Islanders TV Slug-Fest Cancelled: Fans Could Have Gone To Mets Hug-Fest Instead

Pressure from the NHL and a backlash from "purist" hockey fans has caused the MSG Network to scrap plans for the rebroadcast of a brawl-filled New York Islanders-Pittsburgh Penguins game at a "viewing party."  The infamous Feb. 11 contest was filled with fight after fight after fight.  Both teams combined for 65 penalties, 346 penalty minutes and 10 ejections in the 9-3 Isles victory.

Critics claimed this particular game shed a bad light on the sport.

Is it so bad that a hockey game actually had 12 goals, had more punches than a Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight fight and filled a normally boring arena with excitement?  The NHL thought so.  Anyway, here's a sample of what fans will be missing.

The Islanders/Penguins cage-match had 15 fighting majors and 20 misconducts.  It set records for both teams for most combined penalty minutes and almost left both teams with barely enough players to finish the game.

The NHL suspended Islanders Trevor Gillies for nine games, Mark Martin for four and handed the club a whopping $100,000 fine.

It's not every night-- actually it's not any night-- the Islanders can fill an arena-- never mind a bar.  The last time the team won a championship "Tron" was boring people at the theaters-- the original  Tron.

Tonight's viewing party is at a Champions in Long Island and was part of an eight-game series to promote the team and relive last season's few highlights.  MSG-Plus will now air a rebroadcast of an Islanders game against the Buffalo Sabres.  You remember that game...yawn.

It's just foreplay before the team joins the Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a couple of years anyway.

Tonight, if fans wanted less thugs and more hugs, they could have headed over to Citi Field instead.

The first 100 fans who arrive at Friday's Mets game against the Milwaukee Brewers get free admission, if they take part in celebrity Nick Cannon's "Hug It Out," in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for most hugs in an hour.  I guess Johan Santana was considered too brittle.

Cannon, singer Mariah Carey's husband, should get home more often.  How else can you explain why the host of America's Got Talent and a NYC morning radio show would want to touch over 1,800 desperate Mets fans.  He'll be covered in tears.

So head out to Citi Field and hug the new Ryan  Seacrest and get a free T-shirt to prove it.

Prince Fielder Leaves New York and Talk of Joining Yankees Goes Too

It happens every time a visiting super-star plays in Yankee Stadium.  Fans wonder how the player would look in pinstripes.  Prince Fielder was no exception this week when the Milwaukee Brewers came to the Bronx and were swept by the Yankees.  It sounded like there was a size 50 jersey already hanging in the locker room for the end-of-season free agent.

Everyone looks at the powerful lefthanded-hitting Fielder and fantasizes about what his home-run totals would be if he was swinging for the short right-field seats at Yankee Stadium.  Home run records would be shattered with no asterisks attached, agree the experts.

"Man, I'd hate to think how many he could hit in this sandbox," said a scout watching the first game.  "Put Fielder in the line-up as a DH and they [the Yankees] might never lose."

Here's a reality check.  Fielder finished the three-game series against the Yankees, in their "sandbox",  2-for-11 with no home-runs and  a single RBI.  The big leftie was last seen flailing at a CC Sabathia fastball.

Fielder has been a one man wrecking crew for the Brewers this season.  The early-MVP candidate is batting .305 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI's.  If Fielder becomes the National League MVP, he would be the first player to win the award in a walk year since Barry Bonds did it in 2001.

We're talking about a BIG payday.

The rumors of the Yankees trading for Fielder or snagging the first-baseman when he becomes he is a free-agent could be squashed by the Yankees on two fronts.

First, the Yankees already have a slugger at first in Mark Teixeira.  Tex is also arguably the best fielding first baseman in the majors.  The 30 year-old Teixeira leads the majors with 25 dingers so he's not going anywhere.

Secondly, there isn't even a place for platooning a $25 million(?) DH on the Yankees, not with Alex Rodriguez tied up for another six years and already showing signs of age in the field.  A-Rod may be seeing more and more DH starting this season.

So the possibility of the 275-pound Fielder coming to New York is just psyche.

Make no mistake, the 27 year-old Fielder is going to get Yankee-size money, only not with the Brewers and probably not with the Yanks.

There is little chance a small-market team like Milwaukee could afford the big guy.  It's the kind of dough that lured Sabathia from Milwaukee to New York.

Yankee fans can still dream.  Imagine penciling these names in the middle of your line-up card:  Curtis Granderson, Teixeira, A-Rod and Robinson Cano followed by Fielder batting sixth.  That's 200 home-runs right there.

While all the sports-radio talk these days in New York centers around keeping up with the potent Boston Red Sox line-up; the Yankees are concentrating on pitching, namely a middle reliever.  The team already hits home-runs by the truckload, scores runs and lead the Sox by 2 1/2 games.  Another big bat is not a priority--not one in Fielder's new tax bracket.

Fielder's uncertain future doesn't seem to faze him too much.   The Brewers lead the NL Central and he is in the midst of a playoff race.  The  two-time All-Star has is concentrating on his play and there no need to show his hand just yet.

"His numbers have been impressive," said Brewers GM Doug Melvin.  "But I think the way he's been able to focus is even more impressive."

Fielder surely hasn't slammed the door on the Yankees and made it clear a DH role in the AL isn't out of the question.

"I'm not ruling anything out," said Fielder.  "But as for right now, I like playing first base."



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Jeter Put On 15-day DL: Poised To Get 3,000th Hit Against Mets In Citi Field

The New York Yankees placed Derek Jeter on the 15-day DL shortly before 6 p.m. today and, as fate would have it, the Yankees captain could possibly get his historic 3,000th hit against cross-town rivals, the New York Mets, in Citi Field.  Ticket prices just went through the roof for that series.

Jeter tried to convince Yankees GM Brian Cashman to give him a few days off, but Cashman wouldn't budge and announced that his star would be sitting for 15 days.

An MRI showed a Grade 1 Strain of Jeter's right calf after running out a fly-out in the fifth inning of last night's 1-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians.  Jeter got his 2994th hit in the first and went 1-for-3 on the night.

Cashman knew it wasn't going to be easy getting Jeter to be a spectator for 15 days but, with all the injuries and light hitting on the Yankees, he knew he couldn't take a chance on Jeter compounding the injury just for history's sake and he took the safe route.



A seven day rest period would have meant Jeter could have resumed playing on the June 24 home stand against the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers and possibly collecting # 3,000 in front of the home fans.

Jeter last sat out on May 5.

Cashman probably remembers how Alex Rodriguez had the same "low-grade" strain last year and sat out three games before aggravating the injury necessitating A-Rod going on the 15-day DL.

The 36 year-old Jeter will miss a six-game road trip to Wrigley Field and Cincinnati before returning during the last two games of a home-stand series against the Brewers and finally heading to Flushing and the Mets on July 1-3.

For now, the 3,000th hit will have to wait.

Jeter said being put on the DL was "a little bit frustrating."  It is the fifth time Jeter has been on the DL in 15 1/2 seasons and the first time since 2003.

The Mets organization must be thrilled with the Yankees misfortune.  It means they will possibly fill up CitiField for three games.  Sellouts in Flushing are pretty rare.

For the Yankees fans, at least Jeter still might get his monumental hit in New York.