-It’s been a day since legendary Boston Celtics coach and GM Red Auerbach passed away at the age of 89. It was Auerbach who gave the Celtics their identity by guiding them to nine championships during a Hall of Fame career on the sidelines. But even after retirement, he cameback to run the team and won six more titles upstairs to total a remarkable 15 throughout his illustrious career. Unprecedented stuff.

When I think Celtics, I recall watching Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge torment NBA foes and dominate basketball en route to championships. As a kid who was raised here in New York, I despised Bird and the Celts because they always owned the Knicks. And back then, even though those Knicks teams were terrible, it was much easier to root for them unlike the laughingstock they’ve become today under the gross mismanagement of Isiah Thomas and that buffoon owner James Dolan. But I’ll be honest about those Boston teams of the 80’s which Auerbach was the architect of. I might’ve rooted against them but had the ultimate respect for how great they were. Watching one of the ESPN Classic specials dedicated to Auerbach where Boston defeated the hated Lakers in seven back in 1984 to win their 15th championship, it’s amazing to see how well that team played under the toughest circumstances in a chaotic Boston Garden where temps climbed over 90 Degrees. Insanity to say the least. But if you watch how well they executed on both sides of the floor, it’s just breathtaking. It’s the kind of basketball which made the NBA the most exciting league at that time. Bird was poetry in motion. Some of the shots he made said it. Or the textbook passing they ran to get guys open. Ditto for the Magic Johnson-James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar Showtime Lakers.

That was basketball. Not the disorganized garbage we usually see now. But there are still a few teams (Detroit, San Antonio, Miami, Dallas, Phoenix) who can play the game and share the ball. It’s just that it’s become more of a one-on-one type clearout that’s more accustomed for the streets of NYC. There’s more selfishness to today’s games. And while there are unbelievable talents such as Kobe and LeBron and AI and Vincesanity and D-Wade, it’s not the same game I grew up watching. Maybe that’s why it’s even easier to appreciate what those Auerbach Celtics and Pat Riley Lakers brought to the table. Still the best teams I ever watched.

In conclusion, Auerbach had a great life and will be missed. Even with him gone, it’s been a positive impact just to see the kind of basketball his teams played. Red will be sorely missed but he’ll never be forgotten. And that is a great thing with the NBA season about to tip off tomorrow night.

-As this NHL hockey Saturday night goes on, here are some random thoughts:

1.Is there a more predictable team than the Devils? Is the only way they can win games is by scoring once and milking it for all it’s worth? Sorry. But if you have the talented Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta and Travis Zajac, you can open it up a little bit and make it a bit more fun for your fans. And then they want to know why nobody goes? Toss in Scott Gomez who will return soon. There’s certainly enough speed, youth and talent for them to play more of an up-tempo. Toss in the checking line of Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner, who all aren’t slow and they are capable of attacking more rather than sitting back trying to get Martin Brodeur (83 and counting) the shutout record because that’s exactly what it looks like. This from the same organization who claims they don’t care about individual accomplishments. Bull!

2.The new look Pens featuring hockey’s most dynamic duo in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are for real. The first career hat trick Crosby scored (and if anyone saw how he did man oh man) and goal and two helpers for Malkin in an 8-2 dismantling of the Flyers at Wachovia Center. If you watched how lethal these two are as well as talented second overall pick Jordan Staal who centers their second line, their speed and playmaking abilities is just so phenomenal. The thing that makes this talented 20-and-younger trio special is their unselfishness and effort. It’s all there. They work extremely well with their teammates. If Marc-Andre Fleury continues his renaissance, there’s no reason to believe these Pens won’t be in the postseason in 2007.

3.There’s nothing better than taking in a game between two Canadian teams. Tonight up in Montreal, it was the Leafs outshooting the Habs 5-4 to pickup an exciting win at Bell Centre. Whenever two Canadian teams play, you never know what’s going to happen. For two periods, the Leafs were far superior and dominated the Habs and led 4-2 and outshot them 32-12. But late third period goals by Sergei Samsonov and Sheldon Souray forced OT and then a shootout, which was won by Kyle Wellwood on as patient a forehand deke as we’ve seen. The atmosphere as usual was electric. And that’s what separates Canadian games from American ones. The passion and energy is just much more amped up. There’s a reason it’s their game which is very evident whenever you tune in.

4.Kudos to the Sabres for showing a lot of resiliency in attempting to set a new league record for best start to a season. In a back and forth game in which they trailed four times by a goal, they never gave up and when Jochen Hecht’s backhand rebound tied it with under 2:00 left in regulation, it setup the kind of dramatic finish this kind of start deserved. An epic 5:00 OT which saw both the Thrashers and Sabres get glorious chances to win it but both goalies were equal to the task. In the shootout though, it would be Atlanta’s Slava Kozlov improving to 8-of-10 in his career by wristing one by Ryan Miller who would win it for another good NHL team and end Buffalo’s run at winning its first 11. Still, as I watched talented sophomore Thomas Vanek’s shot sail off the crossbar to officially conclude the streak, I could see how much it meant to the Sabre fans who packed HSBC Arena. There was a nice moment where they gave their team a deserved ovation for at least a minute before the entire team came out and saluted their sticks. It was really nice to see. Maybe Buffalo didn’t win and make it 11 straight. But they sure made it exciting for the fans. This was good for hockey.

5.So there’s been an actual Rangers sighting tonight in Phoenix. We’ll see if they can continue this in a couple of nights at LA. Still, these are the teams they have to beat on a four-game Western swing which includes stops at San Jose and Anaheim. But it’s nice to see team captain Jaromir Jagr playing with passion again instead of complaining about his shoulder. Question is will he get as much open space against the Rangers’ next three foes? Phoenix just sucks.

-Did anyone else think Oregon State was trying to find a way to help USC win that game earlier? It’s amazing it even came down to a two-point conversion. And even more amazing that USC didn’t complete the comeback to force OT which everyone knew they’d have won. I don’t have much love for the Trojans but how can you not admire their heart. They sure play you to the buzzer.

-The topic of the day is how the Cardinals finished off the Tigers to pull off a big upset and win this year’s World Series in five by sweeping all three games at Busch Stadium- walking away with a 4-2 Game Five clincher last night. Sure. It’s true that they took advantage of every Detroit mistake. How many errors could their young pitchers make? Yikes. But it doesn’t take away from how well St. Louis pitched and outside of Chris Duncan’s adventure in right last nite, they played very well in the field and also got enough key hits to take home their 10th World Championship (2nd to only the Yanks’ 26).

Perhaps it wasn’t the crispest Series and won’t be remembered too fondly. But for all the bitterness we read in today’s NY Post, maybe those same beat writers have short memories because the 2000 Subway Series was far from a Fall Classic and lasted the same five games. Oh. And there’s this. Outside of the big viewership here, much of the rest of the country tuned out that series. A series in which the Yanks cashed in on every Met mistake to easily win their fourth WS in five years. So, for those writers such as Mike Vaccaro and Joel Sherman to complain about how the two NY teams blew it seems like sour grapes. Fact is the “ninth seed” Cards proved to be better than the Mets in the biggest spot. And those Tigers dismantled the Yanks embarrassing them in the process. To be honest, that’s not such a bad thing for baseball. In a sport where many fans complain about how much a few teams spend, it’s not always about how many big stars they wind up with. The games still have to be won on the field. Some might point out that the Cards didn’t exactly have a low payroll. And that would be true. But anyone who thinks they couldn’t have won without World Series MVP David Eckstein or rookie closer Adam Wainwright didn’t watch this postseason. The talk was that the only way a flawed team such as St. Louis had a chance was if Albert Pujols carried them on his back. How wrong they were. The big man will be remembered more for a great defensive play at first Friday than for his bat. Go figure.

Speaking of Wainwright, how cool was this guy under pressure? You have to wonder whether Cards’ skipper Tony LaRussa will really convert him to a starter next Spring. With how well he pitched out of the pen and Jason Isringhausen no sure bet to return to form due to surgery, it might be wiser for them to keep the unflappable pitcher in the pen. That curve was downright nasty all October and kept hitters off balance.

Maybe the best story of October and especially last night was ex-Yankee Jeff Weaver’s reemergence. Dealt for by St. Louis for just a minor leaguer because they needed another pitcher, the AL’s worst hurler suddenly rediscovered the magic which made him an effective starter when he began his career with Detroit. Whatever pitching coach Dave Duncan and he worked on, the results down the stretch were spectacular. Weaver went from being maybe almost out of the league to St. Louis’ second best starter. And with the chance to finish off his ex-club, he pitched like a man possessed, going eight allowing just a two-run homer to Sean Casey while fanning nine. Maybe the most emphatic K was of Pudge Rodriguez late. Up only a run after Casey doubled thanks to another Chris Duncan misplay, Weaver responded by striking out Rodriguez on three pitches. It was as impressive a sequence as you’ll see. And how did Weaver finish his night? By getting the last two swinging. Awesome stuff. Somewhere, Yankee fans who saw the same pitcher break their heart three years ago must’ve been contemplating other thoughts. You have to be happy for Weaver though. Given up for dead, he silenced the critics and may have scored a big deal when he becomes available on the market next month. If he’s wise, he’ll stay where his career was reborn.

One thing we haven’t said is how much we admire Eckstein. Not the biggest in stature (5-7, 160), the shortstop who took home the MVP trophy along with a brand new yellow Corvette has always made up with it with a huge heart, playing the game as hard as possible and getting the most out of his ability. It was fitting that such a gritty, hardworking overachiever was rewarded. It’s also the second World Championship he’s been an integral part of. He also was right in the middle of another surprising WS winner four years ago with the 2002 Angels.For more on what makes this sparkplug special, we suggest this AP article:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqhyJtgblcjycDdBBWKE2KURvLYF?slug=ap-worldseries-cardinals-mvp&prov=ap&type=lgns

-Final thought on the Cards’ improbable run to a championship. Many will look at their 83 wins and say they’re not worthy. But when you consider some of the injuries to key players including losing Pujols for a month, it all contributed to their second half struggles. Had they been healthier, they win at least 10 more games and nobody would be saying anything. Still, in order to be the best at the end of the day, you have to deliver in the biggest games. That’s what LaRussa’s ballclub did. They swept the 88 win Padres and then beat the 97 win Mets in seven and the 95 win Tigers in five. It’s not easy to win three rounds in the baseball playoffs. The Cards beat three pretty good opponents and deserve all the accolades that come with it. Congrats go out to them, their fans and LaRussa on doing a superb managing job and also becoming the second manager since Sparky Anderson to ever guide a team in each league to a World title. Great job!

-If you’re up 17 on Navy with the game completely under control, you kick the field goal and try not to show up your opponent on its own home field. Not if your Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis apparently, who opted to go for fourth and goal from the three and watched back Darius Walker come up a yard short. There was nothing to gain here. Especially in a game the Fighting Irish won handily 38-14 against a foe they defeated for the 43rd consecutive time. Why do that?

-So I guess USC isn’t going to quite make it this time.

-If you haven’t seen the Malkin highlight reel goal from the other night, here’s your chance:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3fwfy1jf3kw 

-So it took the Flyers two minutes to score the first goal against Atlanta under new coach Stevens. Randy Robitaille potted it. So they lead 1-0.

-I know the Isles like to have fun but was there anything more cheesy than having their own players including company man Rick DiPietro give quotes to their 4-3 OT win over Carolina during pregame? Geez. That’s just awful.

-Today the big topic is how will the Tigers respond to having last nite’s crucial Game 4 rained out. They trail the cardiac Cards 2-1 and desperately need tonight’s game in St. Louis to even the series or face elimination in a hostile environment. The pitching match-up promises to be a good one with NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan going for St. Louis while Detroit counters with 23 year-old Jeremy Bonderman. So can the kid outpitch the vet and give his club the spark it needs to guarantee that this World Series goes back to Motown? We’ll see. Aside from that, Jim Leyland’s club needs to hit better. Kind of sounds similar to what happened to the Mets. The Tigers have been a scrappy lineup all year. Now they must deliver!

-Last night’s NY Hockey Report show was a success. Gary and myself brokedown the Flyers’ problems along with how the Pens’ dynamic duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin took apart the Devils. We also discussed what’s gone wrong with the Devs lately as well as previewed an exciting match-up between the Isles and undefeated Sabres at Nassau Coliseum tonight where Buffalo takes their run at history in trying to match the ‘93-94 Leafs for the NHL’s best start (10-0). Can ex-Sabres coach Ted Nolan’s Isles spoil the party? The highlight of the show though was Comast’s Jim Jackson coming on for our final seg to discuss the Flyers at length. It was an excellent interview. You can catch the show archive in its entirety here:

http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/NewyorkHockey/nyhockey102506.asx 

-Meanwhile, the Devils will try to solve their three-game slide against the Panthers, who are fresh off their first road win of the season over the Rangers at MSG 4-2. Can team captain Patrik Elias snap out of his funk? Will the New Jersey D get back on track? Can they reverse the second period trends? We’ll see.

-One game we’ll be keeping an eye on is the Thrashers taking on the Flyers at Wachovia Center tonight. It’s the Flyers’ first game under new coach John Stevens since the major shakeup last weekend. They are the NHL’s worst team so far. But now, a majority of them will play for a coach who they helped win a Calder Cup with in 2005. SO there should be some familiarity. And with them having been off since last Friday, it’s given Stevens a chance to hold some practices and work on shorter passes and a better breakout according to Jackson. So they should be ready to go tonight.

-Just call him Queen Henry. I can’t take credit. It goes out to my NY Hockey Report co-host Gary Harding during an Im session an hour after a good show which featured Flyers’ Comcast play-by-play man Jim Jackson. Those are mine and Gary’s thoughts on what’s happened to second-year Ranger netminder Henrik Lundqvist. He just sucks. It’s ashame what’s become of the likeable 24 year-old Swede’s game. The man who once took Broadway by storm and was deemed King Henrik is no more. He now gives up softies every game. In tonight’s latest Blueskirts’ loss (yes that’s their name because they play like a bunch of pansies), Lundqvist gave up two more awful goals which cost his lackluster team any chance of a point in another disturbing 4-2 defeat to the freaking Panthers. Nothing against them. But they hadn’t won a road game all season. Aside from the usual undisciplined turnovers (Karel “Poti II” Rachunek on goal 2 and responsible for the penalty which led to the first goal, Michal Rozsival on goal 3, Big Bird all game), they somehow managed to turn the ageless Ed Belfour into the 1992 Blackhawks’ version. I wish I was joking but he stopped 35 of 37 shots sent his way. Holy Batman! I must be in a time warp, right? I mean heck. The Rangers also allowed Jozef Stumpel to score twice. Stumpel’s a nice player but come on. This isn’t NHL ‘95!

Apparently, someone forgot to tell Tom Renney’s dead hockey club which now embarks on a four-game West Coast trip with stops at Phoenix, Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose. Don’t tell them but those first two games are winnable. But the way they’ve been playing, who knows? The last two could be ugly. So, is the Ranger season in jeopardy just nine games in at 4-5-0? Not yet only due to their pathetic division where the Devils are equally as inept and the Flyers have changed coaches. Believe it or not, it’s the Pens and Isles who look the best so far. So what needs to happen for the Rangers to regain their confidence before they dig a huge hole? Go at least .500 on this road trip before finally rediscovering the winning formula at home against only the league’s best team in Buffalo. Good luck!

-After watching this scrap between the Wild’s Derek “Boogie Man” Boogaard and Kings’ Raitis Ivanans (try pronouncing that), that made my blood boil. I got to give Ivanans a lot of credit. He took a pounding against Minny’s second-year monster Boogaard, who only goes 6-7, 270 and throws’em as good as anyone I’ve seen. The best part was that the officials let them go and allowed Ivanans to try to get back in it. The fact the 6-4, 263 left wing from Russia was able to take that kind of punishment without going down is pretty astonishing. He gets my tip of the cap.

-So Minnesota is 8:27 from improving to 8-1. Most of the talk out West has centered on the three-headed Pacific monster (Dallas, San Jose who actually lost to Detroit tonight and Anaheim). But the Wild are equally as impressive thanks to the addition of Pavol Demitra up front. They’ll be without star forward Marian Gaborik for at least the next 10 days due to a groin problem. But still, when you look at Jacques Lemaire’s club, there’s much to like. Especially in team captain Brian Rolston, who just seems to get better with age. It’s amazing. There was a time when he couldn’t hit the net regularly with the Devils. Now with his fourth NHL team and in his second season after producing a career best 79 points last year, the 33 year-old Flint Michigan native is the unquestioned leader of his first coach’s club. With two more goals tonight, that’s already eight this season to go with four assists for a team-leading 12 points. Toss in the talented and gritty Pierre-Marc Bouchard and the Wild still boast some solid forwards who can step up with Gaborik out. Former first rounder Mikko Koivu is also starting to establish himself. And veteran pivot Todd White has always been underrated. What keeps them together even as they struggle to the finish here is the netminding of Manny Fernandez. He’s been really solid down the stretch here and will finish with close to 35 saves. Now clearly Minny’s No. 1 after signing a big extension, Lemaire’s nephew is getting the job done thus far and showing that he can backstop his club into a playoff contender. If he continues to play like this, Lemaire’s club will be heard from next Spring. Also, the addition of Kim Johnsson to the blueline has looked good thus far. Well it’s over. The Wild win 3-1 and improve to 8-1 against a young Kings’ club which gave a great effort in the third. Something their broadcasters couldn’t understand where it was earlier. With a young team who boasts a budding rookie in Anze Kopitar, sometimes that’s going to happen.

-Random Thought after watching the Wings’ edge the Sharks before 2-1 on TSN: Canadians say against so cool. It’s kind of hard to emulate on a keyboard but here goes:  “Aaaaaaaaaaaa—–giiiiiiiiiiiiinnnn—sstttttt!!!!!”

Well you can’t blame us for trying to have some fun with it. Another final thought on that game which saw another 40-plus goalie Dominik Hasek made 22 saves to help his club snap a four-game slide: When 44 year-old Chris Chelios gives better effort on the final shift to help preserve a win than the entire Ranger blueline, it speaks volumes. You can’t measure heart. Chelios has always had it. Amazing that he can still play at a high level in a young man’s game.

-Potential big news for later tonight! During our NY Hockey Report show which can be heard live from 8:05-9 PM here: http://allinbroadcasting.com/

We could be having a special guest on during our second segment around 8:30. Flyers’ Comcast TV play-by-play man Jim Jackson is scheduled to come on the show for a few minutes and discuss what’s gone wrong for Philadelphia so far and if the coaching change and GM shakeup will work. Jackson is in his 11th season as the Flyers’ broadcaster and has also broadcast Trenton Thunder games on WIP radio during the summer as well. The outstanding broadcaster has won a Mid-Atlantic Emmy for his outstanding play-by-play work five times. Hopefully, we’ll hear from this talented individual later. Aside from discussing the Flyers’ problems, I will also be talking with my cohost Gary Harding about last nite’s Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin show against the Devils and what needs to improve for the defending Atlantic champs as well as a preview of the Ted Nolan Game where he leads his Islanders against his former team the perfect 9-0 Sabres. Can the Isles spoil Buffalo’s run at history? Find out what we think later tonight!

-Okay, so where to start? We could discuss that Chris Carpenter is two-hitting the Tigers and has that certain 83-win team three innings from going up 2-1 in the World Series. But there is still time left in St. Louis and the Tigers are capable of coming back.

-So let’s begin with what we saw in Pittsburgh where the new Pens’ Dynamic Duo of Sid “The Kid” Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (we’ll think of a nickname later) destroyed the Devils in a 4-2 win on Versus earlier tonight. Okay…I know Malkin’s only played four games. But this guy is just sick. He’s already scored four goals in his first four games matching ex-Ranger reject Steven “No Mystery” King. The problem for the rest of the league is this Malkin guy is no scrub. Just ask Devil fans after what he did to their D tandem of Colin White and Brad Lukowich on his fourth goal (video coming ASAP) which iced the contest for the now first place Pens.

That’s right. The Pens are now sitting alone atop the Atlantic with 10 points. It is early folks but don’t you get the feeling this young fast team thinks it can compete with anyone for a division which hasn’t exactly started on fire? There’s no question that Malkin is for real. He’s got great size and speed and really plays all three zones well. And teaming him with Crosby is scary. The third guy on their line Colby Armstrong can play too and fits in. What’s even more daunting is that 18 year-old former 2nd overall pick this summer Jordan Staal looks like he’s staying this season. They had him centering the second line with Nils Ekman and Mark Recchi and the kid didn’t look a touch out of place in scoring his fourth goal in over 16:00 of action. What else should be noted? Ah. Remember that former 2003 first overall pick in net Marc-Andre Fleury? After almost losing his job in preseason, the 21 year-old netminder has been outstanding for the Pens and has played the best out of any netminder thus far in the Atlantic. In other words, the Montreal native is finally starting to fulfill expectations. Toss in that Ryan Whitney is improving all the time on the blueline and this Pens team could make a lot more noise than previously thought.
So what to make of the Devils? Well, they’ve lost three straight and been outplayed by a severe margin in all three. If not for a frantic two-goal rally in an eventual shootout loss at home to Nashville to get a point, it could be even worse. In the last two losses, they were outscored 12-3 including an unusual 8-1 blowout loss to Ottawa in a game we couldn’t even find on TV here. Still wondering where the heck FSNY2 is.

So what’s gone wrong? Well, outside of the play of the top line of the everimproving Zach Parise, Scott Gomez and supermidget Brian Gionta, they just aren’t getting much support. New team captain Patrik Elias has been MIA lately. Tonight, he was invisible. Part of the problem is he’s playing on the second line and talented freshman Travis Zajac has sat out the last two games due to an injury suffered against Nashville. When he was healthy, Elias played along with Jamie Langenbrunner to comprise that second line which looked okay. Now, Elias is playing either with Sergei Brylin or John Madden, which isn’t going to get the most out of his skill. Maybe new coach Claude Julien needs to consider giving him a few shifts with his former Egg linemates. We’ll see. Aside from the Elias sluggish start, their D just isn’t getting it done lately. Colin White and Paul Martin have struggled mightily during the last two and aren’t getting much support from the forwards on the backcheck. Quite frankly, aside from them and number one D Brian Rafalski, the rest of their blueline is ordinary. They really miss David Hale big time. Martin Brodeur is not off to the best start but it’s hard to play well with what he’s been seeing way too much of. In other words, it could’ve been a lot worse at Mellon Arena. Aside from that, the power play has looked anemic (1 PPG in its last 27) and for whatever reason, they can’t do anything in second periods (outscored 21-7). You can’t always wait for the third period to make comebacks in.

-As we’re sitting here watching the Flames lead the dismal Coyotes 3-1 in the second, Phoenix analyst Darren Pang mentioned before “lack of cohesion” to describe the Coyotes as they proceeded to somehow give up a shorthanded 2-on-0 break and goal to the washed up Tony Amonte. Yep. Coyotes hockey alright!

Man. Is there a more pathetic franchise than this one? And btw…that includes the dreadful Flyers who you know can turn it around. Since relocating from Winnipeg to Phoenix a decade ago, they have not accomplished anything. Unless you consider the continued first round playoff failures and the return of a battered Jeremy Roenick this season to be success. How is it possible that Ed Jovanovski decided to agree to a big contract with this laughingstock of a hockey club? I guess he likes cashing a bigger paycheck and can tolerate lots of losing because there’s nothing going on here. This is just a pathetic team. Just as I concluded in my NHL preview: http://www.nysportsday.com/news/combined/1159982460.php

Outside of Shane Doan, Ladislav Nagy and maybe Mike Comrie, there’s nothing going on here. That’s why after blowing out the Islanders Opening Night, they’ll fall to 1-8-0 since unless they can comeback in the third. Don’t bet against it after how Miikka Kiprusoff stoned a Yote late in that second. The rating Vezina winner has struggled thus far but tonight, looks on. So, what I want to know is is this really the franchise club owner Wayne Gretzky invested so much in including giving himself a five-year coaching extension? As my favorite classic Weezer song would say, “Say It Ain’t So.” http://youtube.com/watch?v=LpY–o5jgY8
In conclusion, I think he’d be better served coaching a Russian pee wee team in Siberia.
-Did anyone catch the Sens’ 6-2 victory over Canadian rival Toronto tonight? Good stuff. Now you could look at the score and say, ‘What’s so special about that? It was a blowout right?’ Maybe. But in a game in which Ottawa got the first five, the Leafs didn’t just pack it in. As is a Toronto custom when getting beat, there were a couple of scraps including an entertaining one between Toronto’s Wade Belak and Ottawa’s Brian McGrattan. The other was a downright beatdown from NHL bad boy Darcy Tucker on an overmatched Patrick Eaves. What else was fun about this one? For one thing, the ACC crowd was full of energy expecting their Leafs to comeback. And after Mats Sundin passed Dave Keon on the Leafs’ goalscoring list to cut it to 5-2 early in the third, it looked like they might just do it. And when Matt Stajan appeared to stuff in a rebound past Martin Gerber, the thought was would the Sens collapse? But the protesting Gerber proved to be right about Stajan kicking it in. A few minutes later, a nifty Chris Neil redirect of an Andrej Meszaros shot put the contest away.

-So are any Mets fans getting sick watching the Cards up 5-0 an inning away from pulling within two of winning this Series? Not as much as my Cubs buddy John. He’s so down on baseball but I keep telling him this is what makes it great. But he’s a depressed Cubs fan. So what would you expect? Here’s a pic of John at this moment:

Don’t worry buddy. There’s always next year!

-So what to say on a pretty quiet Tuesday here in NYC? Not much other than lots of talk about the Giants’ big win in Big D last night to move into first place in the NFC East- a half game better than the Eagles and one up on the reeling Cowboys. Credit must go out to Coach Tom Coughlin for how well his team has bounced back since that debacle in Seattle to fall to 1-2 before their bye week. Since then, Big Blue has rattled off three straight in impressive fashion over Washington, Atlanta and Dallas. Now, 4-2 and a perfect 3-0 in their division, they have a chance to seize control. With home games coming up against Tampa Bay and Houston before a primetime showdown against the Bears, this is their opportunity to make it five in a row heading into that big match-up. As Coughlin indicated to WFAN’s Mike and The Mad Dog earlier today, they can’t take their next two opponents lightly. Especially with the Bucs having gotten a huge lift from ex-Giant kicker Matt Bryant with that remarkable 62-yard field goal to shock the Eagles and send them to their second consecutive victory. Coughlin’s club must prepare well during practice and focus on the task at hand. If they do, things should be okay next Sunday.

-Speaking of that dramatic Bryant kick, you should’ve heard the exciting play-by-play call by the Tampa radio announcing team. Entertaining to put it mildly:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=J7PJT6jy9Ts 

How could they not sound a tad over the top after something like that? That’s what makes sports great.

-Well, the Giants just finished up a 36-22 MNF win over Dallas. Entering Monday night, the Cowboys had owned the G-men as ESPN’s Chris Berman loves to refer to them on MNF. In fact, Dallas had won seven of the previous eight meetings with Big Blue’s only victory of the 13-10 variety back on October 18, 1999. None of that seemed to matter tonight as the now first place NFC East Giants marched on to their third straight win and improved to 4-2- basically manhandling a fraud of a Parcells team which has talent but just isn’t as good as they can be. When the ex-Giant coach who led them to their only two Super Bowl triumphs is reduced to subbing in an inexperienced Romo for Bledsoe just to watch him make some costly throws (3 Ints including one taken to the house by rookie Kevin Dockery 96 yards which basically clinched the game), it’s basically desperation. Sure. Romo also showed more mobility and did manage to toss three TDs as well. But he was just too inexperienced to come into this kind of highly scrutinized game and get the job done.

-Just watched the Parcells postgame conference. He was pretty on the ball admitting that his team was “outplayed in every phase and outcoached and outeverything’d.” That’s what we’ve always admired about Parcells. Say what you will about him but he takes accountability. He was embarrassed with how team performed on its own home field in primetime. And had to deal with some stupid questions towards the end but didn’t snap. It’s got to be extremely frustrating for the 65 year-old Hall of Fame coach to have to coach such a circus. With the whole TO sideshow (could he throw his arms up anymore during his one TD without getting penalized for excessive celebration) and the lack of a real number one QB, it’s not an ideal situation. Toss in that psycho of an owner in Jerry Jones who’s manning the sidelines like a pop warner kid ready to take a snap. Geez. You’re not a kid. No question he has passion. But he shouldn’t be anywhere near his players on gameday. It’s just got to be nuts.

Pluses for the Giants aside from losing Arrington for the season:

-Barber became the first player to rush for over 100 (114) this season on Dallas including overcoming only his third fumble in the last three years (thanks ESPN for jinxing him).

-Jacobs plowed the Cowboys for 40 yards on 10 carries to go with a crucial TD on a fourth and goal. The big man looked good. Question is can he be an every down back if Barber really does hang it up?

-Though he only completed 12 passes, third-year QB Eli Manning made enough plays in tossing two TDs and for the most part took care of the ball outside an Int on a bad 3rd and 1 playcall with them up 12-0 which turned the first half. The more we watch Manning who set the tone with a perfect 50-yard TD strike to Plaxico Burress less than 3:00 in, the more comfortable he looks running this offense. He looks like the leader in that huddle and that’s what you want to see from a QB the Giants invested so much into.

Meanwhile, a player who was part of that blockbuster in the deal with San Diego Shawn Merriman was suspended four games for violating the league’s drug policy. Always nice to know that the Defensive Rookie of the Year who looks like a big talent essentially cheated to win. Somewhere, fallen wrestling legend Eddie Guerrero is rolling over in his grave.

-The D for the most part had an outstanding night intercepting four passes including three with Dallas in NYG territory and also sacked the Cowboy QB tandem six times. Congrats to Strahan on recording two of those sacks to tie greatest linebacker of all-time Lawrence Taylor for the club record (132.5). Earlier this season before the bye week, he wasn’t as much of a factor. But the last two weeks especially tonight, Strahan has come to play and was a force against Dallas. He’ll need to continue to be if they’re to have a special season.

-Random thoughts on the injuries to last year’s Super Bowl starting QBs Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck:

If you watched the two hits they suffered injuries on, those were more dangerous than some of the “late hits” the men in stripes penalize opposing defenses for. Yet neither was even penalized. Especially the helmet to helmet hit Big Ben took to suffer his second concussion. Unbelievable. With both now presumably out of action for a little while, I guess it’s just not Seattle’s or Pittsburgh’s year.