Sky Blue FC, the New Jersey team that will make its debut in Women's Professional Soccer in April, selected Upper Montclair native Yael Averbuch with its first pick in the league's inaugural draft in St. Louis.

Continue reading "Sky Blue FC selects Upper Montclair's Yael Averbuch with first pick in WPS draft" »

I mentioned on Wednesday night Giants assistant OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo had accepted a job as Miami's OL coach. The Dolphins announced the hiring today.

DeGuglielmo is a high-energy guy the Giants' players loved being around. They'd rip on him, he'd rip on them and somewhere in the middle, they'd get some quality work done. The players will surely miss the guy they dubbed "Googs."

I'm not sure if the Giants will fill his spot or if they'll let OL coach Pat Flaherty handle everything. Will let you know what I hear.

MG

This has been a special season for Blue Jackets' rookie goalie Steve Mason, but Friday night figured to be one of the best moments of all. He had hoped to play against Martin Brodeur.

"Yeah, he was my idol growing up," Mason said Friday morning. "It would've been pretty cool playing against him. With him having surgery, it's not going to happen this year."

Mason is 16-9-1 with a 1.80 goals-against average and a league-leading six shutouts. A good start in the NHL as he tries to have a Brodeur-like career.

Continue reading "Devils' Brodeur was Columbus goalie's idol" »

Laptop problems have prevented me from posting more blog items, both Thursday night and Friday morning. My laptop has slowed to a crawl (I'm sure it has nothing to do with Brendan Shanahan's arrival).

The Devils will have an optional morning skate Friday. The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the Nationwide Arena ice right now. Captain Rick Nash is on the ice and might return against the Devils after missing three games with a sprained knee.

It is bitter cold in Columbus (minus-10 Friday morning), which prompted Devils' captain Jamie Langenbrunner to say: "We got to enjoy three seasons already on this trip."

Continue reading "Devils will have optional morning skate" »

The NBA said Thursday that Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith won't be suspended for throwing an elbow that angered Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

The excitable owner might still face punishment for going onto the court to voice his displeasure with Smith, who was a star at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in Newark

Continue reading "Mavericks owner Mark Cuban feuds with J.R. Smith" »

Bobby Gonzalez says he feels the pressure build with each loss. Fred Hill says he would simply like his players to be rewarded for the hard work they've put in.

In a year in which the Big East has enjoyed unparalleled success -- eight league teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25 and nine have been at points this season -- it's easy to forget how the conference's other half lives.

Seton Hall, Rutgers and DePaul are the other half for now. They're the only Big East schools without a league victory.

Continue reading "Big East men's basketball notebook: Life at the bottom is rough" »

If this were a fight, they'd have stopped it in the third quarter -- at least temporarily, if only to let the ringside doctor decide whether the bleeding would ever stop. The Nets' screen/roll was the offensive equivalent of 1,000 paper cuts, the Blazers looked abjectly clueless, and it would have taken but one more punch to send them packing for good.

"I think we should have put that away," Vince Carter said.

Continue reading "New Jersey Nets drop their second straight, lose to Portland" »

After studying the Jets' long, strange coaching search for the past 17 days, I think I finally know what they want.

They're looking for someone with head-coaching experience or an up-and-coming assistant, or an obscure college coach, or one with a famous name, or a coordinator on the defensive or offensive side, and it has to be somebody who is not currently on the coaching staff, or somebody who is.

Have I missed anything?

Really, all the Jets need to do is interview a high school coach -- somebody should check the records from Woody Johnson's private jet just to make sure they haven't already -- and they've covered everything.

From the outside, it sure looks like they don't know what they're looking for to replace Eric Mangini.

And if that's the case? It might not be the worst thing.

Continue reading "Jets are taking a long and winding road to find their new coach" »

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- For Baltimore Ravens strong safety Jim Leonhard, the best day of his week is always Wednesday. Walking into the meeting room and getting that big, black binder about the upcoming game's defensive scheme makes him feel like a kid on Christmas.

Then again, every player on defensive coordinator Rex Ryan's unit feels that way. Because what he hands them isn't so much a binder filled with X's and O's. It's more like a grab bag of tricks.

And that's just the way Ryan likes it.

Continue reading "Ravens enjoy playing for Rex Ryan" »

NOTEBOOK

Meet Vince Carter, Witness To History.

Which, apparently, a lot of people can say if they live in a Weehawken high-rise overlooking the Hudson River.

"I was just sitting there, looking out the window -- dead even where the plane hit," Carter said before tipoff Thursday night, still incredulous over the US Airways crash he saw hours earlier.

Continue reading "Vince Carter witnessed Thursday's airplane crash from his apartment" »

Boxscore

Newspaper stories

Game story: Nets threw away an opportunity

Notebook: Carter witnessed plane crash

Feature: This year's Nets look like last year's Blazers

The task of rebuilding an NBA program isn't an exact science, and the Nets aren't the first team to enter the laboratory.

They know that their modest success this season may be a sign of good things to come, and it's always gratifying when the league's greatest achievers -- Doc Rivers is the latest example -- start to label you the NBA's newest darling.

But Rod Thorn and Kiki Vandeweghe are getting to some hazy territory, and they know it. Even GMs of keen foresight understand that you have to weigh short-term success with long-term goals as you ponder personnel decisions.

Kevin Pritchard, whose team of extravagantly talented young players from Portland visited Izod Center Thursday, knows it as well as anyone.

Continue reading "This year's New Jersey Nets look like last year's Portland Blazers" »

It's not that long a flight from Fort Lauderdale to St. Louis, but apparently Jeremy Hall made quite an impression on Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio along the way.

With the Red Bulls in need of a left-sided midfielder following Tuesday's trade of Dave van den Bergh to FC Dallas, they selected Hall with their first-round pick (No. 11 overall) at the MLS SuperDraft Thursday in St. Louis.

"I had no idea where I was going to go," Hall said via conference call. "I got to speak to Juan Carlos on the flight here. We sat next to each other on the plane from the combine to St. Louis. We talked soccer very casual but it didn't give me any indication what they were planning."

Continue reading "Red Bulls take midfielder Jeremy Hall in MLS draft; Jeff Agoos elected to Soccer Hall of Fame" »

Red Bulls sporting director Jeff Agoos, the most decorated player in Major League Soccer history, has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Continue reading "Red Bulls executive Jeff Agoos elected to Hall of Fame" »

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The ink on his one-year, $800,000 contract was not yet dry when Brendan Shanahan was escorted by Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello on a flight to Columbus Wednesday evening.

Shanahan, the player Lamoriello hopes will elevate the Devils from contenders to serious pursuers of the Stanley Cup, practiced with his new teammates for the first time Thursday but will not play in Friday's game against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

"No, Shanny won't play (Friday)," coach Brent Sutter said. "We'll get him another real good skate (Friday morning). He looked pretty good. He still needs to get into game-like situations in practice, but I thought he looked really good for his first day. You could tell he's in pretty darn good shape."

Continue reading "Brendan Shanahan will not play Friday for New Jersey Devils" »

PHILADELPHIA -- The sneakiest, smartest, strictest defensive coordinator left standing -- sort of -- likes to keep everyone guessing.

Thanks to his unpredictable pressure packages, Jim Johnson has the Eagles at the doorstep of an unlikely Super Bowl berth.

The 67-year-old may tip-toe around with a cane these days -- he threw out his back a couple weeks ago and coached last week's divisional playoff win over the Giants from the press box -- but his mind is as sharp as ever.

Continue reading "Philadelphia Eagles' Jim Johnson likes to keep opponents guessing" »

By MATT CHANDO
mchando@sjnewsco.com

PHILADELPHIA -- There's one Eagles safety that everybody knows.

He flies around the field making big play after big play. He's been a cornerstone of the franchise for the last 13 seasons. Fans wearing his jersey are peppered throughout Lincoln Financial Field on gameday.

Continue reading "Dawkins rubs off on Mikell" »

WHO IS THE BEST FIT?

The Jets fired Eric Mangini on Dec. 29, and while they said their search for a new coach would start "immediately," they're still looking. To the Jets' credit, it has been a long and thorough process. After interviewing eight candidates, it appears the pick is down to a final four. Here's how it stands:

1. REX RYAN

WHAT HE'S DOING NOW: Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator.

WHY HE'S A GOOD FIT: He runs a 3-4 scheme and the Jets won't have to drastically change their defense. His aggressive, blitz-happy style is exactly what the Jets need and is the key to any highly successful 3-4 alignment because offenses don't know who is coming and when. Ryan motivates with a unique brand of tough love and players enjoy playing for him. He brings name recognition and buzz.

Continue reading "New York Jets coaching candidates: The Final Four" »

7:28 p.m. UPDATE Glad I reminded everyone not to jump to conclusions because NFL.com is now reporting Frazier is the leading candidate. If so, that's another big hurdle cleared on Spagnuolo's way back to the Giants. That Chiefs situation is lurking, though.

I was planning to blog a few of the below items earlier, but I was in the city when the USAir flight landed in the Hudson, so getting back home took a bit longer than expected. What a job by the pilot on that one. A big game ball to that guy from all of us who were below your flight and those who were on it.

Speaking of those who were on it, a friend of mine flew on USAir to Charlotte from LaGuardia this afternoon - on the flight that left right before that one. Wow.

But I digress. Back to the Giants and Steve Spagnuolo.

Continue reading "Rams fire entire coaching staff on day Spagnuolo interviews, but Frazier reportedly the favorite" »

The Jets held a secret second meeting with Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Tuesday at the Manhattan office owner Woody Johnson, according to a person with knowledge of the team's coaching search.

That person spoke on the condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak for the team or Spagnuolo. The Jets didn't announce the meeting at the request of Spagnuolo's agent, Bob LaMont, the person added.

A second interview with Spagnuolo was expected because Johnson was out of the country during his first interview on Jan. 3. As first reported in The Star Ledger, that interview was less-than spectacular.

Despite Spagnuolo's second sit-down with the Jets, Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan appears to be the front-runner for the job, and could be introduced as coach as early as next week if the Ravens lose to the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Continue reading "New York Jets interview Steve Spagnuolo a second time" »

When Brendan Shanahan plays his first game for the Devils some time before the All-Star break, he will set a record for the longest gap between games with one NHL team.

Shanahan's last regular-season game with New Jersey was Mar. 31, 1991, against the Islanders. That was 6499 days ago.

His last playoff game with the Devils was April 15, 1991, at Pittsburgh. That was 6484 days ago.

The current mark for the longest gap between games for one NHL team is held by Buffalo's Randy Cunneyworth. He went 6169 days between games for the Sabres in December 1981 and November 1998.

* * *

Continue reading "Shanahan will set an NHL record in first game for Devils" »

No doubt there are some Devils players worrying about their jobs now that Brendan Shanahan has joined the team.

But captain Jamie Langenbrunner said the move to bring Shanahan is a statement from GM Lou Lamoriello.

Continue reading "Langenbrunner: Shanahan signing sends a message to Devils' players" »

The Red Bulls, with a hole at outside left midfield following Tuesday's trade of Dave van den Bergh to FC Dallas, selected Maryland midfielder Jeremy Hall with their first-round pick at the MLS SuperDraft in St. Louis.

The Red Bulls, who swapped first-round picks with Dallas in the trade, selected Hall No. 11 overall.

Continue reading "Red Bulls select midfielder Jeremy Hall with first-round pick" »

Brendan Shanahan participated in his first practice with the Devils Thursday afternoon in Columbus, but he will not play in Friday night's game against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

"No, Shanny won't play tomorrow," coach Brent Sutter said. "We'll get him another real good skate tomorrow (morning)."

Shanahan wore a blue jersey, along with Bobby Holik, Mike Rupp and Jay Pandolfo. However, Sutter said that had no bearing as to which player would come out of the lineup.

Continue reading "Shanahan practices with Devils; won't play against Blue Jackets" »

BELMAR, N.J. (AP) -- If New York Yankees star Joba Chamberlain really WAS at the Jersey shore, wouldn't he ask for something better than a bagel?

Continue reading "`Joba-The-Not' charged with impersonating Yankee" »

CLEVELAND - Eric Mangini has hired Jets quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll as Browns offensive coordinator. Mangini, who took over in Cleveland only a week after being fired by the Jets, alsno named Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator and Brad Seely as special teams coach.

Continue reading "Eric Mangini hires Brian Daboll away from Jets" »

As the Baltimore Ravens continue their Super Bowl push things remain fairly quiet around the New York Jets' camp. The buzz today is that Rex Ryan, the odds-on favorite to get the job, may retain Jets' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Continue reading "Jets may look to keep Brian Schottenheimer if they sign Rex Ryan, report says" »

The Philadelphia Eagles' defense has received much credit for the team's playoff run. Can they maintain that reputation and shut down the Arizona Cardinals' passing game this weekend? Continue reading "Can the Eagles' defense stop the Cardinals' passing game?" »

With a potential Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl still a few weeks away, Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell is considering the idea of a city-to-city wager. Continue reading "Pennsylvania governor will make Eagles/Steelers wager against himself, report says" »