Ersan IIyasova came off the bench to score a season high 25 points and grab nine rebounds while Brandon Jennings scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half to lead the Bucks to a 114-107 victory. It was New York’s fourth loss in the last five games and now drop to 19-30.

After taking a 59-54 first half lead that saw them commit only one turnover, the Knicks were unable to take care of the ball in the second half as Milwaukee outscored them 36-22 in the third quarter and would hold on to the lead for good. New York would end up commiting 10 turnovers in the second half.

” They just got a lot of offensive rebounds, ” D’Antoni said. ” We turned it over five times. Those were the biggest combinations. They just beat us to the ball. They beat us to the basket, beat us to the screen, beat us to everything. That’s not a good combo.”

David Lee led the way for the Knickerbockers with another fine game scoring a season high 32 points and recording 15 rebounds for his 30th double double of the season. It’s his 18th 20/10 game of the season. Al Harrington added 22 points and eight rebounds off the bench while Nate Robinson who made us first contributed 13 points and seven assists with zero turnovers. It was Nate’s first start of the season and first in over a year and never got going shooting 3 for 12 from the field.

” It just felt awkward out there,” Robinson said. ” Trying to do everything we can, we just fell short. We have to watch film, go back and figure out what those lapses were, where those grey areas were and bounce back and capitalize.

The Knicks got a glimpse of what could have been with Brandon Jennings, the former Oak Hill Academy star who skipped college to play in Italy, as the point guard of the future. After a dismal first half in which he shot 1 for 7 for 3 points, he got it going in the third quarter with eight straight Milwaukee points. He nailed a 3-pointer that tied it at 64 and then a three-point play that gave the Bucks a 69-67 lead. Instead of that, the Knicks had turn to Robinson who is starting for the struggling Duhon.

” It’s not his fault, ” D’Antoni said. ” He was fine. We’re just not a real cohesive unit with a lot of spirit right now for whatever reason. There are a lot of times during the game when we start to sag a little bit and we just don’t have any collective spirit. It pops up a few times a year and it’s popped up now.”

After Jennings gave the Bucks the two point lead, the Knicks scored the next six points to take a 73-69 lead with 5:35 remaining after David Lee hit a running layup. But the Bucks would get real hot as they ended the quarter on a 21-8 run that included IIyasova slam of a pick and roll feed from Jennings to give them a 86-78 lead.

” I don’t know where we really went wrong,” Lee said. They put in a small lineup, something we have not seen in a while. The did a good job, they hit shots. Ersan is the one who really made the difference.”

The Knick fans booed after the third quarter came to an end and would get worse in the fourth after a Jerry Stackhouse 3 pointer gave the Bucks a 97-84 lead. The Knicks would get as close as six with 1:32 left but Jennings hit a bank shot with 32 seconds left to put the game away for good.

Another key factor for tonight was how much of a no factor Danillo Ganillari was. He only shot 2 for 6 from the field for only seven points. He was even off from the free throw line shooting 2 for 6 as well.

” Their defense is really good, ” D’Antoni said. ” That’s what they live on. They got into him. You have to learn. A few times in the first half he could have jumped into them and got a lot of foul shots because they were really running at him. Those are things to learn.”

Gallinari seemed to be more concerned on the loss that his performance and still feels there is time to make a run for the playoffs.

” We lost an important game for us,” Gallinari said. ” Today was important to us as Bucks is a team we have to beat to make playoffs. Sometimes the bad game happens for me. But it’s a long way to go and we still have a chance to get in playoffs but we have to fight hard.”

There is time but they can’t afford any more losses. New York has dropped further and further out of the playoff picture as the Bulls and Bobcats have stepped it up since the start of 2010 while the Knicks have faded. They have two games before the All-Star break, including a matchup against the team with the NBA’s best record, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.

Temple, thus far, has compiled one of its best early season marks. Currently ranked #16/17 in national polls, The Owls defeated top 5 ranked Villanova on December 13. Two of its three losses came at the hands of ranked teams. Georgetown edged Temple, 46-45, and the Owls were blown out by Kansas, then #1 ranked. Its only other defeat was by the St. John’s Red Storm.

Fordham, on the other hand, has started horribly. Its head coach, Derek Whittenburg, was fired after coaching the first five games of the season. The slow start followed a 3-25 record in the 2008-9 season. The current head coach, Jared Grasso, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s basketball, has led the team to only one victory in 12 contests.

The background of the two teams seemed totally irrelevant as they battled evenly during the first half. The score was knotted three times and the lead changed hands five times during the first 10 minutes. A layup by Fordham’s Chris Gaston at 9:25 gave Fordham its final lead of the game. The half ended with the visitors leading, 22-19. The stats for the teams were very similar. Both shot below 30% from the floor. Each only netted two treys and grabbed 18 boards.

Temple’s three more free throws than Fordham were the difference between the two. Veteran coach Fran Dunphy spoke of his team’s poor start, “I have no idea why we start so slow. We had decent looks in the first half, but we didn’t make them.”

Temple adjusted well in the second half, and began the period with a 16-4 scoring run to take a 38-23 lead with 13:45 remaining. Temple continued its domination of the contest, raising its advantage to 23 points. Fordham closed the game outscoring the visitors 14-8, but it was too little, too late. Temple’s shooting from the floor was outstanding. The Owls netted 16 of 24 attempts, 7 of 9 from beyond the arc. Dunphy credited his bench players, who outscored Fordham 26-12, for creating the separation during the second half. Sophomore Scootie Reynolds, averaging less than two points per game, scored all 12 of his points in the second half on four of five from three point range. Grasso talked of his team’s inability to play effectively for 40 minutes,

“We played 22-23 minutes, and ran out of gas.” Grasso, as he often does, spoke of the youth of his freshmen dominated squad, “We showed how young we are. In the second half, they made more shots, and we didn’t respond. Sometimes, you see the difference between upperclassmen and freshmen.” Grasso did speak very positively of the effort his players make, “They’re playing hard. The effort is there. I’m not disappointed.”

Freshman Chris Gaston of the Rams, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, continued his double digit average in both categories with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Take it out of each of their paychecks because a game like this is just unacceptable.

Sure, after the game, each Ranger was saying how their play was a disgrace, but the loyal Garden fans deserve more from this. If the Rangers don’t want to compete at home, the fans need something for their efforts.

And Giant-like apologies just won’t do it.

“There was nothing good about the game,” said center Brandon Dubinsky. “I’m not going to hide under a rock, though.”

Fine, they all were there in the dressing room after the match fielding answers to the questions. Each Ranger, though, has a certain responsibility to come in and play hard every night, especially at home. They owe the fans that. To do any less is a disgrace to the uniform they wear and tarnishes every great who wore the Ranger sweater since 1926.

“Everyone had a bad game on the same night,” Christopher Higgins said when asked about the game, but this is more than that, you have to wonder why the Rangers performed like this, especially after the mockery of a game just two weeks ago against the Islanders.

After that game, John Tortorella was livid, but tonight was more reserved.

“If we have to go with a coach losing his mind making an idiot out of himself every five games then we are beating our heads against the wall,” Tortorella said. “It can’t be that way. We have to find some consistency. I think we played pretty well Islander game.

“Guys, I am being honest with you, I don’t have an answer on why we played the game tonight the way we did. I thought we practiced well, I thought we got enough rest and they were in good spirits. I just don’t know why.”

Neither do the 18,200 fans, all of whom deserve their money back. At least they got treated to the NHL debut of Chad Johnson, the 23 year-old backup goalie, who stopped 17 of 20 shots on the night after coming in for Henrik Lundqvist to start the second period.  Although Simon Gagne was able to score on the first shot Johnson faced, thanks to a turnover by Dubinsky, the rookie hung in there.

“I thought he settled in, made some good saves,” Tortorella said. “It’s a tough position for a kid to come into his first game into this storm or whatever you call it.”

Fortunately the Rangers are able to play tomorrow, so they won’t have to sit and mull over this game. And maybe they can ring out this bad 2009 with some sort of win and maybe put this game behind them.

And maybe the fans will forget this game too.

“This was a difficult decision, but we felt that we needed a new direction at this time,” said Fordham Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin in a statement. He added, “It’s a priority of the University to have a successful program in the competitive Atlantic-10 Conference.”

Last season the Rams finished 3-25 overall, finishing 14^th in the conference with a 1-15 mark and failed to make the post season tournament for the first time.  That led to rumors and speculation that Whittenburg would be dismissed but he returned for a seventh season and recently signed a contract extension for another three years.

Whittenburg was hired in 2004 after leading Wagner College to their first NCAA Tournament the year before. He could not be reached for comment but sources said Whittenburg was disappointed and would release a statement soon.  Others on the Fordham campus, including alumni who are major supporters of the basketball program up at Rose Hill reportedly had been looking for Whittenburg to be dismissed.

He complied a 69-112 record with the Rams and is 136-162 overall as a head coach in eleven seasons.  Assistant coach Jared Grasso will take over as interim head coach the remainder of the season. He will guide the Rams for their next game Saturday evening up at Rose Hill when Fordham takes on Bowling Green State University.

As the Rams struggled last season there were reports that Whittenburg got into clashes with numerous players, including one of his leading scorers Chris Bethel. Regardless Fordham has difficulty when it comes to stability retaining a head coach. Whittenburg succeeded Bob Hill the highly touted NBA coach who signed a 10-year million dollar contract.

After Fordham defeated Sacred Heart up at Rose Hill two weeks ago, their first win this season. Whittenburg commented a bit about the dismal campaign last year. “We really did not have a leader and there was too much outside influences that disrupted the kids,” he said.  There were references to outside coaches who knew his players, even some family members that may have caused some dissension by being too influential.

Alumni assisted in bringing Hill to Rose Hill paying for some of his salary, and Hill after a mutual decision to leave is still being paid.  McLaughlin said an immediate search is on as to who would guide the Rams in the future and Grasso is under consideration.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Week 12 presents one of the biggest and likely one of the most anticipated matchups this season. Just like the Colts and Patriots in week 10 gave us one fot he ages, this Monday night when the Patriots visit the Sainst this matchup promises to be just that and everything more!

A Classic in the Making

There’s no secret that both the Patriots and the Saints are loaded with tremendous talent on offense and have one of the premiere passers in today’s game. Monday night’s matchup promises to be a great matchup of two high scoring potented offenses.

Over their past five games the Patriots have scored no fewer than 27 points and are averaging 37 points per game. Their offense has been led by none other than quarterback Tom Brady (3,049 yards) who has passed for over 300-yards in each of the five games. Brady has also sprayed 14 touchdowns in the same time span. With his two trusty receivers Randy Moss (eight touchdowns) and Wes Welker (79 receptions), expect Brady’s bunch to continue the show.

The Saints on the other hand boast just as an explosive offense as the Patriots, but they are finding more balance ways to put points on the board. Quarterback Drew Brees (22 touchdowns) still leads the offense with his plethora of receiving options; Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and Jeremy Shockey, but this year the Saints have added balance with a running attack. Both running backs Pierre Thomas (584 yards) and Mike Bell (514 yards) anchor the leagues 5th ranked rushing attack.

When these two teams meet on Monday night, it will be a fantasy owner’s dream matchup with big plays, lots of yards, and plenty of scores.

Fantasy Notes:

While some of Brees passing numbers are down (274 passing yards per game) this season, he’s become more efficient with over 68 percent of his passes completed and 22 touchdown. His leading receiver is Marques Colston who has 44 receptions this season, but has not gone over 100-yards in his last five games.

The Patriots offense has been on a roll this season and no one has been quite on fire as quarterback Tom Brady. Brady has passed for 300-yards in five straight games and thrown 20 touchdowns this season, while his wide receiver Wes Welker has also been sizzling along the way. Welker has 61 receptions in his last six starts including three games with at least 10 receptions. Running back Laurence Maroney has not seen a lot of carries this season, but he’s finding the end-zone often; Maroney has scored a touchdown in five straight games.

10 Things

On my Sunday’s Watch-List

1. If he’s plays Sunday, Steven Jackson against the Seahawks will be a key watch. The Hawks are ranked 16th against the run and Jackson has been a beast of late.

2. If Kurt Warner plays, he’s been plenty good the past couple of weeks throwing nine touchdowns and on Sunday he faces the Titan’s 31st ranked pass defense.

3. Can Terrell Owens follow up his big game last week with another this week against the Dolphins 22nd ranked pass defense.

4. The Texans let one get away Monday night, but on Sunday I’ll be watching to see if Matt Schaub and the offense can exploit the Colts 18th ranked pass defense.

5. Brady Quinn finally had his first big passing day last week against the Lions, can he do it again this week facing the leagues 20th ranked pass defense (Bengals)?

6. The Chargers have been on a roll and running back LaDanian Tomlinson has been playing well scoring three times in his last two games. Can he continue against the Chiefs 27th ranked run defense.

7. The Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has been playing as well as any quarterback in the league with nine touchdowns in his last three games. On Sunday Favre will get the Bears 8th ranked pass defense that has allowed 18 touchdowns this season.

8. With Portis and WEstbrook out, I will be watching to see which back has the bigger day Rock Cartwright (135 yards rushing) or LeSean McCoy (452 yards).

9. Quietly the Jets are the leagues number two ranked rushing offense and on Sunday they play the Carolina Panthers (ranked 26th against the run). I will be watching running backs Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene.

10. Monday night I will be watching both the Saints and Patriot’s offense with all of their playmakers; Brady, Brees, Colston, and Moss to name a few.

Steve Tambellini was likely not counted among the announced crowd of 8,889. But Edmonton’s general manager was in attendance and watched his son play the best game of his professional life.

Jeff Tambellini netted his first career hat trick to lift the Isles (4-4-5) to .500 for the month of October after the club lost its first six games to start the campaign.

Tambellini is working to shed the label as a forward who can dominate the minor league-AHL but can’t score enough at the game’s highest level. Tambellini scored at least 20 goals in all three of his AHL seasons but had just 11 goals in his first 143 games for the Islanders.

Yet Tambellini capped his hottest goal-scoring streak as an NHL player with his father in attendance. The 25-year-old scored twice against Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who entered the game 8-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average.

Tambellini now has six goals in the past five games, including two mulit-goal games in the past four contests after never reaching the plateau in parts of his first four seasons on Long Island. Those numbers seem surprising, though Tambellini said he expected that level of performance.

“This is the way I usually play,” said Tambellini, who scored 96 in 169 career minor league games. “Last year was my first full year in the NHL and before that I was playing in the American League and this was the way it went. I just feel like I’m back doing my thing again.”

Coach Scott Gordon paired Tambellini on a line with second-year center Josh Bailey and veteran team captain Doug Weight.  The trio combined for five points as the Islanders ended Buffalo’s (8-2-1) four-game winning streak. The Sabres lost for the first time in five road games.

Hats crashed to the Coliseum ice when Tambellini completed the hat trick with just 4:18 left. Kyle Okposo’s shot hit off backup netminder Patrick Lalime and was trickling back towards the goal line before Tambellini pushed it through.

Gordon said it’s taken Tambellini time to find a way to consistently beat higher-caliber goaltending and produce like he did for the Islanders’ minor league-affiliate
Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

“It’s a hard thing when you’ve had success in the past to know you can get by on your shot alone if you get to the right places on the perimeter,” Gordon said. “His shot is going to beat a lot of American League goalies but the goalies are so good in the NHL and the time and space is a lot different.

“Now, he’s getting himself to the front of the net.”

Tambellini will have another chance to make an impression on his father when the Islanders host Edmonton Monday night.  The Oilers enter with a 7-6-1 record.

“We felt like we had a good team to start the year,” Tambellini said. “We felt like we can make a real stride from last year. This puts us back on the map and right in the thick of things in the East.”

After three straight effortless weeks shutting down some of the league’s worst offenses (winning consecutive games against 0-6 Tampa Bay, 1-5 Kansas City, and 2-4 Oakland), the Giants’ two-deep zone defense was picked apart by New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees in a demoralizing 48-27 loss, ending the New York’s five game winning streak to begin the 2009 season.

The Saints, who are 5-0 for the first time since 1993, set the tone early with a game-opening 15-play, 70-yard drive, which consumed 7:41 off the clock. The drive ended with a 4th-and-1, over-the-top dive for a touchdown by running back Mike Bell, giving New Orleans a 7-0 lead before Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning, who was making his homecoming, could touch the ball for the first time. The 28-year-old Manning, who was born and raised for the first 18 years of his life in New Orleans, played for the first time in the building where is father Archie Manning quarterbacked the Saints from 1971-1982.

On that first drive, Brees was just getting started, completing 5 of 7 passes for 43 yards against the Giants’ very soft zone with its injury-depleted secondary, while also running for six yards and a first down on 3rd-and-3 from the Saints’ 37 on the game’s first series.

The Bell touchdown marked the fifth time in as many games that New Orleans scored on its first possession this season. The score also gave the Saints 31 points (most in the NFL) on opening drives this year, which surpassed the Giants’ 27 points on such drives. On the game’s next possession, New York’s streak of scoring on its first possession in its first five games came to an end when it managed just one first down before punting.

The next time Brees touched the ball, he threw six straight passes, completing all of them, leading the Saints 80 yards in just 2:48, finding ex-Giant tight end Jeremy Shockey on a one-yard touchdown pass, putting New Orleans up, 14-0, with 2:11 left in the first quarter.

In less than 12 minutes, the Giants had already just about given up their average of 14.2 points per game (second only to Denver) coming into the contest.

At that point, Brees, who finished the game going 23-30 for 369 yards (his 32nd career 300-yard game), with four touchdowns and no turnovers, had already completed 11 of his first 13 passes for 123 yards against a Giants’ defense which entered the game ranked first in the league both overall (allowing 210.6 total yards per game) and against the pass (giving up just 104.8 passing yards per game).

The Saints led by double digits the rest of the way, in what was supposed to be a Bayou showdown between arguably the top two teams in the NFL entering Week 6, although the Giants briefly showed signs in the first half of getting back in the game.

After the Saints’ second touchdown, Domenic Hixon returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to midfield, but New York could only move 19 yards to the New Orleans 31 yard-line, for a Lawrence Tynes 49-yard field goal, to pull to within 14-3 with three seconds left in the first quarter.

The second quarter featured a scoring explosion. The Giants scored a pair of touchdowns, but allowed another three, and trailed 34-17 by halftime.

After Tynes’ field goal, it took the Saints just four plays and 2:20 to go 57 yards and take a 20-3 lead (the PAT was missed) on a 36-yard toss from Brees to wide receiver Robert Meacham.

The Giants responded though, taking the next possession 9 plays and 73 yards in 4:59, closing to within 20-10 on running back Ahmad Bradshaw’s 10-yard touchdown run with 7:41 left in the first half. The game nearly got away earlier on that drive when Saints’ safety Darren Sharper returned the ball for an apparent touchdown, but it was called back for a personal foul call on New Orleans linebackers Jonathan Vilma’s late hit on Manning.

The Saints struck right back on the next possession, however, going 5 plays and 61 yards in only 2:37, taking a 27-10 lead on a Brees 12-yard touchdown throw to Lance Moore. That scoring drive was aided by a very questionable 35-yard pass interference penalty on Giants’ cornerback Corey Webster who got his feet tangled with Saints’ receiver, former Hofstra star Marques Colston (games highs of 8 receptions and 166 yards), setting New Orleans up with a first down at the New York 12 yard-line.

Hixon again responded, returning the kickoff that followed, 68 yards to the Saints’ 37 yard-line. The Giants used the short field to score in just four plays, as Manning, who was held to just 14 of 31 for 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT on the day, threw his only touchdown pass of the game, a 15-yard strike to wide receiver Mario Manningham, who ripped the ball away from Sharper. The Giants were in the game, down 27-17, with 3:19 remaining in the half.

On the next possession, Brees and Colston again had their way with the Giants’ pass defense, connecting on consecutive hookups of 40 yards and then another 20 yards, to the New York 8 yard-line.

The Giants defense finally had what looked to be a momentum-changing moment though, stopping the Saints on a goal-line stand, as New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas (game-high 72 yards on 15 carries) was stopped on 4th-and-1, on a surge led by Giants’ defensive end Osi Umenyiora.

After Manning completed an 18-yard pass to Manningham, he was sacked and fumbled. The Saints recovered at the Giants 8-yard line. Two plays later, running back Reggie Bush scored on an easy 7-yard touchdown run with just 9 seconds left in the half, to lead 34-17.

The Giants entered the locker room at halftime stunned, having allowed three more points in a single half than they had in any of their previous five games this season (they gave up 31 in a win at Dallas) and eight more points than they gave up in their previous three games, combined.

Brees completed the first half with a 157.7 passer rating, going a near-perfect 17 of 20 for 247 yards, 3 TD, and 0 INT. A huge part of the Giants’ inability to cover receivers downfield was their severe lack of pressure up front on the Saints’ quarterback. Brees wasn’t sacked and was hit just twice in the opening half, while New Orleans rolled up 315 yards of offense and scored touchdowns on five of 6 first-half possessions.

“I don’t know that we ever hit him,” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said of Brees. “At this level, if you’re going to stop the pass, you’ve got to get pressure. You’ve got to force the quarterback not to throw it on his tempo.”

Which is exactly what Brees thought was the key to his success, saying “We wanted to really dictate the tempo of the game the whole way through. “Seven different guys scored touchdowns. That’s big. That’s the type of rhythm that, when you get in, you feel like you can call anything and it’s going to work.” It was the first time that seven different Saints scored in a game since November 2, 1969, at St. Louis.

After each team traded punts to start the third quarter, Manning was intercepted at the New Orleans 40 yard-line, prompting a frustrated Manning to slap Bradshaw on the shoulder pad and berate him for Bradshaw’s breakdown in pass blocking.

Brees and the Saints took advantage of the turnover, going 9 plays and 71 yards in 5:11, for Brees’ final touchdown of the day, a 12-yard touchdown pass to Colston with 4:10 left in the third quarter, giving New Orleans a 41-17 lead, effectively ending the Giants’ hopes.

The Giants had an early fourth-quarter touchdown pass after a great scrambling job by Manning nullified by a mysterious holding call. New York then settled for a 38-yard Tynes field goal, to trail 41-20.

New Orleans running back Heath Evans added a 2-yard touchdown run with 7:04 left and backup quarterback David Carr, in for Manning with the game out of reach, closed the scoring with a 37-yard throw to rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (5 catches for 114 yards), who caught a touchdown pass for the third straight game.

New York will need to return to form defensively when it returns home next week to face another good quarterback, Arizona’s Kurt Warner, when the Giants host the Cardinals (3-2) at 8:20pm EST, on Sunday night, at Giants Stadium.

Yes, former Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini, the disciple of the highly successful Bill Belichick, was often called “Man-genius” after turning the 2005 Jets, who finished 4-12 under Herm Edwards, into the playoff-participating 10-6 Jets of 2006, during Mangini’s rookie season as an NFL head coach.

And, even after losing to Belichick’s New England Patriots in an AFC wild-card playoff game that year, and suffering through a huge falloff right back to 4-12 the following year, Mangini wasn’t criticized as much as he was praised for exposing Belichick in the highly publicized Spygate scandal involving the Patriots illegally filming and stealing Jets’ defensive signals.

A year later, during the very short-lived Brett Favre-as-a-Jet era in 2008, Mangini’s Jets handily beat the then-undefeated, 10-0 Tennessee Titans to go 8-3, causing many in the New York area to dream realistically of a potential Jets-Giants Super Bowl matchup, as both New York teams were very serious contenders in their respective conferences.

Yup, Mangini was the right coach at the right time to lead the Jets to their first Super Bowl in nearly four decades, and he would keep them highly competitive thereafter, for years to come.

However, then came the huge collapse.

Favre, who had 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during the Jets’ 8-3 start last year, threw just 2 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, hampered by an injury to his throwing shoulder over the final five games last season. The Jets lost four of those games to finish 9-7, and they were very fortunate to get their lone win during that stretch, being outplayed by the Buffalo Bills in a 31-27 victory at home.

Mangini’s in-game decision-making and motivational skills were scrutinized in a way only the pressure of performing in the New York fish bowl can provide. The Jets went from Super Bowl bound to missing the playoffs, and the “Man-genius” suddenly didn’t know what he was doing anymore.

After being fired by the Jets the day after the 2008 season ended, Mangini has since faced similar, perhaps even worse condemnation after an 0-4 start in Cleveland this year.

So, what have the Jets done in that time to get back on track toward being a contender since Mangini’s departure?

Well, after cutting ties with Mangini, they released Favre after he retired yet again, before recanting again, and continuing his career with a 4-0 start to the 2009 season in Minnesota.

Quickly, the Jets have begun to put key pieces into place. First, the brilliant defensive mind of another rookie head coach, Rex Ryan, was added in the offseason. Then, USC star quarterback Mark Sanchez, with a seemingly huge upside, was acquired in the 2009 NFL draft. And now, this week, finally, the Jets get a long-awaited, big-play, deep threat in Braylon Edwards, via a trade, giving Sanchez a legitimate number one option at the wide receiver position.

So far, Sanchez hasn’t been spectacular, and he’s made some typical rookie mistakes, especially in the Jets’ only loss of 2009, in New Orleans last week. However, Sanchez overall, has already exceeded expectations and has for the most part, played winning football while leading the Jets to a 3-1 record so far this season.

Now, Sanchez and the Jets should get even better with Edwards. While he’s a risk with some reported attitude issues and off-the-field incidents (mostly recently this week, allegedly punching a friend of Lebron James outside a Cleveland nightclub), Edwards, getting a fresh start, leaving one of the NFL’s worst teams, coming to a contender in New York, might change the controversial receiver for the better.

In fact, he’s already at least saying all of the right things, as he disclosed to Associate Press reporter Dennis Waszak. “It can definitely take the joy out of the game,” Edwards said of losing in Cleveland. “It weighs on you. Coming here to a team that’s doing well with a new head coach that has them going in the right direction and just freeing myself of the situation and coming to another situation, I think it’s a fresh start and a clean slate.”

Football-wise, there’s no denying that the 26-year-old, 6-foot-3, 215-pound former first-round pick by the Browns with 238 career receptions for 3,697 yards, and 28 touchdowns in 5¼ seasons is a previously missing piece that the Jets sorely needed to ultimately contend for a Super Bowl — whether that happens this season or if it takes longer.

And, whom might the Jets have to thank for their good young foundation on which to build their passing game, possibly for the next several years?

You guessed it, the former “Man-genius.”

Without the earlier Mangini era in New York, the Jets might have been able to trade their number 17 pick to Cleveland for the number five pick in the first round of last April’s draft, in order to grab Sanchez. And, they might have been able to work out a deal to bring in Edwards for seventh-round pick, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey (with 43 career receptions in 19 games) plus undrafted linebacker Jason Trusnik (with 24 career tackles and no sacks in 17 career games out of Ohio Northern), and a couple of undisclosed draft picks.

But, don’t count on it.

It’s a lot more likely that the Jets used their ties with Mangini to swing both deals, first to land Sanchez in April, and this week, to seemingly steal Sanchez’s brand new primary target.

You have to feel for Mangini. It’s been pretty rough for him ever since last year’s Super Bowl talk in New York ended. But, through his dealings with his former team from his new home in Cleveland, he may yet, even if unintentionally, deliver that Super Bowl for the Jets.

“It’s nice to get back and we are ready and need 11 more,” said Johnny Damon as the Yankees christened their new clubhouse with what they hope is the first of three more celebrations and a 27^th world championships.”   Last year the Yankees missed their first post season in 13 years under manager Joe Girardi who also wears number 27 on the back of his uniform.

In the middle of the champagne celebration was Nick Swisher, a key acquisition that General Manger Brian Cashman made during the off-season, “It’s nice to come here and do what we were capable of doing,” said Swisher who was mobbed by his teammates, including pitcher Mariano Rivera who got the last out and recorded his 44^th save in the Yankees 4-2 clincher over the Red Sox.

The Yankees, who took control over first place the Al East On July 21^st, have also secured home field advantage in the playoffs. They may also see Boston again in the American League Championship Series. If Detroit does not lose their slim division lead to Minnesota, New York would open the first round of the ALDS against the Tigers.

The Red Sox, on the verge of clinching the AL wild card will open their series against the impending Al west champion Angels, so the Yankees could see Boston again, or even the Angels who eliminated the Yankees in five games in the ALDS in 2005 and in four games in 2002.  There years ago it was Detroit eliminating the Yankees in four games in the ALDS

“Everything is clicking now,” said winning pitcher Andy Pettitte (14-7) who will probably get the ball and follow 19-game winner CC Sabathia as the third pitcher in the opening round playoff series. “When you miss out it makes you a little more hungry to get back there,” he said referring to the Yankees missing the playoffs last season.

As the Yankees celebrated, with what they hope is the first of three more, they realize there is much more work to be done.  The stigma of losing in the opening round of their last playoff appearance to Cleveland in 2007 remains, so they very well know that the playoffs are a different season.

“This is a fun group and exciting group,” commented Girardi who makes his first appearance as a playoff manager after being a part of the Yankees championship teams under former manager Joe Torre. “The way last year ended left a bad taste in our mouth and we worked to get here since spring training,” he said.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

There are not many fans in the ballpark as some Mets players took their pre game swings around the batting cage. Some would take their cuts, leave the field and take the walk to their new spacious clubhouse. Other players are in the back room players lounge, a sanctuary in new modern ballparks such as Citi Field.

Otherwise, inside it is quiet. Mets players are going about their business realizing that a lost season of misery is almost over. The bags are already packed for their last road trip to Florida and Washington and equipment manager Charlie Samuels does his last minute check. This time of year, with expanded rosters, Samuels has to make sure nothing is left behind.

Alex Cora, the veteran, who played a vital role in the infield for the injured Jose Reyes, was on a couch at the end of the clubhouse situated near an entrance to the player’s lounge. He interestingly watched the Yankees afternoon encounter with the Angels on a high definition television above the locker of Angel Pagan.

His left thumb in a cast from recent ligament surgery, Cora was doing exercises to his right hand where ligament surgery was successfully done on the right thumb five weeks ago. It has been that type of season for Cora and the Mets, injuries that may have set a Major League record for a team.

“Here they come,” said Cora to yours truly and another reporter about the Angels as they rallied against the New York Yankees. “They are good, “he said.  After the Angels failed to score Cora retreated to his spacious quarters to the left. “It has been a bad year,” he said. “I am coming along and hope to be here next year. These are a great bunch of guys.”

But the Mets hope Reyes returns to form and recovers from a torn hamstring tendon behind the right knee that has kept him on the disabled list since May 26^th.  Cora may or may not be in their plans, though before going on the DL on August 18^th he became a valuable player in the infield and at the plate.

One hour before game time now and the clubhouse is getting busier, though still quiet. Pagan changes into his game jersey, Gary Sheffield walks to his dressing area by the clubhouse entrance, checks his blackberry e-mail. Anderson Hernandez, not far from Sheffield quietly gets dressed and Wilson Valdez goes from one end of the clubhouse to the other.

Anderson and Valdez are two of those other Mets infielders who have tried to fill the void with the absence of Reyes. A lost season for the Mets and both wonder where they will be in February when the Mets convene for spring training in Port St. Lucie Florida.

“I hope to be here but it is not up to me,” says Valdez who was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in late May. He has seen more playing time the past month hoping the Mets will give him an opportunity. Valdez has been used also off the bench, but the problem for the Mets, besides the injuries, has been the lack of production from guys like Valdez and Sheffield;

Off the bench, they are a combined 1-for-24 as pinch hitters. The only hit was the 500^th career home run hit by Sheffield at Citi Field back on April 17^th against the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson is going about his business also starting at short with Valdez/. They are looking ahead to the off-season and preparing to play with the Mets or another team.

“Winter ball in Dominican,” said Anderson about plans when the season concludes in a week or so. A product of the Mets organization, Anderson was reacquired from the Washington Nationals on August 6^th, another of the infielders GM Omar Minaya sought when Cora went down.

Carlos Beltran, he too hindered by the amazing amount of injures this season quickly enters the clubhouse and to the lounge. He is in the lineup again for manager Jerry Manuel and playing out the season as he continues to gain more strength on the injured right knee.

“Cotto of course,’ he says when asked his view as to who will win the upcoming Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao welterweight championship fight.  Of course Beltran will go with Cotto, They are good friends and speak often, while Sheffield, an avid boxing fan plans to train this off season with former champion Winky Wright down in Tampa Florida and favors Pacquiao.

Sheffield knows this is a business. He doesn’t say much, though it can be seen that he offers veteran leadership, has made it known he would like to pay for this team next season and wants to continue his career.

He discusses his future as Pagan, Omir Santos, Anderson and Luis Castillo sit on a couch in the middle of the clubhouse and have a friendly card game. More chatter in the clubhouse, a very loose one, though much of the talk is in Spanish as a majority of the Mets roster is of Latino descent.

Game time is getting close and soon the clubhouse will be closed to the media. Usually there are throngs of media personnel in the clubhouse looking for stories of interest. We clutter in the middle of the clubhouse seeking out a player or two. However, the Mets really have no story lines as the late September stretch comes to a close.

Getting an item of interest is slim or none so the media presence is sparse and the players seem to be more relaxed as to talking about their off season conditioning plans and maybe what went wrong n 2009.  Of course, as Valdez said, “This is baseball. No, I can’t remember so many guys being injured.”

Yeah, 14 or more players at one time on the disabled list, including pitcher Oliver Perez who saw his season shut down August 26^th with tendonitis in his right knee. He quickly makes a cameo in the clubhouse in street clothes. No site of Jose Reyes, or Carlos Delgado, and talk is Delgado is suffering now from back spasms and has probably seen his last days as a New York Met.

The only questions that can be asked, is where do you hope to be with this team next season? Said Sheffield, “Don’t know what they’re thinking,” commenting about Mets management plans for him. “I know what I can do,’ he said.

So it is a Mets clubhouse with uncertainty as to where they will be next season. And a clubhouse of players ready to play the final games of a lost season, and obviously trying to enjoy their final days together  They will say their goodbyes and clean their lockers out a week from Sunday when the season concludes at Citi Field with a weekend series against the Houston Astros.

But inside that modern Mets clubhouse there is the feeling. Had they been injury free it could have still been a race with the Phillies. Every one expected it to be that way with a season of optimism. But this is baseball and a long season of misery is almost over..

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com