Atlantic League Championship - Final Game Tonight

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

TONIGHT

 

 

 

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

GAME FIVE

 

Lancaster Barnstormers

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

 

FROM

THE POND

Long Island, New York

 

 

Series Tied 2-2

I - Lancaster 5; Long Island 1

II - Long Island 9; Lancaster 4

III - Lancaster 12; Long Island 5

IV - Long Island 9; Lancaster 3

 

Finals Preview

Game One

Game Two

Game Three

 

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Avoid Elimination With Big Inning In Game Four.  Force Deciding Game Five.

 

 

Rain is in the forecast.  Should Mother Nature allow, the final game of the 2012 Atlantic League Championship series between the Ducks and the Lancaster Barnstormers is scheduled for 5pm at The Pond.

 

 

Each team is 1-1 when playing in each other's parks.  In Lancaster, the Ducks opened the series with a loss, then came back to win Game Two.  Upon return to Long Island, the Ducks dropped Game Three, then rallied for seven runs in the sixth inning Saturday evening to force a Game Five today.  If the pattern of alternating victories holds true, the Lancaster Barnstormers will be crowned Atlantic League Champions tonight.  But this is when Long Island's decision to start the playoffs on the road is supposed to pay off.  Home field advantage is theirs.

 

 

Of the four teams to make the playoffs this season, the Long Island Ducks posted the worst record, while Lancaster's 2012 regular season record was the league's best.  The Ducks season is a tale of two halves; one bearing a division title, and the other about a precipitous fall.  The Lancaster Barnstormers were consistent, if not dominant all season long.  They won both division flags this season.  None of that matters now.  There is only one game left in the Atlantic League season.  After tonight, the league will have a new champion.

 

Atlantic League Championship Trophy

 

 

In the championship series last season, the Ducks bowed to the York Revolution who repeated as Atlantic League champions.  While Long Island's pitching held up for the most part, bolstered by the return of Mike Loree, the Duck's mighty offense disappeared in an instant.

 

 

Late in the 2012 season and through the playoffs, this season's reconstructed starting pitching has proven resilient.  And offensively speaking, the Ducks have shown their playoff bats are here to stay.  Last year's batting champion, Kraig Binick, battled through a significant drop off this season.  He has seemingly regained his stroke of last season in time for the playoffs.  Brandon Sing has been nothing short of clutch in the post season.  And guys like Joash Brodin and Bryant Nelson keep driving in runs.  So the outlook for this afternoon's game is indeed promising.

 

 

Bobby Blevins, acquired from the Rockland Boulders late in the season, managed six appearances for the Ducks this season, and made four starts.  He started twenty games for Rockland and posted an 8-9 record with a 3.64 earned run average.  In six games, he posted a 2.42 ERA for the Ducks.  Bobby Blevins surrendered three earned runs in six innings against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the first round in a game the Ducks won by a 5-4 score.  Today he is tasked with pitching Game Five of the Atlantic League Championship series.

 

 

Opposing him will be Dwayne Pollock.  In Wednesday's opening game of the 2012 Atlantic League championship series, the league's regular season ERA King did what he does best - win games and make opposing runs a scarce commodity.  In Game One, Dwayne Pollock, who also tied for the league lead in wins, pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Long Island Ducks.  He  surrendered four hits, walked two, and struck out five for the win.

 

 

 

 

GAME FOUR RECAP:  A Seven Run, Sixth Inning Quack Attack, Forces Game Five

 

 

 

Facing elimination, the Ducks turned to John Brownell to pitch Game Four.  After just an inning of play, the home team's outlook dimmed as Lancaster went to work right away.  With three hits in the first inning, the Barnstormers claimed an early 2-0 lead.


Opposing Brownell was Lancaster's Mark Brackman.  While John Brownell settled down and kept the Barnstormers scoreless over the next five innings, the Ducks finally chipped a run off Lancaster's lead in the fifth inning.  With two outs, Dan Lyons and Kraig Binick both singled.  Mark Brackman then hit Joash Brodin with a pitch to load the bases.  That caused manager Butch Hobson to emerge from the Barnstormers dugout and remove his starting pitcher.  Joe Bateman entered in relief and immediately unleashed a wild pitch to score Dan Lyons from third base.


John Brownell wound up pitching a strong six innings.  The three hits and two runs he surrendered in the first inning were all he allowed.  Two walks and two strikeouts complete his line.  Then in the bottom of the sixth, his mates put him on the winning side of the game with a seven run explosion.


An RBI single by Mitch Canham started the Ducks off.  Kriag Binick's RBI single delivered run number two.  Joash Brodin's single delivered run number three.  A walk to Ray Navarrete forced run number four across the plate.  Bryant Nelson then cleared the bases with a three RBI triple, giving the Ducks an 8-2 lead.


Mitch Canham had another RBI single in the seventh for the Ducks.  Lancaster's Ryan Harvey homered off Jared Lansford in the ninth.  The Ducks win a 9-3 final.





Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Big Blue M*A*S*H Unit

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: As The Injuries Keep Mounting, Beware The Browns.


The Giants injury list is as long as lines around Foot Locker for Jordan re-issues - which is to say, ridiculous.  In order of which injury I believe are most crucial to Giants success to the least worrisome injury, I cite the status of Michael Boley, Kenny Phillips, Rocky Bernard, Jayron Hoseley, Keith Rivers, Chris Snee, Hakeem Nicks, David Diehl, Ramses Barden, and David Bass as the most troublesome.


If last season taught us anything, is that without Michael Boley, everything breaks down.  He is the unsung glue which keeps the defense together and functioning as one.


Kenny Phillips was off to his best start.  He is one of the team's best tacklers.  Most importantly, the Giants simply can not sustain any more injuries to the secondary.  Ditto goes for Jayron Hosely.  Corey Webster might as well be hurt; which he is, sporting a cast on his hand.  His season has been terrible thus far.


Losing Rocky Bernard would be huge.  The Giants are already minus Chris Canty at defensive tackle.  Philly killed the Giants primarily on cut-backs.  Otherwise, Rocky Bernard and Linval Joseph have been pretty solid plugging up the middle.


Keith Rivers concerns me because I'm starting to question if this guy will ever stay on the field.


In place of Chris Snee and David Diehl, Mitch Petrus now gets an opportunity to show last season was no fluke.  He provided the O-Line with a spark last season.  Let's see if he can do that again.  Sean Locklear hasn't become a problem.  So I guess that is a good thing.


Hakeem Nicks we knew about.  Now, third string Ramses Barden is out as well.


This much is certain.  No one feels sorry for the defending Super Bowl champions.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Know Your Team #3 - Dr. J

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

BROOKLYN NETS

est.

April 30, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1- Know Your Team; 1967-1968

#2 - Know Your Team; 1969-1972

 

 

 

Dr. J

 

 

 

1973-1976

 

THE JULIUS ERVING YEARS

 

The ABA/NBA Merger

 

1977:

The End Of Basketball On Long Island

 

 

In their fifth season under owner Roy Boe's care, and now playing their home games in the Nassau Coliseum, the franchise was much more settled, which in turn laid the foundations for success.  In fact, with one acquisition the Nets would begin their greatest period in franchise history.

 

 

Rick Barry's two seasons with the organization brought a measure of respect to the Nets, and for his part, some legitimacy to what the American Basketball Association was trying to accomplish.  But with the forward's departure back to the NBA, the Nets were left with another void to fill.

 

 

One poorly played season removed from Rick Barry, the Nets looked again to the organization from which they secured their former prized forward; the Virginia Squires.  From them, the Nets acquired Julius Erving.  The local kid was coming home to play in his own backyard.  After two seasons and a scoring title in Virginia, Erving made his New York debut with the start of the 1973-1974 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the next three seasons, Julius Erving participated in every game the Nets played.  He led the league for three straight seasons in field goals made, and twice led the league in field goals attempted and total points.

 

 

In his first season with the Nets, Dr. J led the league, averaging twenty seven points per game.  He  was named the American Basketball Association MVP, and led the New York Nets to their first ever ABA championship.

 

 

The Nets were knocked out of the 1974-1975 playoffs rather early.  In the regular season however, Dr. J averaged almost twenty eight points per game, and earned his second MVP award.

 

 

During the 1975-1976 season, the Doctor led the league again with a twenty nine points per game average.  Julius Erving won his third consecutive MVP award.  And the Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets for their second ABA championship in three years.

 

 

That turned out to be the last American Basketball Association game ever played.  The ABA and NBA finally merged.  Four teams were absorbed into the NBA from the ABA.  The San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and the New York Nets were taken into the National Basketball Association.

 

 

This situation put the Nets into a financial bind.  On top of paying the entrance fee for admittance into the NBA, the Nets were now also on the hook for territorial rights fees due the Knicks for entering their turf.  The debate still rages today as to whether the measures taken by the Nets were necessary.  But the result of the Nets due bills caused them to sell Julius Erving; many say, in haste.

 

 

Just like that, the glory days out in Long Island; Dr. J's home; were over.  The aftermath of losing Julius Erving was too much for owner Roy Boe to withstand.  Major change was headed the organization's way yet again.  For the 1977-1978 season, Roy Boe moved the organization back to New Jersey, where they would eventually settle into the Meadowlands Arena.  Before 1978 expired, Roy Boe sold the team.  A great ten year run was over.

 

 

The New Jersey Nets era was about to begin.

 

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB 

Long Island Ducks: Webbed Nine Facing Elimination

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

Bethpage Ballpark, Long Island

 

 

 

2012

ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

Lancaster leads Series 2-1

I - Lancaster 5; Long Island 1

II - Long Island 9; Lancaster 4

III - Lancaster 12; Long Island 5

IV - TONIGHT

V - if necessary*

 

 

Finals Preview

Game One

Game Two

 

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Barnstormers Lay Siege To The Pond; Take 2-1 Series Lead.  Ducks Must Win To Extend Series.


In the first Finals game played at The Pond, the Barnstormers took a 2-1 series lead with a 12-5 thumping of the Ducks.  Game Three started out well enough.   But from the fourth inning on, Lancaster kept the home team under duress.


After the first two innings, all seemed well for Long Island.  To Lancaster's dismay, the Ducks led 2-0 after Barnstormer starter, J.D. Durbin, issued three walks in the first, forcing Long Island's first run home.  Lee Cruz bounced into a fielder's choice which delivered the Ducks second run.  In the second inning, the Ducks upped their lead to three when Dan Lyons scored on Joash Brodin's fielder's choice.


Ducks starter, Bob Zimmermann, cruised through the first three innings.  He struck out the side to open the game.  A walk, a 6-4-3 double play, and his fourth strikeout retired the Barnstormers in the second.  In the third, he hit a batter.  Otherwise, his first time through the line-up went very well.  After Zimm struck out his sixth batter to open the fourth, the bottom fell out from underneath the Ducks starter.  Six consecutive hits, starting with a double and ending with a triple, transformed Long Island's 3-0 lead into a 5-3 deficit.  Chris Hayes was summoned to stop the bleeding.  Before he could, Hayes allowed Lancaster's sixth run of the inning.


In the fifth inning, Lancaster continued to increase their lead against Chris Hayes.  Four hits and three runs later, the Barnstormers were up by a 9-3 margin.  The Ducks chipped back with one run on Ray Navarrete's sac-fly in the bottom of the frame.


The teams traded runs again in the seventh inning.  Lancaster scored their tenth run, this time against Connor Graham.  In the bottom of the frame, Kraig Binick tripled, and Joash Brodin drove him home with a single.


Nick DeBarr was the seventh Ducks pitcher of the game.  Picked up in September, he surrendered Lancaster's eleventh and twelfth runs of the evening.  And so, Game Three of the Atlantic League Championship series ends disappointingly for Long Island in a 12-5 final.


Very simply, the Ducks must win Game Four in order to extend the series.  Should Lancaster defeat Long Island this evening, the Barnstormers would win their second ever Atlantic League championship.  If the Ducks win tonight, the decisive Game Five will be played at The Pond on Sunday.

 

Tonight

 

GAME FOUR

 

Lancaster Barnstormers

vs.

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

From

THE POND

Long Island, N.Y.

Mike.BTB

PIGSKIN 2012; Football Sunday - Week Five

PIGSKIN

 

 

Football Sunday

Week Five:

 

 

SEASON RESULTS

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

WEEK THREE

WEEK FOUR

 

 

 

 

Week Four Record: 8-5-1
Overall Record: 23-32-2

Shmear of the Week: 2-2
Bagels in the Basket: -11

 

 

PUNT!

* The Jets are in deep deep trouble.  Rex gave his guys two full days off from practice.  That might turn into a huge mistake.

* The Bengals do not seem to be as flaky as they've been in recent seasons.  Did I speak too soon?

* Pittsburgh's defense should be back to full strength this weekend.  But will they be good?

* One quarter of the regular season is already behind us.  Really?

* Enjoyed my first winning Sunday of the season last week.  I was able to reduce my Bagel deficit with a +5 day.

 

 

During the week:

N.Y. Giants ~ Week Four Loss Deeper Than Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda...

N.Y. Giants ~ Kickoff Return Seems To Suit David Wilson

N.Y. Giants ~ The Big Blue M*A*S*H Unit

 

 

Let's roll some Bagels...

 

 

 

FOOTBALL SUNDAY ~ WEEK FIVE:

*Friday Line ~ NYDN

 

 

 

GIANTS -9 (Browns)

If you follow me, then you know Browns games are my Kryptonite.  Something tells me the Giants are going to let the Browns hang around.  I want to say Cleveland will cover.  But I just can't get myself to do it.

WIN; 41-27 Giants

 

 

Texans -8 1/2 (JETS)*

They can push this game back to Tuesday night.  It still won't matter.  The Jets better come up with some hell of a plan for the Texans.  I think Houston will wind up in the AFC Championship game this season.  I just do not see the Jets impeding their progress.  Rex had better bring his notebook and pencil to the game.  Houston is going to school Rex's team in the art of running the football.

MONDAY NIGHT

LOSS; 23-17 Texans

 

 

Falcons -3 (REDSKINS)

Early on, the Falcons look even better than they did last season.  I think the Falcons win by much more than a field goal.

WIN; 24-17 Falcons

 

 

STEELERS -3 (Eagles)

I'm guilty of giving the Steelers too much respect, too often.  But dude, the Steelers defense is finally getting the band back together.  Does anyone else smell a push here?

LOSS; 16-14 Steelers

 

 

Packers -7 (COLTS)

Practice time is over.  Packers are ready for some football.  And the Colts can't score.  Why isn't this line more?

LOSS; 30-27 Colts

 

 

VIKINGS -6 (Titans)

I'm the last one to give the Vikings respect.  But the Titans kinda dictate thinking here.  The Vikings are running the ball well, and are home.  What's not to like?

WIN; 30-7 Vikings

 

 

BENGALS -3 (Dolphins)

Something tells me this is the upset of the week in disguise.  But for now, Bengals get the benefit of the doubt.  Last season, they blow this game at home.  What do they do this season?

LOSS; 17-13 Dolphins

 

 

Ravens -6 (CHIEFS)

I sniff a lock of the week right here.  What gives?  I think Vegas is being way too generous here.  I expect Kansas City to lose by a lot more.

LOSS; 9-6 Ravens

 

 

Seahawks +3 (Panthers)

The feeding frenzy Seattle unleashed upon Aaron Rodgers is still fresh in my mind.  I know Seattle folded like a poker chair last week.  But....

WIN; 16-12 Seahawks

 

 

Bears -5 1/2 (JAGUARS)

Chicago is just starting to roar.  They are no juggernaut.  But they are surely much better than the Jags.  I see the Bears like I do the Texans.  They both have their quarterback back, and now want to wreck the league.

WIN; 41-3 Bears

 

 

PATRIOTS -6 1/2 (Broncos)

This game is very interesting.  I'm inclined to say stay away.  But then, I can see the Patriots winning by ten points.

WIN; 31-21 Patriots

 

 

49ERS -10 (Bills)

The Bills lost 52-28 to the Patriots last week in Buffalo.  How would you interpret that?

WIN; 45-3 49ers

 

 

Chargers +3 (SAINTS)

You might want to go the other way, being that the Saints are in the Dome and all.  I just think Phillip Rivers is on a mission.

Sunday Night

LOSS

 

 

 

*SCHMEAR of the WEEK:

Ravens -6 (Chiefs)

LOSS

 

 

 

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Week Five Record:   7-6

Overall Record:   30-38-2

Schmear of the Week: 2-3

Bagels in the Basket:  -12

 

 

 

 

Happy Football Sunday everyone.  Good luck this week, so long as your team doesn't interfere with my team's best interests.

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

Long Island Ducks: Ninth Inning Rally Wins Game Two

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

 

ATLANTIC LEAGUE - CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

Series Tied 1-1

I - Lancaster 5; Long Island 1

II - Long Island 9; Lancaster 4

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS:  The Webbed Nine Storm Back In Ninth Inning To Seize Game Two.  Series Shifts Back To The Pond For Game Three.

GAME TWO RECAP a/o OCTOBER 4, 2012:

 

With no pun intended, Game Two in Lancaster was a genuine barn buster.  The home team was  three outs away from taking a two games to none lead over Long Island.  But the Ducks transformed the ninth inning of Thursday night's game into a twister and blew the doors to Clipper Magazine Stadium wide open on their way back to The Pond for Friday night's Game Three.

 

 

Game Two's pitching match-up featured Matt May for the Ducks, against John Halama for Lancaster. Both pitchers struggled and battled, and battled and struggled.  That not bad grammar... that's how each starter mirrored the other.  Matt May pitched 5.2 innings.  He allowed seven hits and four earned runs.  While May struck out five batters, he helped Lancaster along by issuing five walks.  Two Barnstormers took him deep.  Matt May left the game on the losing side of a 4-3 affair.  John Halama was only one run better.  He lasted 5.1 innings.  Halama allowed six hits and three earned runs.  But he too struggled with control and also walked five batters before exiting on the positive side of the game.

 

 

It was actually the Ducks who jumped out to an early lead with an RBI single by Brandon Sing in the first.  But Lancaster roughed up Matt May in the fourth.  With two outs and one on, Ryan Harvey  connected on his third home run of the playoffs.  The next batter, Travis Denker, then connected on his third home run of the playoffs as well to give the Barnstormers a 3-1 lead.

 

 

Long Island got a run back in the fifth.  Matt Esquivel scored when Dan Lyons grounded into a fielder's choice.  In the top of the sixth, the Ducks tied the game at three.  Dan Lyons' RBI single sent Bryant Nelson home from third base for the Ducks third run.  But in the bottom of the frame, Lancaster went ahead again by a 4-3 score.

 

 

The battle of the bullpens began.  Through the eighth inning, Long Island employed three pitchers.  Chris Hayes and Eric Niesen helped Matt May complete the sixth inning.  Jared Lansford took care of the seventh and eighth innings, pitching scoreless ball.  He allowed no hits, no runs, issued no walks, and struck out two.  Lancaster called upon four relievers to get them through the eighth.

 

 

With no changes in the score, into the ninth inning they went.  Lancaster's fifth reliever of the evening, Tim Hamulack, was charged with facing the Ducks.  After consecutive singles to open the inning by Joash Brodin and Ray Navarrete, Brandon Sing delivered yet another clutch hit in these playoffs.  His RBI single tied the game at four.  The Ducks had the bases loaded when Dan Lyons stepped in.  He proceeded to collect his third hit of the game, a double, which cleared the bases, and gave the Ducks a 7-4 lead.  Mitch Canham and Kraig Binick each kicked in RBI singles for good  measure.

 

 

With a 9-4 lead, Leo Rosales was charged with pitching the bottom of the ninth in relief of Jared Lansford.  Leo ended the game with a strikeout, and just like that, the series was tied at a game apiece.  At the very least, Long Island accomplished the task of gaining at least a split on the road.

 

 

Dan Lyons had four runs batted in.  And as mentioned, Brandon Sing continues to deliver big hits.  he had two RBI in Game Two.

 

 

For his two innings of scoreless work, Jared Lansford gets credit for the win.

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB



Long Island Ducks: Lancaster Wins Game One

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

LONG ISLAND DUCKS - Strong Pitching Hurls Lancaster Barnstormers Past Ducks In Game One.

GAME ONE FINAL:

Long Island    1

Lancaster       5

In Wednesday's opening game of the 2012 Atlantic League championship series, the league's regular season ERA King did what he does best - win games and make opposing runs a scarce commodity.  Lancaster's Dwayne Pollok, who not incidentally also tied for the circuit lead in wins this season, pitched six innings of shutout ball against the Long Island Ducks.  Pollok surrendered four hits, walked two, and struck out five for the win.


The Ducks finally broke through for a run in the seventh inning against Lancaster's bullpen.  Dan Lyons connected on a double.  Kraig Binick drove him home with a single.  But that's all Long Island would get.  The Barnstormer bullpen combined on three innings pitched, allowing the Ducks their lone run.  Five Lancaster relievers surrendered five hits, walked no batters and struck out four.


Randy Kiesler made the start for Long Island and pitched almost equally as well.  He managed through the first six innings, allowing a run in the second inning, and another in the sixth.  Kiesler surrendered five hits and walked two to that point, while striking out four.  Then after retiring the first two batters in the seventh, Coach Baez made a move to the bullpen.  Jeremy Hill was given the ball.  The first batter he faced singled.  Hill then issued a walk to the second batter, setting up runners at first and second.  In was what still a 2-1 game in Lancaster's favor, the next batter Jeremy Hill faced was Lancaster's DH, Ryan Harvey, who promptly connected on a three run home run, making the game a 5-1 affair.
 

After Game Two, the series will shift back to Long Island for all remaining games.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Know Your Team; 1969-1972

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

 BROOKLYN NETS

est.

2012

 

 

 

 

#1- Know Your Team; 1967-1968

 

1969 - 1972

 

ROY BOE PURCHASES TEAM FROM ARTHUR BROWN

 and

THE RICK BARRY ERA

 

 

Both at the gate and in the standings, the team's second year in the American Basketball Association, and their first complete season in Long Island playing as the New York Nets was an overwhelming failure.  So at the conclusion of the 1968 season, the team's first owner, Arthur Brown, sold the club to a gentleman named Roy Boe.


He moved the team from the Long Island Arena in Commack, to the Island Garden Arena in West Hempstead.  With a capacity of just over five thousand, the Nets called this home for the next four seasons until they moved into the newly built Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.  They co-occupied the building with their fellow fledglings in some respects, the NHL's New York Islanders; whom Roy Boe would also come to own.
 

 

Mr. Boe stayed in possession of the team for the next decade.  Under him, the Nets rose to the pinnacle of the American Basketball Association.  He oversaw the team's entry into the National Basketball Association when the leagues merged.  And just prior to selling the team in 1978, he  relocated the Nets to New Jersey (yet again) and into a then, state of the art arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.  How that arena later came to be despised is an entirely different matter.  Between the Nets and the New Jersey Devils however, it has seen its fair share of good times.


The Nets made the playoffs in Roy Boe's first season.  Unlike in the 1967 inaugural season when they were made to forfeit due to ongoing arena dilemmas, in the summer of '69, they actually played their playoffs games.  Then in time for the 1970 season, the New York Nets obtained their first franchise star.  Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, forward Rick Barry was acquired in a trade with the Virginia Squires.


Rick Barry only played two seasons with the Nets.  Prior to the NBA/ABA merger, contractual legalities forced Barry back to his NBA team of origination; the Warriors; for the 1972-73 season.  But in those two seasons on Long Island, Rick Barry led the ABA in scoring with a 29-point per game average in an unjured 1970 season, and a 31-point per game average during a full 1971 season.


Rick Barry led the Nets to the 1971-1972 ABA Championship series against the Indiana Pacers.  The New York Nets lost four games to two.  The following season would be their first full campaign playing in the Nassau Coliseum.  But just like that, the Rick Barry era was over.





Mike.BTB

Long Island Ducks: Atlantic League Championship Series

From the desk of:   THE WEBBED SPIKES NINE

2012

ATLANTIC LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

 

 

 

GAME ONE

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS

vs.

Lancaster Barnstormers

 

FROM

Clipper Magazine Stadium

Pennsylvania

 

 

 

 

 

LONG ISLAND DUCKS: Team Looking To Reverse Last Season's Championship Series Results.


The strategy Coach Baez employed last year will be the course he takes this season.  The Long Island Ducks decided to open the Division and Championship Series on the road last season.  While it worked out for them in Round One, the Ducks wound up losing the Atlantic League Championship to the York Revolution.

This season, the Ducks decided to open the first round of playoffs in Maryland against the Blue Crabs.  Lancaster had the superior record this past regular season.  But it works out the same.  The Ducks will open the series in Lancaster.  Games Three through Five (if necessary) will be hosted by Long Island.

The Ducks resurgent starting pitching will face the Atlantic League's top three hitters.  Barnstormers outfielder Blake Gailen won the circuit batting title with a .338 mark.  Adam Godwin finished second with a .327 batting average.  Fehldandt Lentini finished third behind his team mates and fellow outfielders, posting a .319 season average.  Long Island's Ray Navarrete finished tied for fourth place with a .309 mark.

Lancaster's Ryan Harvey led the Barnstormers with twenty seven home runs.  Brandon Sing led the Ducks with twenty six.  Fehldant Lentini led his team with ninety two RBI.  Ray Navarrete led the Ducks with ninety.

Along with the League's top hitters, Lancaster sports four of the five top winning starting pitchers.  Alan Johnson, Dwayne Pollock, and J.D. Durbin all tied for the Atlantic League lead with fourteen wins each.  Fellow staff member John Halama punched in with another thirteen victories.  Dwayne Pollock also won the League ERA title with a 2.30 earned run average.  Long Island's Bob Zimmermann leads all series pitchers with 126 strikeouts.  While reliever Jason Monti led the Ducks in wins this past season, Bob Zimmermann leads all Ducks starters with six victories.

The Lancaster Barnstormers won both half Freedom Division titles.  They finished with the overall best record in the league, posting eighty eight wins against fifty two losses.  Lancaster swept the two-time reigning champions; York Revolution.

The Ducks were the first half Liberty Division champs, and defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to become the season's overall division champ in round one.  After a 39-30 first half record, the Ducks struggled mightily in the second half, and ended the season with an overall 63-74 mark.

The Lancaster Barnstormers won their first and only Atlantic League title back in the 2006 season.  Two season's before that, the Long Island Ducks won their only Atlantic League championship.

 

 

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets - Know Your Team; 1967-1968

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

DECEMBER - 2010

 

Media Day ~ New Uniforms Unveiled

 

BROOKLYN NETS: Know Your Team.

Moving the Nets to Brooklyn damn near took an act of Congress when you consider how long ago they should have already been here.  But the fact this organization survived its first two years of existence is a modern miracle.

1967 - 1968

FIRST TWO SEASONS UNDER ARTHUR BROWN

 

Founded in 1967, the team we now call the Brooklyn Nets were charter members of the old American Basketball Association.  More importantly and particular to the Nets, they were entering New York Knickerbocker country.  While the original plan was to set camp within New York City, the organization was forced to open its inaugural season inside an armory in Teaneck, New Jersey.  They played their first ABA season as the New Jersey Americans.


That first edition featured household names like Levern Tart, John Mathis, Walt Simon, Barry Liebowicz, Stew Johnson, Dan Anderson, Dexter Westbrook, Al Beard, Tony Jackson, John Austin, Jim Caldwell, Mel Nowell, Art Heyman, Bruce Spraggins, Bobby Lloyd, and Bob McIntyre.  They made the playoffs that first season.  But due to snafus in arena scheduling, and a lack of adequate alternatives, the Americans were forced to forfeit.


In 1968, the team moved its home games to Commack, Long Island.  The organization changed its name and officially became the New York Nets.  Year two in the ABA was a far less successful endeavour that 1967 was.  The team finished last with a 17-61 record.  Compared to their first season in Teaneck, attendance plummeted in Long Island.  At the conclusion of the 1968 season, the original owner of the team, Art Brown, put the team up for sale.

PREVIOUS SERIES:  BARCLAYS CENTER - THIRTY PICTURES IN THIRTY DAYS

 

#30 - Thirty More Days Till Jay-Z Blows The Doors Wide Open

#29 - Barclays Center; T-Minus Twenty-Nine Days

#28 - Barclays Center - Crossbeams and Concrete

#27 - Barclays Center - They Came Out In The Tens And Tens

#26 - Barclays Center - Thank You For You Labor

#25 - Sidewalk Closed. Use Other Side

#24 - Barclays Center - Untitled, Just Because

#23 - Valentine's Day 2011

#22 - Year One A.G. - After Groundbreaking

#21 - Barclays Center - Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

#20 - Barclays Center - Where's the Doorbell?

#19 - Barclays Center - Howdy Neighbor!

#18 - NETS UNVEIL NEW FLOOR PATTERN

#17 - September Is Just The Beginning

#16 - Last Call For Some, Is Not Last Call For Others

#15 - Barclays Center - Dude, Where's My Seat?

#14 - A Sign Of Things to Come

#13 - Growing Season Starts In December

#12 - Next Stop, Barclays Center. Watch For The Closing Doors

#11- "Keep Off The Grass!"

#10 - Barclays Center - Brrrrr!

#9 - Where's The Remote?

RIBBON CUTTING DAY ~ BARCLAYS CENTER SNEAK PEEK

#6 - Lets Raise It Up The Flagpole

#5 - Barclays Center - Who Needs Tickets?

#4 - Walk Towards The Light

#3 - All Trains Lead To Brooklyn

#2 - The First Lady Of Barclays Center?

OPEN THE DOORS!

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Media Day Kicks Off Month Long Countdown

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

BROOKLYN NETS:

Team Unveils Uniforms.

Media Day Starts Countdown Toward

Opening Night Versus Knicks.

Monday was Media Day at Barclays Center, which also happened to kick off Brooklyn's first ever NBA pre-season.  Then again, I guess everything will be be a first for Brooklyn Basketball this season.  Speaking of which, The Brooklyn Nets inaugural season starts November 1st, against the Manhattan Knicks.


The Nets also unveiled their new uniforms Monday; solid whites, with black lettering/numbers and trim.  I must say, there is beauty in simplicity.  The Nets uniforms hit the mark.  Seeing Brooklyn across the front is still remarkable to me.  The look is marvelous.

Picture - AP/N.Y. Post - Oct. 2, 2012

It's time to know your Nets folks, and a little about the history of this organization we now call ours.  I'll be spending the next month reviewing what it is we are actually inheriting.


Pictured from left to right are Kris Humphries, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Gerald Wallace.  These are the starting five players that will step on Barclays Center's herring-bone patterned hardwood floor in one month's time and make history.  By now, you should know this will be the Borough's first professional game since the Dodgers left town after the 1957 season.


Make no mistake, the Golden Age of Baseball in this town will live forever.  For many, the ol' Dodgers are still alive and well.  But the days of bleeding Trolley Dodger Blue are long over.  A new generation of Brooklynites now have the Hoops of Flatbush.  Sure this era will have as much passion as those who lived and died with their Bedford Bums.  Fuhgeddaboudit!  But in this new century, Kings County sports fans won't get duped again.  The Nets will have a far more savvy chorus on their hands.  This generation is far less patient than their fathers, and grandfathers were.  This generation will see things in black and white, with little middle ground to speak of - Just the way the team wants it.  We've already taken a cue from Jay-Z, and embraced the retro feel of the old subway motif.  It's gritty, it's urban, it's Brooklyn.  So good luck with the crowd Boys, and Lets Go Nets!




Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Kickoff Return Seems To Suit David Wilson

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL: David Wilson Is Still In The Dog House, But Deserves A Bone After Sunday's Effort.

Kickoff Return Seems To Suit Him Nicely.

The first question is, was Philadelphia's special teams coverage that bad?  Because Sunday night, Giants rookie David Wilson ran away from Philly's coverage as if they were playing blindfolded.


Things have not necessarily started out as well for him as Sunday night went however.  To kickoff his NFL career, David Wilson committed a red-zone fumble on just his second carry in Week One.  That landed him immediately in Coach Coughlin's dog house.  In all, he rushed twice for four positive yards.  In kick return however, Wilson gained seventy one yards in three chances, with a long of thirty two yards.


Against Tampa in Week Two, Coach limited him to three rushes in which Wilson gained all of six yards.  But in kick return, he gained eighty six yards in three chances, with a long of forty four yards.


In Week Three against the Panthers, if there was any chance of exiting Coach Coughlin's dog house, this was the game to escape.  Ahmad Bradshaw was out with a neck injury.  But seemingly, all he did was earn himself an extended stay.  He rushed one time for negative two yards.  More damning, he dropped an easy scat pass over the middle, again in the opponent's red zone.  Wilson additionally only returned one kick for nineteen yards.  This was by far, his least productive game of his first three.  To make matters worse, Aaron Brown's rushing had everyone rethinking everything.


At that point, what rookie wouldn't want to do something; anything; to gain favor in his coaches eyes?  In Week Four, after the Giants first two possessions or so, it was clear the Giants had zero intentions of giving David Wilson any rushing attempts or passes out of the backfield.  Ahmad Bradshaw was back and carried a very light load.  The game plan even limited Aaron Brown.  So Wilson made the most of it on kick returns instead.


In six kickoff returns against the Eagles, David Wilson amassed 217 yards, with a long of fifty three yards.  For the day, he averaged thirty six yards per return.  And he did so with impressive bursts of speed.


In four games this season, David Wilson has thirteen kickoff returns and is now up to 393 yards.  That's a thirty yard average per kick return.  Minus Game Three, David Wilson unleashed thirty yard returns in three different games.  And as mentioned, his season high stands at fifty three yards.


The Philadelphia Eagles special teams just may be that bad.  Then again, the reason David Wilson had six chances was because Philly scored six times.  If things are going smoothly for the Giants on the offensive side of the ball (and defensively for that matter), that means less opportunities to return kickoffs..., doesn't it?  And that brings us right back to the dog house and getting chances out of the backfield.


David Wilson is standing on firmer ground today than he was perhaps before the Eagles game.  For rookies in the NFL, that isn't saying much.  But here's what this rookie has going for him.  David Wilson's work is now spread out over a quarter season.  There is enough there to warrant at least a bone from the Giants Head Coach.  On the other hand, sometimes trips to the dog house are warranted.  Depending on the coach, responding to adversity is the only way out.  Then there's Tom Coughlin's world.  And right now, he has Jerry Reese's pick selected to supplement a deficient back filed, in the middle of a hard lesson in Pigskin 101 basics.


Without beating a dead horse, the Giants running game has been below standard.  Ahmad Bradshaw is unlikely to carry the load by himself.  There is a reason Aaron Brown isn't starting somewhere else.  And Jerry Reese drafted this kid because necessity is the mother of all invention.  But only Coach Coughlin holds the keys to the dog house.  That's the way it should be.  If Coach is planning to send David Wilson a continuing message, I think we can all agree next week against the Browns is the last feasible week to get that done.  After Cleveland, the Giants difficulty of schedule rises exponentially, and will necessitate an all-hands-on-deck approach.





Mike.BTB

New York Giants: Giants Loss Deeper Than Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

From the desk of:   DO IT FOR THE DUKE

NEW YORK GIANTS FOOTBALL:

Missed It by THAT Much

 

WEEK FOUR FINAL:

GIANTS   17

EAGLES  19

First things first - The fact Lawrence Tynes missed what could have been the game winning field goal doesn't bother me in the slightest.  He's got a good foot and is not why the Giants lost to the Eagles.


Next item - I do not mind that Kevin Gilbride and Coach Coughlin stayed ultra aggressive towards the end of Sunday night's game.  There was a time (as recently as last season) when I would have ripped into the Offensive Coordinator.  I guess two Super Bowls and Eli Manning have altered my thinking somewhat.  Sure I would have ran the ball on second down with under 0:30 seconds left.  But such as life.  Let's not be hypocrites...okay?  The old adage is you play for the win on the road, and for the tie at home.  Could the coaches have considered a different way to matriculate the ball into field goal range?  Yes, but again, I'm not concerned.  Remember what they say about hindsight and apply it here.


Third on my list -  I do not mind Eli's earlier interception in the end zone.  Although that was perhaps one of the worse he has ever thrown.  The fact is, offensively, Eli and whatever receivers on the field at any given time are the only components functioning well.  With regards to Eli heroics, this is just the way this game played out.  We fans can do a better job tempering ourselves when we start demanding perfection.


If Eli is indeed functioning well, let's give the Offensive Line some credit before I start a different tact.  The Offensive Line has indeed provided Eli enough time to throw the ball.  Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening.  They got help blocking from Martellus Bennett and Ahmad Bradshaw.  But through a quarter season thus far, the group has pass protected well with or without David Diehl in the line-up.


Here is where I am concerned.  First, I do not mind Aaron Brown only rushed the ball four times considering he was coming off two very productive weeks leading into Sunday.  While Eli suffered no sacks Sunday evening, the O-Line created no holes to run through.  The Giants rushed for a pathetic fifty seven yards.  Low production out of the backfield is more than just a pattern.  That concerns me.  And that's why I give the way Sunday night's game ended, a pass.


Lastly, I was even more perturbed by costly holding penalties committed by the Offensive Line; i.e. - Will Beatty and Sean Locklear in particular.


If a team runs the ball well, and defends against the run well, that team will win a preponderance of their games.  There in lies the reason why the Giants lost.  Against the Eagles, they did neither well. Sunday night's contest was one of those very winnable games the Giants let slip by.  But make no mistake, this game wasn't lost because Tynes missed the last second field goal, or Eli's INT in the end zone, or the Giants inability to run the ball.  The Giants lost that game because they couldn't for the life of them stop Philadelphia's running game.  All told, the Eagles gained 191 yards rushing.   Michael Vick sprung free for forty nine yards on six carries.  And LeSean McCoy ran buck wild around Osi Umenyiora, and figuratively over Big Blue, rushing twenty three times for 123 yards.  Most disheartening, the majority of his yardage came in the second half.


Once again, the Giants got sliced and diced off the edges, and generally everything bounced to the outside.  Carved and served would be a more accurate portrayal of the feast enjoyed by the Eagles running game.  All containment has left the building.  Sunday's effort was as undisciplined a performance as they've had on the field together.  And as coach, if I am stressing anything this week in practice, it would be that.


Meanwhile, the deterioration of Corey Webster's play continues.  DeSean Jackson had Webster twisted like a pretzel when he received a second quarter touchdown pass from Michael Vick.  That's why Webster was no where to be found on the play.  He was heading somewhere else.  Nothing about that play has anything to do with Corey's hand being in a cast.  For the fourth consecutive week now, Corey Webster has played a very suspect game.


My two greatest two concerns after Sunday's loss to the Eagles however, are the health and status of Kenny Phillips.  His season was off to a tremendous start.  The Secondary just can not withstand any more injuries.  Losing Phillips, I believe would be major, major blow.  And secondly, the Giants are now 0-2 within the division.




Mike.BTB