A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
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.
posted on 9/30/2007

 
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!

As far as Renney, to me the jury is still out on him. He's a very likeable man and he clearly has a good grasp of the game. The most important thing about him is that he knows how to coach superstars and the large egos they sometimes have. New York will always have its share of stars and, therefore, the team needs the kind of a coach that knows how to handle them. On the flip side, thus far Renney has had the opportunity to work with relatively little pressure. No one expected the Rangers to make the playoffs two seasons ago. In fact, no one expected much of them at all. After making the playoffs, expectations were definitely raised for last season but no one really considered the Rangers to be anywhere near serious contention. It's much easier to work under low expectations. This season will be a real test for Renney. With the off season signings of Gomez and Drury, many consider the Rangers to be legitimate contenders. The pressure is officially on! All in all I think he's a good coach and I think he'll rise to the challenge this season (and beyond).

6. Turning to the 2007-08 Rangers, I like the signings of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, but are they really elite, star players?

I like the signings of Gomez and Drury as well. In fact I wrote an analysis on my blog containing several parts. I analyzed the signing from different angles and discussed some of the implications these signings have created. At the end of the analysis I gave the Rangers high marks for their aggressive moves to improve the club this off-season.

As to whether or not they're really elite players, I don't know! The league is changing drastically. When I think of elite players from the immediate past, I think of three different categories:

1. Gretzky and Lemieux;
2. Messier;
3. Yzerman, Sakic, Forsberg and Jagr.

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.

7. Are you confident that Henrik Lundqvist can play at a high level for a full season?

Yes. I wasn't sold on him until the playoffs this past spring. However, he certainly proved his ability in last seasons playoffs. That being said, the Rangers could use a capable back up. Weekes was perfect for that role but unfortunately he signed with Jersey. You'd hate to see Lundqvist be forced to play too many games down the stretch. Having a capable back up is very important even if Lundqvist was penciled in to start 70 games this year. Psychologically there's a gig difference between playing 70 games because you're an elite goalie who can and should handle that load versus playing 70 games because the team doesn't have an adequate back up. The latter creates much more stress and pressure.

8. I know there are cap considerations, but aren't the Rangers wasting Al Montoya in Hartford? Why not let him start 25 regular season games?

That's a tough call. Montoya has played well as a professional in Hartford. He seems poised to become a legitimate NHL goalie. The question is what's better for him: getting the lions share of playing time in the minors or playing sparingly in the NHL but practicing with the NHLers? Come to think of it, the real question is what's better for his trade value! Unless Lundqvist vanishes, I don't see how Montoya will ever be the #1 goalie on Broadway. Lundqvist is young and he'll be here for a long time. Ultimately, the Rangers will have to trade one of them and it's probably going to be Montoya. So the real question is will sending Montoya to Hartford or keeping him in NY be better for his trade value?

In the short run, if none of the other goalies in camp step it up I wouldn't be shocked if Montoya at least starts with the big club. I think that working his salary under the cap (should that prove necessary) may have been one of the factors management considered in deciding to pass on Peca.

9. Will Marc Staal open in New York or in Hartford? Do you think he will have an impact on defense this season?

In a perfect world, Staal would have the opportunity to play in Hartford before joining the NHL. Defense is a very tough position to master and it never hurts to take it slow with young defensemen. Having the opportunity to excel as a first year pro in the minors is also a huge confidence builder. Given the state of the Rangers' blue line, however, if Staal is ready to play in the NHL he may very well make the club. Since the first two preseason games fell out on Yom Kippur night and motzei Yom Kippur, I didn't get a chance to see the kid in action so I don't have any personal thoughts on his readiness.

10. Is the defense good enough?

No! However, Lundqvist is capable of masking a lot of their problems. Additionally, the Rangers have some forwards who are very good defensively. Chris Drury is one of them, yet another reason I liked his signing. If Lundqvist plays well and the forwards back check responsibly, the team could over come its thin blue line. The bottom line is that there really aren't any teams in the league that are dominant from top to bottom. Every team has a weakness so they're all in a similar boat!

11. The Rangers still don't have anyone to lead their power play, do they?

No not really. As Ranger fans we were really spoiled by having Brian Leetch! The team is definitely lacking that true power play quarterback. But again, it all comes back to the forwards. If the forwards play up to their potential, they could overcome the lack of a true power play QB. Another player to watch for is Paul Mara. His contract expires at year's end. Therefore, he's got a huge incentive in having a career year or he can kiss his annual $3 million goodbye! He's got a great shot from the point. Good forwards can help make the point men look better then they are!

12. I wasn't thrilled with the Rangers getting rid of Matt Cullen, but I understand that his salary was too high for a third line center. But wasn't Michael Peca a perfect fit for that role? Isn't he exactly the type of player the Rangers will end up looking to acquire at the trade deadline?

You hit the nail on the head regarding the Cullen deal, it was a salary dump plain and simple. As for Peca, I have mixed feelings. I advocated signing him. In fact I wrote a couple of articles about it on my blog (one of which was linked to by MSG's Game On!). Obviously, however, Peca posed a very real health risk. Ultimately, management opted to go in a different direction. In my mind, Sather & Co. have earned the benefit of the doubt.

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.
posted on 9/25/2007

 
Ahmadinejad Is Not Hitler

There is a huge amount of ignorance about the particular nature of Ahmadinejad's threats toward Israel. For example, he has never said Iran would nuke Israel.

This is not to say that he and others in the Iranian regime would not destroy Israel if they could, that he is not an evil person, or that Iran with nuclear weapons is not a frightening prospect.
posted on 9/24/2007

 
Week Three

1. Victories by the Jets and Mets and a Phillies loss would seem to make for a great day. Yet Week 3 of the NFL season remained unsatisfying.

2. For the Jets, the positive was clearly their offense. The late 2nd quarter touchdown drive was superb, and the running game finally got going during the second half.

3. The offense does need to get Chris Baker more involved in the passing game. I focused on Baker during much of yesterday's game, and for the most part, he was used for pass protection. That's understandable in light of the poor play of the offensive line, but the Jets are wasting a talented player.

4. I was not happy with the Jets defense, nor with the coaching of defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, who again failed to blitz. After doing nothing the first two games of the season, the Dolphins offense came to life, and Ronnie Brown became the star he was supposed to be.

Yet after the Jets offense scored 17 straight points to take a 31-13 lead with 12 minutes left, instead of putting Miami away, Sutton inexplicably went into a prevent defense. The Jets were extremely fortunate that the Dolphins did not recover their onside kick.

5. When the Jets offense came onto the field for their first possession, the fans gave Chad Pennington a standing ovation. Of course that occurred during a TV timeout, so the media may deny that it happened.

6. J.P. Losman has played well against the Jets, so his knee sprain may provide a break for the Jets when they visit Buffalo next week. If Losman can't go, rookie Trent Edwards will start for the Bills. As they did most of last season, the Jets will need to beat bad opponents to at least make 2007 interesting.

7. Driving home from Giants Stadium, I had the misfortune of being stuck in terrible traffic and listening to the latest Mets bullpen collapse. Even if the Mets win the NL East, as they certainly should, it is very difficult to be optimistic that they will finally win another World Series - or even get past the NLDS.

8. I've knocked Omar Minaya quite a bit, but his signing of Moises Alou is looking good now. Alou missed half the season but has been fantastic since his return and without him the Mets would probably not win the division.

9. The Giants deserve credit for an excellent second half, but they were aided by a Herm Edwards like performance from Joe Gibbs and Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders. The Redskins' play calling and game management during their final series was abysmal. There was no reason at all to spike the ball and waste first down, and the hurry to get 4th down off even though there were 45 seconds left after 3rd down was inexcusable. Finally, the run toward the left side by Ladell Betts on 4th down - after the exact same play was stuffed on 3rd down - was a terrible call.
posted on 9/24/2007

 
Where Has All The Pitching Gone?

Over at MoCs, Bob Miller asks this about the Mets.

The answer is easy! The pitching is in:

San Diego: Heath Bell (2.22 ERA in 85 innings). Traded by Omar Minaya for nothing (particularly Jon Atkins and Ben Johnson) last offseason.

Baltimore: Chad Bradford (3.38 ERA in 61 innings). Omar Minaya refused to give him a three year contract last offseason.

Florida: Matt Lindstrom (3.34 ERA in 62 innings). Traded by Omar Minaya for nothing (particularly Jason Vargas) last offseason.

Kansas City: Brian Bannister (12 wins, 3.61 ERA in 164 innings). Traded by Omar Minaya for nothing (particularly Ambiorix Burgos) last offseason.

Los Angeles (Angles): Darren Oliver (3.36 ERA in 62 innings). Omar Minaya did not offer a contract to Oliver last offseason.

Atlanta: Royce Ring (2.95 ERA in 19 innings). Traded with Bell by Omar Minaya for nothing last offseason.

And let's not forget Henry Owen, who was traded with Lindstrom to Florida for nothing last offseason, and had a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings before hurting his shoulder.
posted on 9/21/2007

 
Wacky Willie

In the bottom of the 6th inning last night, Mets buffoon Willie Randolph replaced Scott Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa. Probably to show that he knows all about National League baseball strategy, he double switched, removing catcher Paul Lo Duca (who was 2 for 3), putting Sosa in Lo Duca's place at 7th in the batting order, and putting in Mike DiFelice at catcher in the 9th spot in the batting order.

Then, in the top of the 7th inning, Willie pinch hit for DiFelice with Reuben Gotay. Then in the bottom of the 7th, Willie replaced Sosa with Willie Collazo and put Ramon Castro in at catcher, with Collazo back in the 9 spot, and Castro batting seventh.

Here's what Willie's double switch accomplished: He took out his starting catcher in middle of an inning, and wasted three bench players (DiFelice, Castro and Gotay) for absolutely no reason.

This is one of the more egregious examples of Willie's sheer stupidity, but it is far from an isolated incident of his mismanagement.

May the Mets bring back Bobby V speedily in our days.
posted on 9/18/2007

 
Week 2

1. Today's impressive 4th quarter comeback cannot hide the fact that the Jets defense appears to have no playmakers, the offensive line and the running game are a mess, and the kickoff coverage is abysmal.

2. While I expect poor defense from David Barrett and have given up hope that the defensive line can generate a pass rush, the mediocrity of Jonathan Vilma and Kerry Rhodes are particularly frustrating. The touchdown at the end of the 1st half was unacceptable.

3. Eric Mangini's decision to attempt a 53 yard field goal late in the 2nd quarter was the worst of several questionable decisions. The Jets had 4th and 3 and Mangini should have gone for the first down.

4. Ben Graham's punting is getting progressively worse, even as Mike Nugent's kickoffs improve.

5. I keep hearing great things about Justin McCareins' work ethic, but he just doesn't get it done in games. He simply has terrible hands and because of him the Jets lost an opportunity to send the game into overtime.

6. Against the Ravens' dominant defense, Kellen Clemens was forgivingly unimpressive for the first three quarters. He could not pick up the blitz and held the ball far too long when under pressure. Of course he looked great in the 4th quarter. While Chad Pennington will likely start next week vs. Miami, if the Jets are not at least 4-5 by their Week 10 bye, Clemens will probably be their starting QB.

7. The offensive line is a disaster. D'Brickishaw Ferguson is especially disappointing.

8. Thomas Jones had a few nice runs, but hardly seems like the major impact player he was purported to be.

9. The latest Mets meltdown completed a miserable sports day. While the Mets are still in control in the NL East, their bullpen and their buffoon of a manager leave little hope of a third World Series victory occurring in 2007.

10. The lone good news is that the Chiefs appear headed for a terrible year. Kudos to Herm Edwards, who turned a team with a great offense and an average defense into a team with a mediocre offense and defense.
posted on 9/16/2007

 
Worst Mets Losses - Three, Two and One

Last October, I posted the tenth through sixth worst Mets losses during the last three decades, and then the fifth and fourth worst losses. I never got around to posting the three worst losses. As 5767 comes to an end, it's time for me to settle accounts, so without further ado...

3. Mets lose 5-4 to Dodgers on October 9, 1988.

After giving up two runs in the top of the first, Dwight Gooden was dominant on the mound. With a 4-2 lead entering the 9th inning, the Mets looked poised to take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.

After a walk, Mike Scioscia homered off of Gooden, stunning Shea and tying the game. Kirk Gibson then homered in the 12th. The Mets loaded the bases but Orel Hershiser came in from the bullpen to retire Kevin McReynolds.

The Dodgers would go on to win the NLCS and the World Series.

2. Mets lose 4-3 to Yankees on October 21, 2000.

The Mets were back in the World Series for the first time since '86, and after dispatching the Giants in four in the NLDS and the Cards in five in the NLCS, there was a sense of optimism that the Mets' deep pitching staff could defeat the Yankees.

With the Mets up 3-2 in the 9th, Armando Benitez blew an opportunity to close Game 1, and the Yankees won it in the 12th.

Five days later, the Yankees won their 26th World Series.

1. Mets lose 3-1 to Cardinals on October 19, 2006.

Oliver Perez pitched great for 5 2/3 innnigs, and Endy Chavez's catch kept the score at 1-1 going into the bottom of the 6th.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out, and Shea was rocking, ready for the base hit that would put the Mets ahead and on their way to the World Series. But Jose Valentin and Chavez were retired.

Three tense innings later, and 18 years after Scioscia's homer, another catcher, Yadier Molina, stunned Shea with a rare home run. The Mets had opportunities in the 9th, but their lack of bench players and a terrible at-bat by Carlos Beltran did them in.

The following week, the mediocre Cardinals were World Series winners. The Mets had blown their best opportunity in two decades to take back New York.

May the Mets experience only victory, and certainly no more terrible losses, during 5768.
posted on 9/11/2007

 
Week One

1. If ESPN, NBC, the New York Post, and other major media outlets are to be believed, Jets fans cheered (and/or booed - whatever sells the bogus story) yesterday when Chad Pennington sustained what appears to be a serious ankle injury after being sacked in the 3rd quarter.

If any further evidence of the media's inability to get things right were needed, the coverage of the fans' response to Pennington should more than suffice.

I was in my seat in section 119. Here's what happened:

When Pennington was sacked, there was a feeling of deep frustration at Giants Stadium. The Jets were down 21-7, Chad had engineered a nice drive, and now it was going to stall at around the New England 40 yard line.

When Chad initially did not get up and it was clear that he was hurt, there was silence. When he hobbled off the field, some fans cheered him. Then, as Chad threw off his helmet in deep frustration and a second or two later Kellen Clemens entered the game, some fans - a vocal minority - cheered Clemens.

As I told my friend next to me at the time, the cheers for Clemens were highly inappropriate considering that Pennington had just gotten hurt.

But the fans were not cheering the injury. And there was no booing of Chad at all, contrary to what others who were not at the game keep insisting.

The false media coverage of this story is indicative of how the media will too often twist reality to suit their own purposes of obtaining better ratings, creating more controversy and selling more papers. Today, Jets fans are being defamed. Last month, CNN contrived nonsense about "God's Jewish Warriors." In July, the New York Times Magazine featured Noah Feldman's insidious rant against modern Orthodoxy.

2. As for the game itself, there is much blame to go around. beginning with the defensive game plan. Tom Brady was given way too much time, with the Jets settling for three man rushes and refusing to take necessary risks by blitzing Kerry Rhodes, instead relying on their weak secondary. David Barrett and Justin Miller were predictably terrible at corner.

3. The run blocking was bad too, as a result of which Thomas Jones' performance looked identical to what we saw last season from Kevan Barlow. The pass protection was no better, with D'Brickashaw Ferguson looking like a huge bust for a #4 pick. Ferguson and left guard Adrian Clarke were beaten on the play on which Pennington was sacked and injured.

4. Needless to say, the 108 yard kickoff return to start the second half was a huge special teams failure. The good news going forward is that Mike Nugent seems to have improved his kickoffs.

5. Coming off last season's 10-6 performance, it's too early to rip GM Mike Tannenbaum, but his off-season moves - or lack thereof - were highly dubious. The fact that the offensive line actually got worse is particularly indefensible.

6. Week 1 also looks like it will be a bad one for Jets fans in The Zionist Conspiracy's fantasy football league. Pending tonight's games, my team, Elster and jetsphan appear headed to defeat at the hands of Akiva, MoC and superfeldman, respectively.
posted on 9/10/2007

 
Jets Prediction


8-8
posted on 9/06/2007