I fail to see the logic in the New York Jets trading away their best defensive player, Darrelle Revis, who missed virtually the entire 2012 season due to injury, even if it's for draft picks. I'm sorry, but even though Revis could be a free agent after the 2013 season, the Jets would be better served if they don't trade him before the draft, which starts on Thursday. If they do, regardless of how it pans out, it will come back and haunt them for a while to come.
Meanwhile, while most of us expected the Mets to be a second division team in the National League East, they're playing like anything but pretenders three weeks in. They recovered from a dismal sweep at the hands of the red-hot Colorado Rockies in chilly Denver to win 2 of 3 from the defending division champion Washington Nationals. All the media hype surrounds second year pitcher Matt Harvey, who outdueled Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Friday, but beyond Harvey & Jonathan Niese, the Mets' de-facto #1 starter with Johan Santana gone for the season, there are questions. Aaron Laffey wasn't an answer, and he was designated for assignment today. Jeremy Hefner isn't a starting pitcher, but management hasn't yet figured it out. He can only go so far before he falls apart, and lasted just 4 innings on Saturday. Shaun Marcum is expected to come off the DL next weekend to face the Phillies, but the Mets need another quality arm. Period.
Speaking of media hype, everyone seems convinced that the NBA title is pre-ordained for the Miami Heat. Uh, wait a second. Atlantic division champion New York beat Miami 3 of 4 in the regular season. Carmelo Anthony is playing his best since coming to the Knicks, and wants to prove he's not the forgotten man in the 2003 draft that also produced Miami's big 3 (LeBron James, Chris Bosh, & Dwyane Wade). Winning the first NBA title for the Knicks in 40 years would go a long way towards accomplishing that goal, but if you believe certain sportscasters on a national or regional level, it's almost as if David Stern is conducting the playoffs like Vince McMahon runs the WWE, if you know what I mean and I think you do. (Apologies to Joe Bob Briggs for cribbing his tag line)
Time to get personal. While there've been many instances over the years of certain individuals escaping a tragic fate due to good fortune, fate, or coincidental happenstance, the most famous of which might be future country music legend Waylon Jennings giving up his seat on the fatal flight that claimed the life of his mentor, Buddy Holly, along with Ritchie Valens & J. P. (Big Bopper) Richardson more than 50 years ago, the Boston Marathon bombings last Monday might've hit close to home for folks in my home district.
An ex-classmate of mine----we'll call her Angel for the purposes of this piece---lives in the Boston suburbs with her husband and sons. After the bombings, I felt the need to send her an e-mail Monday night to see if she was okay, perhaps fearing the worst. Four nights later, she responded and said she'd gotten a bargain on an airline package that allowed her to take the family on vacation last week, so she missed the whole thing. I said a silent prayer of thanks when I read the message yesterday, knowing that Angel was safe and sound.
While the media now attempts to paint the usual picture of the bombing suspects, I would rather they tried to be original and dealt in facts and not stereotypes. Period.
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