Becoming Official: The Launch of UNY

From UNY:  The long-awaited day has come. Ultimate New York is being launched -- right now. Our writers will still take a few days to get their blogging legs under them, but the site is launched and fully functional at this time. We'll be touching things up here and there, fixing up links and graphics, but the basics have begun. You can "like" Ultimate New York by clicking the Facebook button in the right sidebar of the blog. Tell your friends and spread the word. For the New Yorkers out there, you guys have some catching up to do if you want to gain the fan base that Ultimate Boston has accumulated. So tell your friends, invite them to the fan page, and stay active in spreading the word. For any New York writers out there, we're still looking for a few more bloggers for this branch. So check out the Be a Writer page to find further information and learn how to get involved today. Additionally, you can all start gossiping and trash-talking in the Forums section -- there's a forum on both Boston and NY. The pages are linked together with a link in the top right corner, so we encourage our fans to check out what's going on with their rival blog sometimes. This will be my first and hopefully last post for Ultimate New York, but I have full faith in my crew to bring this thing to the next level and help carry Ultimate Sports as a whole up the ladder. DRob signing off on the launching of Ultimate New York, located at UltimateNYSports.com.

Jermaine O'Neal Out. Again

ESPNBOSTON.com- Boston Celtics reserve center Jermaine O'Neal underwent a left knee arthroscopy Friday and the team optimistically set a recovery window of six to eight weeks, according to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

Jermaine O'Neal is out again? No biggie I say.

After already missing 32 games this season, I think the Cetlics will be okay without the "other" O'Neal, for a couple of reasons. The first is that Kendrick Perkins is back and getting better on the court after missing 7 months due to his own injury. This will make up for O'Neal's injury.

Plus, the Celtics have one of the best rotations of big men. Kevin Garnett, Shaq (IF he gets healthier over the next couple of weeks), Big Baby, Semih Erden, and Perkins can easily make up the time given up because of O'Neal's injury. They've been doing it all season, so this won't be too much of a culture shock for the Celtics' big men.

Six to eight weeks is a long time to be out, and on another team this could be a crippling injury not only for the player but for the team. However, with the bench the Celtics have put together, there is no doubt in my mind that the Celtics can continue playing elite basketball without (one of) the back-up centers for some weeks.
  

Paille Suspended 4 Games

Last night's slugfest against the Dallas Stars was an overall success for the Bruins, who set the tone with some fights early (3 in the first 4 seconds) and never looked back. One of the negatives mixed into the positive, however, was the hit forward Daniel Paille laid on Stars forward Raymond Sawada. Making a hustle play on the backcheck, Paille tried to separate Sawada from the puck -- and he succeeded. Unfortunately, the NHL deemed it was done in a dangerous and illegal fashion, earning the B's fourth-liner a 4-game suspension from the action.

At first, I wasn't sure I thought it was all that dirty. Jack Edwards was adamant in claiming that the hit was neither from the blindside nor targeting the head. Andy Brickley, though, the voice of reason, admitted that it wasn't exactly clean body contact. Upon looking at different angles, you could definitely see Paille stick the elbow out a little bit and it was definitely at the level of the head. I won't say it was totally from the blindside, but it was definitely bad enough to merit a suspension. We can't be hypocritical here. Boston fans want Matt Cooke lynched from the rafters of the TD Garden after the devastating hit he laid on Marc Savard in March of last year. It's not too far-fetched to say this Paille hit resembled the Cooke hit in some ways. It clearly wasn't as vicious and seemingly lacked much of the intent that Cooke had, but it was still illegal. If we want the hits like that to stop, if we want the Marc Savards of the world to stop going through career-threatening head injuries, you simply have to enforce the rule. Shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, body to body. Leave the head out of it.

Paille will miss the next four games, and the Bruins have called up Zach Hamill to fill his spot. Hamill leads the Providence Bruins this season with 25 assists, and he ranks second on the squad in points with 28. Given Paille's fluctuating production this season, Hamill might have an opportunity to stay with the club for an extended period of time if he earns it. The B's are back in action tomorrow afternoon with a matinee against the San Jose Sharks.
 

Patriots' O-Line Awarded

So everyone knows that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won AP's NFL Coach of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively, but what a lot of people haven't noticed yet is that the Patriots' offensive line was given the 2010 Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award.

Without these guys, Tom Brady doesn't win the Offensive Player of the Year, so I'm happy to see them get rewarded. The award is given out annually (only twice so far) to the best offensive line based on a number of statistics. These include sacks allowed, rushing and passing yards, time of possession, offensive line penalties, third down, fourth down, and red zone conversion percentages. Fan voting and John Madden's personal observations also contribute to the selection.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2011/02/04/patriots_awarded_for_their_proficient_line_play/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Football+news

Happy Super Bowl watching.
  

Fantasy Baseball Preview: Catchers

Is it that time of year yet? No, not quite. There's still 10 days until players report for Spring Training, but that doesn't mean we can't start getting excited about Fantasy Baseball. For this preview, Burga and myself (Average Joe) co-authored the first of many articles in which we rank each position and a quick summary of our thoughts. Enjoy!

Burga’s Rankings
Joe Mauer
Victor Martinez
Brian McCann
Buster Posey
Carlos Santana
Miguel Montero
Mike Napoli
Kurt Suzuki
Geovanny Soto
Matt Weiters

Key Points:
• Mauer still has to be the number 1, but I think V-Mart is in for a big year in Detroit. He has plenty of lineup protection batting behind Miguel Cabrera and the rejuvenated Magglio Ordonez. He has always been a fantasy beast, and if he stays healthy he might be in for a career year.
• Some rankings have Posey as high as number 2. He certainly has that potential, but until he does it for a full year, I’ll take a proven stud over him. Will he suffer from a sophomore slump (or World Series hangover) and be a draft-day bust, or will he continue last year’s success and be an anchor on your team? Only time will tell.
• I have Carlos Santana a little higher than Joe. While Posey got all the hype last year, Santana put up similar stats until he was injured at Fenway. He is reported to be 100% healthy, and the Indians will certainly hitting in the middle of the lineup in order to win some games. He could put up a stat line that mirrors Posey’s and could be had 5+ rounds later on the draft.
• Watch out for Mike Napoli this year. Being on the Rangers, he has a chance to play at a hitter’s friendly park, hit in a studded lineup, and gets an opportunity to play the majority of starts, a thing he never did on the Angels. Simply put: the guy rakes. He has the potential to be a top 3 fantasy catcher this year.

Average Joe's Rankings
Joe Mauer
Buster Posey
Victor Martinez
Brian McCann
Kurt Suzuki
Mike Napoli
John Buck
Carlos Santana
Carlos Ruiz
Geovany Soto

Key Points:
• The top 4 are pretty obvious choices. Mauer is the cream of the crop, but Posey is looking to impose (pun intended) on that. Hopefully, the glory of a World Series championship does not get to his head.
• Victor will score your Fantasy team points, but don’t expect to actually see him behind the plate. He’ll benefit from not having to catch, though, so his numbers should escalate. If he's eligible, he's an excellent option at catcher
• Don’t expect Buck and Napoli’s power numbers to slip that far (if at all). They could both benefit from the change of scenery. Buck will also be in a slightly smaller ballpark (left-center and right-center), so that could work to his advantage.
• Buck is on my list because of his solid Stats from last year, in only 118 games. Add to that his new ballpark, as previously stated, and you've got yourself a solid option at catcher. Ruiz is there because, while he doesn’t put up the power numbers some of the other guys do, he was 4th among everyday catchers in batting average.

Big Four Voted in as Reserves

NBA.com - Eastern Conference coaches voted Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo as four of the seven All-Star reserves named Thursday. They will be joined by Al Horford and Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat on the bench at Staples Center.


That is awesome. I remember watching the '06 Pistons all go on the floor at once. Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace and old friend (or foe) 'Sheed taking the floor. And who went out with them? Paul Pierce. Must be sweet for Paul to get to do the same with his teammates.

The roster seems logical in the East. Only the top 6 teams in the league are represented. Rightfully so, as no other team in the conference has a winning record. There's probably a case to be made for Danny Granger, who is averaging 21 points a contest. While Ray is only getting 17 per game, however, he is shooting 9% better than Granger. So that would be my rebuttal to that argument. KG doesn't have huge numbers this year, but come on; do the fans want to see Brook Lopez and Andrea Bargnani? If anyone got snubbed, though, it was Josh Smith, who is probably having a career year. But all-in-all, good choices. Biased? Probably..

I'm slightly confused on the Western Reserves. I guess if we are making the case for Garnett, then Tim Duncan should absolutely be included. Unfortunately, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Love should be on this team. They are most certainly playing better basketball than Tim Duncan on the scorecard. Then again, Duncan's contributions don't always reflect in his statistics. I consider Steve Nash to be a snub. He is having a typical Steve Nash year numbers wise. However, it's impossible to argue with Paul, Williams, and Westbrook being chosen, all of whom are playing for contenders at the same position.

There will be at least one other roster spot opening, as Yao will not be participating. Early reports say that Steve Nash will take that spot. Ultimately, that can't go wrong with who they choose (well, I guess they can), but if the West is going to lose a big man, he should probably be replaced with another big man.

Are there other snubs? Most likely. But I like both teams. Kudos, coaches.

Interesting to note. The West roster has 4 players who, before playing for the NBA, played overseas. The East? Zero. Significance? None, really. Just caught my eye.

Maybe we can win 3 of Saturday Night's festivities. Rondo in the skills, Paul (or Ray) in the 3s, and Nate in the dunk contest. THAT would be cool.
  

Happy 59th, Fred Lynn

59 years ago today, a Red Sox legend was born. We'll send our best birthday wishes to Fred Lynn, who turns 59 years young today. Lynn was unfortunately a Red Sox star during the dreaded curse of the Bambino, so he never got a ring at Fenway. But his legacy was still incredible. He came up into the Sox system as a rookie in 1975, and he won the Rookie of the Year award. Oh yeah, and did I mention he was also the MVP of the American League? Lynn became the first player to ever win both awards, and he added a Gold Glove award to go with it. His .331 batting average placed him second in the batting title race -- all around, it was one of the best seasons any player has had, let alone a rookie. Lynn never really duplicated his amazing rookie success with the Red Sox, but he was an all-star in every season he played with Boston and he went on to win three more Gold Glove awards, as well. He belted 306 career homers and drove in 1,111 runs. He may not have had an extremely long track record with the Sox, but he's certainly a big part of the club's history. Happy 59th birthday to Fred Lynn.
 

Tuukka Starts Against Dallas

A few hours ago, I was writing an article praising Tim Thomas and his potentially historic season. The praise still stands, but we'll have to put it on hold for a few days as his backup, 23-year-old Tuukka Rask, gets the start tonight against the Dallas Stars. It will be Rask's first start in two weeks, and he will be looking for his first win since January 10th at Pittsburgh. The youngster has a formidable .923 saves percentage and a 2.67 goals against average this season, but his 4-10-1 record is certainly in need of improvement.

For the Bruins, tonight will be a classic East versus West battle. Boston and Dallas are each the #3 seeds in their respective conferences. They have each played 51 games, and they each have 65 points. Dallas has 29 points on the road this season, and Boston has 29 points at home. Only one point separates the two teams' most recent 10-game stretches. It's bound to be an exciting matchup from the TD Garden between two teams that are stating their cases as perennial Cup contenders this season.

When it comes to the cross-conference battles, Dallas has fared far better than Boston has this season. The Stars hold an astounding 11-2-1 record versus Eastern Conference opponents this season, whereas the B's are just 2-4-2 in their games against Western Conference teams. Four of those eight games were played at the TD Garden, where the Bruins are 0-2-2 against teams from the West this year. Something will need to change if the B's are going to reverse the cross-conference trend tonight.

Special teams might be the key to victory for Boston. The Stars are enduring mighty struggles on the penalty kill lately, surrendering 7 goals in their past 14 penalty-killing attempts. Despite the absence of Marc Savard, the Bruins have had decent success on their power play (17.5%) and will look to work to their strengths when given the opportunity tonight. Look for Zdeno Chara to continue to be a presence from the right point on the power play, and look for Mark Recchi to do what he does best around the cage. If the Bruins -- one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the game -- are able to win the special teams battle tonight, I think they'll come out on top and earn Rask a long-awaited victory. Two U's, two K's, two points? Let's hope so.

Update - Andrew Raycroft starts for Dallas tonight, making it Rask vs Raycroft. Something tells me the Toronto Maple Leafs don't want to watch this game.
   

Tomlin Digs Jersey Shore

We can all assume that Mike Tomlin will be studying hard these next few days to gather the final pieces of evidence on the Green Bay Packers in an attempt to win his second Superbowl. What will he be doing Saturday night before the big game, though?

“Maybe I can DVR Jersey Shore or something and catch up on that. I've been working a little bit this week, man. Hopefully I can catch up there as we get close to game time," Tomlin said in an interview on Sirius XM Radio on Wednesday afternoon. The hosts of the show, Adam Schein and Rich Gannon, asked if Tomlin was serious about liking the show.

"We all need mindless entertainment every now and then."

If the Steelers win -- by all means, a reasonable (but unfortunate) possibility -- we can probably expect to see some fist-pumping from their head coach. But what if Jersey Shore serves the purpose of distracting Tomlin just enough to derail his focus on the task at hand? Alas, Mike "The Situation" and company will have finally done something productive for the world. At this point, we can only hope tonight's episode has some crazy things going down that will boggle Mike Tomlin's mind.
 

Lil Wayne - Green and Yellow

Lil Wayne strikes again, this time with a remix of the very song that honors the Steelers. Except this one is way better and has amazing lyrics, like Weezy always does. I laughed out loud a few times during this. And I hope I can laugh out loud a few more times when Aaron Rodgers is going over Ike Taylor for a touchdown, or when Clay Matthews is showing who really has the best hair in this Super Bowl.

"We knocked the Eagles and the Falcons and the Bears off, now we 'bout to cut Troy Polomalu hair off!"