In 2008, LaGarrette Blount rushed for 1,002 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He also broke Oregon’s school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 17. One of the lasting images of the 2008 Oregon Ducks season was Blount’s final touchdown run versus Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl, where he hurdled a defender, bounced off two tackles, and stiff-armed a final defender en route for a 29 yard touchdown. Following the Holiday Bowl, Blount contemplated declaring for the 2009 NFL Draft, but LeGarrette ultimately decided to return for his senior season at Oregon.

Blount’s scouting report reads that he is a big back at 6-1, 240 lbs. that is tough to bring down. He also has decent quickness and athleticism (he routinely hurdles defenders in the open field) and a great nose for the endzone. But his speed is not great, as he gets caught from behind in the open field, and he is not the most patient runner. He has almost no experience as a receiver out of the backfield and is very passive as a blocker. Also, his off the field problems had been a concern before his altercation against Boise State. He was suspended during the spring in 2009 for his poor attendance at voluntary workouts in the winter. He then showed up to spring practice overweight, and appeared slow and overweight in the 2009 opening game versus Boise State.

Before being suspended for the remainder of the 2009 season, I projected LeGarrette Blount as a 5^th or 6^th round prospect in the NFL Draft. After his inexcusable actions in Boise and being suspended for the remainder of the season at Oregon, I can’t give Blount a higher grade than being an undrafted free agent. If I were an NFL team, I couldn’t afford to risk a draft choice on him. It’s unfortunate that Blount likely ended his collegiate career with that punch..  It would have been interesting see if he matured from the incident and continued to showcase his talent. As of now, it seems unlikely that he would be able to petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. For whoever picks up Blount for 2010, it is definitely a buyer beware situation.

The Mets only choice is to pull him back, keeping Wagner for the rest of the season.

First reported by FoxSports.com, Wagner’s agent Bean Stringfellow informed the Red Sox of his client’s decision this morning. The lefty reliever said he would waive his no-trade for the right team. Apparently the Red Sox weren’t it.

If he went to Boston, Wagner would have setup closer Jonathan Papelbon, a situation which the 38 year-old didn’t want to do long term. So he put demands on the Sox, including not to pick up his $8 million option and not offering him arbitration, meaning there would be no compensation to the Sox when the lefty walked as a free agent.

So now he will stay in New York for the rest of the year, meaning the Mets would be responsible for the roughly $2.7 million left on his contract. The team will most likely decline the $ 8 million option, giving Wagner a $1 million buyout, but it will probably offer the reliever arbitration, netting two draft pick when he signs elsewhere next year.

The other option of just assigning Wagner’s contract to the Red Sox was out of the question, because that is also covered in the no-trade.

Keeping Wagner will mean the Mets will potentially have three closers for the rest of the season. Francisco Rodriguez is entrenched as the closer and is going nowhere, while J.J. Putz is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment in Brooklyn tonight and could rejoin the Mets within a week.

There was no public press conference to welcome de Haan. That treatment was reserved for Tavares, the No. 1 overall draft pick. But for the Islanders to parlay a youth movement in postseason success, de Haan’s maturation will also be critical.

On the draft’s first night in Montreal, the Islanders added a scoring center in Tavares and an offensive-minded defenseman when the club traded up to the 12th spot to select de Haan. Despite having just four professional practice sessions, the 18-year-old de Haan said prospect camp has been a valuable experience.

“Definitely the speed of the game,” de Haan said about the biggest surprise in camp. “You have to think and react a little quicker than you do in juniors, but I think I’m adapting to that pretty well so far.”

De Haan established a reputation an offensive-minded defenseman for the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals, scoring eight goals while adding 55 assists in 68 games. But his 165-pound frame could be detrimental to guarding NHL forwards and might require more time in juniors or at the AHL level before the Ottawa native can help the big club.

At 6-0, de Haan does have the frame to bulk up and said worked with Oshawa’s coaches to improve his positioning to become a more complete player. As a result, de Haan finished third in the OHL’s Rookie of the Year balloting.

“I’ve definitely been working on that, especially in the latter part of the season,” de Haan said. “The coaches were stressing it. I’m not bad defensively but I know I can really improve on it.”

When the Islanders hold regular training camp in September, de Haan will be able to talk with Mark Streit, the Isles All-Star defenseman who showed he can be a steady defender while contributing in the offensive zone.

De Haan will be able to vote in his first election in November after just turning 18 last May. That means the left-handed shot will have plenty of time to fulfill his potential even if he doesn’t call Nassau Coliseum home in the upcoming season.

“Realistically, I don’t think I’ll be here next year,” he said. “It’d be great to play in the NHL but I think the ice time I’ll get in juniors next year will benefit me. I would love to play here next year but it will be tough, for sure.”

Tavares and de Haan were teammates before, with the OHL goal scoring record holder starting the season in Oshawa before being traded to the London Knights. The Islanders are organizing team activities like trips to ballgames and a Jones Beach concert for its young players. Off the ice, the 44 players on the prospect camp initial roster can socialize and be friends. The competition kicks up on the ice. De Haan said the dichotomy of making friends in the dressing room while also competing for roster spots and in some cases a future in hockey can be a strange experience.

“You’re enemies on the ice in a way,” de Haan said. “But off the ice, everything is cool. If you took a hit from one of your buddies, you just brush it off later. Everyone is trying to impress and battle out there.”

Kyle Okposo was the marquee name in prospect camp in 2007 and Josh Bailey took over the mantle last season. Tavares is this year’s must-watch recruit. Both Okposo and Bailey’s performance were harbingers of a rookie year NHL call-up, giving the new players hope of following a similar career trajectory.

To acquire de Haan, the Islanders traded the 16, 77 and 182 overall selection to move up four spots.  Even the blue liner said he was surprised to be selected that high and will now try to reward the Islanders faith.

“I was ranked later first round the whole season and to be picked 12th was a shock to me,” de Haan said. “I’m going to have to run with it now and hit it out of the park.”

Twelve days after 10,118 people packed the Coliseum to watch Tavares became the fourth No. 1 overall draft pick in Islanders history, the 18-year-old prolific junior scorer greeted the nearly 500 fans at the public event. After a video showing highlights of draft night in Montreal concluded on the lowered scoreboard, Tavares stepped to the podium. The crowd cheered widely as Snow handed him an Islanders alternate blue uniform baring No. 91, which he wore as an amateur.

“You’re gonna like it here, John,” one fan yelled as Tavares pulled the jersey over his gray dress shirt he wore with a black suit.

Tavares comes to a last-place Islanders team that scored the second fewest goals in the NHL after failing to crack the 200-goal plateau. Enter Tavares, who notched 72 goals in 2006-07 to break Wayne Gretzky’s OHL single-season record.

Despite wearing a number that once belonged to Butch Goring, the glory days might not return swiftly. Tavares said he is brushing up on his history about players like Goring, who was a part of the Isles four Stanley Cup championship squads. Before thinking about a title, Tavares said he is excited to join a young club that will be looking to lead the Islanders to its first playoff series victory since 1993.

“I hope to be one part of many and contribute to rebuilding the franchise and bringing it back to where it should be and bring success back here,” Tavares said. “I think the organization deserves it; the fans deserve it and I know the players want it.”

Tavares shared the stage with Snow and coach Scott Gordon. In the first row of seats were his parents, sister, owner Charles Wang and Josh Bailey. The sight of Bailey, last year’s first-round pick, alongside Tavares marked two key pieces of Snow’s rebuilding plan.

Tavares will get his professional career started Friday during the team’s prospect camp at the Syosset-based Iceworks practice facility. Like Bailey, Tavares might be able to propel a strong showing there into meaningful minutes in his first NHL season. He is expected to join a core that features fellow former first-rounder Kyle Okposo as the three key forwards on a team that failed to have one 20-goal scorer last season.

“It’s a much bigger stage now being in the National Hockey League and there will be new experiences, but dealing with this when I was 14 and handling all the cameras, the requests, the fan attention and the eyes on me definitely will help me through my process,” Tavares said about performing in New York.

Gordon said he is excited to have a pure scorer like Tavares come aboard after the centerman finished his junior career with 215 goals. Tavares was good that the high-pressure OHL amended its rule that no players younger than 15 be drafted, allowing the Oshawa Generals to take him first overall as a 14-year old four years ago.

“John has a special, god-given ability to score,” Gordon said. “He’s going to continue to get chances and it’s just a question of what his success rate he’ll have with NHL goalies. If he continues with the way his whole career has been to this point, hopefully it will carry on.”

Snow kept his draft choice’s identity secret up until the announcement, leading to speculation that the Islanders would select defense Victor Hedman or center Matt Duchene. But the GM said Tavares’ body of work made the decision easy and his MVP performance for Team Canada during the World Junior Championship stood out as a performance that cemented his credentials.

“I think it was more of a package, not just one play,” Snow said. “But I was at the US-Canada game where the US went up early and John was an impact player in that game.”

Gordon was non-committal if Tavares would wear the captain’s “C” or be an assistant. It’s possible he might not even start the season with the parent club, though the teenager will secure a spot on the Islanders if he continues his career trajectory of excelling at every level. With training camp about two months away, Tavares said he is setting simple goals.

“I just want to be a valuable part of the team and one guy of many who contributes night in and night out,” Tavares said. “I want to be consistent and develop into a complete player and that leadership guy.

“I think can contribute in all areas in the big moments when it matters most.”

Brad Halsey’s acclimation process lasted exactly one start. As a 23-year-old Yankee prospect in 2004, Halsey limited the Dodgers to just two runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, earning the win in his major league debut.

As a reward, Halsey’s next two starts came in front of sold-out Yankee Stadium crowds who agonized and analyzed every pitch the Houston native threw. Asking someone barely out of college to pitch against the Mets and Red Sox-the Bombers top two rivals in terms of fan passion-can be a daunting task for any pitcher. While Halsey lost to the Mets, he held his own against the Red Sox and picked up a no-decision.

Five years later, Halsey is coming off arm surgery and looking to revive his career. That journey can take a positive turn tonight when Halsey takes the mound as the Ducks Opening Day starter against Southern Maryland.

Halsey last pitched in the majors in 2006, going 5-4 for Oakland. In 40 career starts, he is 14-19 with a respectable 4.84 ERA. The Yankees former eighth-round draft pick and University of Texas standout is just 28 and looking to complete a comeback following his July 2007 surgery to repair a torn labrum.

“I just take it one second at a time and enjoy every time I’m able to throw a ball and my arm feels good,” Halsey said.

The 6-1, 187-pound left-hander impressed Ducks manager Gary Carter and pitching coach Dave LaPoint enough to warrant the Opening Day assignment, which Halsey said is an honor at any professional level.

“It absolutely is an honor,” Halsey said. “There are a lot of guys in this clubhouse who have as much or even more major league experience than I do. Anytime you have an opportunity to start Opening Day, it’s a great thing.”

Former Ducks Bill Pulsipher was one of the players Halsey consulted in researching the Ducks. Earlier in the decade, Pulsipher parlayed a stint with the Ducks into another major league job, giving players like Halsey someone to emulate in trying to make a comeback into affiliated baseball.

Before coming to Long Island, Halsey pitched winter ball in Puerto Rico, where his new team got an endorsement.

“Just knowing some of the guys and for the last two years sitting at home doing rehab, I noticed there were a lot of good players in this league,” Halsey said. “For someone in my situation who has a lot to prove; this is a good place to do it.”

LaPoint said the Ducks signed an outstanding defensive catcher in John Pachot, who spent the last two seasons playing against the Flock for the Newark Bears. Pachot’s game-calling could help Halsey, along with playing under a Hall of Famer catcher in Carter.

“My experience is that catchers make the best managers because they have knowledge of the entire game” Halsey said. “Not only are they immersed in the relationship between the battery, they also have to take a bat up there all the time, which as pitchers, we don’t always have that experience.

“As a catcher, he [Carter] knows all facets of what goes on out there.”

“Denis Potvin may be the most remembered player in Rangers history,” said Rangers president Glen Sather. “Every game you hear his name chanted, so we feel it’s time to give him the proper recognition.”

Throughout most games at Madison Square Garden, the fans chant “Potvin Sucks” in remembrance of the hit he placed on Ulf Nilsson back in February, 1979. Although he never played for the Rangers, he is part of the lore of the team.

A former first round draft pick and captain of the Islanders, Potvin led the Isles to four straight Stanley Cups, while tormenting the Rangers under coach Herb Brooks. His play prevented the Rangers from breaking the 1940 curse, which lasted to 1994.

Potvin retired in 1988, but his name has lived on, which took pressure off many a Ranger team.

“I think it’s great,” said Ranger captain Chris Drury. “When the times are tough the fans chant “Potvin Sucks” and don’t boo the team. He’s been an MVP for us during losing streaks.”

“I never heard of Denis Potvin until I came here,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist. “He should be thankful these fans remember him.”

When reached for comment, Potvin, 55, said he is touched by the gesture, but doesn’t want to say anymore until he speaks to Sather.

“I wish they asked me first,” he said. “I don’t know if I will get an outpouring of love like Mark Messier or Adam Graves. I have to speak to Glen.”

Happy April Fools Day from the staff at NYSD.

There were just a couple of solid trades designed to make the Blueshirts a better team, and ones that allow the club a chance compete in the playoffs.

“What we were really trying to do was get some scoring, size, grit and and speed,” said Ranger general manager Glen Sather. “I think we did that. We’ll see how the cards play out in the future. (Coach John Tortorella) likes them. He thinks we’ve helped our team immensely.”

Two separate deals right before the deadline brought the Rangers big right wing Nik Antropov from the Maple Leafs for a conditional second round draft pick, and rugged defenseman Derek Morris from the Coyotes for Dimitri Kalinin, Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha.

Both deals were made to sure up the team’s deficiencies, with Antropov becoming the finisher the Rangers sought all season, while Morris becomes that power play quarterback, a role Wade Redden just seemed to forget how to play.

“Antropov is a big winger, centerman,” Sather said. “He’ll help us in the goal scoring department. Morris is a good, solid defenseman, he’ll give us a little more bite in the back end. He can play a little bit of everything, offense, defense.’

Just by the virtue of making the trade, Antropov becomes the Rangers leading scorer with 21 goals and 25 assists this season for a terrible Toronto team, while Morris has struggled with the numbers this season with just 5 goals and 7 assists, but has averaged between 25 and 30 points a season in the past.

Couple their arrivals with coach John Tortorella’s hiring and Sean Avery’s much awaited return, the Rangers have gained a lot in personality over the past week. And now have the personnel that can help the Rangers on the power play, which ranks 29^th in the league

“Antropov is certainly a guy with a lot of power play time,” Sather said. “He’s a goal scorer, a big body. Morris is a smart player with a history of playing on the power play.”

The price for all of these moves looks high on paper. The conditional second round pick could hurt the team in the future, but losing Kalinin, Dawes, and Prucha doesn’t sting as much because they all became expendable after the deals were made.

Although he does have a scoring touch, Dawes seemed a little undersized for the NHL. Good on the third line, the 24 year-old struggled when he moved up in the lineup. And Prucha may have needed a change in scenery, since he was buried by former coach Tom Renney the last two seasons, after scoring 52 goals his first two years.

“Since we’ve gotten Avery here, we did have a surplus of forwards,” Sather said. “And adding Antropov takes another position. It makes sense to put those two forwards in the deal and give them the opportunity to play.
“I like Prucha. If you look at Antropov coming in here, we needed to get some size in front of the net on the power play and he’s going to solve that for us. We wanted to give Petr the opportunity to play.”

Kalinin is a unrestricted free agent this summer and probably wouldn’t have been re-signed because of his disappointing first season as a Ranger.

Antropov and Morris also can walk away over the summer, which is why these deals are somewhat risky for the Rangers.

But even if they do move on, the trades also allows Sather some cap space on the club, which is another reason why yesterday a such a sold day for the club.

Another tough night for Lee and the Knicks. (Melissa Catanese/NYSD)

NEW YORK – The New York Knicks seem to be making a habit out of suffering heart-breaking losses lately. Coming off a tough loss in Washington, they fell further from the .500 mark as they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers by a score of 107-97 at Madison Square Garden.

The Sixers came into the game with six consecutive wins and this victory brings them to the even-water mark, at 20-20. The Knicks fell to 15-24, but the final score was not a true indication of how the game went.

New York got off to a good start by going ahead 9-2. Much of that was due to Quentin Richardson’s accuracy from long distance. The guard nailed a 20-foot jumper, which was directly followed by a three-pointer. The lead was narrowed, however, as the Sixers put up six unanswered points. The first two quarters were exactly even in terms of scoring, with the Sixers putting up 26 in both and the Knicks posting 25 in both. Philadelphia forward Andre Iguodala sent the two teams into halftime, and the crowd into a booing frenzy, by draining a long three-pointer as the buzzer sounded. The Sixers went into the half leading 52-50.

The 76ers kept up with the Knicks throughout the first half mainly because of Iguodala who had 20 points in quarters one and two. The two Andre’s killed the Knicks as Iguodala finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Andre Miller finished with 27 points.

One positive for the Knicks in this game was the return of first-round draft pick and Italian import Danilo Gallinari. The forward entered the game in the second quarter to a supportive cheer. He turned that cheer into a raucous applause after draining a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Gallinari had not played since October 31 due to a back injury. He showed his exuberance to be back on the court with an emotional fist pump after hitting the three, which was the first field goal of his career.

Knicks fans were thrilled to see Gallinari get back on the hardwood, but head coach Mike D’Antoni knows the 20-year old has a lot to work on. “The biggest thing I’m worried about is to watch his defense because offensively he is going to be really good. He knows how to play once he gets his legs and his confidence, he will be great on the offensive end.”

Gallinari, who played 15 minutes in the game, still said his back is a work in progress. “There’s a little bit of discomfort still. It’s there, but not so much. I’m working with the coaches, I’m getting there.”

There was no masking the youngster’s desire to contribute immediately. However, he realizes it will take time, as he said, “I want to take it slow, but I want to help the team. It’s fun to play in this system. I’m 20, I have time to play.”

It was the third quarter that really hurt the Knicks. The 76ers went on an 8-0 run to open the second half, dulling the Garden’s energy. Too many unwarranted three-pointers and numerous Philadelphia steals left New York scoring just 16 points. In stark contrast, the Knicks played well in the fourth, as both teams scored 31 points.

Gallinari started a late surge that almost resulted in a comeback. New York was down by ten points with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter. Gallinari drained a three-pointer, followed by two consecutive triples from forward Al Harrington, who finished with a  team-high 26 points, bringing the deficit to just three with 7:58 left in regulation. Unfortunately, this was the closest the Knicks got for the rest of the game, as the Sixers piled on the points and quieted the crowd.

D’Antoni knows things have to change, as he said, “There’s a lot of things we have to improve on, there’s no doubt. We (have to) keep up the ball movement. We can’t just jack up shots. These are good teams we’re playing against. Philadelphia is playing as well as anybody. We had our opportunities, especially early.”

Knicks center David Lee continued his stellar season by recording his 28th double-double netting 15 points and bringing down 11 rebounds. He now has 25 double-doubles in his last 28 games. He entered play before the game second in the NBA to Orlando’s Dwight Howard (30).

The Knicks play their next game on Martin Luther King Day, January 19, when they host the Chicago Bulls at 1:00 p.m.

It was a game in which the Knicks, who had sported a sporadic grasp of new head coach Mike D’Antoni’s run and gun system throughout the pre-season, showed off all their new offensive chops while playing tough, physical defense against a Heat team not lacking in firepower with Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and the league’s #2 draft pick, Michael Beasley leading the way.

It was also a game in which D’Antoni showed his cards as far as his player rotation is concerned. Shocking to some but not at all to others were the big “DNP-Coaches Decision” (Did Not Play) next to the names of Stephon Marbury and Eddie Curry, two of the higher profile players on this roster as well as the highest paid. Marbury, the New York kid from Brooklyn’s Lincoln H.S. sat so far down on the bench, away from his teammates that someone cracked he should put on the uniform of the Garden security guards since he was sitting closer to those guys than to his own teammates.

“I saw a lot of good things tonight,” D’Antoni said. “I thought the ball movement, especially in the first half was good. I thought David (Lee) and Zach (Randolph) played well. We mixed it up going inside and outside.

Both Lee and Randolph acquitted themselves well with Lee, now firmly installed as the starting power forward, hitting for 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also added a shocking five assists, a number rarely associated with a rebounding, defensive-minded forward.

Randolph, now a center in D’Antoni’s system, put up the same numbers he’s been achieving his entire career. He got his 20 points and his 9 rebounds and unlike last season, the ball didn’t get lost in a black hole when it went to him. He either shot it or found an open man quickly to pass it to.

The Knicks broke open the game in the second quarter with a 32-18 advantage to take the halftime lead at 60-45. They were cruising on all cylinders while holding the Heat to 34% shooting while scoring at a 50% clip, themselves.

The Heat began to eat into the lead with less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, when the Knicks had already built up a commanding 21 point lead, 104-83. The Heat went on a 16-3 run to close to 114-109 with 39 seconds to go in the game.

But, Nate Robinson, who finished with 13 points and 7 assists, hit both ends of a 1 + 1 two separate times, Jamal Crawford (28 points) hit two free throws to ice it for the home team.

D’Antoni reflected over the near loss of the huge lead his team had going into the final five minutes.

“I think the last five minutes were just a matter of oh gosh, we kinda shut it down and we can’t do that,” he said. “We’re not that good to be able to do that but we’ll work on that for sure.”

“In the last five minutes, we’re not going to slow it down,” D’Antoni continued. “We just weren’t real good about staying on their three-point shooters and our energies went down a little bit at the end. We didn’t get back on defense a couple of times. We’ll work on that.”

He got a little chuckle out of the press when he joked about this first win of his Knick career.

“The only thing’s that’s determined for sure is that we’re not going to lose every game this year.”

The Marbury situation does bare watching, as this is a proud All-Star caliber player who evidently no longer fits into the Knicks current or future plans.

“Well, obviously, it’s tough,” D’Antoni said. “There’s just certain guys I want to see and make sure and it’s a delicate situation and Steph’s been great. It hasn’t been his fault and I know he’s not going to be happy about it and I wouldn’t be either but this team goes on two different tracks. One is for the future and one is to try to win now. I played ten guys tonight, that’s too many and I need to play about nine so I can get everybody good runs but we’ll keep looking at it. As far as going forward, I don’t really have an answer about Steph right now.”

In an unusual post-game locker room setting, despite the fact there had been a big Knicks opening night win, nearly every member of the press circled around Marbury’s locker to listen to the once-All Star caliber point guard express how he felt about his healthy scratch from a game.

“I’m happy…we won. If that’s what he asks for me to do, I’m fine with it,” said Marbury. “This is a business and I understand it’s just business. If that’s the way they want to go, I’m fine with that. He (Coach D’Antoni) should do whatever he feels he should do. I can’t control what he does, he’s the coach. If this is what it is, there is always next year. I’m not going to harp on this year, it is what it is.”

“I got mad love for New York. I’m a New York Knick until otherwise, until my contract runs out.”

We’ll see how long Marbury’s love for New York can sustain him through a season of DNPs.