Check out NYSS Yankee expert Dan's retrospective on the 2009 Yankee season. As a New Yorker and Sports fan over the past decade we have been spoiled. We, the City of New York have been lucky. Aside from the perpetual disaster that is the Knicks and JETS, we have experienced some of the most unbelievable NY Champion theater. From the 1986 Mets, (yes even the Mets have won one in our lifetime) the Rangers, The Giants to the most recognized, despised, loved worshiped franchise in all of sports the New York Yankees, New York Sports teams are winners. The City that Never Sleeps was given that nickname due to the fact that their usually is a local sporting event going on until midnite or later. (Well maybe not only that...) New Yorkers are brash, and cocky but we have earned the right to be over the years. Something though has been missing over the last 9 years. When The Rangers won it happened during the Yankee Dynasty years so it was icing (pun intended).

With the Giants Superbowl, they were the underdog and it was only one game. Baseball tortures you, every pitch, every out, is its own separate game.That something that was missing was found. November 4th 2009 will be remembered as the day the Yankees lived up to the expectations of an immense payroll, superstar athletes and delivered their 27th Championship to the Brand New Yankee Stadium. Set your watch by it. In 86 years, there will be a new ballpark and championship number 47 (or more) After having a few hours to think, and reflect on the season I wanted to come up with 10 things, plays, games that defined the Yankee season in remembrance of this team that won it all. (In no specific order)

1.) May 8th, 2009- Maybe we should have realized that the man was ready when he stepped into the batters box A-Rod homered on the first pitch he saw after Selena Roberts outed him, and coming back after missing the 1st month with hip surgery. What a way to make an entrance.
2) The Atlanta Series- On the 6/24/09 game the Yankees were 37-31 and didn't have a base runner until the 5th. They scored 8 runs in the final frames and didn't look back. They went 65-28 after that.
3) August 6th-9th- After going 0-8 against the Red Sox, The Yankees decided they had enough. Backed by two straight 7.2ip shut out innings behind CC & AJ the Yankees swept all 3 games at Yankee Stadium and took a 2.5 Division lead. After going 0-8 with their rival (bitches again) they finished their remaining 10 going 9-1 against the Red Sox.
4) Xavier Nady Gets Hurt- Every March, my boy Mike tells me to draft Xavier Nady for my baseball fantasy league. (he usually hits all of his 15 HR's in April. Every year except 2009 I haven't. This year I did, but backed him up with Nick Swisher. Nady got hurt, Swisher stepped in loosened up the club house, and hit 29 HR's. I became obsessed with Nick Swisher, and subsequently won my Fantasy league.
5.) Sorry Met Fans- In the past I have been known to belittle Met Fans. I learned something this year. They are just like a sibling. You have to love them. 95% of Met fans I know, rooted for the Yanks in the Series out of their hatred for the Phils. I respect that. Still, Luis Castillo dropped pop fly gave the Ghosts of Yankee Stadium new life.
6.) "The Comeback Kids" It started with a Melky Cabrera Homer over former Yankee Dan Giese. That was the first of 12 Walk-Off wins for those lovable Bronx Bombers. Other contributors: Damon, Jorge, Robinson Cano and A-Rod.
7.) 3 Days Rest- This one is for C.C and Andy & Even AJ. Although AJ got lit up in Game 5 his Game 2 performance is what made the 27 possible. A masterful performance in Game 2. That being said with CC shutting down the Angels twice, and Andy Clinching the Series finale, they made Joe's Curious moves look like gold.
8.) A-Rod Going Bananas- At the beginning of the Post Season I called him ATone on my facebook and twitter page (pls follow me) and boy was I right. Homering off of everyone (Nathan, Fuentes) and driving in the biggest run of his career off of Lidge. A Rod owned this post-season.
9.) Domo Arigato & Damon- Damon's clutch hit against Lidge started the inning with 2 outs. His steal of 2nd & 3rd would probably have won him the MVP if Matsui (Pedro's Daddy) didn't have 6 RBI's in Game 6 to win it for the Yanks. On a side note what the hell language was charlie manual speaking in his post game press conference. (A must watch for 1:30 seconds.)
10.) Old-Reliable- You thought I forgot? Are there any two players better and more deserving than Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. They are now in the top 10 of Yankee Greats. Jeter goes top 5, only ahead of Mo because he plays everyday. Mariano top 10 pitcher of all time. Somebody argue. I dare you. LEAVE A COMMENT

And on a final note, MY PREDICTION WAS RIGHT , and HIS was off.

NYSS member KnicksTweets wrote a sweet blog for those affected by ADHD and/or in love with Twitter. It coincides with the recent debut of KnicksTweets. He thought that there was too much negativity surrounding the Knicks these days and fans needed a pep talk to remind them that there are some positive things, about this team, in fact 10 of them, all under 140 characters.

1. The Knicks as a team are protecting the basketball well...6th least turnovers in the NBA. Assists-to-Turnover Ratio 4th best in the league!

2. The Knicks clearly practice free throws! 3rd best in FT% in the NBA right now...

3. Knicks are 10th in the league in offensive rebounding thus far. Second chance opportunities will keep this team in games all season.

4. Danilo Gallinari--averaging 19.3 points per game, in addition to 4 rebounds and nearly 1 block per game. Starting to live up to the hype!

5. Danilo Gallinari--despite a rough game against Hornets, he's averaging most 3's made per game @4.8 & shooting .452% from beyond the stripe!

6. Larry Hughes--out of nowhere? averaging 19 points, 5.5 boards, 4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game & shooting @ a .625% clip. FA next year...

7. Chris Duhon and David Lee are working the pick and roll to perfection early on this season. Duhon---top ten in assists.

8. David Lee, aka Mr. Double Double--while only achieving one double double so far this year, is averaging a double double @ 19 ppg & 10 rpg

9. Al Harrington--whether starting or coming off the bench...old school Knick who cares about this team...been a while since we've had that.

10. Knicks are still significantly under the salary cap for 2010.

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The Same Old Jets Scenario. This was the worst scenario out of the 4 that I speculated would happen after the Jets lost to the Saints in Week 4 of the NFL season. Unfortunately after 3 straight losses, it looks like the most probable. It's clear that the Jets need to do the obvious things to win football games but there are more things under the hood that are obtuse enough to overlook. Here's my take.

1) Adjust Play Calling - The Jets loss to the Bills was way more frustrating then their loss to the Dolphins mainly because the Bills suck balls way more, we were at home, and it was the third loss in a row as opposed to the second loss in a row. For me, the fact that Rex Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer failed to adjust their play calling based on how the game was playing out. In the Dolphins game, the stupid ass wildcat was the problem for the defense. The Dolphins guards and fullbacks were winning each 1 on 1 battle with the Jets LB's in addition to preventing the Jets from being able to utilize their best weapon, the blitz. The Jets offense was the problem for the game against the Bills. Ok, that's pretty fuckin obvious. But what concerned me was that Schott and Ryan didn't properly adjust the offensive play calling. It was crystal clear that Dirty Sanchez was having issues with the wind and temperature but why didn't we run some screens? A standard RB screen to Leon would have definitely produced yards. A WR screen to Clowney could have lead to a huge play. The essence of short, easy pass mitigates the chance that the wind or Sanchez's manicured hands will affect the flight path of the pass.

2) Get Keller and Sanchez on the Same Page - TE Dustin Keller was targeted an astronomical 10 times against the Bills. WTF! He caught 2 passes for 16 measly yards. It wasn't all Keller's fault though. Clearly Sanchez had more picks than Stockton and Malone and many of the passes targeted to Keller were way off or intercepted by the Bills below-average secondary. Mark and Dustin have about as much chemistry as an arranged marriage and I wouldn't look for any cute nicknames like "Dus-chez" or "San-tin" anytime soon. The Tight End is supposed to be the key for a rookie QB. The escape valve. The easy short throw that can help move the chains on a big 3rd down.The 3rd option who will always be open with the 1st and 2nd aren't. Some timing drills need to be implemented so that these guys can get on the same page - Going on a date to Red Lobster to share some shrimp cocktail and buttery biscuits wouldn't kill them either.

3) Continue to Be Aggressive - Or you could also say, don't be Eric Mangina. Rex Ryan needs to be objective with how he approaches the rest of the season - especially these next 2 weeks when the Jets have winnable games. It is totally possible the Jets could be 5-3 (Games @Oakland and then home vs. Dolphins) and control their own destiny going forward before the bye week. This will not happen if they don't continue to blitz, take shots down field when it's appropriate, and get that swagger back. An away game at the Raiders should help Sanchez be Sanchize again because the conditions will be much more favorable. Don't lose hope yet Jets fans, this is a 16 game season.

Any other improvements the Jets need to make going forward?

The leaves are turning, the weather is getting colder, and baseball season is thankfully ending. Yes folks, hockey season is here again, which brings to mind the same question I ask myself every October – are the Rangers going to make the playoffs this season? I know there are a lot of games that need to be played before we even start thinking about the playoffs, but ultimately, that is the goal right?? Well, the real goal is to win the Stanley Cup, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves when talking about the Rangers. To answer that question, I think a solid 50/50.

But, how could I start talking about the current Ranger roster and playoff aspirations without first discussing my favorite Ranger executive, the lovable Glen Sather. Like off-season clockwork, Sather has once again refaced the team with a spending spree and added a roster full of new players, the most notable being Marian Gaborik, Christopher Higgins, Donald Brashear, Matt Gilroy, Ales Kotalik, Artem Anisimov, and Vinny Prospal. Although I would rather admit that the Pittsburgh Penguins deserved to win the Stanley Cup last season than give Sather any credit, I do have to admit that I’m partially happy that he managed to dump the expensive duds he signed the past few seasons (yes GOMEZ, I’m talking about you) and actually signed one guy that can put the puck in the net (who knew a hockey team could win any games without scoring?). I say I’m only partially happy because it was his genius that brought them here to begin with.

I don’t usually use preseason as a true indicator of what how a team will play during the regular season, but I must say I wasn’t totally horrified when I watched them play those games. We all know what the concerns are with the Rangers (lack of offense, power play, centers, Wade Redden) so let’s focus on the positives. The pace of their play has definitely improved due to the system coach John Torterella uses and the additions of Gaborik, Gilory, and Anisimov, to name a few. They also seem to be quicker than last season and I didn’t find myself losing my voice by yelling “Shoot!!” as much when they had the puck. Gaborik, when actually healthy, is a proven goal scorer. For the Rangers to improve their offensive dramatically he needs to play…a lot. The rookie center man, Anisimov brings size and goal scoring skills which the Rangers desperately need. Higgins, although not the most gifted goal scorer, is hard-working and scrappy (similar to that of Callahan)….another aspect to their game they need.

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Setting: October 25th 2009 approx. 11:00pm EST. Flushing, New York.

The Earth's ground splits into a crevice revealing the fiery pits of Hell while Lucifer himself towers over an open gate holding a scroll with millions of names on it. The Angel of Darkness is wearing something between his prickly horns...Is that a red baseball cap? He is also wearing a white shirt that...Are those pinstripes? Wait, he is about to say something...

"Welcome to the 2009 World Series Mets fans! Muhahahahahahahahaha!"

That is a pretty accurate reenactment of what transpired when the Yankees clinched the American League pennant and secured themselves a World Series Match up against the Philadelphia Phillies - according to die hard Mets fans.

Unless you stumbled across this website while looking for porn, then you are well aware of the fact that the Phillies and the Yankees are two of the most hated teams for a Mets fan. The Mets fan despises the Phuckin Phillies because they are in the same division as the Mets and have dominated this said division for the past 3 years. All while disposing the Blue and Orange in the process.

The Mets fan hate for the Yankees is a little more complicated then just being inferior and unfortunate. Some Mets fans don't like the Yankees due to the constant, general proximity they have to the snobbish, obnoxious, and abhorrent Yankees fan. Whether you work with one, are in the same family as one, or worst of all, are married to one - there is no hiding the fact that as a Mets fan you will at some moment in the day come in contact with a Yankee fan. And that moment will most certainly suck. Some Mets fans do not care for the Yankees just because of jealousy. Mets fans are envious of the Yankees 26 World Series wins and 40 AL championships. Or maybe the jealousy stems from the Yankees seemingly unlimited bankroll or roster built the same way you build your fantasy team. Either way, this envy frequently transforms into hate. New York is a big city, but it's tough to share a living room TV screen or the back page of a newspaper with the other team.

So it comes to down to this. Who should a Mets fan root for? KEEP ON READING CLICK HERE!