anderson had plenty of time to find Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards for big plays. On offense, Brian Schottenheimer's gameplan was again predictable, with lots of 1st down runs and a mostly dink and dunk passing game. Until late in the 4th quarter, the Jets hardly threw downfield. Whenever the Jets pass near the end zone, they almost always throw a fade - a play that has repeatedly failed, as it did yesterday. 3. Unfortunately, Kellen Clemens is inaccurate even on short passes. He continues to make poor decisions, throws too many interceptions (he has 9 INTs and only 4 TD passes) and fails to pick blitzes. It is worth noting that in contrast to Clemens, Brooks Bollinger threw 7 TDs and 6 INTs during 2005. Is it possible that Clemens has "only" started six games and will improve with more experience? It is. But at this point, there is no way the Jets can hand the starting job for 2008 to Clemens. He should have to compete either with Chad Pennington or another veteran next season. 4. Laveranues Coles (sprained ankle) and Jerricho Cotchery (broken finger that Rich Cimni of the Daily News claimed would end his season) deserve credit for playing well with their injuries. 5. It was a frustrating game and once the weather turned nasty, it's understandable that some fans would leave. I was momentarily going to leave after a Jets' drive stalled with six minutes left, though I ultimately stayed until after Jamal Lewis' touchdown run. But for there to be only around 5000 fans by then was rather pathetic. Too many people who come to Jets games simply can't wait too leave. Fortunately, despite the heavy rain, traffic out of Giants Stadium was the lightest it's ever been, with the drive back to Queens taking only around an hour. Thursday, December 06, 2007
The Zionist Conspiracy Exclusive Report: Statement From Omar Minaya Upon his departure from Nashville, New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya has just issued the following statement exclusively to The Zionist Conspiracy: Good Afternoon, know what I'm sayin'. A little more than three years ago, I accepted the offer of Fred Wilpon to serve as General Manager of the New York Mets. I promised you a GM who is not isolated from the fans, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams, and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you, know what I'm sayin'. During the past three years I’ve spoken to you on many occasions about team concerns, the pitching crisis, reorganizing the coaching staff, our league's luxury tax, and issues of losing and especially winning. Ten days ago, I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject - the bullpen. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of recommendations to ownership. But as I was preparing to speak, I began to ask myself the same question that I now know has been troubling many of you: Why have we not been able to get together as a team to resolve our serious bullpen problem? Know what I'm sayin'? It’s clear that the true problems of our team are much deeper - deeper than Guillermo Mota or Scott Schoeneweis, deeper even than Paul Lo Duca and Lastings Milledge. And I realize more than ever that as GM I need your help. So, I decided to reach out and to listen to the voices o our fans. I invited to Shea Stadium people from almost every segment of our society - business and labor, teachers and preachers, bloggers, and private citizens. And then I left Shea and gave a tour of CitiField, before I left to attend the winter meetings in Nashville to listen to other fans, men and women like you. It has been an extraordinary ten days, and I want to share with you what I’ve heard. First of all, I got a lot of personal advice. Let me quote a few of the typical comments that I wrote down. “Mr. Minaya, you are not leading this organization - you’re just managing the front office.” “You don’t see the fans enough anymore.” “Some of your players don’t seem loyal. There is not enough discipline among your disciples.” Several of our discussions were on pitching, and I have a notebook full of comments and advice. I’ll read just a few. “We can’t go on giving up forty percent more runs then we score.” This was a good one: “Be bold, Omar. We may make mistakes, but we are ready to experiment.” I know, of course, being GM, that good trades and free agent signings can be very important and that we've had just mixed success. But after listening to the Mets fans, I have been reminded again that even Johan Santana can’t fix what’s wrong with the Mets. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than pitching. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to the Mets' chances of contention. I do not mean our hitting. The Mets will hit. And I do not refer to Pedro Martinez's shoulder. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our team will. The confidence that we have always had as a team is not simply some romantic dream or a proverb in a dusty book that we read when reminiscing about '69 or '86. It is the idea which founded our organization and has guided our development as a team. We’ve always believed in something called pitching. We’ve always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own. That Isringhausen, Pulsipher and Wilson will lead us to better days. Our children are losing that faith. Some of them wear A-Rod jerseys, know what I'm sayin'? As a result, just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past. The symptoms of this crisis are all around us. For the first time in the history of our team a majority of our fans believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years. Two-thirds of our fans do not even go to Shea. Often you see paralysis and stagnation and drift. You don’t like it, and neither do I. What can we do? First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in Willie Randolph's ability to manage the team, know what I'm sayin'? Restoring that confidence is now the most important task we face. It is a true challenge of this generation of Mets fans. What I have to say to you now about the bullpen is simple and vitally important. I am tonight setting a clear goal for the bullpen policy of the New York Mets. Beginning this moment, this team's bullpen will never have a higher ERA than we did in 2007 - never. From now on, every new addition to our bullpen will be met from our own farm system. The generation-long growth in our dependence on other teams' castoffs will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move toward the next decade. You know we can do it. We have the natural resources. We have more prospects in our farm system than the entire American League West. We have baseball's best young talent. I will continue to travel through New York, to hear the fans. You can help me to develop a team agenda for 2008 and beyond. I will listen; and I will act. We will act together. These were the promises I made three years ago, and I intend to keep them. Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence. We can spend until we empty the Wilpons' bank accounts, but we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources, our youth. In closing, let me say this: I will do my best, but I will not do it alone. Let your voice be heard. Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our team. With Willie Randolph's help and for the sake of our team, it is time for us to join hands. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the Amazin' spirit. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail. Thank you and good night, know what I'm sayin'?. Mets Malaise There is a feeling of pessimism surrounding the New York Mets these days. This admittedly provides, in a sense, a bit of comfort for me, as I am no longer the lonely Met fan skeptical about his team and its direction. For too long, Willie Randolph's ineptitude was excused and ignored. The Mets were in first place throughout most of 2006 and 2007, and even after he was completely outmanaged by Tony Larussa in the 2006 NLCS, the nonsensical idea that Randolph must be doing something right took hold, aided, as usual, by a media whose priorities have nothing to do with whether the Mets are winning. Omar Minaya had a stunningly horrible offseason last year, yet for similar reasons, his own failures were swept under the rug. Minaya even got credit for trading Guillermo Mota, as though it wasn't Omar who signed Mota last offseason. Someone must have told Minaya the story about the poor man in a small house whose rabbi tells him to bring a donkey into his house. More than two months after the Mets' collapse, there is still little reason to look forward to spring training. The Braves and Phillies are getting better, while the Mets have added Brian Schneider's .235 batting average and are thinking about signing Livan Hernandez and his 4.93 ERA. Even if the Mets do add a front-line starter, they will do so at the cost of most of their meager group of prospects, along with Aaron Heilman. Heilman, apparently, is no longer essential in the Mets' bullpen, but nor will the Mets give him a chance to start. Most galling of all is watching ex-Mets GMs Jim Duquette and Steve Phillips offer commentary about the state of the team. Watching these guys who were given the Wilpons' keys to the franchise, it is obvious that neither had any clue how to run a team. There is little evidence that Minaya does either. Jason Kidd's Night Off UPDATE: I do not believe Kidd's denials. He claims he told the Nets at around noon yesterday that he had a bad headache and wouldn't be able to play. Don't headaches often subside? Can't migraines be treated? How would he know more than seven hours before the opening tip that he would be too "sick" to play? I had the misfortune of being in East Rutherford last night on a night when Jason Kidd decided not to bother showing up. When the starting lineup was announced with Eddie Gill playing the point, I figured Kidd's back must have flared up. On the way home, when I heard Kidd had a "migraine headache," it became obvious that something else was going on. Indeed, reports are that Kidd is unhappy and, notwithstanding his $19,700,000 salary, decided to take the night off. Kidd may well have valid reason to be unhappy. Rod Thorn has consistently failed to find an adequate supporting group and keeps sticking with Lawrence Frank. The Nets denied Kidd's request for a one-year extension, which was then leaked - likely by the Nets - to the media. Kidd is frustrated and wants to either get a contract extension or play for a contending team. Not showing up to play is inexcusable, however. Stephon Marbury was justifiably lambasted for similar behavior, but at least Marbury did what he did in the heat of an argument with Isiah Thomas, and quickly retreated and apologized. Unfortunately, Kidd's antics will likely pay off for him. In the end, the Nets may have no recourse but to trade him for whatever they can get. If that happens, he won't have to play in East Rutherford anymore, and the remaining loyal Nets fans will have even fewer reasons to continue showing up. Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Agudah Adopts Zionism Monday, December 03, 2007
Best Jets Wins (Originally posted September 21, 2005) On shabbos, I was asked about my favorite games in Jets history. Following yesterday's rare victory, this would therefore be a good time to re-post the following. One person astutely mentioned "the Jerome Barkum game," which, at number 6 overall, ranks as the second greatest regular season win since I began watching the Jets. My initial thought was to do a list of the worst Jets losses in their history, but unfortunately, there are many more bad games to consider than good. And anyway, the Jets won on Sunday, so why not be positive? So here is an off the cuff list of my 15 favorite Jets wins. While Super Bowl 3 is obviously the best Jets victory, this list is limited to games since I started watching the Jets in the late 70's. The list is certainly subjective and omits some memorable games that others may feel warrant inclusion. 1. Jets defeat Raiders 17-14 on Saturday night, January 15, 1983, my 10th birthday. A week after beating the Bengals, the Jets stunned the AFC's top seeded Raiders in LA to earn a trip to the AFC Championship in Miami. With the Jets trailing 14-10, Wesley Walker caught a 45 yard bomb with 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter that set up the go-ahead - and ultimately game-winning - touchdown run. Lance Mehl intercepted two passes in the final 3 minutes of the 4th quarter. 2. Jets defeat Jacksonville on January 10, 1999, in the second round of the playoffs. After a 12-4 season, this was the Jets first home playoff game in 12 years (they've had just one more since), and despite freezing temperatures, it is the most enjoyable game I've ever attended. After taking an early 17-0 lead, the Jets held on to win 34-24. Keyshawn Johnson caught 9 passes, intercepted a Hail Mary pass, and, following a Curtis Martin fumble and a long return by the Jaguars, stripped the ball loose to recover it for the Jets, who then commenced a touchdown drive. The win was the seventh straight for the Jets, who seemed ready to win the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, a week later they would play a poor second half against Denver in the AFC Championship. 3. Jets defeat Bengals 44-17 on January 9, 1983. A week before the victory over the Raiders, the Jets were led by more than 200 yards rushing by Freeman McNeil, who also threw a touchdown pass. The New York Sack Exchange was in full force, refusing to let Cincinnati get anything going on offense. 4. Jets defeat Packers 42-17 on December 29, 2002 to win the AFC East title. After a terrible 2-5 start, Chad Pennington led the Jets resurgence. Coming into the final week of the season, they needed a win over an 11-4 Packers team that would gain home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory. The Jets also needed either Miami or Cleveland to lose to have a chance to make the playoffs. In the 1:00 games, Cleveland defeated Atlanta, and Miami was leading New England by 10 points. As the Jets game was starting, New England scored a late 4th quarter touchdown to cut the deficit to 3. Then, early in the 1st quarter of the Jets game, New England tied it, and the Giants Stadium crowd went into a frenzy. Later, when the Patriots won in overtime on another field goal, a mass celebration broke out among the fans, even though the Jets game remained tied late in the 1st quarter. Energized by a chance to win the division, the Jets crushed Green Bay. Pennington threw four touchdown passes. 5. Jets defeat Colts 41-0, January 4, 2003. In the first round of the playoffs, Chad Pennington threw for 3 touchdown passes, Lamont Jordan ran for two, and Payton Manning was intercepted twice and managed a paltry 137 yards passing, as the Colts offense couldn't get anything going. Even more important than the win itself was the feeling that with Chad Pennington at quarterback, the Jets would win a Super Bowl, if not in the '02 season than within a year or two. Having throw ten touchdown passes in three games, Pennington had never looked better; he has not been nearly as good since. 6. Jets defeat Dolphins 16-15 at Shea Stadium on November 22, 1981. For years, this game was often featured on Alcoa's "Fantastic Finishes" during the 4th quarter two minute warning. After an 0-3 start, the Jets entered with a 6-4-1 record and a chance to move into a first place tie with the Dolphins - with the Jets holding the tiebreaker. With the Jets down 15-9 late in the 4th quarter, Richard Todd drove the Jets down the field. With 16 seconds left, Todd threw the winning touchdown pass to Jerome Barkum, threading the needle between two Dolphins. Shea went into a frenzy not seen since the '73 Mets, with Mark Gastineau dancing euphorically on the sidelines. 7. Jets defeat Dolphins 51-45 on September 21, 1986. One of the most exciting games in Jets history. Dan Marino threw 6 touchdown passes, but he was outdueled by Ken O'Brien in O'Brien's finest performance as a Jet. Wesley Walker also had a career day, with four TD receptions, the third on the final play of the 4th quarter. With the Jets down 45-38, they drove down the field in a last minute drive with no timeouts. With five seconds left and the ball on the Miami 21, Walker caught an O'Brien pass at the 1 and fell into the end zone. The Jets then won the coin toss, and picked up right where they left off, with O'Brien marching them downfield. With the ball on the Miami 43, O'Brien threw a bomb to Wesley Walker for the win. The victory was the start of a nine-game winning streak for the Jets. 8. Jets defeat Packers 28-3 on December 20, 1981. After an 0-3 start to the '81 season, the Jets came alive, going 9-2-1 over their next 12 games. Entering the final week of the season, they needed a victory over Green Bay to make the playoffs for the first time in twelve year. The Packers also could make the playoffs with a win, and entered having won six of seven. In one of the greatest Jets victories at Shea Stadium, the Jets were led by a dominant performance by Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, and the rest of the Sack Exchange, which recorded an amazing 9 sacks that day. Wesley Walker and Lam Jones both catch long touchdown passes. 9. Jets defeat Dolphins 21-16 on December 13, 1998. Both teams entered this game with a 9-4 record. In Miami's only home loss of the season, Wayne Chrebet led the Jets offense with a touchdown reception and more than 100 years receiving. The Jets defense sacked Dan Marino five times, and late in the 4th quarter, Chad Cascadden returned a Marino fumble for a touchdown to seal the victory. The following week, the Jets clinched the AFC East title with a victory over the Bills. 10. Jets defeat Patriots 30-17 on December 22, 2002. Needing a road victory over the defending Super Bowl champs to keep their then slim playoff hopes alive, Chad Pennington led the way with 285 yards passing and three touchdowns, without an interception. In a tense 4th quarter, Pennington orchestrated a 75 yard drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to Wayne Chrebet. 11. Jets defeat Dolphins 40-37 on October 23, 2000 in one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. I'm embarrassed to admit that I left this Monday Night Football game early - the only time I have left a game early. The Dolphins scored with 12 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter to take a 30-7 lead. It was already quite late, and I had a choice of taking a ride home or taking the Port Authority bus and a train home. I foolishly chose the ride. As we were exiting Giants Stadium, Vinny Testaverde hit Laveranues Coles for a long TD pass. A few minutes later, in the car heading out the stadium parking lot to Route 3 and the Lincoln Tunnel, we turned the radio on to hear that the Jets scored again, making it 30-20. That's when I learned my lesson never to leave a game early again. We indeed exited the stadium, but there was an accident on Route 3 (the road to the Lincoln Tunnel) and we (and thousands of others) could not take the ramp to the highway. So stuck in traffic just outside the parking lot, with the stadium lights glaring, we listened to Wayne Chrebet's tying touchdown catch with 4 minutes left, to Miami's long kickoff return and devastating go-ahead TD on the first play on the ensuing drive, and then to the Jets forcing overtime when Testaverde converted on 4th down to set up first and goal, and then hooked up with Jumbo Elliott of all people for a touchdown. When overtime started the road reopened. With the Dolphins driving in Jets territory, Marcus Coleman intercepted a Jay Fielder pass, but fumbled the ball away. Then Coleman intercepted another pass, and after a long pass to Chrebet, John Hall kicked a 40 yard field goal to win it. The win put the Jets in first place with a 6-1 record. They subsequently collapsed, finishing 9-7 and missing the playoffs. 12. Jets defeat Dolphins 23-20 on December 22, 1991. Despite entering the game with a 7-8 record, the Jets had a chance to make the playoffs with a road win over Miami. With the Jets clinging to a 17-13 lead, Dan Marino leads the Dolphins to what appears to be the game winning TD pass on 4th and goal with just 44 seconds left. On the radio, Jets announcer Marty Glickman declares the game and the season over. But the Jets quickly drive downfield, and with no time left in regulation, Raul Allegre kicks a 44 yard field goal to force overtime. In overtime running back Johnny Hector was unstoppable and the Jets won on another Allegre field goal. 13. Jets defeat Colts 29-28 on December 23, 2001. Vinny Testaverde outduels Payton Manning in this Sunday night classic. The Jets moved the ball well all game, but kept sputtering in the red zone, settling for five John Hall field goals. With less than three minutes to go and no timeouts, the Jets started deep in their own territory. Vinny completed two passes to Wayne Chrebet and another to Curtis Martin, and found Anthony Becht for the winning TD with less than a minute left. 14. Jets defeat Giants 26-7 on November 1, 1981. This was a home game for the Giants, making the dominating win especially enjoyable. The Sack Exchange was born that day, sacking Phil Simms nine times - with Gastineau and Joe Klecko recording three each. Richard Todd and Wesley Walker had a huge game on offense. 15. Jets defeat Bucs 21-17 on September 24, 2000. Embittered after being traded by the Jets months earlier, Keyshawn Johnson talks trash all week, dissing the Jets generally and Wayne Chrebet particularly. Both teams come into the game with 3-0 records. Keyshawn does nothing in the game, but neither did the Jets offense, and Tampa led 17-6 late in the 4th quarter. With less than two minutes left, Vinny Testaverde led a touchdown drive, and the Jets converted the two point conversion, cutting the deficit to 17-14. Instead of an onside kick, the Jets kick the ball deep. On 2nd down, the Bucs fumbled the ball, and the Jets looked poised to send the game into overtime with a tying field goal. Instead, Chrebet - who also was having a quiet game - caught a touchdown pass from none other than running back Curtis Martin, giving the Jets the win and a 4-0 start. Among other noteworthy games are the Jets' playoff victories against Kansas City in 1986 and the Chargers last season, as well as the season finales against the Browns in 1985 and the Raiders in 2001, both of which the Jets won to clinch a playoff berth. Also of note is my earliest memory of a Jets win - when I was in first grade and not yet six years old: An awesome 31-28 road victory over the Broncos on November 5, 1978 that definitely ranks among the team's best. The Jets were down 28-7 before scoring the final 24 points. I'm not certain, but believe that prior to the 2000 Miami game, this was the biggest Jets comeback in franchise history. Unfortunately, the Jets lost four of their last six games to finish 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Sunday, December 02, 2007
Week 13 The Jets proved today that they are not nearly as bad as the Dolphins, beating up on the NFL's worst team. The victory was led by the defense, which featured big plays by David Harris and Kerry Rhodes. Kellen Clemens still looks lost when his first option is covered, and he failed to pick up several blitzes, but his strong arm paid dividends today, with long completions to Laveranues Coles and Justin McCareins. He also did a good job converting several third and longs. Especially with Jerricho Cotchery likely out for the season, Coles deserves credit for coming back to lead the receiving corps after missing one game with a sprained ankle. The offensive line outplayed Miami in the second half, but there were too many breakdowns in pass protection and busted runs during the first half. The Jets only punted twice, but Ben Graham looked bad again on both. The Jets may need a new punter. Saturday, December 01, 2007
Omar Strikes Out Again Precisely because Lastings Milledge's trade value had plummeted, yesterday's trade of Milledge for two marginal players - Ryan Church and Brian Schneider - is yet another failure of Omar Minaya's. Minaya, it will be recalled, refused to include Milledge in potential deals for Manny Ramirez and Barry Zito. Now he apparently was desperate to give away a talented young outfielder. Church and Schneider may well be decent players, but their upsides are limited. Church seems like, at best, an upgrade over the likes of Shawn Green and Endy Chavez. But even now he may not be as good as Milledge, and with far less talent than Milledge, certainly offers far less upside than Milledge does. Schneider is touted as being a good defensive catcher, which better be the case, because he's a terrible hitting catcher - even worse than Yorvit Torrealba - the subject of Minaya's recent short-lived infatuation. Count me as skeptical than Schneider, overall, is really an upgrade over either Paul Lo Duca or Johnny Estrada. Minaya's attitude seems to be that it is worth letting go of Lastings Milledge for a very slight 2008 upgrade in right field. In that case, Milledge will likely be only the first young player to be sent packing this offseason by a team that increasingly resembles the 80's Yankees in its warped approach to developing talent. Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Deep Thoughts From The Hockey Maven In his latest gem, Elster (a/k/a "I Hate Hockey/Let's Go Rangers") ridicules my criticism of the Rangers' offseason trade of Matt Cullen for a bag of used chips. He writes: "The Rangers are stronger top to bottom than they were last year - and they have not missed Cullen or Ortmeyer at all" No, they haven't missed Cullen at all. The Rangers have scored the fewest goals in the NHL. Cullen has 24 points (six more than any Ranger). Who needs him? Perhaps Elster suffered a concussion while watching his DVD of 'Friday Night Lights.' Thursday, November 22, 2007
Week 12 The offensive line was horrible. Kellen Clemens was unimpressive, though nothing he would have done would have made a difference in the ultimate result. At least there are 10 days until Week 13. Sunday, November 18, 2007
Patriots Are Overrated "With respect to the Pats, I believe you and everyone else is over-rating their off season personnel moves. Aside from A Thomas at linebacker, I'm not quite sure what everyone is raving about. According to what I read last year, R Moss has lost a few steps and isn't close to being the receiver he once was. D Stallworth is erratic with below average hands. K Washington hasn't shown that he's an every down wideout. Wes Welker, he isn't keeping defensive coordinators awake at night. Aside from having the benefit of a name that strongly resembles former Jets star deep threat Wes Walker, he's mediocre. While the Pats still have good talent and great coaching, their off season moves haven't, in my opinion, separated them from the rest of the league." -Jetsphan, May 1, 2007 Week 11 I'm back from Steelers Stadium, where the Jets defense - finally let loose by defensive coordinator Bob Sutton - overcame a hostile crowd to steal the game from Pittsburgh. As pathetic as the pro-Steeler crowd was, it did make the victory especially sweet when the mostly drunk Steelers fans stumbled out in a stunned stupor. Kellen Clemens looked mediocre, especially on goal to go situations, but was helped by fine pass protection in the Jets' late 4th quarter drive to tie the game. Brad Smith looks unimpressive at wide receiver. Thomas Jones looked good at times, but the Jets need a short yardage back for 3rd and short and near the end zone. They could have and should have signed T.J. Duckett. David Harris had another strong game. The Jets have no chance against the Cowboys. At least they'll get their Week 12 loss over with quickly, and those of you who won't be working can enjoy the rest of Thanksgiving weekend. Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Judaism, Tragedy and God: A Rabbi Without All The Answers This week's Los Angeles Jewish Journal includes an excellent column about Judaism and tragedy by Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg of Congregation Etz Chaim in Kew Gardens Hills. For so many years I have heard rabbis and many lay members of the religious Jewish community mumble about "hashgacha pratis," the notion that everything is for the good, etc., that I had essentially given up on hearing anything rational on the topic of how to react to tragedy. Just now, in my office perusing through a few web sites before turning to preparation for trial, I came across Rabbi Rosenberg's piece. He writes, in part: It's a lot easier to believe in an omnipotent and omniscient God than a I don't have time now to offer any detailed thoughts. Thanks to Rabbi Rosenberg for his candid, honest approach - and for recognizing that none of us has the answers to life's most difficult questions. See prior posts on this topic: Tragedy, Answers, And Hashgachah Pratis Rosh Hashanah Sermons: Green Bay Packers and G-d's Role In The World Judaism and Tragedy Redux Judaism and Tragedy 9/11 Miracles Sunday, November 04, 2007
Week 9 The Jets followed their usual script today. Kickoff return touchdown, good start by the offense based on a short passing game, overuse of the shotgun, little run game, very few downfield throws and almost no deep passes, ill-timed dropped passes and penalties, terrible run defense, an inability to get stops on 3rd downs and not enough 3rd down blitzes, and a flat second half performance on both sides of the ball. The Jets' game-tying field goal drive was a diversion from the script. That drive was alright, but even though they had plenty of time, there was never a sense that the Jets would go for a game-winning touchdown. Pete Kendall manhandled the Jets defensive line today. At least David Harris looks like a player. But the Jets have so many holes that trading five picks to move up for both Harris and Darrelle Revis was the wrong move. As good as Leon Washington has been returning kickoffs, he's lost on punt returns. Eric Mangini is starting to resemble a young Rich Kotite. Thankfully, next week is the Jets' bye. Friday, November 02, 2007
Weekend Musings I don't have time for any detailed posts, so some quick thoughts about various topics: 1. With Yigal Amir, the murderer of Prime Minister Rabin, back in the news, the crazy right is back in force. The other night in Queens, someone was ranting, to the apparent agreement of those around him, that Amir should be prime minister for the holy task of killing Rabin. Then two minutes later, he was screaming that the Israeli Shin Bet had actually killed Rabin, not Amir. If Amir was framed, why should he be credited with the murder by being appointed prime minister? Logic has never been the fanatic right's strong point. 2. I am very interested in politics and in political debate. I read different kinds of publications, and am interested in different viewpoints. What I can't stand is being subjected to political speech in shul. In that setting, I am unable to express my own opinion, while being forcibly subjected to someone else's. At best, those forcing congregants to listen to their political diatribes lack respect for the masses' ability to mind up their own minds. For me, I feel like a hostage, and this is the case even when I agree with the opinions expressed. 3. In principle I have no problem with the Mets trying to sign A-Rod, but in real life it makes no sense. The Mets are fine at shortstop and third base, and to weaken David Wright by forcing him to move to another position would be a bad idea. As I recall, past Mets experiments in moving players out of position have almost always failed miserably. Unless the Mets can obtain Johan Santana by making Jose Reyes the centerpiece of a deal, A-Rod and the Mets are a bad fit. 4. So are Tom Glavine and the Mets. I don't get Omar Minaya's love for Glavine and desire to overpay for him. Both with the Mets and Braves, Glavine has been mediocre in key games. Perhaps Omar is feigning interest in Glavine to ensure that the Braves pay him as much as possible. At this point, Curt Schilling would be preferable to Glavine, and if he's healthy, Kris Benson would be an okay replacement too. Neither appears to be on Minaya's radar, however. 5. Here's the latest idiotic statement from Herm Edwards: "there have been some positives. We haven't seen them on the scoreboard on Sundays, but there are some things going on Monday through Saturday that I'm encouraged by. I'm happy where the program is." Actually, Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum said this in today's Newsday. Specifically, "Tannenbaum pointed to the progress of Abram Elam, Brad Smith, Leon Washington and Jacob Bender." Tannenbaum is officially a moron. Elam committed a major penalty against the Bengals, and then put a hard hit on teammate Darrelle Revis on Sunday, taking away an interception from Revis and giving Bills WR Lee Evans an 85 yard TD pass. Bender was inactive the first seven games, and then played sparingly on special teams on Sunday. Washington has been good in kickoff returns but has been invisible on offense. Smith has been a little bit more visible, but his 14 receptions and 1 touchdown are modest progress at best. Tannenbaum forget to mention the fact that his team's offensive line and defensive line have been terrible and that both the linebackers (except David Harris) and secondary are unable to tackle. But that's only on Sunday. I hear the Jets are looking great the rest of the week, particularly Thursdays. Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
New Sports Blog We at The Zionist Conspiracy are pleased about the latest addition to the coverage of sports in the J-blogosphere. Hirhurim, written by Gil Student, opened yesterday with a debate about Rav Soloveitchik and the Red Sox. My own sense is that the evidence presented fails to show that the Rav was really a Red Sox fan. More likely, living in Boston, he was somewhat aware of them when they were prominently featured in the news. Unfortunately, some zealots are outrageously accusing Rav Soloveitchik of declaring, after the Red Sox lost the 1978 AL East race to the Yankees, "I've had it rooting for the Red Sox. For sixty years, this has been one of the worst sports franchises in all of professional sports. It ranks right down there with the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, St. Lous Cardinals, San Diego Clippers, New York Nets." Hopefully Hirhurim will continue to feature posts about sports. Sunday, October 28, 2007
Week 8 Just got back from the game. The regression this team - the front office, coaching staff and players - has had since last season is incredible, even for the Jets. It's difficult to even be hopeful about the future. I don't miss Herm, but right now Eric Mangini and his staff are worse than Herm Edwards at his worst. I've wasted enough time on the Jets today, so that'll be it for this week and, with my current work schedule, probably for a while. Sunday, October 21, 2007
Week 7 Very brief thoughts about the dreadful New York Jets: Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton must go. Eric Mangini's 3-4 scheme is a complete failure. Based on last year's success, Eric Mangini gets another year to prove he can coach in the NFL. Anthony Schlegel stuffed a few runs today. Seems like someone the Jets - who cant' stop anyone - could use. Thomas Jones is an average running back. Nothing more. This season feels a lot like 1995 and 1996. Unfortunately, Bill Parcells, Bill Bellichick and Charlie Weis will not coming on board next season to turn things around. Will Kellen Clemens make a difference? We'll probably start to find out next week. Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Jets Askanim Must Go! No matter how many times I address this subject, it probably isn’t enough. But this time I address it with a sense of hope that things are truly changing. There is silence no more. People are finally noticing that the emperor has no clothes. I am referring to the latest of a number of articles written by prominent Jets fans decrying the way ‘Tangini’ are handling problems. To be sure, they still venerate Tangini and reiterate the requirement to listen to their every word. But that disclaimer aside, the message is very clear: Tangini are clueless. This time it is Elster. Just to repeat what I’ve often stated, I am one of his biggest fans. I am probably his only reader. Not that we always agree. But we do agree a lot. And on the primary point of his article, we are one. In an article in Generation Jets magazine he basically rips apart Jets askanim. And he does it masterfully. Jets fans who surround Tangini, shield them from the public, and feed them information filtered… and often distorted… through their own biases. Had this article been written by me, I would have been ripped apart by my detractors… as I often am when I write about these things. I would be called a ‘Chad addict’. A 'Laveranues lover'. 'Vilma's veiber'. But this time it isn’t me. It is Elster. Of course I can’t tell ‘Tangini’ what to do. Compared to them, I am a peon. And despite the popular conception about me, I would never have the Chutzpah to do so, anyway. But were they to ask my advice, here is what I would tell them: Get rid of your Askanim! They may mean well but do not serve you well and may destroy you... and the New York/New Jersey Titans/Jets in the process. Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Arab Hero and the Forgotten IDF Soldiers Amidst the purportedly renewed peace process and the apparently renewed indirect negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah, it is worthwhile to consider Samir Kuntar, the Arab hero whose release is demanded by Hassan Nasrallah. Kuntar's bravery is celebrated throughout the Arab world for his kidnapping of Danny Haran and his four-year old daughter Einat. Kuntar shot Danny dead in front of Einat, and then stoned Einat to death. Although Hezbollah did not provide any substantive information regarding the fate of Ron Arad - who was captured 21 years ago yesterday - at least Arad's name remains newsworthy. In contrast, the media now completely ignores Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz, who were captured in June 1982 during the first days of the Lebanon War. Why is it that Kuntar remains a cause celebre both in Israel and the Arab world, yet Baumel, Feldman and Katz are forgotten by their country? Sunday, October 14, 2007
Week Six 1. Once again, the Jets' coaching staff put in an atrocious performance. Despite the success running the ball, throughout the game, even on 3rd and 2 or 3, the Jets utilized the shotgun rather than the playaction pass. If Chad Pennnington is the QB, why does Brian Schottenheimer continue to eliminate the playaction from his playbook? 2. Schottenheimer's playcalls on the Jets' final drive were particularly awful. The quarterback sneak on 3rd and 1 was bad enough, as was the fade route on 4th down and 1. The use of the shotgun on 4th down was idiotic. The Eagles knew a pass was coming. A run was probably the better call, but if the Jets really wanted to pass, playaction was clearly the way to go. 3. It appeared that the coaching staff did not have much confidence in Pennington today, essentially keeping him a short leash and hoping he could manage the game to a close win. There were far too few downfield passes, even the 15 yard routes that Pennington excels in were rare. If indeed the coaching staff has little confidence in Pennington, they must switch now to Kellen Clemens. If Pennington remains the QB, Schotteheimer should review film of Jets games in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and watch how former offensive coordinator Paul Hackett utilized Pennington. 4. The missed tackle by Andre Dyson and Eric Smith on the game's only touchdown was inexcusable. 5. With the season already essentially over, I do not know whether I will continue to regularly post my thoughts following Jets games. I'm about to go into another very busy stretch at work, and blogging will therefore be very light for approximately the next two months. Friday, October 12, 2007
Thanking The Dolans Unlike many people I know who went to the game, I had little interest in last night's exhibition game between the Knicks and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Like many who are fans of the Rangers and/or Knicks, over the years I have found much to criticize about the Dolans' mismanagement of those teams. It is appropriate, however, for religiously observant Jews to express basic hakaras hatov to the Dolans for directing all proceeds to last night's game to Migdal Ohr, an Israeli organization providing Jewish education to underprivileged children in northern Israel. For this, the Dolans and Isiah Thomas are deserving of our praise. Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Theeeeeeeeeee Yankees Lose! As a Mets fan, I'm pleased to see the Yankees season end a mere eight days after the completion of the Mets' collapse (it seems like longer, doesn't it?). As a baseball fan and a New Yorker, I must confess that I would have enjoyed a Yankees vs. Red Sox ALCS. I envy the must-win attitude that would lead the Yankees to fire Joe Torre, such a welcome contrast from Omar Minaya's claim that the Mets 88-win season was an overall success. But is firing Torre the right move? I don't know. Of the eight teams in the 2006 MLB playoffs, only the Yankees made it back to the playoffs this season. Torre's feat of 12 straight playoff appearances is outstanding. Even if his game strategy is not perfect, he's a lot better than Willie Randolph, and he never lost his team. I'm skeptical that Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi will achieve better results than Torre, but that's for the Yankees to decide. Of course it won't happen, but I actually think Davey Johnson would be a great fit for the Yankees. He knows how to manage a young pitching staff and with the Mets, Reds and Orioles did well mixing veterans and young players. Sunday, October 07, 2007
Week 5 There is little point in wasting time analyzing today's fiasco. The Jets offense, defense, coaching and front office all suck, with game balls for today's disgrace going to Chad Pennington on offense for his two terrible second half interceptions, and Andre Dyson on defense for one of the worst defensive plays in NFL history on the game-losing touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. Unless the Jets turn their season around over the next few weeks - and there is little reason to think they will - today's game will likely mark the end of the Pennington era. With the 2007 season slipping away, Kellen Clemens will probably get a chance at QB during the second half of this season. Monday, October 01, 2007
Heath Bell It's 10:45, and the Padres vs. Rockies game just went to extra innings after Heath Bell completed 2 2/3 dominant innings during which he struck out 5 batters and allowed no hits. Willie refused to give Bell a chance with the Mets, and then Omar traded him away for nothing last offseason. Assuming his night is done, Bell finishes the 2007 regular season with a 2.02 ERA in 93 2/3 innings over the course of 81 games, with 102 strikeouts, a .189 batting average against and a huge clutch performance tonight. The Zionist Conspiracy Fundraising Campaign: Willie Randolph Relief Fund UPDATE - October 2: Thanks for all of the generous contributions. We are still not quite near our goal of $4,250,000, and with the Knicks now organizing a competing campaign to raise no less than $11.6 million (not to mention the same amount to pay the fees of those damn lawyers), the Mets will be retaining Willie for at least part of the 2008 season. But don't fret! Pitchers and catchers will be reporting in just 4 1/2 months and 2008 is sure to be another great season. For the Bobby Valentine-led Chiba Lotte Marines, that is. As for the Mets, well, check your inbox. I don't know about you, but I got a nifty e-mail from Jeff Wilpon. Thanks and shana tova, Jeff! As some of you may know, the New York Mets are indebted to their manager, William Randolph, in the amount of $4,250,000 for 2008 and 2009. The Wilpon family has for years been generous to all of us, and now they need our help. The Mets are in desperate need of a new manager, without which they, and indeed all of New York, will be mocked by our enemies. That is where you come in. With your support, Willie Randolph will be paid $4,250,000 and a competent individual will be found to manage the Mets! Please be generous. Even a thousand dollars can make a difference and help defray the cost of Bobby Valentine's business class ticket for his flight from Tokyo to Queens! Please direct all payments to my Paypal account. Please also inquire with your employer about many charitable matching opportunities available in furtherance of this most worthy cause. Thank you all in advance for your generous support, and let's go Mets! Blogger Scholars: Elster's World Has Multiple Authors For nearly 2 1/2 years, the blogging community has assumed that Elster's World has contained the posts of a 30 something lawyer named "Elster" about his family, his sports teams, his efforts to get his book published, and his television program interests. Now, a group of Blogger scholars who have closely analyzed the text of Elster's World have concluded that the blog, rather than being constructed by a single author, has multiple authors - indeed as many as four, including at least one female. The scholars note a large number of contradictions in the text of Elster's World. For example, after expressing strong support for the Mets' signing of Julio Franco and praising Franco's clutch hitting and team leadership, "Elster" now has lambasted the Mets use of Franco. Similarly, after years of support of Mets General Manager Omar Minaya's moves following the 2006 season, "Elster" suddenly contradicted all of his prior posts, and now blames Minaya for failing to upgrade the team. "Elster" also repeatedly insisted that the Mets bullpen was fine, while he now argues otherwise. He also attacked an argument a few weeks ago that the Mets were "imploding," yet now writes that the Mets implosion was "a done deal" weeks ago. Similar contradictions in the text are apparent in "Elster's" analysis of the New York Jets. At times "Elster" supports Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, and at times not. "Elster" sometimes felt that Herm Edwards was the perfect person to lead the Jets, but on other occasions called for Herm to be replaced. With respect to the New York Knicks, in some posts, "Elster" wrote that the Knicks have no talent and team president Isiah Thomas should be fired, while absolving ex-Knicks coach Larry Brown of blame for the Knicks' failures. Yet "Elster" also often wrote that the Knicks are filled with talent, and attacked Thomas for failure to coach the team to their capability. Perhaps most bizarrely, "Elster" has been both a passionate fan of the New York Rangers, and an anti-hockey zealot who railed against physical play in the NHL. As further evidence for their argument that "Elster" could not have only one author, the Blogger scholars noted that "Elster" not only closely followed sports, he also watches every ABC television program and almost everything on ESPN, owns a mediocre fantasy football franchise, has recently authored several books, holds a grueling job as a New York attorney, complained about his very long commute to and from work, and purported to be a devoted husband and father of three children, even as he authored Elster's World and several other affiliated blogs, and commented on dozens of other blogs. Mets Shakeup Coaching Staff FLUSHING, NEW YORK - October 1 - The New York Mets have scheduled an afternoon press conference during which Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon and General Manager Omar Minaya will announce major changes to the team's coaching staff, The Zionist Conspiracy has learned exclusively. Minaya responded with a terse "no comment. You know what I'm sayin'," to questions about the subject of today's press conference, but according to multiple sources directly involved in the construction of CitiField, the Mets are poised to replace pitching coach Rick Peterson with Baltimore Orioles pitcher Victor Zambrano. In exchange for Zambrano, the Mets will send first base coach Rickey Henderson and outfielder Lastings Milledge to Baltimore. Orioles GM Jim Duquette reluctantly agreed to include Zambrano in the deal after Minaya agreed to part with Milledge. Henderson's spot will be taken by current third-base coach Sandy Alomar, with Bobby Bonilla slated to replace Alomar at third. The Mets believe Bonilla's card playing skills will adequately replace the void left by Henderson's departure. Randy Niemann, the Mets rehabilitation pitching coordinator, will rejoin the team as a left-handed middle reliever, while Armando Benitez will take Niemann's role. The Mets reportedly are also in negotiations with both Julio Franco and Carlos Baerga to take over for Howard Johnson as co-hitting coach. HoJo would then join Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling in the broadcast booth, with Gary Cohen likely to host Cohen's Corner, SNY's new Mets post-game show. Finally, ex-Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez is coming back to Flushing to head the team's community relations department. The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets A generation goes and a generation comes ... What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. The title of this post has already been taken by Bob Klapisch to describe the Bobby Bonilla led early 90's Mets, but it aptly describes the 2007 New York Mets, an arrogant, listless, underachieving group led by an overrated GM and a clueless manager. Contrary to the media reaction, the Mets stunning failure to hold a seven game division lead with 17 games to play was not the worst possible outcome. It would have been much worse for the Mets to have held on, won the division, and then lost in the NLDS. The magnitude of the Mets failure will hopefully demonstrate that significant changes must be made. The remaining readers of The Zionist Conspiracy should not be at all surprised by the performance of the 2007 Mets. Prior to the season, I sharply criticized Omar Minaya's offseason moves, particularly with respect to the Mets pitching staff, especially the bullpen. I therefore wrote, on March 29, that: The 2006 Mets blew the team's best opportunity in 18 years to win a World My prediction was very slightly off - the Mets finished 88-74, and in third place in the wildcard race. After the Mets opened with a good start, Elster wasted little time mocking my preseason analysis, particularly my attack on Minaya's bullpen moves. Throughout the season Elster took a contrarian view to any Mets-related criticism I proffered, either for the sake of being contrary or because he is simply unable to apply his intelligence to rational analysis of sports. The person most responsible for the September fiasco is Minaya. He built this Mets team, made numerous offseason moves that hurt the team and very few that helped, and could not acquire anyone other than Luis Castillo and Jeff Conine (for whom he traded two prospects!) down the stretch. Minaya was responsible for the Mets using a 6 man rotation so as to give Pedro Martinez extra rest, resulting in Brian Lawrence and Philip Humber losing one game after another down the stretch. Minaya's trades for highly paid veterans resulted in Humber and Pelfrey being the Mets sole remaining major pitching prospects above A ball - and neither of them met expectations. Minaya learned nothing from Orlando Hernandez's 2006 breakdown, instead giving him a 2-year contract at $6 million per, and not only left the Mets unable to replace El Duque when the 2007 breakdown occurred, but failed to obtain any decent number 5 starter, instead trading away potential AL Rookie of the Year Brian Bannister. Minaya, who hired Willie Randolph, fired Randolph's hitting coach, and stuck cardplayer extraordinaire Rickey Henderson onto the coaching staff. He also left Randolph with few bullpen options and a starting pitching staff that rarely could get to the 7th inning even on a good night. But Minaya is going nowhere, so Mets fans can only hope that Randolph takes the fall. Anyone who has watched the Mets these past three seasons knows that Willie is not exactly a master strategist. He even remains mystified about how to pull off the double switch. We were told, however, that he is a "winner" and a motivator for whom players will play hard. The reality is that Randolph not only completely lost this team, he led the collapse himself, by repeatedly insisting that the Mets were the best team in the NL and insinuating that their talent entitled them to the pennant. It was hardly surprising that the Mets never demonstrated a sense of urgency as their lead disappeared. With the Wilpons having ceded complete authority over baseball decisions to Minaya, I think Randolph will be back, but I hope I'm wrong. I doubt he'll be managing the Mets in 2009. There must be wholesale player changes, as well. Tom Glavine had a great career. He is done. The end comes suddenly for lots of pitchers, and the Mets cannot again pay $13 million to a pitcher who begged the Braves to take him back, gave his team no chance to win in his last three starts, and then expresses nonchalance after mailing it in yesterday. The bullpen mess won't be completely fixed this offseason, but the Mets can look to sign Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook type workhorses who can pitch 70+ games and give them much more than they got from Scott Schoeneweis and Guillermo Mota. Scott Linebrink is hardly a star, but he fits that mold. Unfortunately, Billy Wagner has now performed poorly late in two consecutive seasons, yet he will be the Mets 2008 (and 2009) closer. Carlos Delgado also appears to be nearing the end. His bat speed is not nearly what it was, yet with a huge salary, he is untradeable. So he too will be back. Jose Reyes had a disgraceful last month of the season. He suddenly turned into a bum, failing to run out grounders and picking a fight Saturday that motivated the Marlins yesterday. Little help can be expected from the Mets farm system, which is severely depleted so that guys like Jeff Conine could finish their careers in a Mets uniform. With the Phillies loaded with young talent and the Braves likely to be contenders, the future may be bleak for the Mets. The man who can best fix the Mets is the anti-Willie, Bobby Valentine. He is a brilliant baseball man who plays the best players and refuses to give free passes to veterans, gets a lot out of marginal players, and will not accept lackadaisical play. Unfortunately, Bobby V leading the Mets probably will never again be more than a memory or a pipe dream. Sunday, September 30, 2007
Week 4 1. Before turning to the latest Jets debacle, congratulations are in order to the New York Yankees, who are heading to the playoffs for an incredible 13th consecutive season. In May, while crediting the Yankees legacy of winning, I expressed skepticism that this year's team could recover. I was wrong. Even a .900 hitter like me is wrong 10 percent of the time. In the past, Yankee-haters have charged that the Yankees "bought" their way to success. There can be no dispute that this year's team made it to the playoffs the right way - with young, homegrown pitching talent. Brian Cashman's refusal to trade Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes makes him executive of the year regardless of how far the Yankees go during the postseason. 2. I will get to the Mets tonight or, more likely, sometime tomorrow. 3. Turning to the Jets, more than anything they were outcoached today. On offense, they had success moving the ball but had an ultra-conservative first half gameplan, presumably figuring that it would be one of those 13-6 victories. Chris Baker was again largely ignored, and Thomas Jones looks like the reincarnation of Kevan Barlow. The offense barely threw downfield until late in the 3rd quarter. During the final drive, the Jets inexplicably wasted lots of time on dumpoffs and screens to their running backs. 4. The defense was soft again. Darrelle Revis played like a rookie, while David Barrett played like the over-the-hill corner he is. Again there was rarely any pass rush, and little blitzing after the first quarter. For a rookie QB to pick apart the Jets like Trent Edwards did makes it pretty clear that the 2007 Jets are going nowhere. Eric Mangini's 3-4 defense on a team without personnel for the 3-4 appears to be a bust, while Mike Tannenbaum must be blamed for a poor offseason. 5. Former 2nd round pick Mike Nugent is paid to kick field goals. His miss at the end of the first half was inexcusable. 6. To complete a miserable sports day, after last week's record performance, my fantasy football team is getting trounced by Elster's hapless group. At least Elster is happy. Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Interview With The Hockey Rabbi Between the Jewish holidays, the baseball pennant race and upcoming playoffs, and the NFL season, it's hard to believe that the NHL returns next week. Hockey is indeed coming back, and The Hockey Rabbi, who very quickly has become recognized as one of the web's finest analysts of the New York Rangers, graciously agreed to answer questions about the Blueshirts. 1. Tell us about yourself and about your site. I'm a Chassidic Jew who grew up in a traditional Jewish home. I became religious about 8 years ago. I'm married with three kids (Baruch Hashem). I make my living as an attorney. My father is from the Ukraine and my mother is from Poland. Growing up in Eastern Europe, my father was a huge soccer and hockey fan. When he came to the US, soccer wasn't popular at all. Therefore, he focused his sports "energy" on hockey. I grew up watching and playing hockey. I played ice hockey for several years and later played floor hockey for my yeshiva high school. I'm a die hard NY Rangers fan and my blog focuses primarily on the Blueshirts. 2. How long have you been following the Rangers? I'm in my early 30's now and I've been watching the Rangers for as long as I can remember. I remember watching games as a little kid with my dad. 3. What other sports and teams do you follow? I only follow hockey. Whenever my wife's complaining during the hockey season I always tell her it could be worse, I could be a fan of multiple sports!!! 4. My yeshiva high school principal hated sports, likening it to avodah zarah (idolatry). Let's assume he was exaggerating. Still, is there any value in being a sports fan? Why should anyone care whether a group of men wearing a particular jersey wins or loses? To me, life is about balance. A happy well adjusted person makes time for his/her varying interests and needs. Obviously, you've got to have perspective: family, health and other obligations come first. That's a no brainer. But everyone needs some recreation and down time. Some people accomplish that by watching and/or playing sports. In general, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In fact, I think the draw that many people have to sports is that sports are a microcosm of life: we identify with the ups, downs, successes and failures that the athletes go through because we all experience those same things in our own lives. When your cheering for your favorite team and/or athlete, on some level you're really cheering for yourself. Team sports also teaches us the value of team work and humility. Obviously, for some people, spending several hours watching a game would be a colossal waste of time depending on their level and station in life. I certainly wouldn't advocate cutting back on one's learning schedule in order to make time to watch a Ranger game! But like I said, it's all about balance in each person's life. I try to focus on the positive and take the good out of every experience. 5. What are your thoughts about Glen Sather and Tom Renney. I've warmed up to Sather. However, it's been a long process! I never considered him to be as good of a GM as some people made him out to be. Gretzky fell into his lap in Edmonton. He got lucky drafting Messier relatively late in the draft. That being said, you have to give credit where credit is due: He correctly anticipated that the new rules implemented in the NHL would open up the game. Whereas in the past, teams focused almost exclusively on defense, in the "new" NHL skilled players are of a greater premium. Sather anticipated that and took some risks by building the team around Jagr and his European style of play. Sather gambled that Jagr could still be the "go to guy" if put in the right environment. Then he went ahead and created the right environment. That was no small accomplishment. Also, Sather had what it took to trade away fan favorites and Ranger legends like Adam Graves and Brian Leetch. Both trades were very unpopular yet undeniable necessary in order for the team to turn the page and start over. Only a guy with Sather's self confidence could have pulled that off! With the exception of Sidney Crosby and maybe Alex Ovechkin, the league just doesn't have anyone of that caliber. The real question is, where have the true superstars gone? To me, Gomez and Drury are excellent "new" NHLers. Gomez has the ability to score 1 or more points per game which would put him relatively close to the top of the stats charts. Drury scores less but he's the ultimate clutch performer and brings tremendous intangibles to the team. Whether the team ends up looking for a Peca type down the road remains to be seen. They definitely already have enough pieces to the puzzle up front to not necessarily have to bring in that type of a player. The ultimate question up front is Jagr. Finding him suitable linemates is priority number 1. After Jagr's line is solidified the team will be able to set the rest of its combinations. At that point we'll be able to determine whether or not a 3rd line center will have to be brought in from outside the organization. 13. Why did the Rangers let Jed Ortmeyer go? Who will replace him and Cullen on the penalty kill? I share your concern about this move. Primarily because they also traded Cullen. Cullen and Ortmeyer were 2 of the teams best penalty killers. I think the rationale is that the team is already very deep up front and has more than enough players capable of killing penalties. Cullen and Ortmeyer presumably moved down the depth chart and became salary cap casualties. The problem I have with that theory is that it looks like too few players will be relied upon to do too many things. Is it wise to have Drury getting significant even strength ice time plus significant power play time and then expect him to anchor the penalty kill? Ditto for Avery, Straka, Shanny and possibly Gomez. The beauty of Cullen and Ortmeyer anchoring the penalty kill was that they didn't get much (if any) power play time. They had fresh legs when they took the ice. 14. I had mixed feelings about the Rangers bringing back Brendan Shanahan. He's making way too much money (more than $5 million with easily attainable incentives) and seemed to lose a step after coming back from his concussion. He definitely provides lots of leadership, but couldn't we have got that from Peca? I had the same feelings as you did. However, with the major off season moves the team made, Shanny became an indispensable leader on this team. Peca is a great leader but I don't think he compares to Shanny. More importantly however, with Shanny we have a superstar (albeit an aging one) who has successfully adjusted to playing for Jaromir Jagr. Shanny will be able to help the newest Rangers do the same thing. That's crucial as jagr is the most important skater this team has. 15. Peter Prucha was disappointing last season. Will he bounce back? Prucha started slowly but he really came alive down the stretch. In the playoffs he provided the Rangers with never ending energy and hustle. Unfortunately his stats didn't reflect his over all contributions. What we can't forget is that this kid only has 2 years of NHL experience under his belt. He suffered a pretty serious injury late in his rookie year. It was the first serious injury he had. Not surprisingly, the effects lingered a bit. But again, he really came alive down the stretch last season. The other thing with Prucha is that I'm not sure that Renney really gives him the opportunity he needs to really excel. Compare Renney's treatment of Hossa v. Prucha. With Hossa, Renney stuck with the guy no matter what. Ultimately, Hossa showed signs of life (for the first time in his career) late in the season. With Prucha, on the other hand, the kid scored 30 goals as a rookie in his first season in North America playing with Jagr. Then Renney goes and takes him off the first line!?!? I think he's a good player and he'll have a strong year with or without his coaches help! 16. There's a huge amount of optimism surrounding this team. I think another second round playoff exit is most likely. What's your prediction? There is definitely a huge amount of optimism surrounding this club. And for good reason!!!! Unfortunately, I'm saving my predictions for the eve of the season opener!!! Thanks for your time and a happy, healthy and sweet new year to all. | "
