Bunch of Thoughts

I had planned to write a blog this week about something other than what you are reading about today but sometimes events happen which change what your plans are.  I’ve had a blog which I have wanted to write about and I will eventually write about but as I said, it will have to wait.  For now, this is a bunch of thoughts which have run through me recently.

First, the Knicks.  Coming into this season there was a lot of optimism after they traded for Karl Anthony Towns but what some people neglected to think about was how thin they had become on the bench after trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in the deal.  That lack of depth has now become more evident after recent losses against great teams such as the Cleveland Cavalier and the Boston Celtics.  Were they good enough to beat them even if they hadn’t made that trade? Probably not. 

Then there is the game on Friday against the Lakers.  The Lakers made a huge trade recently bringing in Luka Doncic which has changed the face of the Western Conference.  The game was close and then late in the fourth quarter, the indispensable Jalen Brunson went down with a sprained ankle.  There could not be worse news for the Knicks.  Without Brunson, this team goes nowhere.  Brunson is out a minimum of two weeks and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s longer than that, given how tricky ankle sprains can be.

What does all of this mean?  It means that I am not giving up on the Knicks but I am not expecting them to get anywhere past the second round of the playoffs at best, and hopefully this injury to Brunson does not rear its ugly head again down the road.

Second, the Rangers.  Oh boy the Rangers.  Sports are a funny thing because one year you have the best team in the league, winning the President’s Trophy and the next you are fighting for a playoff spot.  Coming into last year a lot of people did not expect much from the Rangers but they went on to have the best record in the NHL and lose in the Conference Finals.

This year’s team cannot get out of their own way.  Players are scoring well under their career averages.  Is it age?  Not for everyone.  Is it talent?  It shouldn’t be.  Chris Drury has made a lot of changes this year, some not very good which really pissed off a lot of people, especially the players.  Getting rid of Goodrow, the way he handled the Trouba trade, the way he handled Kaapo Kakko, among others.

He has tried his best to improve this team and they have played fairly well recently although losing a couple of tough OT games and then, as of this writing, getting blown out by Columbus.  They are right behind Ottawa (who they just lost to in OT) and Columbus for the final playoff spots so they cannot afford to lose these games. 

I don’t think we will ever know what has changed this year but this team is just not tough enough to get over the hump.  They have a lot of good players but for some reason they seem to be stuck in neutral, and this will be another spring/summer where the Rangers can’t get it done.

Third, the Mets.  Oh boy where do I start.  We have been so excited for this season.  They went out and signed Soto to a monstrous deal, resigned Alonso after a lot of posturing and brought back Manaea.  The problem is - and we have given him the benefit of the doubt because of the team he assembled last year (mainly the starting pitching staff) - but David Stearns has left a huge void in the rotation.  They have now suffered two big injures.  First, Montas, who nobody really loved the signing but you say, hey maybe Stearns knows something - he will be out til at least June if we’re lucky.  Second, Manaea has gone down and we hope he will be back in April.

On Sunday, we found out catcher Francisco Alvarez has broken the hamate bone in his hand and needs surgery which will sideline him for 6-8 weeks.  That puts him back in the lineup hopefully around Memorial Day.  The problem is, do you think he will have his full power back at that point?  I don’t.  It won’t be until mid to late June before he could really have the power back at the earliest.  He is supposed to be a huge part of this lineup but as more and more time goes by, I am starting to see him as somewhat of a bust.  This guy was supposed to be the real deal and we have not seen very much.

In the end, this puts a hit on the Mets as a whole, taking a huge piece out of the lineup that they will somehow have to replace.  Your guess is as good as mine as to where they will find it.

When you start having so many injuries before the season even starts, it really puts a limit on what you may be capable of doing.  Hopefully in the end it won’t hurt much, but we shall see.

Fourth and last but certainly not least, it was a historic weekend in Oswego.  The Men’s and Women’s ice hockey teams both played Plattsburgh in their respective conference championship games.  Unfortunately, the women came out on the losing side and would have to wait to see if they could snag an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.  You would think being the number five team in the nation in the latest poll, the odds were pretty good.

Well, well, well, let me tell you.  Somehow the inept committee left them out of the tournament.  There were some upsets, Plattsburgh beating Oswego and Middlebury losing to Amherst.  Those are one possibly two spots that would have been available and then you give Middlebury an at large bid.  Somehow Colby, who was third in the NESCAC and ranked ninth in the nation and lost to Middlebury in the conference tournament, got an at-large bid.

The four teams ahead of Oswego in the latest poll all got in which (although Wisconsin-River Falls won the conference but did not have an auto bid so they also took an at large bid away.)  In the end, you need to win the game to assure yourself the bid but it sure does look pretty shady how this all worked out.

On the bright side, the men did win their game against Plattsburgh and will be heading to the NCAA Tournament and we will find out soon who and where they will be playing in their first game.

Anyway, I hate to be Debbie Downer like we have seen on Saturday Night Live for so many years, played by Rachel Dratch but it has come down to this.  WOMP, WOMP!!!