RIP 2012 Yankees

Mystique and Aura are no longer dancing nightly in the Bronx, instead they brought their talents to St. Louis. The Yankees are now on the eve of going out with a wimper again in October, for the third straight season. Whether they lose tonight with CC on the mound or tomorrow, it's inevitable.  In almost any other Major League town (Queens for example) a division title and a trip to the League Championship Series would be considered a success, but the Bronx is no ordinary Major League town. In the Bronx, where even just going to the World Series isn't enough (hell, we've been in a little under half of all World Series ever) an ALCS loss is considered a near disaster.

The formula for how a team that scored 4.9 runs a game during the regular season that only averages 2.6 runs in the postseason is fairly simple. Three of their best hitters (Cano, Granderson, and A-Rod) are a combined 9-88 (.102) with 32 strikeouts. Derek Jeter's fractured ankle, that prematurely ended his postseason, only made our team's hitting woes more glaring. Nick Swisher's lack of hitting in the postseason (4-26) apparently carried out onto the field, as his ALCS Game 1 error put the Yankees down 0-1. Then, he decided to fight the unwinnable battle by trying to take on the Bleacher Creatures, who supported him for 3 seasons. It wasn't all bad though, as Raul Ibanez became Mr. October for a week, and Ichiro going 11-37 with 5 RBI in his first taste of post-season action since 2001.

You take all that, and add in the distraction A-Rod has provided off of the field. A future Hall of Famer, and possible future Home Run King, has become the scapegoat (fairly or unfairly) for the Yankees struggles. The same guy, who Joe Torre dropped to 8th in the lineup for an ALDS game against these same Tigers back in 2006, has now been benched for three games so far this postseason. It wasn't bad enough that the man that hit 6 home runs in the 2009 post-season hasn't hit one in the last 23  playoff games, but it was reported that he struck out in another way on Saturday night, when he tried to get a couple girls digits after being benched. Now reports are out that he may be traded after this season is over.

Looking towards next season, you are going a see a completely different Yankee team. Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson may have played their way out of town, while Ichiro and Raul Ibanez have to decide if they want to keep playing Yankee baseball. You know that whenever it is that the Tigers close out this series, and put a close on our 2012 season, it will start what will be a very interesting post-season in the Bronx.

Jets-Patriots

One of the best rivalries in the sport will be renewed on Sunday. The Jets-Patriots rivalry started for real in 1997 when Bill Parcells jumped ship to the Jets, along with Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin. Then, in 2000 Bill Belichick resigned as the HC of the NYJ on a bar napkin, only to join the rivals in New England. Mo Lewis was the player that knocked then starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe out of a game in 2001, and started what would become the Tom Brady era. The Pats dominated the Jets for the first half of the decade, until former Patriot assistant coach Eric Mangini became the Jets head coach in 2006, re-igniting the rivalry, and even blowing the whistle on Spy Gate. When Rex Ryan became head coach in 2009, not only did he pour gas on the fire by saying he's not here to "kiss Belichick's rings", he turned the fire into an inferno, leading the Jets to Foxborough in 2010 and knocking the Patriots out of the playoffs.

Enough of the history lesson for now, all that matters is Sunday at 4 pm, with first place on the AFC East on the line. The Pats are vulnerable for the first time in over ten years, and a loss to the hated Jets could help make the whole thing unravel. That is easier said than done though, and I know the Jets are going to need to bring their A-game to even make this a competitive matchup. 

The great Patriots defenses of the past are long gone now, and teams are able to score on them now. I think the key for the Jets is to put the game in the hands of Shonn Greene. The best way to beat the Pats is to keep the ball out of Tom Brady's hands, and you do that by running the ball and winning the time of possession battle. However, New England is ranked 28th in the league in pass defense, allowing over 288 yards a game through the air, and Mark Sanchez can really win back the fans by playing well here. With Dustin Keller getting his feet wet last week, I expect to see a lot of targets for Sanchez's favorite weapon this week. Pats corners, Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington,  are going to be tested by the Jets receiving core of Jeremy Kerley and Stephen Hill. 

The Patriots passing offense is one of the most explosive in the league with a multitude of weapons, including Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Ron Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez. Now, they have added a consistent running game, led by Stevan Ridley. However, just like the Cowboys built their defense to beat the Giants, Rex built this defense (including bringing in safeties Landry and Bell) to stop the Patriots offense. The loss of Darrelle Revis is really going to hurt us in this game, and we no longer have the luxury of putting Revis on Welker and Cromartie on Lloyd. Kyle Wilson is going to need to have a big time game. 

Prediction: Jets 24 Patriots 20

Can the Jets go on the road to Gillette Stadium following a heart-breaking Patriots loss and leave with a win? I think they can. Even without Revis our secondary is still top 10 in the league, and Coach Rex gets this team to play with a lot of heart almost every time we play New England. We're drinking the green kool-aid at MY HOUSE and we will beat the Patriots!

Week 7 Picks

Last Week: 3-2

Season: 19-10-2

Lock of the Week: 2-3-1

49ERS -7 over Seahawks

Lock of the Week: The Jets know how tough it is to beat the 49ers after an embarrassing loss. I'm sure that Harbaugh is going to have the team whipped into a frenzy on Thursday night, and will play Seattle out of the building. 

TEXANS -6.5 over Ravens

The Ravens were playing well without Terrell Suggs, but they lost their heart and soul now that Ray Lewis is out for the season. The Texans were embarrassed at home by the Packers in prime time, and just like San Fran, they will be ready.

Redskins +6 over GIANTS

RG3 is taking the league by storm, and the Giants had a hard enough time beating the Redskins when Rex Grossman was the signal caller. Michael Vick had the Giants pass rush guessing, and Griffin is a better runner than Vick is. The Giants are riding high now, but might be looking ahead to next week's revenge game with the Cowboys. Not only do I think they cover, I expect the Skins to win this one straight up. 

Steelers -1.5 over BENGALS

Andy Dalton is going through his sophomore struggles, and the Steelers are starting to get healthy. Tomlin won't let them lose this one.

BEARS -6 over Lions

The Bears and their oppurtunistic defense will have a field day against Matt Stafford who has thrown 5 picks so far this season.