One Window of Opportunity Opens While Another Closes

September 8, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Apple News

That’s it. The 2008 Yankees are done. Buried. Call it a season. After yesterday’s loss to the abysmal Seattle Mariners, I’ve lost all hope. I’ve known for awhile now that their chances were very slim, but like I always say, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” But losing 2 of 3 to the Mariners, those AL-worst Mariners, I’ve finally decided that it’s quitting time. The loss dropped us to 4th place in the AL East, even though we’re still 9 games over .500. But with only 19 games left on the schedule, it’s over.

But, as one Big Apple window closes in the Bronx, another one may be opening in the swamps of New Jersey. The Jets started off their season with a 20-14 victory over division rival Miami Dolphins. The victory wasn’t as decisive as many would have hoped for (especially with the abysmal Dolphins coming off a 1-15 season), but a win is a win. Brett Favre was impressive, despite some classic Favre “what in God’s name is he doing?” plays.

But the big news for Gang Green came from 214 miles to the north in Foxboro, MA when Patriots quarterback and reigning MVP Tom Brady went down with what appears to be a very serious knee injury So serious thay many are speculating that Brady will miss the rest of the season. That would be a huge opportunity for the rest of the AFC East to break the Patriots 5-year stranglehold on the division.

Brady’s back-up is Matt Cassell, the ultimate “guy behind the guy.” Cassell has been Brady’s understudy for the last 3 years. Before being drafted by the Patriots, he “played” his college ball at USC, where he was the backup to not one, but two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. So essentially, Cassell has not been a starting quarterback since he was in high school, making him a big question mark. Since he hasn’t really played, it’s hard to tell how good he actually is. He looked decent in today’s 17-10 victory over the Chiefs, but he’s certainly not Tom Brady.

Brady’s injury certainly adds intrigue to a division that many (myself included) thought would be a cakewalk for the Patriots. The Pats are still a very good team and are still probably the division favorites even without Brady, but the gap has been narrowed. This is a prime opportunity for Brett and the Jets to jump in and make a run at the division title. But it’s not just a two-horse race between the Pats and Jets. Look out for the Buffalo Bills, who turned in a DY-NO-MITE performance against the Seattle Seahawks today, a resounding 34-10 victory that was more like a good old fashioned Texas beatdown than a competitive football game. We’ll find out more about Brady’s status over the course of the week, but today was the start of a very interesting season for the Jets that just become more promising for Gang Green.

Happy Birthday to Jimmie Rodgers, Sid Caser, Peter Sellers, L.C. Greenwood, Mark Foley, Maurice Cheeks, Amani Toomer, Pink, Wali Lundy, Matt Barkley and the Big Apple’s poorest former athlete, Latrell Sprewell