Why The Lockout Was Good For The NFL

First off I'd like to just start by saying IM BAAAACKKKK! Now that that's out of my system I can now return to a professional manner and talk sports. Yes we went almost 6 months without the usual off season NFL routine and yes there were times when we all sat in fear as we relentlessly watched coverage on the negotiations and sometimes though will we see an NFL game ever again?

Coming off a feel good wild card Green Bay Packers super bowl victory it seems like the lock out would crush the momentum that the NFL was going to carry over to the 2011-2012 season but if anything, it boosted it. Now I admit I'm as spoiled a fan as many others are while under-appreciating the 5 or 6 months we get of football then miss it during the spring and summer months. I was definitely given a wake up call when I shuttered to think what am I going to do with myself every Sunday afternoon from September to February.

But now that football is officially back I can discuss what the lockout has done to positively affect the NFL with a smile on my face. It has taken months and months of speculation in signing free agents and trade talk and crammed it into a few short days almost like a Madden video game simulation. This has created a whirlwind of interest in the NFL as now fans and analysts are playing catch up with endless momentary coverage of who's going where. This especially helps when in a non-lockout season players get signed or traded in march and then we forget about them until training camp and go "oh he's playing there? I forgot all about that".

Now come September 8th everything will be fresh in our head and the United States will be hungrier than ever to see some meaningful football. Speaking of meaningful football that brings me to my next point. Usually the pre-season is a one or two drive game for starters with miserably low ratings and a way for an NFL fan to inexpensively watch a football game live where now in the post lockout you will see starters making up for lost time and maybe playing a little bit more, especially those teams with new players still trying to get acquainted with the playbooks and schemes.

Will this make the games more meaningful or exciting? Probably not but at least its another step in the return to normalcy. So before you knock the lockout completely, do two things; first be thankful it's over, and then realize what it has done for us, the football fan. Before I go i must answer the question everyone has been asking...YES I'm ready for some football!

A Tale Of Two Injuries

The Yankees and Mets have absolutely nothing in common except for the city they share, until now. As of this past weekend both teams have starters that have been placed on the DL, not aces but starters that could make a difference for their respective clubs. In case you've been living under a rock or need a refresher allow me to break it down. For the pinstripes Phil Hughes was spot on in last years ALDS giving up 4 hits in 7 scoreless innings helping the Yankees sweep the Minnesota Twins and the bronx bombers hoped they'd see more of that this season...we'll they haven't. In 3 games started this year Hughes posted a record of 0-1 with a 13.94 ERA while allowing 16 earned runs. Critics have blamed the velocity or lack there of on Hughes pitches and has elected to head to the DL rather than be demoted to Scranton.

On the other side of town Chris Young is headed to the DL with right bicep tendinitis, arguably the Mets best pitcher this season. In 2 starts he's given up 2 runs on 6 hits in 12 innings (note: I chose not to post Youngs W-L due to the lack of support the rest of the team has given him in his starts, go figure). Now which one of these teams need their injured starter worse? I think this ones cut and dry: the Metropolitans.

The Yankees needed a solid start until Freddy Garcia came to the rescue on saturday pitching an absolute gem in what was a breath of fresh air, not that the starting rotation has been horrible but nobody has showed the domination that Garcia did to this point in the season for the bombers. A.J. Burnett has won all three of his starts this season and although CC's record hasnt show it, he has held down his side of the deal thus far. With Bartolo Colon making his first start since the 09' season in place of Hughes, the Yankees should be alright without him but the Mets have bigger issues.

The "Ace" (and I use that term loosely) for the Mets Mike Pelfrey has averaged 4 innings per start and has given up 18 earned runs this season. Even though the Chris Youngs injury is short term as tendinitis if treated properly is not serious, it could not have come at a worse time. The Mets are losers of 7 of their last 8 games and need a rock in the rotation. Every game started has Mets fans holding their breath and without Young to provide some relief (no pun intended) even more pressure falls on the shoulders of R.A. Dickey who hasn't pitched bad but unless Dickey is going to start 5 days a week for your club, it might be time to start exploring some options with the status of Johan Santanas return changing on a week to week basis.

MSG in April; Does It Get Any Better

Photo courtesy of New York Rangers

Now that playoff time has come for the NBA and NHL and the Knicks and Rangers are still relevant, one question must be asked; does it get any better?? The answer is No with a capital N and regardless of what late april brings its the fashion of how both teams advanced to the post season that made it all worth it. First the Knicks, go back to the morning of March 28th, 2011, losers of 6 straight including a loss on the previous night to the Bobcats and hope was dim. Fast forward 2 weeks (and 7 wins later) and the Knicks are arguably the hottest team heading into the playoffs. They'll have no easy task as they face a team thats beat them all three times they've faced off this season; the Boston Celtics.

Out of all the teams the 'bockers' could have faced in the opening round, the C's are the absolute worst matchup for them. The nucleus of this team has been together since 2007 and have been to the NBA Finals twice since then, taking home one ring in 2008. The Miami Heat would have been a much more suitable matchup for the Knicks who are in the playoffs for the first time since the 03-04' season, splitting the season series 2-2 with Miami and if your a history buff you know that the Knicks own a 3-1 lead in the history of these two franchises meeting in the post season, the Heats only series win was the 1997 Eastern Confrence Semifinals in which the series went 7 games and the Heat would go on to lose 4-1 to the eventual world champion Chicago Bulls and the imfamous game 5 "flu game" for Michael Jordan.

If the playoff series is anything like the first 3 meetings of this season, the Knicks and Celtics can both expect a hard fought blood bath in the opening round of what seems to be only the infant stage of a long string of playoff runs for the rejuvenated New York Knicks in the coming years. Over to the Blueshirts, although their playoff drought hasn't nearly been as long as the team they share the building with, the ability to produce in the post season hasn't been there in a while, do I even have to state when the last time that was? (I'll give you a hint: the NHL All Star Game was hosted at MSG that year and Mike Richter was the MVP of the All Star Game).

The Rangers face the Capitals in the opening round of the playoffs, two franchises that respect each other but love to beat each other as well. The Rangers are looking to avenge a playoff loss from 2 years ago that had New York up 3-2 in the series and lost 2 straight to be sent packing early. The Washington Capitals are looking to avenge losing 3 of 4 to the Rangers in this years regular season series as well as a first round exit from last years playoffs to the underestimated Montreal Canadiens. The last time both the Knicks and Rangers made it to their respective championships I was 4 years old so I certainly don't know how it feels to have both teams successful simultaneously but it's definetely a good time to be in the greatest city in the world especially if your a fan of both these teams.