Islanders general manager Garth Snow said he considers his team still in the playoff race. But the GM still chose to build for the long-term rather than make a late push, trading 6-6 defenseman Andy Sutton to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday in exchange for a 2010 second round pick that originally belonged to San Jose.

The draft choice, expected to be in the 55-60 overall range, will help come June. In the meantime, the Senators obtained Sutton, who entered last night ranked second in the NHL with 153 blocked shots and tallied four goals and eight assists in 54 games for the Isles.

“This is by no means an indication we can’t win,” Snow said to reporters before the game. “We’re only [five] points out and this is a great opportunity for [our] young players to fight for a last playoff spot.”

Goalie Dwayne Roloson could follow Sutton out of Long Island by Wednesday’s 3 p.m. deadline. But Roloson, who is signed through next season, could stay as Rick DiPietro is out indefinitely after experiencing swelling in his surgically repaired left knee.

Snow traded a defenseman to Ottawa just before the deadline for a second straight season. The Isles shipped Chris Campoli, along with forward Mike Comrie, to the Senators last February in exchange for a 2009 first-round pick. Snow packaged that selection in a trade to move up and draft defenseman Calvin de Haan 16th overall.

The 34-year-old Sutton is an impending free agent who totaled seven goals in 135 games over three seasons since signing with the Islanders, going minus-6 in accumulating 199 penalty minutes.  Ottawa leads the Northeast Division by a single point over Buffalo and entered Wednesday in sole possession of the Eastern Conference’s third spot.

“We wanted to get a little more depth on the blue line and I think Andy fits that need,” Senators general manager Bryan Murray said to reporters in Ottawa. “I wanted somebody I could look up to – and I have to do that – and then up front with Matt Cullen it gives us the versatility that I talked about so it doesn’t appear there’s much more going to happen. But who knows at the end of the day what might stick its head up and maybe be available.”

Sutton joins the fifth team in his career. The 10-year veteran has made the Stanley Cup playoffs once, logging zero points and a minus-2 rating in a first-round series for an Atlanta Thrashers squad that was swept in four games by the Rangers to end the 2006-07 campaign.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity,” Sutton said in an audio clip disseminated by the team. “That’s the first thing I said to Bryan, I thanked him so much for the opportunity. Being an older player and getting the chance to play on such a great team and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup is a dream come true.”

Islanders vs. Blackhawks Audio Report

The winner became very emotional during his remarks accepting the trophy. He said, “I’m just so excited to bring Alabama its first Heisman winner.” He was inclusive in giving thanks. He cited God, his family, teammates, coaches, and trainers. At the close, he finally mentioned, “The teachers at our school because they’re important too.” At a press conference held at the Marriott Marquis hotel after the ceremony, Ingram explained the reason for his show of emotion, “I was overwhelmed, really excited. It was really important that I could do this for them .It’s a dream come true.”

Ingram is only the third sophomore to win the Heisman. Interestingly, sophomores have been the winners for the last three years. Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, finished third in the voting in 2008 and was fifth in the balloting this weekend. Ingram is a second generation star college football player.. His father, Mark, played at Michigan State, and was a first round draft choice of the New York Giants in 1987.The father is currently in the Queens Correctional Facility awaiting sentencing in federal prison for money laundering and bank fraud charges. Although he credits his father and other family members for “making me the man I am today,” Ingram said he would not visit his father while he was in the city. When asked if he would visit after the season, he replied. “I’m not sure.” Nick Saban, head coach at Alabama, was an assistant coach of Ingram’s father at Michigan State. Saban said Ingram’s selection “fills a void”at Alabama, which has won 12 National Championships and 22 SEC titles.

Toby Gerhart is also an interesting youn. Gerhart is on the baseball and football teams at Stanford University. The outfielder and running back prefers football, “Football is the one in my heart.” Despite dedicating the time to be able to excel in two varsity sports, Gerhart is taking 21 credits this semester. He is majoring in management science and engineering. When complimented by a reporter for being a true student-athlete (with the emphasis on student), Gerhart responded, “Thank you sir, I take pride in that.”

Ndamukong Suh finished fourth in the balloting. His name and his ethnic background may not normally appear in a football box score, but he is one of the best players in the college game. Suh’s father was born in Cameroon and his mother in Jamaica. As a youngster he first gravitated to soccer, but now he is a defensive standout at Nebraska. The young man spoke of being in New York City for the first time, “It’s incredible. It’s one thing seeing it on TV and another being here.”He also explained that his mother was against him competing in varsity football because she was afraid he would get hurt. He told his mom, “I won’t get hurt, I’ll be the one hurting others.” He then said, “I was the biggest kid there.” Suh like Gerhart is intent upon succeeding in his studies. His major is mechanical construction engineering.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who finished third, and Ingram will be meeting in the national championship game in early January. Both, as expected, spoke of the game’s paramount importance to them. McCoy stated, “I won some previous awards this week. The most important thing to me is to win the national championship.” Ingram’s words were similar to Mc Coy’s, “We have unfinished business. If we have a great game, that means a lot more to me.”

The Heisman is named in honor pf William Heisman, a long-time and very influential college football coach in the early part of the 20^th century. The trophy was originally named the Downtown Athletic Club trophy. After the death of Heisman, then athletic director of the DAC, in 1936, the trophy was renamed in his memory. It was presented every December at the DAC from its inception in 1935 through 2001. After the 9/11 attack, and the bankruptcy of the DAC in 2002 it was moved. It is now presented at the Nokia Theater.

In tonight’s loss to the Utah Jazz, by a final score of 95-93, the Knicks may just have found a sparkplug on their roster who can become a part of the team’s future. It certainly looks like they’ve found a player who has blasted himself into the regular rotation, that’s for sure.

Welcome to the coming out party of Toney Douglas, number 23 in your program but possibly, number one in coach Mike D’Antoni’s head and heart. Douglas, the Knicks first round draft choice from Florida State, scored a career-high 21 points in just 23 minutes off the bench. Coming off of a 16 point performance in his previous game against the Milwaukee Bucks, it looks like the 6’2” guard, drafted as a high-energy type player with good defensive instincts and a nose for the basketball, is quickly developing a creative, little offensive game, something the Knicks need badly from their point guard position.

D’Antoni was impressed with the rookie.

“I thought he played really well,” he said. “I thought his speed, athleticism, and tenacity on defense really picked us up. It’s funny, he kind of broke the dam and everybody else was following him trying to make their shots. Toney gave us a nice spark.”

There were still enough bad things to continue to worry D’Antoni that this season can spiral out of control before it hits the quarter mark in games played. His team scored a season-low 31 points in the first half. It’s the first time since 2002-03 they’ve begun a season with a 1-7 record. Tonight, despite the close final score, they never led once, suffering their first wire-to-wire loss of this season. They trailed tonight by as many as 21 points in the third quarter, then closed the gap to a point midway through the fourth quarter before losing the game, as their record fell to 1-7. So, life isn’t all good here in Knicks land.

The Garden was rocking out last night when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played their greatest hits for three and half hours in front of their devoted fans. In the first half tonight, the Knicks rocked out in a different way, when they essentially shot rocks for all of the first 24 minutes of this game.

The first quarter started out like other first quarters this season, with Knicks allowing open looks to Utah for easy jump shots and layups inside. The Knicks were fortunate to keep the score to 25-18 but you had to know D’Antoni, after looking at the horrible starts his team has had in most of its games this season, wanted to come out fast and not fall behind. It was not to happen.

The second quarter was more of the same. The Knicks continued to allow Utah uncontested shots on almost every possession, inside and outside. It almost seemed like the Jazz could get shots at will as All-Star point guard Deron Williams penetrated and dished with ease to wide open shooters, especially Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur. The Knicks stayed in the game, somewhat, with an occasional three-pointer or a fast-break layup but with two minutes to go in the half, Utah had spread its lead to 12, 43-21, as boos began to trickle down from the Knick faithful.

Utah wasn’t finished. Carlos Boozer hit a layup (uncontested, of course) to make it 48-31 at the half as the boos went into full mode. The Knicks, the team with the wide-open offensive sets and the acclaimed offensive coach, had scored 31 points in the half against a team that is not known for its defensive skills.

Danilo Gallinari looked lost on defense guarding Kirilenko, who was allowed to shoot freely from three point land, hitting 5 of 8 for the game. Gallinari’s minutes were limited in the second half as D’Antoni felt his best perimeter defenders were Douglas and Larry Hughes.

“Toney and Larry out front were causing problems for Utah,” said D’Antoni. “We’ll probably use this going forward. Basically, you still have to defend a man.”

Yes, this coach was talking defense after a game. Maybe, he really does coach it.

For the half, the Knicks shot just 35% from the field, including an unbelievable 0.0% (0 for 10) from three-point land. Meanwhile, the Jazz were hitting at a 48% clip (21 of 44) from the floor including 3 of 7 from the three-point stripe. The Jazz also dominated the Knicks on the boards to the tune of 31 to 20. Despite all the Knicks misses, they only retrieved one offensive rebound during the first 24 minutes, truly an unbelievable statistic.

Chris Duhon continued his struggles. In 18 minutes, he scored just two points on just two foul shots. He had no assists and two turnovers. It seemed time for a change at the point guard position.

Enter the youngster, Douglas, who had his coming out party for the home crowd tonight. He played almost 16 minutes in the second half, shooting 6 of 9 and 3 of 5 on three point shots, scoring 15 points in the half. He played with poise and with control, taking shots that were not forced and dishing to open Knicks when the opportunity came his way.

The Knicks mounted their patented last quarter comeback, outscoring the Jazz 29-17 in that final period. Douglas tied the game at 93-93 with two consecutive layups. But Mehmet Okur of the Jazz followed Deron Williams’s missed shot with an offensive rebound and laid the ball in. The Knicks regained possession with 6.4 seconds remaining, but Douglas’s 10-foot jumper at the buzzer missed it’s mark and that was the game.

“All I do is try to come in with energy and focus on defense,” said Douglas. “Coach said if the shot is there, to take it. The last shot was supposed to be for Larry (Hughes) but it wasn’t there so you have to adjust to it. I always try to be ready and await my turn and be productive when I come in.”

It looks like the kid is beginning to earn his minutes now. For better or worse, it will probably come at Chris Duhon’s expense. For the Knicks, at this particular moment in their season, they have nothing to lose.

Why, you ask? They should be 8-0 or 7-1? I think some people have really missed the boat here. I have said over the summer that the Giants were poised to make another strong run this year. Then I saw three of the four pre-season games, and the way they played in the first two regular season games, even though they were wins. There are just too many key injuries on defense, especially in the secondary with the extended absences of Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross.  In the linebacking corps, Aaron Pierce is playing hurt and Michael Boley is out as well as defensive tackle Chris Canty who has a calf injury.

Not that the offense is without it’s share of the injury bug. First, rookie first round draft choice Hakeem Nicks sprains an ankle, then left tackle Kareem MacKenzie gets injured, plus running back Ahmad Bradshaw has developed a “nagging” ankle injury, and now Mario Manningham, the second year receiver who was finally “breaking out” is injured as well (shoulder). Plus Sinorice Moss has a foot injury and Dominik Hixon has a hip pointer. So you see where I’m going with this right?

More importantly, this week against the Eagles was the first time there were real breakdowns in all three phases of the game.  Eli Manning contributed two picks, which led directly to Eagles touchdowns. The defense tackled like a bunch of fourth graders, and the special teams has their first bad game of the season as well. Big Blue has been a big bust so far. Last year they gave up the ball a total of 13 times with just three fumbles. This year it’s already up to 15 turnovers with 9 fumbles already.

The Giants receivers are down to Hakeem Nicks, Derek Hagan, Steve Smith, Hixon – if his hip pointer is better by the end of the week – and Ramses Barden who has yet to be given a chance to play except for two games where he was active and played special teams. Not to mention that the players on both lines are getting banged up with each game. Nicks had his first career start as a Giant, and caught 4 passes for 53 yards, including the Giants best effort of the game, a 35 yard catch.

It doesn’t matter how good a coaching staff you have, or how much talent your team has, when the injury bug bites (like the flu), all you can do is take your medication and wait for it to heal. The big question now is do the Giants have to time to wait for  every player who is hurt to get healthy again? I doubt it and you shouldn’t count on it either.

The Giants won their first five games on the backs of weaker opponents. Now that their own weaknesses due to injuries have been exposed, first by New Orleans, then Arizona, and now the Eagles who aren’t really that good, The Giants are living proof  that it doesn’t matter how good you are in the NFL; it matters how healthy you are over the course of a sixteen game – seventeen week season.

The players are still quite confidant in themselves and their coaches, which is a good thing, but that doesn’t matter all that much in the total picture.

What matters now is weather or not the Giants, just two years removed from an incredible post season run to a super bowl XLII win, can even make the post season, much less win the NFC Eastern Division again.

There was a reason Coach Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese decided to carry 7 receivers to open the season. Injuries. Nicks’ foot could be worse however, as the x-ray’s were negative.  Just how bad the sprain is has yet to be determined.  An x-ray can only tell you so much. It could be 2 weeks or 4, as a foot sprain is almost like a bad back, it’s very tricky. One sports medicine expert we speak with who is familiar with lower limb injuries tells us that a severe sprain could sometimes be worse then an actual fractured bone. Now the Giants offense is down to 6 wide outs. The other receiver drafted in 2009, Ramses Barden, was inactive for the game but will most likely now be an active roster move for the next several weeks while Nicks recovers.

The second most important question was how the Giants pass rush would do with the infusion of free agents obtained in the past offseason. We saw that they did just fine up front defensively, putting pressure on Redskins QB Jason Campbell on several long second and third down plays. Osi Umenyiora had a 37yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown, and Justin Tuck, Chris Canty, and the rest of the Giants defense looked like the same unit that has won 22 regular season games over the last two years. The concerns still remain over the secondary however, where there is still work to be done. That being said, Corey Webster’s sideline interception took the “wind out of Washington’s sails” on a key offensive possession.

The final major question was how well Eli Manning deals with the partial turn over in personnel. With the exception of a few skittish moments early in the game’s first  half, Manning also looked like the same player who had the fantastic 2007 and most of 2008 seasons. But now, a new set of questions arise like any other Monday morning in the NFL.

Will the Giants continue to have trouble scoring Touchdowns in the “Green” zone? (Something both Coach Coughlin and Eli Manning made note of as needing improvement in the post game press conference). Will Danny Ware’s wrist keep him out of any games? Will Mario Manningham continue to emerge as the big play threat (his 30 yard catch and run touchdown while tight-roping the sideline was a thing of beauty)? Or will Kevin Boss fulfill that role?

While the defense saved the day for NY, there were some shaky moments as we mentioned earlier. Redskins Runningback Clinton Portis seemed to play like a hall of famer at times, running through gaps in the Giants run defense large enough to drive an Abrams tank through. This will need to be corrected at some point if the Giants expect to contend for another trip to the Super Bowl. Overall they played well enough to win and did just that, but they missed out on some scoring chances, leaving at least 14 points on the field, meaning the final score should have been more like 34-17 or 37-17 rather then 23-17.

Next week the Giants will play Dallas on “Sunday Night Football” to open the new Stadium. Dallas beat Tampa Bay 34 21 in Tampa this week, and will pose many more problems then Washington did this week. It won’t be easy for NY to walk away with a victory next week. The fact that Eli Manning was able to spread the football around against the Redskins (Smith 6 catches, Boss, Manningham, and Bradshaw 3 each, Nicks, Jacobs 2 each and Hixon 1) will be the one facet of the Giants offense that the Cowboys have trouble with, and what Coach Coughlin should go after Sunday night.

The other telling stat that signals a problem for the Giants against teams with strong run defenses: Washington held the Giants to just 106 total rushing yards, Plus Danny Ware also left the game with a dislocated elbow and probably won’t play for at least 1-2 weeks. Overall the Giants totaled 351 yards of offense to Washington’s 272, with just 85 of that being on the ground.

John Tavares, the No. 1 overall draft choice, signed a three-year entry level contract worth almost $900,000 per season that could escalate to as much as four million dollars annually if incentives are reached. Should the 18-year-old center make the Islanders out of training camp, his first NHL game action will come against former top overall draft picks in Sidney Crosby and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“It’s really not going to change the way I think or the way I live my daily life or approach the game,” Tavares said at the team’s Iceworks facility.

The contact came during the last day of prospect camp. Tavares was named the fourth top overall draft selection in Islanders history during June’s draft in Montreal and will now compete for a roster spot right away when the club assemblies for the Saskatoon-based training camp.

“It’s good to be here and officially be part of the organization,” Tavares said. “It’s nice to have it behind me but it’s not going to change me.

“I still have to work on a lot of things, getting physically stronger and getting my pace up to NHL standards.”

General manager Garth Snow worked with Tavares to reach an agreement early in the offseason. It took the Islanders until Oct. 2 to sign last year’s first round pick Josh Bailey, who missed the first 14 games with an unspecified lower body injury.

The Islanders will not have to worry about a holdout and Tavares said he can concentrate on preparing for the season instead of worrying about the game’s business aspect.

“He’s a driven kid and obviously we’ve said all along he’s another piece of the puzzle of what we’re trying to build here,” Snow said. “He’s going to fit in nicely with the group that we have.”

Scott Gordon led the practice for the team’s prospects and other invited young players that started Friday and concluded yesterday.

The Islanders head coach said the sessions were designed to be instructional instead of a way to evaluate skills, though Gordon said he came away impressed with the teenage Tavares’ poise and offensive skills near the net.

“Sometimes it looks like he has three sticks to the defender’s one stick in his ability to do the things he does with the puck,” Gordon said. “His nose around the net is a unique talent and to me that was the most evident thing about his game that really stood out.”

Almost 500 people attended Tavares’ public press conference last week and a similar crowd lined up to get into the practice facility here on Sunday when a scrimmage was open to the public. Before his first shift, Tavares already has helped generate excitement to a team that finished the season last in attendance.

“It’s great to see the fan support in the middle of July when they could be on the beach instead of in a cold rink,” said Calvin de Haan, the Islanders other first-round pick and a former teammate of Tavares in the OHL. “It’s an exciting time for this team. They’re rebuilding and we have a lot of talent coming up through the system.”

Less than two years later, the Central Islip native is thriving in a league many players and coaches equate with Triple-A. Harris was one of six Ducks named to the Atlantic League’s All-Star game, which takes place Tuesday at Newark’s Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

No major league experience was required for the Ducks four positions players who made the Liberty Division squad. Ray Navarrete gets the nod for a second straight year, joining Harris, catcher John Pachot and Brooklyn native Johnny Hernandez. Former big leaguers Joe Valentine and Bill Simas, the club’s set-up man-closer combination, also earned the selection.

“We’re very happy for the players selected to represent our ball club in Newark,” says Ducks general manager Michael Pfaff said in a statement. “They deserve the honor and I’m sure they’ll put on a good show for the fans.”

Just 24 years old, Harris is showing the bat speed and power that made him the Yankees second-round draft choice in 2003. The Ducks (28-24) still trail first-place Southern Maryland by four games with 18 contests remaining in the first half.

The Ducks has won seven of its last 10. Harris, who enters Thursday with a team-high .319 batting average, said he is excited about stellar pitching complementing a resurgent lineup. Harris drilled his second grand slam of the season Sunday and has belted six home runs and driven in 30 runs while slugging .556. The outfielder continues to compensate for the injured Preston Wilson, recording an impressive .399 on-base percentage.

“It’s great when you see the consistency from both sides,” Harris said before the Ducks started a four-game road trip to Somerset. “That just makes us a complete team. It’s good right now. We’re just trying to keep it going.”

Somerset beat the Ducks in the opener before the Flock evened the series with a 6-3 win last night. Navarrete is helping the club and earned his second straight All-Star selection in a Ducks uniform. The one-time Mets minor leaguer continued his high-level play while learning a new position, starting the season as the Ducks everyday third baseman.

Navarrete is batting .288 with a team-high 10 home runs and 34 RBIs. After participating in last year’s home run derby, Navarrete is candidate for the exhibition again. His home run total leaves him just one behind Bridgeport’s Brandon Sing for the league lead.

Pachot will return to Newark after another good start. The former Bear was traded to Long Island in a trade that worked out well for both teams. Carl Everett was sent to New Jersery in exchange for the backstop, who in addition to brining his defensive ability has also batted .295 with 20 RBIs. Hernandez missed all of 2008 but shrugged off the rust to bat .303 with 21 RBIs in registering a .427 slugging percentage.

Valentine continues to thrive in the eighth inning, posting a 1.23 ERA and a 2-0 record through 28 appearances. Simas’ 11 saves is the league’s third most. Simas has struck out 27 batters in just 20 innings.

With media taking a part in the All-Star balloting, here was my list of starters. Bold indicated the player was selected to start while a double asterisk denotes a player made the team but as a reserve.

All-Star Ballot:

Liberty Division                                              Freedom Division

1st Eric Crozier (SMD) Josh Pressley  (Somerset)

2nd Mike Just (SMD) Keoni De Renne (York)**

3rd Ray Navarrete (LI) Jeff Nettles (Somerset)

SS Travis Garcia SMD**                                Ramon Nivar  (Newark)**

OF Jeremy Owens (SMD) L.J. Biernbaum  (Lancaster)

OF Chris Walker (Camden)                            Sean Smith      (Somerset)

OF Johnny Hernandez (LI)**                                    Michael Woods (Lancaster)

OF Estee Harris (LI) Michael Hernandez (Newark)

C John Pachot  (LI) Jed Morris ( Lancaster)**

DH Vito Chiaravolloti (Camden)**               Matt Hagen (Somerset, selected at second base)

Click here for a full list of players and pitchers: http://atlanticleague.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1245279074