Rangers and Lundqvist Reach Cup Final!!!

 The Rangers and Knicks have so few  Championships collectively that every run, every opportunity is truly cherished. So last night's shutout clincher, puts the Rangers where they haven't been in 20 years..In a Stanley Cup Final !!!  Woo hoo..Who woulda thunk .
   So as unlikely as this run has been, they  have one more grueling series to go..  Bring em on...
Lets go Rangers!!

Spurs-OKC; All Of A Sudden San Antonio Looks Vulnerable!!!

 Serge  is back. He's blocking shots galore. Westbrook-Durant look young, energetic  and  dominant !  Spurs looking old(again). How  perceptions can change  in just 2 games...Albeit 2 Thunder wins.  Spurs who were up 2-0, all of a sudden are in for  the fight of their lives. Just  3 days ago people were talking sweep and how the Spurs would be favorites over Lebron and the Heat.
   Can Pop again somehow  rally the troops(Big 3)  and right the ship  with a win at home in game 5?  Somehow, some way I think he will.  But this series  has  "7 games "  written all over it..
   Enjoy!!!!
 

Rangers Hockey ; Converting Non-Hockey Fans Left and Right...!!

  There certainly  is "Ranger-Mania " in New York . Is it because the Knicks and Nets are golfing, it's too early for  baseball or is it because this  year's Rangers  and the  NHL  Playoffs  have brought a special excitement to New York  fans. I can tell you  that people are watching the Rangers- Canadians, who couldn't tell you the difference between  a yellow and green line let alone the red and blue lines. Hockey is in the air!
  In part, give credit to NBC  and the  coverage they've provided. Top-notch!  Also, the matchups and the remaining markets; New York, Montreal,  Chicago and L.A.  Throw in Lundqvist, Marty St. Louis,  a black superstar player and the Eastern Conference Finals. Mix it all together, and  the result has been keen fan interest. I suspect the ratings are through the roof.
   NBC  must be drooling for a potential  NY -LA  Stanley  Cup Final.  That would be plain cool!!!
For now, the Rangers  must take one shift at a time. As they say, play whistle to whistle and  grind it out. We ain't there yet.
Steve " The Big Whistle " Goldman reporting.

European Banks, More Billion Dollar Fines and Penalties For Practices That Have Been Going On Forever!!!

 You ever live in a rural town or hamlet  where everybody knows  each other?  Well every day you drive on the same local  road, speeding   20 mph above the speed  limit, while the "local friendly  cop"  tips his cap  to you. Then out  of nowher, one day  a  new cop is hired. You're pulled over, pot is found in your car  and your  perfect little world is no more.
 That seems to me to be  what exactly has  happened  on Wall Street !  Big multi-national  banks, investment banking houses and   hedge funds who have been  behaving in a certain way for decades(if not centuries) are now getting prosecuted, indicted, fined, penalized and crucified  for activity they previously had been given  a pass on.  Paying billion dollar fines/penalties has become the norm...Their get out of jail free cards if you will.
   So don't  ever , ever feel sorry for these "financial  institutions ". When you play with fire, you will get burned....
    Steve  "Adam Smith"  Goldman reporting .

Michael Steinberg; SAC Inside Trading Deft Sentenced To Three Years!

 Michael Steinberg, a  former  SAC Capital  veteran, was sentenced to three years in prison. The Judge  during the sentencing hearing  actually seemed to like Steinberg .  He went easy on sentencing, wished him and his family luck  and permitted   Steinberg to  remain free pending appeal.  From  I've been able to  learn, there may very well be some  "real  issues on appeal"  as they relate to the Court's  Jury Charges . We shall see.
   In the meantime, Steinberg still refuses  to implicate Steven  A. Cohen, his former boss. Very  interesting....

Brown vs. Board of Educutaion; Sixty Years Later Still the Greatest Supreme Court Civil Rights Decision!!!

 On May 17th, 1954, The US  Supreme  Court(Warren Court)  handed down the  most important  Civil Rights  decision in American  History. The Brown decision  struck down  the  practice of  "Separate but Equal" in  American education, and basically  ended  educational segregation.  The Court ruled unanimously in striking down Plessy vs. Ferguson, an 1896 case,  which had allowed "segregation to fester" for 60 years.
   Brown layed the foundation  for the Civil Rights Movement and  the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Of note, Thurgood Marshall  argued the matter  successfully for the families in the US Supreme Court.
    What  an awesome, long-overdue decision. Just 90 years  after slavery was abolished. And you know what? We still have plenty of work to do!!
   And our kids should be reminded today of this  victory!!

Masahiro Tanaka; He's For Fu__in Real!!!

  Yessirree, 6 and 0, with a 2.17 ERA.  Complete  game shutout  last night, a rarity.  Are you gonna tell me, "wait till the second  time around the league"?  Hey, this guy has won his last 30 decisions.
  I'm usually skeptical  about  a  player  coming over from Japan. Not to  say there aren't many fine Japanese pitchers and players . There are!  But I  take  the "seeing is believing approach".Well, I've seen him. And I believe him.
  Watching  Tanaka has already become  an event.  Great stuff!!

NY Rangers; Game 7 Kids, Do It Again!!

 How wild, how crazy, how improbable !  Led by  superhuman goaltending by Lundquist  and  a  mental approach of never  say die, the Rangers overcame a 3-1  deficit and beat Crosby and Company  in Pitt in game 7. Nothing more to say.
 Rangers will watch game 7 tonight in  the Montreal-Boston series to see who their Eastern Conference Finals  opponent will be.
  Another series!  OMG. Schedule an appointment with the cardiologist!!!   Here we come....

I'm Having Second Thoughts After last Night; Lebron May Be As Good as Michael!!!

 No  matter  what Lebron has accomplished, I've always  believed  Michael  was  just a  little better.  When Lebron's outside  shot was criticized, he went out and worked and improved it.  When  people said he had no post-game. He went out and developed  one.  His mid-range  game  now, is really the only  aspect  of his game which needs  improvement. Imagine  if  Lebron developed a soft, feathery  floater, or turn around jumper  in the 9-14 foot range ?   He  would have  it all  !!
   As great as he is , until last night  I  would still  favor Jordan. Afterall, Michael has 6 rings(would have had 8). MJ averaged 33 a game in the playoffs all-time. Enough said. But,but  after last night's 49....I got to thinking.   Oh well,  time will tell.  Let's see  how many rings King James  ends up with...Then let's talk.....

Michael Sam: Is He Too Small, Too Slow, Too Weak or Too Gay?

When Michael  Sam, the co-SEC  Defensive  Player  of the Year,  came out as openly gay  "before the NFL Draft  "  he was universally  applauded. On the heels of  Jason Collins'  announcement, we all believed and still believe that the  NFL was and  is  ready for its'  first openly gay player. Fast forward to the draft.
   Sam was  finally selected by the Rams in the tail-end of  the last  round.  You can't go much lower that !  Well, at least he was drafted   you might say.  My questions  to Michael  Sam are ,  "Michael,  did you  in hindsight  make a huge  mistake  in coming out  before the draft ?"  Did the fact that  you  are gay scare away potential suitors ? Did  the teams believe  your    presence  would be a   huge distraction  for the selecting team?  Should you   have waited until you were selected and signed?
  In my opinion,  the answer to all 4 questions is resoundingly   yes.  In a perfect world , I believe  Sam should  have been a second(possibly 3rd)  round pick. It's sad and  unfair , but yes  it happened. Sam, now has his work cut out for him  in more  than one respect. He has to tough it out  as the "first openly gay NFL player". And  of equal importance , he has to show the NFL  that they were  dead wrong  in selecting him so low in the draft.
  One thing you can be sure of.  It won't be easy.  But Michael ,  then again, achieving an  important goal never is.
   I'm rooting for you. Work extra hard. it will be worth it!!!!

Mark Jackson Out !!! What Really Happened ?

 Mark Jackson, Hall of Famer.  Great  NBA  commentator. Preacher, motivator. Leader. Coached  Golden State  for 3 years. 2 playoff appearances, 50 win season. Warriors made  their games an "event " . Liked and respected by all. Fired after a  heartbreaking  loss to Clippers  in a  game 7, first round matchup.
  So what really was the reason. Two first round  losses in  last 2 yrs.(Bogut hurt). High expectations?  A victim of being in the ultra-competitive Western Conference? Or this bull-shit about his relationship with management  ?  I'm not getting that.
  Look his players loved him.The franchise with Curry, David Lee, Clay Thompson et. al  is on a huge upswing. But hey, the Spurs last year. The Clippers in 7 this year. Jackson was perfect for this team. Anyway it's part of pro sports ! Mark will be back. He did a super job and should hold his head high.
   On a positive note, he's  free to join Van Gundy  and Mike Breen  in the booth for the duration of the playoffs!!!!  I love it.....

  

Nets-Raptors; Now That Was a Game 7 For You!!!

  Drama, intensity, never say die, nail-biter and fight to the end!  That's what yesterday's game 7 was all about. The young, scrappy Raptors would just not go away.  And yes, it all came down to the final play. Lowry is triple teamed. Loses control of the ball. Somehow regains control in the lane and with time expiring attempts to go up for a shot. Just one small detail. Paul Pierce 6-7 inches taller than Lowry is standing in his path , blocks the shot!!
 Ballgame over. Raptors' season over. Relief in Netville ....and on to Miami.  Honestly, it doesn't get better than that!!!