Author Archive

Fantasy Basketball Draft: Round Five

Posted: 21st October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NBA
49. Shawn Marion 50. Rashard Lewis 51. Marcus Camby 52. Baron Davis 53. Boris Diaw 54. Andrew Bynum 55. Mehmet Okur 56. Rudy Gay (me) 57. Jason Terry 58. Michael Redd 59. Al Horford 60. Hedo Turkoglu á My Strategy My choices were between Horford and Gay. I selected the former Huskie because he is durable and contributes across the board. He has missed seven games in the past three seasons and averaged 19 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.1 three ...

John Tortorella Can See Into the Future

Posted: 21st October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NHL
In the midst of the RangersÆ seven-game winning streak, head coach John Tortorella stated, ôWeÆre teetering on going the wrong way here.ö And man, was he right. The Rangers did more than teeter against San Joseùthey plummeted, crashed, and burned. Their poor play finally caught up with them. They can come out on the winning side against a team like Toronto while being outplayed, but not against an upper-echelon team ...

Giants Humbled by Saints

Posted: 19th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NFL
Sometimes great teams and great people have bad days. Not everything goes as intended. Evel Knievel didnÆt make it to the other side of the Snake River Canyon. The Summer of George didnÆt go off as planned. You launch your balloon-like contraption in your backyard, forcing your six-year-old son to hide in the crawl space of your garage while alerting the authorities that heÆs trapped inside your homemade UFO as it ...

The New York Week That Was (10/16/09)

Posted: 16th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in MLB, NFL
Now that the Great Balloon Hoax of Aught-Nine is over, weácan concentrate on sports again (C.C. SabathiaÆs uniform is so big and baggy, it could probably be filled with helium and flown across the country, too). This past week in New York sports, theáYankees swept the Twins and now have to take on those pesky, team-of-destiny Angels. The Giants killed the Raiders to stay undefeated, the Jets suffered their second consecutive ...

The New York Rangers Have Found a First Line

Posted: 14th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NHL
The season is still very early, but it looks like the Rangers have found themselves a legitimate first line. Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, and Vinny Prospal fit together like other great trios of the pastùthe Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, the Mod Squad, Richie, Ralph and Potsie, Cream and, of course,áCharlieÆs Angelsá(well, maybe not themùor any of the others come to think of it). Gaborik is the first top-talent game-changer the Rangers ...

Fantasy Faceoff: Melo vs Kev Mart

Posted: 13th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NBA
Who to draft? The case for Melo: Anthony set a career high last season in three pointers per game (1.0). He averaged 27 points, four assists and 1.8 steals in 16 playoff games. He finished ninth in the league in free throws attempted (7.1) shooting 79 percent. Melo dropped 45 points against the Pacers over the weekend in China and looks to be one of the top small forwards selected. The case ...

No Accountability For Mets

Posted: 8th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in MLB
The Mets baffled everybody by holding a nine-hour press conference on Monday to announce...the firing of two coaches (and reassignment of a few others). Yes, that was it. Did they really need to hold a press conference for that? Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel, and Jeff Wilpon took turns showing that thereÆs no accountability in the world of the Mets. HereÆs what I heard Wilpon saying on Monday (keep in mind, IÆm just ...

Roto Basketball: Guys You Should Not Draft

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NBA
DJ MbengaùF/C áLos Angeles Lakers Mbenga is one-half Belgian, one-half Congolese, and one-half useless. Perennially signed to intimidate opponents in the paint, the only person Mbenga intimidates is the closest reporter to the end of the bench because that is where he sits for about 42 minutes every game. Unless you are in a 40-team league, stay away from the Belgian Bruiser. á Jerome JamesùC Chicago Bulls According to Chicago news wires, ôBig Snacksö ...

Fantasy Faceoff: Kevin Garnett vs. David West

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in NBA
Both players have an ADP of the third-fourth round. á The Case For KG Garnett underwent knee surgery in the offseason and could beáa great buy-low candidate.áHe says his knee is pain-free and feels more flexible since the surgery. With the addition of PF/C Rasheed Wallace, áit will take pressure off him in the front court.á KG is a year removed from 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 block, 54 percent from the ...

Q&A With ôFirst Fall Classicö Author Mike Vaccaro

Posted: 6th October 2009 by Hot Stove New York in MLB
Mike Vaccaro has been the lead sports columnist for the New York Post since 2002. A New York native, Vaccaro has also covered the local sports scene for the Newark Star-Ledger, as well as working for papers in Kansas City and Arkansas. HeÆs just written a book entitled The First Fall Classic: The Red Sox, the Giants, and the Cast of Players, Pugs and Politicos Who Reinvented the World Series in ...