The Final Score

Okay, so this video is a few years old. But where was I when Mike Milbury was inducted into the U.S. hockey hall of fame? Wow. And, Islanders fans, don't blame me for bringing up Milbury's name. Islander505 did it. That sparked my YouTube searching...

And when he messes up he's even better.

I don't have a problem with the candidates appearing wherever they can. And no problem with ESPN for letting them speak. Hey, ESPN is in the ratings business, and this should pull some people in.

But having Chris Berman do the interviews?

When Erin Andrews is available and works for the same network?

That's it for me for October. Good night everybody!

I thought of something to post about the Islanders on our little non-team-sponsored* blog today, and then when I went to the team-sponsored Chris Botta blog** I saw he had already done it.

Darn him and his Islanders-centric universe!

Anyway, this quote from Scott Gordon caught my eye after the Islanders' overtime loss in Philly last night:

“As I told our guys, ‘Whether you lose in a shootout or lose in overtime, it’s a tie in my mind.’ The body of work is done in the 60 minutes. That’s what’s important.”

Lots of people have weighed in on Botta's blog**.

What do you think, TFS nation?

*Except for the fact that Cablevision owns Newsday and also the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty, and owns the TV stations that air the Rangers, Isles and Devils and also takes advertising from the Islanders, Jets, Yankees and Mets and advertises at the Islanders and Mets games. And then there's the Ducks and Dragons.

**But he swears its independent

Spoke to Bill Torrey this morning about what he's doing now (still working for the Panthers on a limited basis) and what he thinks of the Islanders (he's all for the build-from-within movement because, as you know, he did that same thing many years ago).

We did not talk about bow ties.

Here's the story.

Like it?

When I was younger, I used to track the daily filing of baseball free agents and see if my favorite team could use this player or that player.

So I'm going to do that for the Mets and Yankees for the next two weeks. From the players who filed yesterday, here are the ones I think could interest the locals.

The Mets' biggest needs, to me, are starting and relief pitching (duh) and outfield. But I think the Mets are going to aim lower than the Yankees when it comes to the top-tier starting pitchers. Remember, these are only players who filed on Thursday:

Starting pitchers: Oliver Perez, Freddy Garcia (photo above), Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, Jon Garland, Ryan Dempster
Relief pitchers: Eric Gagne, Juan Cruz, Bob Howry, Jeremy Affeldt
Outfielders: Bobby Abreu, Raul Ibanez, Manny Ramirez

The Yankees needs are pitching (starting, mostly), outfield (especially righthanded hitting) and first base. The Yankees will go after top-tier starters, but if they miss out on CC, they could panic and throw money at second-tier guys:

Starting pitchers: Same list as Mets
Relief pitchers: Affeldt
First base: Mark Teixeira, Doug Mienkiewicz, Kevin Millar (photo below)
Outfielders: Manny, Jay Payton

OK, Mets and Yankees fans: Which of these players would you like your team to pursue?

Back tomorrow with today's filers.

Living the life of a hockey mom in Alaska didn't prepare Sarah Palin for the nuances of regional baseball rivalries.

From Seema Mehta of the LA Times:

It was a throwaway line meant to be a crowd-pleaser. But it fell flat.

Palin has been booed by Pennsylvania sports fans before. Earlier this month, the Republican vice presidential candidate was loudly heckled at a Philadelphia Flyers game.

From betus.com.
The Yankees are listed as the overall favorites to win the 2009 World Series.

Odds to win the 2009 World Series

Yankees 6-1
Mets 14-1

Other NL
Cubs 10/1
Phillies 12/1
Dodgers 14/1
Cards 16/1
D-backs 20/1
Astros 30/1
Braves 30/1
Marlins 30/1
Rockies 30/1
Brewers 40/1
Padres 40/1
Reds 50/1

Other AL
Angels 10/1
Rays 12/1
R Sox 12/1
Tigers 14/1
Indians 16/1
Jays 20/1
W-Sox 20/1
Twins 25/1
A's 40/1
Mariners 40/1

Not listed: Orioles, Royals, Rangers, Nationals, Pirates, Giants

Yoko Romo's movie, "Major Movie Star," had a nice opening in Russia and is set to open in Bulgaria in November.

However, according to Perez Hilton, the Jessica Simpson film is going straight-to-video in the U.S. with the new title: "Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous." And yes, it does sound like a riff on "Private Benjamin."

Perez Hilton says that Goldie Hawn is not happy about the rename.

Gosh, I hope the lovely Jessica doesn't go on a talk-show tour promoting this. I still can't get her shrieking giggle out of my head from the last time I watched her on Letterman.

Hints:

Never played for the Islanders.
But you know him as an Islander.
Currently works for another organization.

More hints to follow.

Who knows if I'll ever want to run another mile after Sunday. My guess? Probably not.

But I give Islander fans a hard time enough that I should give them a chance at redemption.

So there it is.

If your team makes the playoffs this year, you can see me running through the streets of Manhattan next November in a DiPietro jersey.

Of course I'll agree to this, because it's not happening. But fun bet nonetheless.

Tried an experiment yesterday.

I wanted to see if I could drive the 26.2-mile New York City Marathon course faster than the expected winning time on Sunday of two hours and nine minutes.

I did it in mid-day, around lunch time, because obviously it's impossible during rush hour.

Who won? All I'll say it was close ... until the last few miles. That's when my Hyundai Santa Fe came to a screeching halt because of major traffic caused by road work on Fifth Avenue. I wrote about it in my Web column, which you can read here.

Oh, and one more thing.

This post by Chicago Norm about Alex Rodriguez and Madonna reportedly taking separate helicopters to the east end of Long Island for a private party at Seinfeld's house reminded me about something.

I better set an alarm clock, pay special attention to whether the alarm clock has separate volume knobs and be nice to the wake-up call guy at my hotel Saturday night.

Don't want to a repeat of Jean Paul.

WHY SEPARATE KNOB! WHY SEPARATE KNOB!

So... Here we are.

Exactly 49 hours before my wave of the NYC Marathon begins.

How do I feel this close to my first marathon experience? At times I'm excited, other times I'm nervous. Definitely have lots of butterflies, already. And in many ways it just doesn't feel realistic. You look at the course map and think to yourself, 'I'm really supposed to start here and end up here?' It just seems too daunting.

But I remind myself, constantly, that I did the training. I've logged 505 miles since June 1, including 371 miles since August 1. I ran 76 times over the last 153 days, averaging 6.6 miles every time I leave the house. If I'm not ready now, I won't ever be.

Basically, this is what it comes down to: I keep telling myself I'm going to finish. It's just a matter of whether it's in four hours and 30 minutes or eight hours and 30 minutes.

I'll take either.

I would never, ever condone shoplifting, but it seems that would have been a much better option in this case.

From the Philadelphia Daily News:

. . . But one fan may have taken his devotion a bit too far when police say he robbed a bank and later allegedly funded a shopping spree for Phillies gear with the stolen cash.

Police did not confirm whether the man was wearing Phillies gear or not. But authorities said they later recovered cash in a nearby trash bin.

Madonna and Alex Rodriguez took separate helicopters to Jerry Seinfeld's place in the Hamptons, according to a report in The Sun.

The Sun said:

A Hamptons source said: “A-Rod arrived at the airport by helicopter and was whisked away in one of Seinfeld’s Porsches.

The meeting was on October 21, six days after The Sun revealed Madonna and Guy, 40, were to divorce. Madonna took a break from her world tour.

Here's the entire story on The Sun website.

Rain from Game 5 on eBay.

I'm not kidding.

Here's what the seller says:

It was collected no more than 5 miles away from Citizens Bank Park. It will be contained in a small vial and then sent to you via priority mail. I do not know what size vial or exactly how much you will get but it will be no less than 2 ml. I took a picture of the rain that I had collected in a pan that was sitting on my front steps. That is the only collection unit that I used so a very limited number of vials will be available & once they are gone, they are gone. Some will laugh but others will covet this tangible piece of history in the making...

So, I guess it could be rain from a puddle outside of Pat's Steaks.

Here are the terms: Buy it now for $8.99 plus $1.99 shipping, no need for bidding. Some lots are entitled "Official World Series 2008 Game 5 RAIN Phillies / Rays" and some are "LUCKY RAIN World Series 2008 Game 5 Phillies WIN SERIES." I wonder what the difference is.

This one's for charity.

Dinner in your Home Prepared by Knicks' Charles Oakley

Here's your chance to bid on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The winner of this auction will receive a private dinner for 10 prepared by NY Knicks Charles Oakley (aka 'Chef Oakley') in your home! Winner will also receive an autographed basketball and have a photo with Charles at the dinner. Winner and their guests can bring up to 4 items each for autographing as well.

Date of the dinner will take place within 6 months of the end of the auction, with respect to Mr. Oakley's and the winner's schedule as appropriate. This experience must take place in your home, not a public place, hall, or restaurant. Menu will be discussed with respect to any dietary needs or concerns of the winner and their guests as needed. Winner does not have to supply food, just their home and a working kitchen!

From the day D'Antoni was hired . . .

Glauber just might have the best blog post ever.

Here's what's going to be in Cooperstown in a few weeks:

The items received from members of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies:

-- Jersey from World Series MVP Cole Hamels worn during Game Five
-- Bat used by Ryan Howard during Game Four
-- Spikes worn by Jayson Werth throughout the Series
-- Cap worn by Eric Bruntlett during home games of the Series
-- Helmet worn by Carlos Ruiz
-- Bat used by Joe Blanton for home run in Game Four

Additional items received from the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays:
-- Cap worn in Philadelphia by manager Joe Maddon
-- Road jersey worn by Carl Crawford in World Series
-- Spikes worn by B.J. Upton during World Series

I love Cooperstown, especially the part with the plaques from the Hall of Famers.

But the "stuff from games that happened last week" display just doesn't excite me.

Day-to-day has just turned into at least seven days, as the Islanders placed their injury-prone goalie Rick DiPietro on IR today. Of course no word from the team.

Islander fans learned DiPietro's status by clicking on the roster on the team's Web site and seeing ** next to DiPietro. They relayed the news to the team's former media relations director turned blogger Chris Botta, who posted it, which is how I found out.

As Neil Best likes to say, the media world is so bizarre.

But the end result of all this, of course, is that DiPietro is out, and I wonder when we'll see him next? Thanksgiving? Christmas? February 1? 2009?

More proof that the Nets belong on Long Island!!

Rockville Centre band Show Me Action will perform the national anthem before the Nets-Warriors game on Saturday at the Brendan Byrne-Meadowlands-Continental Airlines-Izod Arena. Show Me Action won a "battle of the bands" contest.

Here's a link to some info about the band.

Too bad Chicago Norm is working Saturday. I'm sure he'd go for the live music ... and the free hot dogs.

Only the Knicks. Only in New York.

How funny is this? Downright hilarious.

Seriously, you have to find humor in what happened last night, with new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni caught on camera by the team-owned network cursing out the fans. For what, you ask? For calling for Stephon Marbury to enter the game!

Hilarious. ROFLOL.

Think about this. So here's Marbury, who... let's see... is from NYC and wanted nothing but to be a Knick, but has been a total diva, getting family members jobs, etc... On the court his game has degenerated, and so has the team ... Off the court, he has acted downright goofy... Once left the team when told he was benched... Disliked by teammates... Oh yeah, and he's had sex with an intern.

A new regime takes over and surely everyone with any sense believe it's time the player and organization part ways. But Marbury won't take less than the $20 mil he's owed, so the Knicks keep him around ... only to sit him on the bench for the entire first game.

And what do the fans do? The same ones who booed him during warm-ups, who have booed him in the past, started chanted for him to come in. Maybe it was sarcastic. Maybe they were having fun. Or maybe they felt bad.

But, here's the punchline.

The Knicks coach is caught on camera cursing out the fans!

Cursing out the fans!

You can't make this up.

Just kidding.

But I wonder how things would have played out if Gordon was on the mound in the seventh or eighth innings?

My guess is there would be a Game 6 in St. Pete.

(For those who don't get this joke, Gordon was so anxious during the 2004 ALCS that he vomitted in the bullpen. And he also did it before at least one big game in September that season. When this was reported, Gordon refused to talk to reporters for a few days.)

We have no official opinion on the "Jets Flight Crew" -- the cheerleaders they added this season -- but one Jets beat writer has come out with a screed against the concept.

No, it's not Boland. We think we know where he stands on this.

Check it out. Then let this writer -- and us -- know what you think.

But keep it clean on both ends.

Alan Hahn gives the details here.

JIM: Teixeira is not the answer

The biggest reason the Yankees' 2008 season turned out as it did was because of their mistakes of the past, namely putting all of their focus of signing 30-year-olds to long and massive contracts.

I completely agree that they need to create a room in the new stadium filled with hundred dollar bills and tell CC it's all his in exchange for his autograph on a contract. But why do the same with Teixeira?

Yes, the Yankees need a first baseman. And, yes, Teixeira is far and away the best available. But the Yankees need to remember they don't need superstars at every position to win. They need pitching, pitching, pitching and more pitching. And then worry about the rest.

So what to do about first base? No easy answer, I'm afraid. If the Mets pick up Carlos Delgado's option and trade him, as I think they should, he would be a great fit. But the Mets won't trade him to the Yankees. Another guy who would be a good fit is Mike Lowell, who would be expendable if Boston signs Teixeira. But the Red Sox also wouldn't help the Yankees.

So maybe they have to go the route of a Kevin Millar or Sean Casey for a year. Also, keep in mind, we have no idea how Jorge Posada's shoulder is going to be for the next three years. Maybe it's shot, even after surgery. To some degree the Yankees need to have a landing spot ready for him, and first base could be the answer.

So, as you see, this is not an easy one. But as good as Teixeira is, I believe the Yankees need to use that money for pitching and think about first base another time.

ANTHONY: Sometimes life's big mysteries aren't all that mysterious

I just have to shake my head.

Here's what I think about the Yankees and Mark Teixeira. It's an analogy:

You need $10 but you don't have it. You can maybe scrape together $4 or $5 and that will get you through the day, but you really need $10.

You walk outside and on the ground is a $10 bill.

Do you bend over and pick it up? Or do you keep walking?

That's what keeps happening to the Yankees. Last offseason, they need a No. 1 starting pitcher, and the Twins drop Johan Santana on the ground in front of them. All they have to do is bend over and pick him up.

They don't. They keep walking and try to get by on $4.

Now, the Yankees have a massive, gaping hole at first base. Is it their No. 1 priority? No, pitching is. But they are the Yankees. They can afford to go after both pitching and a first baseman.

They need a first baseman and free agency drops Mark Teixeira on the ground. Teixeira, who will be 29 in April and last season hit .308 with 33 HRs, 121 RBIs, 97 BBs and is a Gold Glove-caliber defender.

Do I give Teixeira 10 years and $200 million? Of course I don't. I wouldn't have give A-Rod 10 years, but that's another debate. Annual dollar values mean nothing to me, because a) they always go up with the next contract and b) the Yankees have enough of your money to spend whatever they want.

As Davidoff suggested here, the Yankees can afford to monitor the Teixeira sweepstakes and swoop in if there's an opening. The Angels or Orioles want to give him 10 years? Let them.

But if the Yankees can get him for five years and $120 million or something, then they need to do it. He's a very good player, in his prime, and the Yankees need more of those.

Let's say the Yankees offseason haul is Sabathia, Teixeira, Derek Lowe and either Pettitte or Mussina. Expensive, but possibly enough to make them a playoff team again.

Based on revenues, Forbes ranks the New York Rangers' value at No. 2, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs in a special report released Wednesday.

The New York Islanders are 24th and the Washington Capitals are at the bottom.

If you'd like to see all the numbers, go here.

P.S. I am fully aware of the difference between foundering and floundering. I choose to use this definition of flounder: To behave or speak in an awkward, confused way

The first World Series quiz is here. (I missed one.)

The second World Series quiz is