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

 
Five Days

Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes today: "The Mets are clearly going to bring back both Manuel and Omar Minaya." (He then explains why bringing back Manuel may not be such a good idea.)

The media universally agree that Manuel and Minaya will be back with the Mets next season. Presumably they are aware that the Wilpons (1) hate to eat contracts, and (2) have privately assured Manuel and Minaya that their jobs are safe for now,

Call me a wild optimist, but even a Wilpon should be able to muster up some common sense once in a while. So until I am told that the Omar and Jerry circus will be back in town, I'm maintaining hope.

We'll probably know the fate of Minaya and Manuel by Monday afternoon. If Manuel is fired, Bobby Valentine would have to be the heavy favorite for the managerial job.

For more than five years, I've been calling for Bobby V's return. Here, in no particular order, are ten reasons why:

1. Roger Cedeno.

2. Todd Pratt.

3. Matt Franco.

4. Benny Agbayani.

5. Rick Reed.

6. Turk Wendell.

7. Dennis Cook.

8. Timo Perez.

9. Bobby Jones.

10. Armando Benitez.

Compare what these ten players did for Bobby Valentine's Mets with the rest of their respective careers.

(Honorable mention goes to Melvin Mora - then seen as a career minor leaguer - whom Bobby V gave a chance to before Steve Phillips promptly gave him away.)
posted on 9/30/2009

 
Week 3

1. The Jets were fortunate to win, thanks primarily to the two fumbles they recovered on special teams.

2. Mark Sanchez is going to ruin his career if he doesn't protect his body. Let's not forget that the 2004 Jets were cruising at 6-1 when Chad Pennington hurt his shoulder while trying to run for a few extra yards.

3. The Jets run game is dormant; they cannot get anything going between the tackles.

4. Rex Ryan was wrong for benching David Clowney over innocuous comments by Clowney on Twitter.

5. The defense really stepped up in the 4th quarter, aided by the timely Titans drops.
posted on 9/29/2009

 
10 Days - Countdown To V-Day



With the Mets cruising along at 65-88, the media universally reports that the Mets have decided to bring Jerry Manuel back as manager.

Nevertheless, common sense so strongly dictates letting Manuel go and replacing him with Bobby Valentine, that until the Wilpons actually start the offseason with Omar Minaya as GM and Manuel as manager, we mustn't lose hope for a better future in '10 and beyond.
posted on 9/24/2009

 
Bobby V - The Time Is Now



Despite their impressive two-game winning streak against the Nats, the 65-85 New York Mets cannot bring Jerry Manuel back as manager. Injuries took a major toll this season, but not so huge to warrant the team playing completely listless baseball.

Bobby Valentine - the man who completely turned the Mets around in the late 90's - is a free agent. Valentine, who led the Mets to five straight winning seasons before being fired after going 75-86 in 2002 - a record better than the 2009 Mets will finish with.

This is an opportunity that will not arise again.

Here's what the Mets have to do: On October 4, as soon as the game ends, let Manuel and his staff go, and announce the return of Bobby V. Only this can end the malaise that surrounds the Mets.
posted on 9/21/2009

 
Week 2

A few brief observations, mainly based on watching replays and looking at the box score:

1. Last November, with the Jets up by seven and Patriots deep in their own territory and out of timeouts, Eric Mangini decided to go into a prevent defense. The result was a tying touchdown with one second left.

Yesterday in a similar situation, replays showed the Jets blitzing on the Patriots' final plays.

Through two games, willingness to blitz marks the biggest contrast between the current coaching staff and its predecessor.

2. I'm not among the Mangini bashers, but another major difference in yesterday's game was the Jets' second-half domination. It seemed that often in the Mangini years, the Jets would get off to a fast start, and then play not to lose in the second half. Yesterday, the Jets adjusted well, particularly in allowing Mark Sanchez to throw the ball.

3. The Jets are off to a great start, but let's not forget that in 2000, the 16 game Al Groh era started off 4-0 - including an exciting week 2 home win over the PatriotS.
posted on 9/21/2009

 
OU At The White House II

In a post two months ago, I criticized the Orthodox Union for its failure to articulate policy disagreements with the Obama Administration during the meeting at the White House attended by invited Jewish "leaders," including OU President Stephen Savitsky. I wrote at that time that this was "a betrayal of the public the OU purports to represent."

This week's Jewish Star reports on Savitsky recounting of that meeting, including this:

Savitsky took time to reprimand White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel.

“They all say he’s a foul-mouthed person and as a Jew, a menuval [a disgusting person]. I find it offensive. He’s a mishneh l’melech [advisor to a king], the language he uses ... I think it’s very unbecoming as a Jewish person.”

Savitsky has denied calling Emanuel a "menuval" but has otherwise confirmed the veracity of this criticism.

For the head of the OU to make a statement like this in a public forum is an absolute disgrace and another betrayal of the community the OU purports to represent.

If Savitsky wants to make foolish comments about the White House Chief of Staff, he should resign his position and join the rest of the frum people who pontificate about political events. Perhaps he can even start a blog.

He has no right, in his position as head of what is perceived to be a major Orthodox organization, to issue a totally unnecessary personal attack on Rahm Emanuel. His statements are an embarrassment and will obviously contribute nothing positive to Israel or to any part of the Jewish community.
posted on 9/17/2009

 
Week 1

1. From the first set of downs it was evident that this is a new era. The frequent blitzes and the aggressive playcalling on both sides of the ball even during the 4th quarter were a marked contrast from the Eric Mangini and Herm Edwards regimes.

2. Mark Sanchez showed excellent pocket presence and demonstrated both poise and accuracy on key third downs. In addition to his interception, he was fortunate that two other passes were not picked off.

3. The pass protection was excellent, as was Brian Schottenheimer's game plan.

4. Teams will likely continue to put eight defenders in the box and force the Jets to beat them in the air.

5. Needless to say, shutting out the Houston offense on the road was outstanding. David Harris was a force on defense, and Darrelle Revis must been pretty good considering how invisible Andre Johnson was.

6. Rex Ryan needs to lose weight.
posted on 9/13/2009