Yankee closer Mariano Rivera and teammates had plenty to smile about while Met skipper Jerry Manuel and his team didn't this weekend.

It’s been an interesting week here. So let’s get to it. Shall we?

1.Is Jerry Manuel really wrong about his battered team? I mean they do have to basically be perfect just to win games. Against the Cards, they were and took three of four. But this weekend that wasn’t the case with too many mental mistakes leading to Yankee runs as their crosstown rivals came into Citi Field and swept them. So, they fell short. What does Manuel’s sarcasm in a postgame have to do with that his players aren’t that talented right now? Zilch. He is begging Omar Minaya to wake up from the doldrums and do something. Maybe if the Phillies were eight up, there’d be more urgency…

2.The two games off seems to have done the trick for one Alex Rodriguez and that couldn’t come at a better time for the Yanks.

3.When does Robby Cano, who statistically speaking is having a solid season finally deliver a big hit?

4.Daniel Murphy can’t be the best the Mets can do at first. What happened to Fernando Tatis?

5.Phil Hughes is pretty automatic these days out of that Yankee pen.

6.So wanted to see Team USA hang on over Brazil yesterday but there’s a reason they’re so skilled and unfortunately, it showed in that second half of the Confed Cup championship. Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and especially Tim Howard have nothing to be ashamed of. Tell ya one thing. That Kaka is some player. What a soccer name!

7.Looking forward to seeing how Roger Federer fares in the French Final rematch later today in the same Round of 16 situation Robin Soderling slayed the dragon on clay in Rafa Nadal. Wimbledon did Roger no favors with either big serving Ivo Karlovic/Fernando Verdasco waiting in the quarters and Novak Djokovic on pace for a semi clash, assuming the five-time All England Club champ gets through.

8.Really want to see that Andy vs Andy semi between Murray and Roddick on the other side. Might Lleyton Hewitt have something to say about it? Yes. He’s playing well. We’ll see.

9.It sure looks like Venus will cruise past Ana Ivanovic and through her section to another final. Can she three-peat? Bigger question is will younger sis Serena make it with a potential tough quarter against emerging power house Victoria Azarenka? Have to figure Serena will take care of looker Daniela Hantuchova today to help set it up.

10.Only Knick fans could boo the first round pick of Jordan Hill which was really a no-brainer once Stephen Curry went to Golden State. Way to be. Speaking of the Draft, loved the Nets’ pick of Terrence Williams. Not just cause we called it either but because he’ll be a good pro. Great move too getting rid of Vince Carter. Now, Orlando can deal with that headache and relive his cousin Tracy McGrady.

11.So much for all that suspense regarding the Islanders’ first overall selection. John Tavares and Isles’ fans breathed a huge sigh of relief. Still found it amusing how they celebrated like they won a Cup.

12.Is trading for Darko Milicic really the best Donnie Walsh can do? Let’s see Mike Lupica defend that one.

13.How the heck does Tim Wakefield have 10 wins? Remarkable.

14.Imagine if the Mets played in the AL East.

15.At least Mark De Rosa was traded for a top 100 prospect.

16.It doesn’t get more bizarre than Francisco Rodriguez walking Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded. Just listening to Howie Rose told ya all you needed to know. Wonder what Brian Bruney thought at that moment? You know. The invaluable setup guy who couldn’t get three outs against Buffalo before Mo bailed him out by getting Omir Santos looking en route to his 500th career save.

17.Does Lori Rubinson realize how bitter she comes off when she asks Yankee fans if they should really be happy that they swept a bad team? The same scrappy bunch that took three of four against the game’s best hitter that’s tied for the NL Central. Word to the wise. You don’t get style points. Like Bill Parcells used to say, beat who’s on your schedule.

18.Okay. I get that Citi Field isn’t a hitter’s paradise but how come the Yanks had no problem hitting a few out including lightweight Brett Gardner?

Besides, doesn’t this fact baffle some?

David Ortiz: 8 HR

David Wright: 4 HR

It doesn’t mean the Met All-Star third baseman’s having a bad season. He’s still hitting for a great average (.342) with 39 RBI’s, 47 runs and 20 steals. But at some point, he has to start going deep. With how battered his team is, they need him to.

19.Fernando Nieve or Oli Perez?

20.Given all the weird injuries and even odder end results, any truth to the rumor Dr. Seuss is employed in Queens?

21.Finally, this just in. The local JCC is run better than the T-wolves. That’s not a ringing endorsement.

Rafael Nadal won't be able to defend Wimbledon. We'll sure miss him but will Roger Federer as he goes for history?

It’s early Saturday morning and the start of another unpredictable New York weekend. Here’s a few things floating around our sleepy head:

1.The Mets must never want the Phillies to hit the road given how brutal they’ve performed. The losing streak’s up to four allowing Fernando Nieve and the Amazin’s to gain more ground, pulling within two games of first thanks to a 5-3 home win over the Rays. Meanwhile, the Phils were routed by the Orioles de-proving to 1-6 versus AL East visitors. Yikes.

2.The Yanks did just fine without Alex Rodriguez, who gets the first two games back in Florida off. Apparently, the Marlins were the right elixir for Andy Pettite, who allowed just a run fanning seven for his seventh win. And hey. A-Rod’s replacement Angel Berroa chipped in with an RBI hit. It added up to a 5-1 win, gaining a game on the Red Sox, who fell to Atlanta 8-2.

3.The Yanks and Mets are both two out of first. Weird.

4.I really am bummed about Rafael Nadal pulling out of Wimbledon due to a chronic knee. The exciting 23 year-old Spaniard won’t be able to defend his crown. So, there will be no Nadal-Roger Federer rematch. He made the right call after dropping consecutive exhibitions the past two days to Lleyton Hewitt and Stanislas Wawrinka. That wouldn’t have boded well the next two weeks trying to win seven competitive best three of five matches.

5.The door is now open for Federer to reclaim the grass with a sixth Wimbledon and pass Pete Sampras. The toughest competition should come from No.3 Scot Andy Murray, who has a decent draw. Perhaps this major could be his breakthrough as he tries to become the first English player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry (1936). Other possible men’s contenders should come from No.4 Novak Djokovic and sixth seeded American Andy Roddick, who has a great draw with possible competition coming from Nikolay Davydenko and Juan Martin Del Potro. The best a tennis fan can hope for is a Roddick-Murray semi with Federer taking on Djokovic. A Federer-Murray final would at least help make up for no Rafa.

6.If the Knicks are smart, they’ll go for Ty Lawson over Stephen Curry. While I do believe Curry will be an excellent pro, he’s not what the Knicks need. Lawson is super fast and a true point guard, who guided the Tar Heels to the NCAA title. Forget his lack of size. He can get to the basket but is pass first and can finish when needed. Try telling that to Mike Lupica and the rest of the so-called experts in this city.

7.If the Nets really are serious about trading Devin Harris for a first round pick, they’re even dumber than first thought.

8.I’m so glad Shaq and Kobe are on good terms again.

9.Sidney Crosby winning the Stanley Cup is great for the NHL but he still should have showed up for the Awards in Vegas the other night. Speaking of which, will Sid The Kid, Evgeni Malkin and the Pens be making an appearance on Letterman? Or will NBC try to get them for Conan? You’d think they would considering the kind of ratings that Game 7 generated.

10.Gotta love two-time Hart/Pearson winner Alex Ovechkin making wise cracks about fellow Russian Malkin’s lack of English.

11.Phil Mickelson. Not Tiger would be the better story this weekend. That’s if they can actually get some holes in before the rain.

12.Dante Stallworth getting 30 days for killing a bystander while being impaired has to be some sorta bad joke. So what if he settled with the suffering family. That’s hardly enough punishment. Drinking irresponsibly costs lives. When will the double standards with star athletes finally end? How does Mike Vick serve 18 months for dog fighting losing everything and Stallworth doesn’t even get half that?

13.He deserves to serve serious time for what he did because it was disgusting but 45 years seems like a lot for Mel Hall.

14.When it does get going Monday, I”ll miss those rain delays at the All England Club.

15.Can a woman other than a Williams sister win the crown? I hope Maria Sharapova takes out Serena. What will be her excuse this time? She needs to be more like older sis Venus. Lose gracefully.

16.Five NBA Draft sleepers this Thursday who likely won’t get scooped up till the second round:

1.SG Wesley Matthews, Marquette

2.PF Dante Cunningham, Villanova

3.SF Danny Green, North Carolina

4.PG Darren Collison, UCLA

5.SG Dionte Christmas, Temple

17.As a huge hockey fan, I really hope the Islanders make the right choice with the No.1 overall pick next Friday in Montreal.

18.Don’t the Devils need to find a coach before July 1?

19.Every Ranger fan is praying Glen Sather doesn’t screw up yet again.

20.Every now and then, America needs an old classic to appreciate like The Animal’s “House Of The Rising Sun” seen here:

21.That’s for you Dad. You’ve always supported both me and my brother no matter what. I can’t say enough in this space to make it up to you. You’re the best father anyone could ever ask for. Here’s hoping one day soon, we all get to celebrate something special with our Rangers at our second home. So it’s a day early. Happy Father’s Day!

Rather than bother with the Alex Rodriguez daily circus, I decided instead to do a more fun video feature of one of my all-time favorite legends Bob Marley.

Sometimes, sports can be downright annoying. Music is far from it even if it has its own set of agendas as this fellow Gunner knows all too well. But if you’re a little tired of the A-Rod Saga, you can always find time to chill out and listen to a good song and not have trouble smiling as with the state of baseball.

Since it does look like the world’s most egocentric superstar will be out an extended period to a torn labrum in his hip caused by a cyst causing him to miss the World Baseball Classic for adopted country Dominican Republic, perhaps the media can get back to what’s in their job description which would be covering the rest of the Yankee team during Spring Training and the game itself rather than their Ea$y Target.

And now, for some classic Marley to lighten the mood.

“I wish [Jose Reyes] was leading off on our team, playing on our team. “That’s fun to watch. Anytime you have that type of speed. I mean, we have a guy in [Brett] Gardner that’ll be fun. That’s probably the most you can have, watching those guys run.“-Alex Rodriguez

Ever since Alex Rodriguez became a Yankee, it’s been a three-ring circus. Arguably the game’s best player who during his time here has won two MVPs including a memorable 2007 eclipsing Joe DiMaggio for the greatest season by a right handed hitter in Bronx Bomber lore, it’s always something else with this guy that makes him such a distraction.

We could cite all his postseason failures resulting in only one Yankee playoff round victory but what’s the point? It’s old news around these parts with the admitted steroids user creating a whole new reason for teammates to hate him.

Oh. They won’t say it to his face or publicly as with that phony press conference with him faking tears while pausing a couple of weeks ago in Tampa looking totally uncomfortable reading a written statement he didn’t even write.

Anything for needless PR even in a time when Mr. Rodriguez should’ve been more sincere not worrying about his image which already had been destroyed by the stunning discovery forcing him to come clean even if he protected his cousin. Of couse, that became a running joke around here with the “My Cousin Vinny” references. If only it were as amusing as Joe Pesci’s classic character from the 1992 box office hit.

Nothing A-Rod does is ever funny. Have you ever heard him try to make people laugh? They had him speak at a University of Miami dinner for their baseball facility which he donated thousands having it named for him. All well and good for the kid who grew up in South Florida. It just was a little awkward watching him attempt humor referencing his tough week leading up. Sometimes, it’s better not to say anything.

In that spot, the focus wasn’t performance enhancing drugs but something one of the game’s greatest stars did out of kindness. Perhaps he should’ve stuck to the topic leaving the other stuff for the media vultures when Spring Training continued at the Yankee complex.

It’s true that nobody’s perfect no matter what the Mike Lupicas of the world tell you acting all high and mighty while cashing in on a fake home run race with books and then acting all stunned when the truth comes out. Everyone makes mistakes. Rodriguez committed a bad one making a poor choice which he was forced to fess up to because his Player’s Association didn’t destroy some random positive tests in 2003. The general public was never supposed to know proving you can’t rely on anyone.

It hasn’t been entirely fair to A-Rod whose name has been kicked around in the mud ever since while 103 other players haven’t had their reputations damaged. You almost want to feel bad for the guy because a dark storm cloud seems to follow him no matter what he does.

If only he’d let us in and not come off so fake. It’s why the whole notion of him being referred to by former bench coach Larry Bowa in Joe Torre’s book The Yankee Years as A-Fraud wasn’t a surprise. It just reaffirmed what we already knew even if it was meant to lighten the mood taking pressure off.

Alex Rodriguez is a magnet who will always attract a large crowd. That’s what happens when you go from a 10-year $252 million deal to 10 years $300 million while becoming the youngest slugger to reach 500 home runs in line to chase down another cheat Barry Bonds who has his own battle in court coming. Speaking of circuses.

So, was it any shock that on a day Rodriguez learned he had a cyst in his hip which could sideline him from competing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic that he’d make another silly comment indicating that he wished Mets shortstop Jose Reyes could play on the Yankees and bat leadoff?

While it was a nice notion paying tribute to how great and exciting Reyes is, it probably wasn’t the brightest idea given that Rodriguez is a teammate of Derek Jeter and another pretty good leadoff guy in Johnny Damon.

Predictably, it created another big story for the New York media to discuss while panicked Met fans already have the sky falling due to their ace Johan Santana being pushed back from Opening Day to the fifth game of the season due to his elbow which the club won’t take an MRI on. That is a whole other topic about a franchise which clearly needs a good kick in the ass. Maybe they’ve been hanging around A-Rod.

Is it bad to say what he did about the rival shortstop in the big city? Probably not. Jose Reyes is a very fun player to watch. The way he worded it wasn’t the best and immediately put him on the defense indicating that’s not what he meant.

New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro had a good column entitled, “Alex Not In Same Class As Captain America ” about the big difference between Jeter and him when it comes to leadership.

This excerpt sums up why so many respect the declining Jeter including Phils’ shortstop Jimmy Rollins who will sit out most games despite being a better player:

A leader? Would you like to know what a leader does? A leader, when asked the other day about David Wright, says something like this: “I have a great deal of respect for him, because he’s talented and he loves to win, and he plays hard. It’s a great challenge playing against him, so I’m happy to have the chance to play with him for a little while.“

That’s what Jeter said about Wright. He didn’t say how wonderful it would be if Wright joined the Yankees – even though there have to be moments when he feels exactly that. He has been criticized for not publicly defending A-Rod more, but it is on days like this that you realize his silences are as loud as any words he might employ.

You can’t be appointed to that kind of leadership. You either have it or you don’t.

 

Some friendly advice for Rodriguez. Next time, think before you speak.

There’s been so much negative reaction to Alex Rodriguez’ admission that indeed the SI story that he used performance enhancing drugs while as a member of the Texas Rangers was true.

Making matters worse, the three-time AL MVP admitted during an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons that he juiced for the first three years as a Ranger from 2001-2003 feeling the need to fulfill heavy expectations due to the then richest contract in MLB history (250 million over 10 yrs) even if it meant going outside the boundaries.

The haunting reality here is that the man known to many as A-Rod never needed steroids to be a great player. We’re talking about one of the most gifted superstars of our Era with God given ability that most athletes could only dream of.

Is what former Yankee skipper Joe Torre said in his controversial book The Yankee Years true about him needing the game along with gaudy statistics to go with it? Might that be the answer for why he felt it necessary to cheat even though at the time, MLB was only first testing with promises that the 104 positive tests would remain anonymous?

So much for that promise. Once again, baseball has failed miserably here and deserves all the blame it gets for what’s now known as The Juiced Era (Error) that claimed stars such as home run record holder Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettite and definitely Mark McGwire, whose own brother published a book to get the truth out.

So much for family loyalty, huh? But I guess in Big Mac’s world, Denial Ain’t Just A River In Egypt. What is it about lying with these big name ballplayers? Deny, deny, deny until the cows come home only for the proof to come out that they in fact lied to the public.

Roger Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers this game’s ever seen but instead of  all the wins, strikeouts and Cys, he’ll best be remembered for his humiliating performance last year versus former trainer Brian McNamee during trial which influenced a case of perjury against The Rocket. Expect to see him in an orange suit. Might he be next to Bonds?

As for A-Rod or A-Fraud or A-Roid depending on what you prefer, it’s been a rough month for him first with the stuff coming out of Torre’s book even if then bench coach Larry Bowa’s “A-Fraud” reference was supposed to be in gyst. You do wonder though if his own teammates felt that way about Mr. Supersensitive who always wants to make everyone happy.

It’s good that he came forward and admitted on air that he cheated but this was the same man who went on with CBS News anchor Katie Couric and denied ever using steroids. His reasoning is that he couldn’t be honest with himself. What in the heck does that mean?!?!?!?!?!

These days, sports are becoming sadder and sadder with baseball taking the biggest hit. How would you feel if you were the father of a kid playing Little League who looks up to Rodriguez? The cold harsh reality is that there just aren’t many heroes left in sports for kids to idolize.

Can juicing start at a young age? Certainly. Kids in high school can succumb to the pressure of performance on the field. You just don’t know anymore which is very scary.

What’s happened to baseball is sickening and will continue to haunt the game even if it does pick itself back up. How are the Yankees feeling? It seems like players who have worn Pinstripes have been unfairly targeted while other teams haven’t had to deal with as much backlash.

Is Daily News baseball writer Bill Madden right in saying A-Rod doesn’t belong in Cooperstown and that the Bronx Bombers should get rid of him? Does anyone actually believe any of the other 29 teams would get rid of a player the caliber of this man?

I probably would still say he belongs in the Hall despite those three seasons. He did come out and say he’s been clean since becoming a Yankee in 2004. The question is who believes him?

Can he recover his reputation or will it just be another nightmare? How will the biggest star the game has deal with the heavy media and intense fan scrutiny in what’s supposed to be a bounce back year for the Yankees? Will it become too much of a distraction?

There’s no way of really knowing until the real season starts up in April. For now, it’ll continue to be a three ring circus which A-Rod always seems to draw.

I remember when sports used to be fun and some still are like the college Div.III women’s basketball game I attended last night at Baruch College with them defeating New Paltz. I’m going to write more about that sometime later.

Games still can be fun for everyone if played for the right reasons. I just wish we could get back to that instead of the garbage that’s on the front covers these days.

Who’s with me?