This Saturday we have two amazing appearances in Long Island. First we have WWE superstars Batista and Michelle McCool signing at Last Licks Huntington from 2:30-4:00. Batista (The Animal) is one of the biggest guys in Sports Entertainment right now and McCool is quickly becoming one of the most popular divas in the WWE. Then, after the game, we have four (Yes-4!)Mets appearing at Last Licks Massapequa. Paul LoDuca, Joe Smith, Ramon Castro and Pedro Feliciano will all be there signing for the public. I am really fired up for this one as I have yet to meet Castro, Feliciano and Smith. Joe Smith has been the biggest surprise of this short season and has come through every time he has been called upon. Castro is the best back-up catcher in the majors (it's not even up for debate- who's better) and Feliciano has been the most consistent reliever on the staff. Lastly, LoDuca is on his way to another All-Star Game. He is one of the most difficult guys in the league to strike out and calls as good a game as anyone. With all that in mind, I hope to see all you Mets fans out there on Saturday (Our Season Has Come!)
Check back for a recap.

Earlier tonight I finished a private signing with the Yankee Captain Derek Jeter. While the Yankees have been struggling of late Derek has continued his hit parade. Earlier this week Jeter (with his 2215th career hit) passed Joe DiMaggio on the Yankees all-time hit list. This signing gave us the opportunity to get come product signed commemorating this achievement. These new additions to our already strong Derek Jeter exclusive collection include special inscription photos and baseballs.
Now that the signing is over I will begin my (short) holiday weekend. We have a lot going on this week (starting with a private signing with Martin Brodeur on Tuesday) so keep checking back for updates.
Have a great weekend!

In my absence, Vincent Pastore came up to the office for a private signing yesterday. As you remember we ran this contest a few weeks ago where you were able to send in questions for Pastore to answer. Here is Dietz with his lil' blog entry...

Hi everyone, Dietz here with an over due blog entry. Although Eric doesn’t think I have what it takes to be a true blogmaster I am out to prove him wrong and show him the strong qualities I possess. Anyway…last month we sent an e-mail asking our customers to send in questions for Alan Houston and former star of the Sopranos Vinny Pastore. Due to scheduling conflicts the signing with Pastore was postponed until further notice, but I am happy to report we just completed the private signing with Vinny in our office yesterday. Pastore, like everyone else we have done these giveaways with, was extremely receptive to answer any questions I had for him. Vinny has quite a powerful voice and has one of the best senses of humor I’ve ever seen. The whole time I sat with him he had the entire room in stitches. His responses to the questions were very short and precise but what really made the interview great were the looks he was giving me and everyone else in the room the entire time. Just a reminder to all who participated, if your question is listed below, you have won a FREE signed 8x10 Vinny Pastore picture. Please check your e-mail boxes for an e-mail from me confirming this. Stay tuned as more giveaways are coming soon!

Q. Do you get treated as a mobster in real life (people do things for you in fear of getting "whacked"), any examples? – from Matthew B.
A. No. But I can get a table at Rao’s.

Q. I enjoyed seeing you on "Celebrity Fit Club". Congratulations on being able to get into better shape. Do you work out regularly, and healthy still now that the show is over? – from Ryan R.
A. My membership at the gym expired.

Q. Although it might seem a bit unprofessional have you ever and if so asked a cast mate or visiting star for an autograph and if so which is the most famous? – from Frank L.
A. No but I have asked athletes for their autographs before. My most famous one was right here at Steiner Sports when Duke Snider from the Brooklyn Dodgers was here the same time I was. I still have the picture of the two of us framed at home.

Q. Playing the role of a mobster in the Sopranos as well as several other movies, what was your initial reaction to your nickname "Big Pussy" and do you think that a mobster would accept that name? – from Brian D.
A. There was actually a real “Big Pussy” and a “Little Pussy.” Let’s just say I wouldn’t have played “Little Pussy.”

Q. With the Sopranos ending this season, do you have any plans to take anything home from the show, such as that singing Bass Fish? – from Joseph S.
A. I took home the cigar humidor they gave me on the last show I did. That was it.

Early (very early!) this morning I hopped on a flight back to New York from Indianapolis. Upon touching down at LaGuardia I immediately headed over to our office to pick up unsigned product for today's Robinson Cano signing. As soon as I loaded up I was on my way to Cano's home for a private signing. Robinson had been struggling for most of the season but has definitely stepped it up during the Red Sox series. His bat is beginning to come alive and he is sure to regain his All-Star form in no time. We got some great product signed including a few new images (these are first photos that we have done with Robinson wearing #24), jerseys and several strong game-used items. I apologize for the shortness of this entry. I am totally wiped out after the past few days of signings. The next signing will be a private one with Derek Jeter on Saturday (after the Yankees game). Check back for a recap.
Have a great holiday weekend!

I just completed the second day of our marathon Peyton Manning signing. Today was not quite as hectic as yesterday. This afternoon was comprised mostly of photos, jerseys and send-ins. All the product came out unbelievable. I was able to get a small amount of each item with the "SB 41 MVP" inscription. After spending two days with Manning I am starting to believe that the Colts will most likely repeat as Super Bowl Champs. They haven't really lost much in the off-season and have gained so much experience in this past post-season. That is the right recipe for a repeat. I have a few more hours of boxing up product and shipping before I can call it a day. I am all set with a 4:30 AM wake-up call for tomorrow as to be ready for the first flight back to LaGuardia. Shortly after landing I will be heading over to Robinson Cano's for a private signing.
Check back for a recap.

Here are a few cool photos from the Peyton Manning signing. There will be many more to follow after tomorrow's session.

Early this morning I flew out to Indianapolis for a two-day signing with Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning. As soon as I arrived at the hotel I began setting up the helmets, footballs, jerseys and photos. Manning showed up at about 2:00 and signed for a solid two hours. This signing gave us the opportunity to complete our "Manning Family' projects which includes triple-signed mini-helmets, full-size helmets and an incredible collage 16x20 (Special thanks to Cristiana for creating such an incredible piece). Ironically enough Eli called Peyton while he was signing the new image (Both guys loved the photo). It was interesting to here them discuss the collage. Tomorrow afternoon we will be at it again. Wednesday's itinerary is made up mostly of photos and jerseys. Unfortunately I am having a difficult time posting photos from here. (Hopefully I will be able to get them up soon as I have some pretty strong ones.)
Check back tomorrow for more from Indiana.

I just completed a monster signing with Red Sox ace Curt Schilling. It has become routine that when the Sox are in town I meet up with Curt for a private signing at the team's hotel. Schilling, who is pitching Wednesday, was in a great mood (as he should with his team having a double digit lead in the division). Boston has an opportunity to truly lay the gauntlet down on the fading Yankees in this three game set. Curt has played a huge role in the Sox early domination this season. He has four wins already and it seems that he has re-found his location and velocity.
I am really looking forward to watching Schilling on Wednesday as he always seems to have a little extra on his fastball when facing New York.
Tomorrow morning I am on the first flight out to Indianapolis where I will be doing another two-day signing with Peyton Manning. Check back for updates from Indy.

I just returned home from our appearance at Last Licks Huntington with Detroit Lions' legend Barry Sanders. I was a little skeptical about how much of a turnout we would get for the event (considering Barry is not a New York guy). I was wrong (not the first time, not the last). There was a really impressive line eagerly awaiting Sanders' entrance to the store. There were many customers there to add Barry's signature to their Hall of Fame pieces. The coolest piece was, by far, a football signed by all Hall of Fame running backs. This was the first time I had met Sanders but had heard that he loved appearing in public and signing for fans. His reputation is accurate- the guy was unbelievable with the fans, especially the kids. Barry took photos with practically everyone on line (in fact as soon as I complete this entry I need to email pictures to several customers that did not have cameras) Overall it was an extremely successful appearance.
Tonight is game three of the Subway Series. I am hoping for a big game from John Maine and some more heroics from Endy Chavez. Endy has been the story all weekend. He followed up his big Friday night with four more strong hits yesterday. There is nothing this guy can't do on the baseball field.
Tomorrow morning I will be doing a small private signing with Curt Schilling.
Check back for a recap.

I just completed a small private signing with the Mets' newest phenom Carlos Gomez (I told you guys that something else would come up this week). Gomez has been on fire since joining the team last week. He is batting a blistering .417 coming into tonight's game. Not only is Carlos killing it with his bat but he also has speed on par with that of Jose Reyes'. Anyway, we got some strong product signed including MLB baseballs, black leather baseballs and a handful of game-used balls. As a side note- I have started learning Spanish. I am actually beginning to understand a lot of it and am confident that I will be fluent within months. (Just figured I would throw that in there as I am proud of my progress so far). I will be at Shea tonight for the first game of the Subway Series. Then tomorrow we have Cleon Jones which will be then followed by Barry Sanders on Sunday. Hope to see you there!
Check back for updates. Enjoy the weekend! Lets Go Mets!

I just completed a small private signing with Mets centerfielder (and Steiner Exclusive) Endy Chavez. Endy came up to our office right after today's big win over the Cubs. Chavez, as expected, was in a great mood following the five run 9th inning rally. It was, by far, the best win of this young season (second best was the Endy drag bunt game winner!). It showed a lot about the character of this team that we could come back like that....strong win!
Anyway, Endy and I spoke a little about the upcoming series against the Yankees and, more importantly, about next week's series against the Braves. I am feeling really good about getting two out of three from both teams (the Braves being the more important series) We got some great product signed including The Catch Photo (very few images deserve capital letters-Endy's does) and the newer Wide-Angle Catch Photo (in both 8x10 and 16x20). I love the wide-angle shot even more than the original. We were also able to get some amazing game-used pieces signed including a few bats and baseballs.
As I said earlier we have a lot going on in the next few days so keep checking back daily for updates. Lets go Mets!

Here is a quick preview of the next few days. Later today, after the game, Mets outfielder Endy Chavez will be coming up here for a small private signing. Then on Saturday we have two appearances with another Mets legend- Cleon Jones. Cleon will be appearing at Last Licks Armonk from 1:00-2:30 and then at Last Licks Massapequa from 5:00-6:30. That brings us to Sunday when Barry Sanders will be signing at Last Licks Huntington from 1:00-2:30. Barry rarely appears in public so it should be a really great event. Sanders is a must-have autograph for any football collector. Then next Monday we are doing private signings with both Curt Schilling and David Ortiz. The Red Sox will be in town to play three against the struggling Yankees. On Tuesday I will be flying back out to Indianapolis for another two day signing with Peyton Manning. Then next Thursday we have a small private signing with Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano. As you can see we have a lot going on in the next seven days. Aside from everything I just listed there are sure to be quite a few additional signings. It will undoubtably be another strong week so keep checking back daily for updates.

Here are some more strong photos from this past week.

I just completed a small private signing with Cubs manager Lou Piniella. Lou was pretty fired up after last night's devastating loss to the Mets. It made for great conversation as it doesn't take much to get him going. Lou really does seem to be loving Chicago (despite yesterday) He has a good young team that is just missing a few key pieces to the puzzle (relief pitching, another lefty hitter). I have no doubt that Piniella will make a contender out of them sooner than later. Lou signed some strong product for us including an amazing catch photo, replica Yankees jerseys and baseballs with the "Sweet Lou" inscription.
I will be at the Mets game against Piniella's Cubs tonight so hopefully I will be able to get some strong photos to post on here. Check back tomorrow for some cool photos as well as a preview of the upcoming weekend.

Today, as every day should be, was a big Mets day. This morning began with us clearing out the weekend remnants from our conference room ('61 Yankees product, Suppan items). I then began setting up for signings with both John Maine and Mookie Wilson. Mookie came up at about 10:00. There was a ton of product just waiting for Wilson to sign (all the items that Bill Buckner signed when I was in Idaho). Mookie spent most of the morning adding his signature to Buckner baseballs. Maine arrived at about 11:30. Maine, as always, was really quick. It took him less than an hour to sign all the baseballs and photos. I also got some pinstripe jerseys and replica Mets pitching rubbers signed. They will be great additions to our already strong John Maine Exclusive Collection. During the signing we talked to John about the "Cuts for Cancer" program. As inspired by the Mets team headshaving we began an initiative to raise money for children's cancer research. Most of us at Steiner will be getting our hair cut by an athlete. Each time an athlete participates he/she will sign 12 baseballs with the inscription "Cuts for Cancer". These special limited edition baseballs will then be sold and all the proceeds will go towards St. Baldricks. It really is a great cause. Anyway, today's first cut was performed by Maine on DV. I have mentioned DV several times on the blog. He is the guy that accompanied me to Pennsylvania for the legendary Jack Lambert signing. More importantly he is as sick a Mets fan as I am (or at least close to as sick).
After Maine left I jumped right back in with Mookie. We knocked out all the photos and the remainder of the baseballs in about two hours. It was then time for me to get my hair cut. I was debating on waiting until tomorrow to get my head shaved at Shea but then decided that there would nothing more "Mets" than getting it done by Mookie. Mook was as professional as any barber I have ever seen. He did a really impressive job and , when finished, signed the dozen balls with the "Cuts for Cancer" inscription. I can't wait to show off the new haircut at Shea tomorrow night.
Tomorrow I will be doing a small private signing with Yankees icon and current Cubs manager Lou Piniella. Check back for a recap.

Jeff Suppan came up to our office last night for a private signing. Suppan was the pitcher that ripped my (and all Met's fans) heart out in the 2006 NLCS. Soup was lights out in his two starts in the CS and earned the series' MVP award. Despite my obvious animosity towards him (going into my first meeting with Soup in St. Louis last Fall) I really like the guy. He is awesome. It took Jeff about 45 minutes to complete the signing and we talked the entire time. He is in a really good spot right now playing for the Brewers. They have a great young team and are sure to be in the pennant race all season. It would not surprise me one bit if the Mets end up facing Soup again in the postseason. We got some incredible items signed including two new images of Suppan and Brewers jerseys. I am hoping for big things from Soup this season (except against the Mets- we had a little bit of vengeance Friday night but nothing will ever make up for last year). Wisconsin is one of the few states I have yet to visit so I would love to make it out there for a game and a signing later in the season.
We have a ton of signings coming up in the next few weeks so keep checking back daily for updates.

I spent most of Saturday with Clete Boyer, Moose Skowron, Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek. I can't believe that it was only a few months ago that we last had the guys up for a signing. I met up with them about 8:30 yesterday morning at our office to get the private items signed before our appearance at Last Licks Thornwood. I , as always, enjoyed hearing the interaction between the ex-teammates. I have done so many signings with those guys so we really have it down to a science by now. As I am only one person Moose (who is the fastest signer) even jumped in to stretch out jerseys for Bobby to sign. We got some awesome product signed (with the help of our new signing agent Moose Skowron) including a bats,jerseys, and an amazing new item which is sure to take off like crazy this year. We were able to obtain replica photos of the legendary Joe DiMaggio sign from Yankee Stadium. Clete, Moose, Bobby and Tony signed twelve of these.

After completing the private signing we all headed over to Last Licks Thornwood for the public appearance. The guys were then joined by Ryne Duren and Johnny Blanchard for an incredibly fun two hours with the fans. I was really glad that we got the bulk of our inventory items signed earlier in the day as the public portion took a little longer than expected. All the guys truly enjoy interacting with the fans and take the time to speak with everyone. I finally left Thornwood at about 3:00 and headed home to keep tabs on the disappointing Mets game. Brewers ace (and Steiner Exclusive) Jeff Suppan was slated to come up to our office right after the game for a small private signing.
Check back later for a recap.

Last Friday afternoon Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist came up to our office for a small private signing. Despite Henrik's playoff heroics the Rangers were eliminated by Buffalo earlier in the week. Lundqvist had been the hottest goaltender in the league since January. He was nothing less than spectacular throughout the playoffs (unfortunately sometimes it just doesn't go your way..Mets fans know this better than anyone!) Henrik was looking forward to going back to Sweden for a little while and even more excited about the Ranger's potential for next year. They are sure to be in the conversation when talking possible playoff contenders before the start of the 07-08 season. Lundqvist signed some great product including sticks, photos and some Eddie Giacomin "Jason" masks. The dual signed Eddie/Henrik Lundqvist masks have quickly become one of our best sellers and is a must-have for any Rangers fan. We were also able to get four game used playoff sticks from Lundqvist. He signed each of these and inscribed them "2007 Playoffs Game Used". It is a really cool item.
Check back later for a recap of Saturday's festivities.

Here is the first of four posts that will, hopefully, get us up to date by the time this week of signings begins. Anyway, here we go:
Carlos Beltran arrived at our office at about 8:00 Thursday evening. A few of the guys from Steiner stuck around to meet Carlos and assist me with the signing. Beltran is a very methodical signer with an incredibly consistent signature. We knocked it all out in less than 45 minutes and the end result was some awesome product (including a new catch photo which rivals any non-Endy catch photo in our inventory!) As soon as Carlos finished the final baseball the night began to get good. Beltran is a pretty quiet guy but by the time he got to his last dozen balls we were all deep in conversation. The hot topic was the recent haircuts that Carlos gave all his teammates. While in San Francisco every member of the team (aside from Jose Reyes and Aaron Sele) took part in the head-shaving. Earlier in the day my co-workers and I were discussing whether or not we should do the same in our office. There is a great foundation called St. Baldricks which supports children with cancer. As soon as Carlos finished the last baseball he jumped up and grabbed the electric razor and a buddy of his. Our friend was the first customer (or victim?) of Beltran's roving barber shop. Then, after the initial shave, Brooks became the first Steiner employee to get his head shaved for a great cause. After a good laugh and a serious vacuum we all went to dinner.

Before parting ways with Beltran I agreed to get my hair cut at Shea on Tuesday (I wanted to do it after Mother's Day- figured it was only right- besides I don't have too much hair left anyway)
Check back later for more on the past few days.

I would like to apologize for the lack of posts these past three days (I am sorry). There has been so much going on that I have not been able to give the blog the full attention that it needs. In the next two days I will try to get you all up to speed on everything. I am amazed by how much has happened in the world of Steiner signings since my last blog entry. Check back later for the big recap which includes everything from haircuts (by the official Mets team barber), game used playoff hockey sticks, seven hours with the 1961 Yankees infield and a small private signing with the athlete that ruined my winter.
Have a great weekend!

Yesterday was one of the busier signing days that I have had in quite a long time. It began at 7:15 AM when the great (yes he is still great) Mariano Rivera came up to our office for a private signing. I was actually pretty surprised when Mo said he wanted to sign that early. Most athletes wake up after twelve as long as they are not playing in a day game. Anyway, Mo was awesome. He gave us a solid two hours of his time and the signatures were the best I have ever seen (not that they are ever bad, but they were especially crisp yesterday morning). Interestingly enough Mariano, who we all know has one of the greatest signatures, noticed how neat John Havlicek's sig is. There happened to be a few Hondo basketballs left in our conference room and, as soon as it caught his eye, Rivera began to comment on them.
This early morning session gave us an opportunity to restock our inventory with all the different sizes of the entering the game photo. This has become one of our greatest sellers and the staple piece of our Mariano Rivera Collection. Aside from signing that image, Mo also signed three new amazing photos including one from the 2000 World Series (the image brought back painful memories for me).

Mariano left at about 9:30 which gave us less than an hour to clear out the room and prepare for Andy Pettitte. Andy came up at about 10:15 and knocked out the signing in no time. He is extremely fast, especially when signing baseballs. Pettitte has pitched great so far this season (which he must continue to do if the Yankees have any hopes of catching the Red Sox). We spoke a little about the upcoming Mets/Yankees series at Shea. It looks like Andy will most likely be pitching in one of the first two games. Pettitte, knowing that I am a huge Mets fan, jokingly asked if I will be rooting for him (He laughed when I said not a chance but that I would consider it if he had a perfect game in the 9th.... I don't think I could bring myself to do that anyway) Andy signed some incredible product for us including game-used balls and a really cool new image.

As soon as Andy completed the signing Eddie Giacomin came right in and began his work. I have done a ton of signings with Eddie before but this was the first one on private. It has always been difficult to get a lot of product signed by Giacomin at a public appearance. It is always packed and that, of course, makes it hard to get a lot done in two hours. This time was different. Eddie gave us almost four hours of his time. In that four hour window we are able to get a ton of sick product. Giacomin signed a few new photos as well as a bunch of the "Jason" masks. All the items got the HOF '87 inscription and came out incredible. During the entire day of signing one side of our conference room was set up with product for Henrik Lundqvist to sign. The Lundqvist signing from Tuesday has been postponed until Friday. Rather than lug all the equipment back to our warehouse we kept it all staged on one side of the room. The reason I bring that up is to illustrate the difference in the mask style from the one Eddie wore to the one that Henrik wears. While Giacomin was signing his style mask he was commenting on the new Rangers goalie mask (which offers a lot more protection than the "Jason" one...which gave almost none). It always amazes me how football and hockey equipment have progressed over the years.
Later today I will be doing a small private signing with Mets superstar Carlos Beltran. Check back for a recap.

I just completed a small private signing with Celtics legend John Havlicek. Hondo was awesome. We talked about the state of both the Celtics and Knicks throughout the entire signing. John even spent a few minutes abusing our tortured resident Knicks fan AD (which was, by far, the highlight of the day!). Anyway, Hondo signed some incredible product including inscription basketballs and several great images. Havlicek's signature is one of the best I have ever seen. It is so consistent and easy to read. The most interesting story John told came about when he was asked to inscribe HOF 1984 on a few basketballs. According to every website Hondo was inducted to the Hall of Fame in '84. However he was, in fact, a member of the HOF class of 1983 (He even showed me his ring to prove it) I thought that was pretty interesting.
In about an hour Henrik Lundqvist is coming up here to do a private signing so be sure to check back later for a recap.

Yesterday afternoon was our appearance at Last Licks Scarsdale with Rangers legends Vic Hadfield and Nick Fotiu. I was a little disappointed with the small turnout but, considering that the signing overlapped with the Rangers game (not to mention the great weather), it was understandable. The few fans that did come out were as enthusiastic as any I have ever seen at a public appearance. Vic and Nick both signed some awesome inscription items for us including 8x10s and pucks. Aside from the individual items this signing did give us an opportunity to get Hadfield and Fotiu on some incredible Rangers Greats projects that we have been working on for quite a while. Hopefully by the end of the summer these pieces will be completed. (Special thanks to Little Will for his help with the signing)
As I said on Friday, this week will be unbelievably busy for me. We will be doing private signings with John Havlicek, Eddie Giacomin, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Suppan (not to mention the 1961 Yankees infield appearance on Saturday).
Check back daily for updates.

We have a ton of great signings coming up in the next few weeks. This Sunday at Last Licks Scarsdale we have Rangers legends Vic Hadfield and Nick Fotiu appearing from 1:00- 2:30. This is the rescheduled date of the postponed signing from March. The signing will actually coincide with the beginning of Game 6 of the Rangers/Sabres series. It should be a lot of fun to catch the first period with Hadfield and Fotiu.
Hope to you see all there!
Then next week I start to get really busy again. In the span of three days we will be conducting private signings with Rangers icon Eddie Giacomin, Mets superstar Carlos Beltran (.349, 24 RBIs - the guy is ridiculous!) and Brewers ace Jeff Suppan.
That leads us into next weekend when we will, once again, reunite the famous 1961 Yankees infield at Last Licks Thornwood (Saturday 5/12 1:00-2:30). Also next Saturday (after the game) Mets pitchers Pedro Feliciano and Orlando Hernandez will be appearing at Hall of Heroes. I have done a few signings with El Duque in the past and he has always been great. Feliciano really is a must-have autograph for any die-hard Mets fan. The guy has been so important to the bullpen since joining the team. He is arguably the most reliable arm in the bullpen (the argument is him or Joe Smith- who has been pretty much unhittable so far). This will undoubtedly be another awesome appearance and the perfect end to an exciting week.
Check back daily for updates as well as a possible contest.

Despite this being a pretty quiet week for me, overall the sports world has been far from dormant (and our product line, once again ,is right in tune with what has been going on). Earlier today the Mets salvaged a tough series against the Marlins. The Amazins' have had an unbelievable April (especially considering they haven't even clicked on all cylinders at this point). John K. Maine (Yes, that is his middle initial!) has been named NL pitcher of the month. He is 4-0 with a league-leading 1.35 ERA and, personally, I have become a huge "Maine-iac". It is so simple to say but, honestly, the best thing about John is that he throws strikes (which not all pitchers do in 2007). If Maine continues at this torrid pace the Anna Benson trade will go down as one of the greatest in Mets history (but will never live down the trading of Nolan Ryan and Scott Kazmir).
The team from the Bronx is not faring quite as well as the Mets but, as we all know, they will be there when the smoke clears in September. The Yankees did take a step in the right direction by tee-ing off against the Rangers behind the electric (no-hit) stuff of Philip Hughes. Hughes should be back in the rotation by the end of June and is sure to continue right where he left off yesterday. Alex Rodriguez is on pace to break all sorts of single-season batting records and at this rate will end up hitting way over 755 home runs before all is said and done.
While the AL East has definitely improved this year it should , once again, come down to the Yankees and Red Sox. The Sox have been killing the competition all year behind the seemingly rejuvenated Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett. Along with the great pitching the man in Boston is still David Ortiz. "Big Papi" destroyed the Yankees once again over the weekend and is batting .302 with 7 home runs already.
The biggest surprise of this young season has, by far, been the Brewers. Behind the consistent Jeff Suppan, strong outings by Ben Sheets and the bat of Prince Fielder Milwaukee is leading the majors in wins.
While the 2007 baseball season is still in it's infancy the NHL and NBA playoffs are in overdrive right now. The Rangers have just evened their series against Buffalo behind the incredible play of Henrik Lundqvist. I don't know much about hockey (just being honest) but the one thing I do know is that a team can ride a hot goalie all the way to the Stanley Cup. On the other side of the river the Devils are trying to even their series against the Senators tonight. Behind the incredible play of Zach Parise and the impeccable goaltending by Marty Brodeur New Jersey has a great shot of not only winning tonight but taking this series.
Also at the Meadowlands the New Jersey Nets look to close out the Raptors on Friday. They lost a heartbreaker last night but, with Jason Kidd and Vince Carter performing at such a high level (and with the home crowd behind them), NJ is a lock to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Western Conference playoffs have been even more exciting than the East. Unfortunately my Lakers will be facing the Suns on the brink of elimination later this evening. I (and don't think it's just me because Magic Johnson agreed) really thought LA had a shot after Game 3. I hope they can make a series of it but the Suns seem unstoppable at this point. Steve Nash is running the point as well as anyone that has ever played the game. I just don't see an answer for him. I actually said , going into the playoffs, that I wanted to play Phoenix so that after the Lakers are eliminated I can root for my boy Nash. Also tonight the Nuggets will try to stay alive against the Spurs. They are going to need another monster effort from Carmelo Anthony. My man Melo is averaging 28.2 through the first four games of the series and is going to need to repeat that (and some) for Denver to have a chance.
So that was my quick synopsis of this exciting sports week. It always amazes me how we remain right on the pulse of what is happening with sports (and I am proud to say that we are almost always right on it) If you guys enjoyed reading this entry please email me with some feedback. I had a lot of fun writing it.
Check back tomorrow for a preview of the upcoming weekend.