Tony D's New York Rangers Fan Profile

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posted on 07/12/2008

the general assumption is that brendan shanahan will not return to the rangers.  in light of sather's push to get younger and faster and his desire to play a more up-tempo game, it seems shanny doesn't fit.  but...

i'm not sure i'd be so quick to dismiss shanny has being unable to "keep up." He was a point-a-game guy for the rangers in 06-07 until the nasty collision with knuble. he (like jagr, but to a lesser extent) didn't quite mesh with any of the centers this year--not right away anyway. but he stilled scored 23 goals (11 on the powerplay!). both those numbers were second on the team.

had renney not used him so much to kill penalties, shanny would have had more gas down the stretch. he averaged 18:31 per game! that's way too much for a 38 year old guy with 20 seasons under his belt. give him 12-15 minutes a night with heavy PP minutes and no PK and he can be productive and useful on a now very young team.

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Expectations for New York Rangers in 2008-2009 posted on 07/10/2008

In light of the recent Ranger overhaul, many have been asking and wondering what is in store for the 2008-2009 season and what fans can reasonably expect from this "new" team.  Predictions can often be a waste of time--particularly with the summer only half over.  Rosters are not nearly finalized, deals are not finished, and training camp and pre-season are still a month and more away.  Still, one things is certain in Rangerland: a transition has been made.  It's been out with the "old" (old not just a reference to age)--Jagr, Straka, Avery, Malik, Shanahan (likely), Tutin--and in with the "new" (again, not just a reference to age)--Naslund, Redden, Zherdev, Kalinin, Voros, Fritsche, and Rissmiller.  The Rangers have turned a corner from generation Jagr and officially become Gomez and Drury's team.  All I can say is, it's about time.

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Proctor for Betemit: Yankees and Dodgers Trade, July 31, 2007 posted on 07/07/2008

It's almost one year since Brian Cashman pulled the trigger on a deal that sent right-handed reliever Scott Proctor to the Dodgers for utility man Wilson Betemit.  In parts of two seasons as a Yankee, Betemit has done nothing of note.  Proctor went to LA and threw 32 more innings in 2007, allowing just 25 hits and 12 earned runs.  His record of durability ended this year with a right elbow ailment that landed him on the DL after a rocky first half of the season.  Now, maybe Cashman saw that elbow or other arm problems were inevitable for Proctor--especially considering how frequently Torre went to him in NY (and again in LA).  What's more likely is that Cashman expected more from Wilson Betemit.  He expected an upgrade over Miguel Cairo.  He expected a guy that could very adequately spell Jeter, Cano, A-Rod, or the first basemen of the month for the Yankees.  He probably--in his wildest dreams--expected Betemit to be insurance in case A-Rod left via free agency after 2007 (which he did, then didn't).  Needless to say, Cashman got none of these things.  He got an average bench player, and all he gave up was a reliable, tough, seventh or eighth inning reliever who he has since tried to replace with Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaino, and now LaTroy Hawkins.  None of those three has been as consistently effective (or effective at all in Hawkins' case) as Proctor.

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Joba Chamberlain and Kevin Yukilis: Heating up the Yanks BoSox Rivalry posted on 07/07/2008

Sunday night, Joba Chamberlain faced the Red Sox as a starter for the first time.  He threw behind Kevin Yukilis for the third time.  Granted, last night's behind-the-knees pitch was not as clearly intentional as the back to back behind-the-head pitches Joba hurled at Yukilis last year, but it's still notworthy precisely because of last year's "slips."  Is there a personal battle brewing?  No.  It's already in full gear and has the potential to get even more heated.  Yukilis is a young 27 (even younger since he's a first baseman), and Joba is, despite all the hype around him already, just beginning a long career.  If both stay with their respective teams, fans could be treated to ten years worth of matchups between the two.  Advantage: Yankees.

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Bertuzzi to Flames... posted on 07/07/2008

I know what you're thinking: why waste a blog post on this seeming insignificant piece of NHL news?  Here's why: this is the perfect place for Bertuzzi to finally return to form.  By "return to form," I mean get back on a 25 goal, 60 point pace (that's all that can and should be expected of Bertuzzi at this stage of his career.  In fact, he's only been really better than that three times--all pre-Moore). 

Bertuzzi returns to Canada--which he wanted.  He also returns to Mike Keenan--something I think both are particularly happy about.  Ranger fans know how Keenan plays favorites (Stephan Matteau and Brian Noonan practically followed him around the NHL in the 90s), and his tough-love approach along with a strong supporting cast in Calgary (led by none other than non-nonsense GM Darryl Sutter and captain Jarome Iginla) should help get Bertuzzi back on track.  Superstar numbers?  No way.  Respectable 2nd/3rd line minutes and numbers?  Bet on it.  And remember that you heard it hear first!

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