NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Happy Monday! It is the final week of February, which is wild because it feels like the year still just started. With no football to talk about, I decided to be a leadoff hitter and set-up the guys coming this week re talking points for their articles. That said, here are the topics for today: Rangers Trades, Mets Spring Training and Knicks Rotation.
NY Rangers Trades
Tomorrow, Ben Whitney is up. Ben is our hockey guy, as him and Short Matt are the only guys I know still playing hockey. I have been watching highlights all season and the Rangers look good. They had a 10-game winning streak until last night’s loss to the Blue Jackets. Their power play is still dangerous, but you can’t count on that in the playoffs. 5 on 5 is nowhere near as good as the power play. So with the March 8th NHL Trade Deadline looming, what trades should the Rangers make, Big Ben? I think they should look to add grit on the 3rd line and checking lines, and 3rd line defense. Scoring is critical, but they tried that last season – adding skill and scorers and not enough grit. I am not sure who they have to offer. Maybe the offer up Rempe or the other 6’11” guy. But I think some veteran grinders with ability to score is what will be needed this year.
Mets Spring Training
Wednesday will be Angry Ward – or maybe we will see the return of his alter-ego, Affable Wade. Anyway, Ward maybe a Mariners fan but he always has a lot to say about the Mets. So Wardy, do you see the Mets at least leaping past the Phillies to finish second in the East? Do you believe that Stearns has made any right decisions this off-season? Outside of cowardly firing Showalter, Stearns has seemed to keep a lower profile, but that may be down to me not totally following the Mets Hot Stove. They had already been bad news regarding Senga, so I want to hear Ward’s rant on what’s next.
Knicks Rotation
Thursday we have the one and only Buddy Diaz. Buddy is big-time Knicks fan, and though I am not as serious a fan as I use to be, I have been watching the highlights. The Knickerbockers seem to be on their way to being the 3-seed in the East. The question I have is: What will happen to the Knicks rotation, when their injured starters Julius Randle, OG Anuoby and Mitchell Robinson come back? We know Thibbs is tied to a 9-man rotation, so 3 of the current guys getting playing time will be relegated to the bench. My instinct is back-up center Jericho Sims will lose out to Robinson’s return, as Isiah Hartensten is having the season of his life. Bogan Bogdanovic will lose time because he is a similar player to OG Anuoby… Randle will cause a loss of minutes to Precious Anchiwa, but I think Alec Burks will lose out. Thibbs will change the rotation of some positions but the two new guys and Sims are the ones most likely to lose out on the rotation.
Thanks for reading and come tomorrow to hear from the aforementioned Big Ben Whitney.
