ICYMI: Queensbury's Brendan Harris involved in longest game in Angels franchise history

Rich Pilling | Getty Images

Queensbury's Brendan Harris has seen many twists and turns during his Major League career.  He's been with the Cubs, the Expos, the Nationals, the (Devil) Rays, the Twins and now with the Los Angeles Angels.  Earlier this month, he hit his first Major League home run in three years against the Minnesota Twins.  Ironically, that home run three years ago came against the Los Angeles Angels as a member of the Twins, on April 8th, 2010.

But it's safe to say last night's game will be permanently etched into his head, as he was a part of the Angels/A's 19-inning marathon that was a franchise record for game length for both clubs involved.

The game could have ended sooner, thanks to Harris.  His double in the top of the 15th inning set up runners on 2nd and 3rd with one man out.  After loading the bases with an intentional walk, Harris found himself at 3rd as Andrew Romaine grounded, forcing Howie Kendrick out at the plate.  The next batter was walked with the bases loaded, bringing Harris home to give the Angels the 8-7 lead.

The A's would tie the game in the bottom of the 15th inning, but not before Harris's double play helped to make up for Albert Pujois's error which allowed the lead-off batter on base.  Without that double play, the A's could have walked off sooner, but instead the two teams would fight onto the 16th inning.

In the bottom of the 19th, at 4:37AM Eastern Time, Brandon Moses would put an end to the marathon with a walk-off home run.  6 1/2 hours later, the A's emerged victorious with the 10-8 victory, but win or lose, it will be a game that Harris will remember forever.

NHL Playoffs Preview

48 games in the books.

16 teams are left, each 16 wins away from hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup in early June.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off tonight with three Western Conference series-openers as the Minnesota Wild and the Chicago Blackhawks meet, the Los Angeles Kings begin to defend the Cup against the St. Louis Blues, and then later the Detroit Red Wings play the Anaheim Ducks.

Let's preview how these series may start.

(W8) Minnesota Wild vs. (W1) Chicago Blackhawks
Game 1: Tonight, 8PM - TV: NBC Sports Network

The first ever post-season meeting between these two franchises may favor the Blackhawks when you look at their records, but close examination shows this might not be a walk in the park for the Blackhawks.  In the first meeting of the season, the Minnesota Wild forced the Chicago Blackhawks to a shootout where the Wild came away with the 3-2 win in Minneapolis.

Then in Chicago, the Blackhawks skated away 5-3 winners, but was a game where they led 4-1 at the end of the 1st period before the Wild came back to make things interesting halfway through the 3rd Period.  But Patrick Kane doubled the Blackhawks lead to two with his 12th of the season with less than 9 minutes to play.

The third was earlier this month, when Marian Hossa bounced on a Wild turnover to score the only goal of the game.

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a spectacular season that helped get people talking hockey and not the lockout the preceded it.  However, the Minnesota Wild are not afraid of Chicago's #1 seed, especially since last year's Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, came in as the #8 seed.  Minnesota's ability to keep close may come in handy, but in the end, the Blackhawks talent will move them to the 2nd Round.

Our Prediction: Chicago wins series, 4-2.

(W5) Los Angeles Kings vs. (W4) St. Louis Blues
Game 1: Tonight, 8PM - TV: CNBC

The defending Stanley Cup champions start their quest on the road against the St. Louis Blues, a team they're happy to see, having won all three meetings this season.

The first game was a 4-1 victory where the Kings scored the first three, and then traded goals for the 4-1 victory.  Jeff Carter had two of those four to earn 1st star honors.

The second game was looking to go the Blues way, up 4-2 at the 2nd intermission, before the Kings rallied for four goals in the third (and five unanswered), capped by Anze Kopitar's goal for the 6-4 Kings win.

In the third meeting, Mike Richards scored the go-ahead goal for the Kings with less than three minutes to go in regulation in another game in which the St. Louis Blues had the lead at one point in time.

In order for the Blues to come away with a win, they're going to have to find a way to maintain a lead once they build it.  The way the Kings are able to get quick goals may enable them to play beyond the first round, allowing them to continue their defense of Lord Stanley's Cup.

Our Prediction: Los Angeles wins series, 4-1.

(W7) Detroit Red Wings vs. (W2) Anaheim Ducks
Game 1: Tonight, 10:30PM - TV: NBC Sports Network

The Detroit Red Wings, postseason players for 22 years straight, remember what happened to them in 2003, when as the 2 seed, they got swept by the 7 seeded Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  10 years later, with both teams flipping the roles, they'd love to do what Anaheim did to them.

It's possible we could see revenge this year.

In their three meetings this year, the visiting team won all of them.  The first meeting saw the Anaheim Ducks score three goals in the 3rd Period to earn them a 5-2 victory at the Joe.  Andrew Cogliano scored two, including the game-winner early in the 3rd Period for the Ducks.

Teemu Selane scored the first goal for the Ducks in the first of a weekend pair of games in Anaheim, but then the Red Wings, fueled by Justin Abdelkader's hat trick, poured it on for the 5-1 victory.

On the Sunday game, Red Wing fans who made the trek to the Honda Center showed their true colors as they pushed the Red Wings to a 2-1 victory in a game that included an octopus sighting late in the 3rd Period.  Drew Miller tipped in what would become the game-winner for the Red Wings.

The inability to win at home for either team would benefit the Red Wings, who will wear the road jersey for four of the seven games.  However, the team that prevails will be the one who can show they can win at home, too.  Anaheim has the ability to show that first, and will need Selane's power to push them into the 2nd Round.  The Red Wings, as perennial playoff contenders, come in with a 4-game win streak, and if any team is to pull off the 16 wins, it's a team who gets hot at just the right time.  Just ask the Kings and Coyotes from last year's playoff run.

Our Prediction: No sweep. Detroit wins series, 4-2.

Wednesday we'll preview more of the NHL Playoffs as three more 1st Round series kick off.  Toronto opens their series in Boston, the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the New York Islanders, and the Vancouver Canucks host the San Jose Sharks.

Midday Recap: Marathon Baseball

Lynne Sladky | AP

It was a tough night in Mets land.

The Mets blew two leads and fell to the last-place Miami Marlins 4-3 in a 15-inning marathon that lasted nearly 5 1/2 hours.  In the 9th inning, Bobby Parnell blew a 2-1 lead, surrendering a lead-off double to Justin Ruggiano, who would score on a Nick Green sac-fly.

After some scoreless innings, the Mets found the ability to break an 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position with Ruben Tejada's single that brought home Lucas Duda in the top of the 15th.  But, with the bullpen completely spent, Shaun Marcum returned to the mound in the bottom of the 15th, and after getting the first out, fell into trouble with Greg Dobbs singling, Ruggiano walking, and then Rob Brantly singling to tie the game at 3-3.  But when Nick Green popped out to Lucas Duda, Ruggiano tagged up and brought home the winning run, ending the game at 12:40.

It was the first time this season where a Matt Harvey start didn't translate to a Mets win.  The last time he pitched, the Mets rallied back in the 9th and won the game in 10 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Harvey only went 5 1/3rd innings, but used up 121 pitches in the effort, his career high.  

RISP-Y BUSINESS

As mentioned above, the Mets went 0 for 16 with runners in scoring position before Ruben Tejada brought Lucas Duda home from 2nd in the 15th inning, a franchise record.  The Marlins weren't much better, going 2 for 13.  Combined, the two squads left 28 runners on base.  John Buck, who gave the Mets the lead with his 2 run shot in the 4th, stranded 6 runners as he struck out three times.

DOUBLE FIELDING

One bright spot for the Mets, especially their pitchers, was how they used the Double Play to get themselves out of trouble.  Marlins hitters grounded into double plays 5 times, with a few coming at key times during extras.

NOT SYMPATHETIC

However, the Mets and Marlins did not gain the sympathy of the Los Angeles Angels or the Oakland Athletics, who set franchise records with their 19 inning marathon that began at 10:10PM Eastern and finally ended at 4:42AM Eastern with Brandon Moss's walk-off homer.  

There were a few similarities to the Mets/Marlins game.  Like the Marlins, the A's tied the game up in the bottom of the 9th, as Coco Crisp crossed home plate on a Yoenis Cespedes single.  Like the Mets, the Angels were able to take the lead in the top of the 15th when Queensbury's Brendan Harris came home from 3rd Base after J.B. Shuck was walked.  However, the A's were able to tie things up on an Adam Rosales single.  After a scoreless three innings, in came Brandon Moss, whose shot in the 19th brought the remaining crowd home happy.

TONIGHT'S OUTLOOK

After taxing the bullpen for all its worth, the Mets will need to make sure that Jeremy Hefner goes a long distance in tonight's game.  Especially since the two teams will need to bounce back after tonight's game with a day game tomorrow.  The Marlins send Kevin Slowey, who had a no-decision as the Marlins lost to the Chicago Cubs 4-3.  He gave up 5 hits, including a home run as he allowed 3 runs in his 6 inning effort, striking out 6.  Radio Coverage: 6:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio

LATER TODAY: The NBA Playoffs see teams hold off elimination, and the NHL Playoffs get under way tonight with a pair of Western Conference games.  Preview on the way.

Midday Recap: Mets get swept, NHL Playoffs set

Howard Simmons | New York Daily News

John Buck dropped the ball.  Both Figuratively and Literally.

Midday Recap: Oliver Lauridsen scores... the right way!

Matt Slocum | AP

Two days ago, we reported about how Oliver Lauridsen scored his first goal with the Philadelphia Flyers thanks to a Zdeno Chara own goal.  So how did he follow that act?  By scoring one legitimately against the New York Islanders on Thursday.  And it was the deciding goal as the Flyers beat the Islanders 2-1.  

Mets Lose Series: First Citi Field Series Loss in 2013

It wasn't as strong as Matt Harvey's performances during this season, but Jeremy Hefner just had the best game of his 2013 season.

Just too bad the Mets bats failed to give him the support needed for his first win of the season.

Rangers, Senators claim playoff spots in Overtime

 AP

The Rangers were three minutes away from having to win in their final game on Saturday in order to clinch the playoffs. 

Then the comeback came in Raleigh.

Jiri Tlusty had put the Hurricanes on top to kick off the 3rd Period, geting an assist from Eric Staal.  The Rangers, on the Power Play, evened the score as the clock ticked under 3 minutes left with Brad Richards' 11th goal of the season. 

In overtime, the Hurricanes made the Rangers sweat, forcing Henrik Lundqvist to make some stellar saves to keep the puck out of the net.  Finally, the Rangers were able to clear the zone and generate some offense.  It worked, as the capital, Ryan Callahan clinched the Rangers spot in the postseason with his 15th goal of the season.

Further up I-95, the Ottawa Senators were under the same premise.  Win, and they'll be one of the 8 Eastern Conference teams to play in the postseason.  With a 1-0 lead, things were looking good for the Senators until Alex Ovechkin continued his push for the Hart Trophy with his 32nd goal of the season 8 minutes into the 3rd Period. 

Guaranteed a point, the Senators pushed for the 2nd when Sergei Gonchar netted his 3rd of the season, beating the Capitals in overtime and clinching a playoff spot. 

Meanwhile, over in Manitoba, the Jets were leading the Montreal Canadiens 2-1.  Once both these games became final, it became official that the Jets would not be playing past this game.  As the wheels came off in their postseason bid, so too did their chances of winning the game against the Canadiens, as Montreal netted three goals in the 3rd to prevail 4-2. 

So now all 8 spots in the East have been claimed.  Pittsburgh and Washington are locked in their division crowns, carrying the 1 and 3 seeds into the playoffs.  Both Boston and Montreal are tied for their division, however the Bruins have the advantage of the game in-hand thanks to the postponed game that will be played Sunday night.  Toronto, the Islanders and Rangers , and the Ottawa Senators, will cap the 8 team field.  The Islanders, Rangers and Senators all have 54 points, although the Senators have a game in-hand.  If it comes down to the Rangers and the Islanders for seeding, the Rangers have the tie-breaker over the two squads.

Regardless of what happens, it's going to be a fantastic NHL Postseason.  

Matt Harvey's the price of admission, but Jordany Valdespin adds extra value.

Jim McIsaac | Newsday

For fans attending Wednesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Harvey was the value behind the ticket purchase.  But Jordany Valdespin's home run blast in the bottom of the 10th gave extra value to those who stuck around long enough to see it.  

It almost didn't come to that. 

Down 3-2 in the 9th inning, Terry Collins chose to go to the bench and sent Mike Baxter to hit for Scott Atchison.  That decision paid off as Baxter took a 2-2 Sinker for a double.  After a sacrifice bunt moved Baxter over to 3rd, and Daniel Murphy's foul out, it was up to David Wright, with 2 men out and the tying run on 3rd.  Wright's line-drive single to right scored Baxter, but then would be out trying to steal 2nd with John Buck at the plate.

The tying run took Harvey's name off the loss ledger and kept him 4-0.  Harvey may not have dazzled like he  did in his last four starts, giving up all three runs in 6 innings pitched. But he struck out 7 while only walking 1 as his E.R.A. now sits at 1.54.

TODAY'S OUTLOOK

The Mets and the Dodgers conclude the series under the sunlight as they meet for a matinee.  Jeremy Hefner will look to calm his season down, currently at 0-2 with a 7.07 E.R.A.  Hefner has already been hit deep 7 times this season in four games, compared to last season when he gave up 9 home runs in 26 games.  In his last two starts he failed to make it past the halfway mark of the game.  Hyun-Jin Ryu is 2-1, but got roughed up for 5 runs on 8 hits, including two over the walls in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles.  Radio Coverage: 12:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio

ROCKED

The Mets/Dodgers wasn't the only East/West game to be decided with an extra-inning walk-off.  With runners on 1st and 2nd, and 1 man out, Yorvitt Torrealba sent the Coors Field crowd home happy with a line-drive to left field that brought home Wilin Rosario, as the Colorado Rockies improved to 14-7 with their 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves in 12 innings.  And, by the way, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 in 10 innings, making all four NL West teams going extra innings on Wednesday.

WING NIGHT

As the final week of the NHL Regular Season is played out this week, it was possible that one of the league's perennial playoff teams be excluded from play after this weekend.  With a game in-hand over the 8th place Columbus Blue Jackets and only a point behind, the Detroit Red Wings took advantage of their extra game on Wednesday with a 3-1 win of the Los Angeles Kings.  It was tied 1-1 until 5:42 into the 3rd Period when Jordin Tootoo tipped a Patrick Eaves shot past the Kings netminder.  Johan Franzen would provide insurance with under 7 minutes to play, as the Red Wings jump into 8th in the Western Conference with two games to play.  

The playoff picture could get a little clearer today.  The Red Wings can eliminate the loser the Dallas Stars/Columbus Blue Jackets game with a win of their own.  The Rangers, Islanders and Senators can all clinch spots tonight with wins, or if the Winnipeg Jets lose in regulation in their season finale tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.  

NO SURPRISES

No surprising results last night on the hardwood.  The San Antonio Spurs now have a 2-0 series lead over the Bryant-less Lakers, the Pacers beat the Atlanta Hawks to take a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Atlanta, and Oklahoma City narrowly got past the Houston Rockets 105-102 for a 2-0 series lead there.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

With the NFL Draft taking place in New York tonight, both 1230 FOX Sports Radio and 1410 CBS Sports Radio will be covering it live, with the latest picks, reactions and news from Radio City Music Hall.  Be sure to listen starting at 7PM as our sports team helps cover the draft like you've never heard before.

TODAY:
MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets - 1:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

NFL - The NFL Draft - 7:00PM; BOTH 1230 FOX Sports Radio & 1410 CBS Sports Radio

TOMORROW:
NFL - The NFL Draft - 7:00PM; 1410 CBS Sports Radio

MLB - Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets - 7:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

###

Midday Recap 4/24: Niese goes down, Cardinal Watch, Rangers fall and First-Goal blunder.

Adam Hunger | Reuters

With one of the Mets two good pitchers on the mound, it was a scary moment in the 3rd inning when Mark Ellis hit a grounder that bounced its way onto Jonathan Niese's leg.  After hobbling over towards the first base line, he went down to the ground and was grabbing his leg.  Niese's night was done, and thankfully for him and the Mets, X-rays came back negative.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that wasn't the only thing to come back.  The Dodgers would come back against the Mets bullpen to pull out a 7-2 victory at Citi Field.  Brandon Lyon and Josh Edgin took the brunt of the Dodger comeback, surrendering 5 combined earned runs.  Edgin only lasted 1/3rd of an inning, but got rocked for four hits during his time out.

TONIGHT'S OUTLOOK

MLB

It's been a phenomenal start for Matt Harvey this season, going 4-0 and allowing only 10 hits in his 29 innings pitched.  He'll be going up against the 8th different starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, Ted Lilly.  Lilly has had a rough 2013 so far, getting slammed around for 15 runs and 5 home runs in his three minor-league games this season.  He'll be looking for some confidence against a Mets squad that could only muster 4 hits on Monday.  Radio Coverage: 1230 FOX Sports Radio - 6:30PM

CARDINAL WATCH

We don't get to talk much about High School Sports on the Midday Recap, and that's more because of everything else that's going on with playoffs and our obvious focus on the New York Mets.  But Joe Foran of the Fort Ann Cardinals is a player you're going to want to watch out for in the coming 6 weeks, as he has put together an impressive resume.  On Tuesday, he broke the Section II record for most hits; he's tied for the state record for RBI's and ... oh, by the way, he pitched a one-hitter as the Cardinals improved to 8-0.

By the way, if you know of a stellar high school performer here in the North Country, let us know!

CAPITAL-IZING ON AN OPPORTUNITY

Entering last night's game, the New York Rangers had the opportunity to earn themselves a playoff spot.  If the Washington Capitals would knock off the Winnipeg Jets in regulation, AND the Rangers win against the Florida Panthers, the Rangers would clinch a spot.  Well, Washington did their part by beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 and earning themselves the guaranteed 3-seed by clinching the Southeast Division title.  

The Rangers couldn't take advantage, as the Florida Panthers took advantage of free icing during a penalty kill to score an empty-net goal late in the 3rd Period.  The Rangers would get it back, with 30 seconds left on Derick Brassard's tally, but could not get the equalizer through.

The Rangers need only two points in their last two games in order to clinch a playoff spot.  They play the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, and then wrap up the regular season on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

OF ALL THE WAYS TO SCORE YOUR FIRST GOAL

Philadelphia Flyer and former Adirondack Phantom Oliver Lauridsen got credited for his first NHL goal, but not the way you'd expect a player to get their first.  The goal came as the Bruins Zdeno Chara retrieved the dumped in puck and passed it, went off the stick of the Bruins netminder, Anton Khudobin, and into the net. Lauridsen got credit for the goal as he was the last Flyer to touch it, dumping the puck into the zone off a center draw.  | Watch the Video

During the game, the Flyers announced that the 50/50 would be benefiting the One Fund Boston.  As a result, the 50/50 raised over $86,000, more than double what is brought in on a normal night.

SPORTS ON THE RADIO

Tonight:

MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets - 7:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Tomorrow:

MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets - 1:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Midday Recap 4/23: Lob City Heroics and a Giant Walkoff

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Lob Heroics
Finally a road team won a game, as the Chicago Bulls evened their series with the Brooklyn Nets with their 90-82 win on Monday.  And out west, lob city became last-second heroics when Chris Paul nailed the game-winning bucket with 0.1 seconds left to give the Clippers a 2-0 series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.

3 games tonight as the Boston Celtics hope to even their series against the New York Knicks at the Garden, plus the Heat look to ignite themselves to a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks.  And in the nightcap, the Denver Nuggets narrowly took game 1 over the Golden State Warriors, and hopes to take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Oakland.

Minne-cancellation
The Minnesota Twins were unable to play Monday night due to inclement weather.  The postponement was their fourth in their last 8 games, three of them at home, including one against the Mets that will have to be made up in August.  The three home cancellations match a season record for Target Field, and re-raises questions about why the field was built without a retractable roof.

Giant Walkoff
Sergio Romo gets the win as he pitched a third of an inning.  That's because he was the last pitcher on record for the San Francisco Giants, who won 5-4 on a Brandon Belt pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Buster Posey's 2nd home run of the season in the bottom of the 8th tied the game for the Giants, who improve to 13-7, matching the Atlanta Braves (13-5) and the Colorado Rockies (13-5) for most wins in the majors.

Southern Comfort
Tonight's best game on the rink is the Washington Capitals hosting the Winnipeg Jets.  The Southeast Division is not strong this year, as current division leader Washington has as many points as the 7th and 8th teams (New York Rangers & Ottawa Senators). Winnipeg would love to join that crowd, and the only way they may be able to is to win their division.  Being a single point behind the Caps, a win today will move them from 9th in the conference to 3rd because of the division champions incentive.  If the Caps lose in regulation, it will join them in an already congested battle of teams with 52 points.  That is, of course, unless the Rangers win tonight against the Florida Panthers.

Another good game on the ice will be the Dallas Stars vs. the San Jose Sharks (10:00PM; NBC Sports Network).  The San Jose Sharks can wrap up a playoff spot with a win, currently 5th in the Western Conference.  The Dallas Stars are 3 points behind Minnesota and Columbus for the last playoff spots, with Minnesota playing Los Angeles tonight.

Dodge City
The New York Mets begin a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight.  Clayton Kershaw started the season 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, but has given up 8 runs (6 earned) on 13 hits in his last two outings, both losses.  Padres hitters went long against Kershaw last Wednesday, hitting three home runs against the six-year Dodger pitcher.  The Mets may want to test Kershaw early, and not allow him to get into a comfortable rhythm.

The Mets send Jonathan Niese to the mound.  Niese gave up three runs on nine hits in his last start against the Rockies, and received the loss after the Mets bullpen surrendered 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th, already down 3-2.  The bullpen has greater confidence after Sunday's shutout against the Nationals, but can't get too cocky against a punishing Dodgers lineup.  Radio Coverage: 1230AM FOX Sports Radio, 6:30PM

Midday Recap 4/22: Just what the Mets needed

Paul J. Bereswill, New York Post

It was the kind of game the Mets needed.  So far this season, Jonathan Niese and Matt Harvey have combined for 6 of the Mets wins.  The other two wins have been credited to the bullpen.  

Midday Recap 4/21: Seesaw in the City

With games about to begin, we don't really have a lot of time to go over everything that happened yesterday, including an emotional return to sports life in Boston, and a seesaw battle between the Mets and the Nationals that saw the Nats take game 2 of the series.

So we'll just post this.

Back with a full recap on Monday.

Midday Recap 4/20: Harvey Delights, Sweet Caroline

Julio Cortez/AP Credited Photo

Bostonians celebrated the news that the 2nd man wanted in the Boston Marathon bombing was captured, and that feeling of jubilation spread to arenas and stadiums across the country.  Locally, once Dan Miner alerted the crowd at the Glens Falls Civic Center of the news during the Adirondack Phantoms game, they cheered, joined in for "Sweet Caroline", and then chanted "U-S-A".

It was the end of a stressful week for Boston and its supporting communities.

As we pointed out on Twitter:

Our thoughts: Boston Bruins & Red Sox should invite the Boston and Watertown PD's at tomorrow's game, and let the crowd applaud them loudly.
— 1230 FOX Sports WMML (@WMML1230) April 20, 2013

They deserve the chance to hear the love and support from the people they serve.

Harvey Delights
Getting back to the sports world, the big matchup of the night was the two young pitchers doing battle on the mound at Citi Field.  Stephen Strasburg was hoping to bounce back from two straight losses.  Matt Harvey took a no-hitter into the 7th inning in his last start against Minnesota, and had an 0.82 E.R.A. entering the game after winning his first three decisions.  Harvey would not get deep in the no-hit bid this time, as Strasburg was the first to hit off him in the 3rd Inning.  That would be the 1st of 4 hits that Harvey allowed, only earning 1 run against his ledger as he struck out 7 as the Mets win the 1st of 3 against the Washington Nationals this weekend.

Harvey's E.R.A. now sits at 0.93, with a 4-0 record. 

Today's Outlook
Both pitchers allowed two home runs the last time on the mound.  Gio Gonzalez surrendered 7 runs against the Braves last Saturday.  Jeremy Hefner was taken deep twice in a relief appearance to keep him loose on Thursday when the Mets fell to the Rockies.  Coverage: Radio - 1230 FOX Sports Radio, 2:25PM; TV: FOX (FOX 23 WXXA-TV, TWC Ch. 7), 3:00PM

American Hockey Drama
It's a shame the Adirondack Phantoms are not a part of the playoff picture in the American Hockey League this final week of the regular season.  If they were, they would find themselves involved in what is turning out to be a very exciting weekend for the league, as entering play today four teams are tied for the 7th and 8th playoff spots.  Manchester and Hershey were setting 9th and 10th entering play yesterday, and with their wins, they were able to leapfrog both Norfolk and Hershey, who lost.  All four teams have 76 points.  The Connecticut Whale sit with a disadvantage, as they are the only team of the four who wrap up the season tonight.  The other three play both tonight and tomorrow.  That'll make for a lot of scoreboard watching for those four clubs.

LIVE SPORTS:
Today:
MLB: Washington Nationals at New York Mets - 3:05PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio
AHL: Springfield Falcons at Adirondack Phantoms - 7:00PM; Classic Hits Q101.7

Tomorrow:
MLB: Washington Nationals at New York Mets - 1:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio
AHL: Adirondack Phantoms at Albany Devils - 3:00PM; Classic Hits Q101.7

LIVE SPORTS IN PERSON:We're organizing a bus trip to see the New York Mets take on the Chicago Cubs on Father's Day, June 16th.  $99 gets you round-trip bus transportation, a ticket to Citi Field's Pepsi Porch, and lunch on the bus.  A baseball game together with father and son makes for a great Father's Day idea, or maybe just a great way to spend a June afternoon.

If you're interested, or have any further questions, call our business office at (518) 793-7733 during our business hours, Monday-Friday, 9AM to 5PM.

Midday Recap 4/17: That's two they wished they had back

Photo Courtesy: New York Mets

It's been a long 72 hours for the New York Mets.  After winning their game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, they've had to endure two snowed-out games, leading to what was supposed to be a split doubleheader.  But after field crews at Coors Field were unable to remove 10 inches of snow before the scheduled 3:10p.m. first pitch, it became a traditional doubleheader, starting up at 5:10p.m.

It was two games the Mets wished they had back, as they led in both games.  In the first game, Dillon Gee got roughed up in the 5th inning, failing to protect the 4-2 lead he had at the time, when he loaded the bases and then walked in a run and gave up a 2-run single to Todd Helton, putting the Rockies in the lead.  They would go on to win 8-4.  

In the nightcap, the Mets had a 8-2 lead after a 5-run 5th inning.  Josh Edgin came in the bottom of the 5th, a strategic move to allow Laffey to come back to pitch Saturday against the Nationals.  Edgin surrendered 4 runs in the bottom of the inning, only getting one out.

But the real trouble came in the 8th inning, when a ground ball to Ruben Tejada that was supposed to end the inning got thrown way over the head of Ike Davis and into the Rockies dugout, allowing the tying two runs to come score.

The Rockies won in the 10th inning when a semi-intentional walk to Carlos Gonzalez would later come back to haunt them as he crossed the plate as the winning run, hit home by Jordan Pacheco. 

Instead of being 9-4, the Mets now find themselves one game over .500.

Troubling Stats
In both games of the doubleheader, Mets hitters failed to produce a run against the Colorado bullpen.  In addition, the Mets are now 3-4 on the road.  Hitters are going to have to find a way to correct this fast, especially with the upcoming series with the Nats that promises a showdown with Stephen Strasburg.  And while David Wright was able to keep the Mets home run streak going in the matinee, the streak came to a halt in the nightcap, ending at 12.

Tonight's Outlook

Things are not going to get any easier tonight with Jeremy Hefner on the mound for the Mets.  In his last outing, he gave up 5 runs in 3 innings, all earned, in a 7-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Mets will have to figure Jon Garland out, who started in the Rockies 7-5 win over the Padres on April 12th.  Garland did not get the decision in the win, struck out four, but surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits, going 6 innings.  If the snow stays away, coverage will begin at 8:00PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio. Game has been postponed due to snow; no make-up date announced.

Four point swing

The New York Rangers would love to have their game against the Philadelphia Flyers back as well.  The Rangers dropped a 4-2 decision against the Flyers.  Steve Mason earned his first victory as a Flyer, stopping 38 of 40 shots.  About 40 minutes later, the Winnipeg Jets earned two points as they won in a shootout against the Tampa Bay Lightning, tying the Rangers with 46 points for the last playoff spot.  The Rangers do have the advantage, with a game-in-hand on the Jets.

Boston Pride

All eyes will be on Boston this evening as the Boston Bruins host the first sporting event in the city since the Boston Marathon on Monday.  For the city, it will be a chance to return to a sense of normalcy after this horrific event after the Bruins postponed their Monday game and the Celtics cancelled their Tuesday game.  The city of Boston did announce on Tuesday that the Boston Marathon will again run in 2014, which is a positive that the city is ready to move past this.

Live Sports Ahead

Tonight - NY Mets @ Colorado Rockies - 8:40PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Tomorrow - NY Mets @ Colorado Rockies - 3:10PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Like us on Facebook: 1230 FOX Sports Radio & 1410 CBS Sports Radio

Midday Recap 4/16: Boston, New York and New Jersey

This is how the Boston Marathon was supposed to end.  Instead, tears of joy turned into tears of sadness as two bombs exploded two blocks apart on Bolyston Avenue in Boston.  3 are dead, over a hundred injured, and questions as to why this happened still exist.  And we may not know the reason why for days and weeks to come.

Life in Boston will not be the same after this tragic event.

Our heartfelt sorrow and prayers goes out to the victims, as well as our heartfelt thanks to the countless emergency personnel who worked through the afternoon and into the night to ensure the safety of Bostonians.

Snowed Again
The Mets were snowed out in Denver.  Makeup is this afternoon, when the Mets will play two in Colorado, first at 3:10PM and again at 8:40PM.  They have not played since Saturday late afternoon, when they beat the Minnesota Twins on Matt Harvey's stellar performance.  The Mets will still send Dillon Gee out in the early game, and Aaron Laffey in the nightcap.

Deviled Ham
The New Jersey Devils playoff chances took a bad turn as they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 last night.  With 6 games left in the regular season, the Devils sit in 11th, 6 points behind the Rangers for the last playoff spot.  Sunday's game against the Rangers could become a must-win for the Devils, dependent on how they handle the Flyers and Panthers this week.  The Flyers are coming out of a 7-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on the road, aided by Hartnell's hat trick.

NBA Doubleheader
Two games on the NBA schedule today after the cancellation of the Boston/Indiana game (and with both teams cemented in the playoffs, they're not going to make it up).  Atlanta has not secured the 5-seed, and will fall into a tie with the Chicago Bulls with a loss.  The late game has the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Portland Trailblazers.  The Clippers look to be locked into the 4-seed as Pacific Division champs, while the Trailblazers are on a 11-game losing skid.

SPORTS ON THE RADIO
Today:
Mets at Colorado Rockies, Game 1 - 2:30PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
Mets at Colorado Rockies, Game 2 - 8:00PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
Tomorrow:
Mets at Colorado Rockies - 8:00PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Midday Recap 4/15: Tax Day

Yes, it's the day that your taxes are due, but let's take your mind off that with today's Midday Recap.

Alt Route 15

The Adirondack Phantoms will not be playing past next Sunday, but that doesn't mean that they're not going to provide their fans with exciting hockey.  And that was the way this weekend went, as the Phantoms won in an overtime thriller on Saturday.  So how do you top that?  How about a goal from Garrett Roe with 0.3 seconds left that forces overtime, capped with a 15 round shootout that was finished when Mark Alt was able to get the puck past Binghamton's goaltender Marc Cheverie.  In all, 13 goals were scored in the shootout.  You can hear the entire 30-skater shootout here, courtesy of Bob Rotruck and the Phantoms Hockey Radio Network. 

Aussie First

A weekend of firsts finished with an Australian winning the Masters for the first time.  Adam Scott shot a -3 and tied Angel Cabrera for the lead, and then after a duplicate showing from both golfers at the first playoff hole, Scott was able to win the Green Jacket on the 2nd playoff hole amid growing darkness at the Augusta course.  Tiger Woods finished 4 shots off the lead, and although one can argue what could have been if he didn't hit the flag on the 15th on Friday, similarly one can argue about what would have happened had he withdrew from competition.  People will be talking about Tiger for awhile leading up to The Player's Championship next month, but for now, the light shines on Adam Scott's first Masters for the land down under.

Ranger Danger Averted

Lost in the shuffle from Saturday night is the New York Rangers giving their playoff hopes a boost with their overtime game-winner on Saturday night against the Islanders.  Granted they conceded a point to the Islanders that keeps the "other New York team" in 7th in the Eastern Conference, but the Rangers still have a game in-hand over both the Islanders and the 9th place Winnipeg Jets. Both the Rangers and the Islanders are in action tomorrow, as the Islanders host the Florida Panthers and the Rangers travel to Philadelphia.

Season Finale

It's the final week of the NBA regular season.  The Knicks, already securing themselves the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference, travel to play the Charlotte Bobcats tonight, and then wrap up their season with a home game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.  The Brooklyn Nets have already secured themselves a home series in the 1st round with the 4 seed, and will close out the season with home games against the Washington Wizards (tonight) and the Detroit Pistons (Wednesday).  In the west, the Los Angeles Lakers are not secured in the 8th seed, with a game and a half lead over the Utah Jazz.  That makes tonight's Jazz game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00pm) a must-win for them.  

Tonight's Outlook

The Mets travel to chilly Colorado where they start up a four game series against the Rockies.  Dillon Gee is looking to right the ship after his 0-2, 7.71 ERA start where he surrendered 3 home runs against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Juan Nicasio was given a no-decision in his last start against the San Francisco Giants, where he couldn't preserve the 4 run lead the Rockies gave him in the top of the 2nd.  With snow in the forecast, there could be plenty of white things in the air tonight.  Coverage Begins: 8:00PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

Mets/Twins postponed, rescheduled for August 19th.

Today's Mets/Twins game has been postponed due to a wintry forecast in Minneapolis.  The announcement came just after 9AM Eastern, as light snow was coming down over the Twin Cities.

The makeup date is Monday, August 19th, as the Mets will make a stop in Minneapolis on their way home from their west coast swing.  Minnesota will be home following a weekend series, and afterwards travel to Detroit.

First pitch is scheduled for 2:10pm Eastern, with Mets Extra coverage beginning at 1:30pm.

Midday Recap 4/14: Heart-Stopping Harvey, Masters Movement, First-Timers and More

POSTPONED: Sunday's New York Mets vs. Minnesota Twins game, originally scheduled for 2:10pm, has been cancelled due to inclement weather.  It will be made up on August 19th @ 2:10pm.

Heart-Stopping Harvey
Now that we got today's business out of the way, let's talk about yesterday.  Matt Harvey dazzled the Target Field crowd with 6 2/3rds innings of no-hit ball.  Then Justin Morneau hit one that went deep, hitting the foul pole to narrowly break up the no-hit bid.  Harvey would go 8 innings, allowing 2 hits, as the Mets won 5-2.  His E.R.A. now sits at 0.82.

Streak Continues
Matt Byrd solo shot to lead off the 5th inning continues the Mets home run streak to start the season, now at 11 games.  The Mets are now the only team to hit the long ball in every game this season.  With four games coming up in high-altitude Colorado, the streak could make it to next weekend.

Sensational Sunday Expected
Not a lot of movement occurred on Saturday at the Masters, but what movement there was should bring a dramatic Sunday final round.  Tiger Woods still lurks in the hunt, regaining the two strokes he lost due to penalty.  He's one of 8 who are 4 strokes of the leaders, Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera.  You have to admit, no matter your feelings on the Tiger Woods incident, having him amongst the final groups to hit the course on Sunday makes for a more exciting and dramatic broadcast. Coverage Begins 2:00PM on 1410 CBS Sports Radio, WENU-AM.

Sixty Years in the Making
The Bulldogs of Yale were the 15th team to make the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament.  Being a four-seed, it wasn't expected for the Bulldogs to make it to Pittsburgh, where the Frozen Four was held.  Quinnipiac was the overall #1 team, and made it known with convincing wins through this tournament, including their regional final against Union when they advanced to the Frozen Four with 5-0 victory.  Quinnipiac had won all three games against Yale this season, outscoring the Bulldogs by a 13-3 margin.  But it was the Yale Bulldogs carrying their first school title in any team sport since 1953 after their 4-0 win on Saturday, aided by a goal with 3.5 seconds left in the 2nd Period that seemed to rattle Quinnipiac. Jeff Malcom guarded the pipes well for the shutout, the 5th in Championship history.

NOT TONIGHT!
No heartache on Dan Miner bobblehead night, but a thrilling game before 3,700 at the Civic Center as the Phantoms gained a 2-0 early lead, but then surrendered 3 straight as the Connecticut Whale held a 3-2 lead with 5:00 left in the 2nd Period.  But then Jason Akeson scored his first goal of the night to tie the game at the 2nd intermission.  After no goals in the 3rd, the game went to overtime, where Jason Akeson sent the crowd home happy with bobbleheads in hand with his 19th of the season.  The Phantoms have had some thrilling games against the Rangers affiliate this season, including a game where the Phantoms came back from a 5-1 deficit with two goals with less than 2 minutes in the period down in Hartford.  The Phantoms wrap up their weekend-at-home against the Binghamton Senators at 3PM.  Coverage begins at 2:30PM on Classic Hits Q101.7.

SPORTS ON THE RADIOToday:

• Mets Baseball: Mets at Minnesota Twins - 1:30PM, 1230AM WMML
• The Masters: Final Round Coverage - 2:00PM, 1410AM WENU
• Phantoms Hockey: Binghamton Senators at Phantoms - 2:30PM, 101.7FM WNYQ

Tomorrow:

• Mets Baseball: Mets at Colorado Rockies - 8:00PM, 1230AM WMML

Don't forget we are planning a Father's Day Mets bus trip, going down to see the Mets take on the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, June 16th.  $99 gets you bus transportation, lunch on the bus and tickets to the Pepsi Porch at Citi Field.  For more information and to purchase your tickets, call (518) 793-7733 during regular business hours (Mon-Fri 9AM to 5PM).

Midday Recap 4/13

Mall-ed
Is there an unstated rule that says the Mets are hotter when the weather's colder?  The Mets bounce back from two losses against Philadelphia with a 16-run effort in Minneapolis, where snow flurries showed up during batting practice.  John Buck continued the Mets franchise-best home-run-to-start-a-season streak with his grand slam.  Friday night's 16 runs also enter the Mets franchise record books, tied for the most runs they've scored in an interleague game, and is the most runs scored since their 17-run effort against the Chicago Cubs last June.

Diamond shopping
The Mets will try to make it 11 straight games to start the season with a home run when Matt Harvey comes to pitch in his first career interleague game.  He's 2-0 this season with a 0.64 ERA, allowing only 1 run in his start against Philadelphia on Monday.  The Mets batters will face Scott Diamond, who makes his season debut following left elbow surgery last season.  Coverage begins at 3:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

Tiger on the Prowl....
At the time of this writing, it's been reported Tiger Woods assessed a two stroke penalty for a bad drop on the 15th hole on Friday.  Despite the penalty, and losing two strokes on the back 9, you have to admire how Woods has been clawing his way into this tournament.  Tiger remains in the hunt, only 5 back of the leader, Jason Day.  Saturday will be an interesting day on the links.  Coverage begins 2:00PM on 1410 CBS Sports Radio

ECAC Title
The administration of the ECAC hockey conference must be thrilled.  The NCAA Men's Hockey Championship comes down to two ECAC teams from Connecticut.  Quinnipiac has shown why they deserved the #1 seeding, knocking off Union convincingly a couple weeks ago for their berth into the Frozen Four.  Yale has been the Cinderella story, knocking off Minnesota and North Dakota in the regionals, then ending UMass-Lowell's run in overtime on Thursday.  Quinnipiac has won all three meetings this year between the two squads, outscoring Yale 13-3.  But things can be different when the title's on the line.  Coverage begins approximately 7:00PM on 1410 CBS Sports Radio, following Masters 3rd Round coverage.

Appeals
Appeals allow teams to keep players in the lineup while disciplinary decisions are looked at more extensively.  Normally, we'd argue against this, but this could make things interesting when the San Diego Padres play the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Monday.  If you missed it, Zack Greinke nailed Carlos Quintin in the elbow, and Quintin took exception to it and stormed the mound.  Greinke got injured with a broken collarbone in the melee, and Quintin earned an 8 game suspension for his actions.  He's appealing the decision, which may allow him to be in the lineup on Monday.  The Dodger faithful may not take kind to his taking the field.

Ko-uch.
And finally, Kobe Bryant may be done for the season and subsequent playoffs with a ruptured Achilles tendon that he suffered in the Lakers 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors last night.  He's expected to get an MRI today, but indications already could be that he's done for this season, and could be missing a good chunk of the 2013-14 season.

LIVE SPORTS ON THE RADIO
Today:

• The Masters: LIVE 3rd Round Coverage - 2:00PM-7:00PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio.
• Mets Baseball: Mets at Minnesota Twins - 3:30PM-7:30PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio.
• Phantoms Hockey: Connecticut Whale at Phantoms - 6:30PM-10:00PM, Classic Hits Q101.7
• NCAA Men's Hockey Championship: Yale vs. Quinnipiac - 7:00PM-10:00PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio

Tomorrow:

• Mets Baseball: Mets at Minnesota Twins - 1:30PM-5:30PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
• The Masters: LIVE Final Round Coverage - 2:00PM-7:00PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio
• Phantoms Hockey: Binghamton Senators at Phantoms - 2:30PM-6:00PM, Classic Hits Q101.7

Midday Recap 4/10: Geez... Plus Masters Tee Times, Knicks and Isles prevail

Geez

It was not a good game at all for Dillon Gee, who got roughed up for 7 runs in 3 innings in the Mets 8-3 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday.  The 3 inning outing is his shortest outing in his Major League career, replacing his August 22nd, 2011 outing where he lasted 3 2/3rd innings against the same Philadelphia Phillies, giving up 8 runs on 7 hits, walking 6 batters while only striking out 1.  Terry Collins after the game admitted that Gee had some control troubles, stating that he was about 2 feet off on his pitches.

Two Buck

The Mets home run streak to start the season now sits at 8 after John Buck launched a 2-run blast in the 4th inning.  The 2 runs puts him at 14 RBI's, 2nd best in the majors (Chris Davis, Baltimore, 17).  The 8 consecutive games to open a season with a home run ties the Mets franchise record, set back in 1987.

Tonight's Outlook

Jeremy Hefner (0-1, 1.50) will hope the Mets can provide him with better run support while on the mound after receiving a losing decision last Friday against the Miami Marlins.  He struck out 3 and gave up 5 hits, only allowing one earned run in 6 innings pitched.  The last time Hefner faced the Phillies, he was bruised with 7 runs on 6 hits, and was replaced without recording a single out back in September.  He'll face Kyle Kendrick, who allowed 5 runs on 8 hits in 5 2/3rd innings in his first start of the season against Kansas City.  Broadcast begins 6:25PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

In Other Sports

XIII

The Knicks scored 36 in the 1st Quarter as they easily disrobed the Washington Wizards 120-99 for their 13th straight victory.  Carmello Anthony scored 36 points and was followed with Iman Shumpert's 18 points.  John Wall scored 33 for the Wizards.  The Knicks shot 56% from the field and 55% from downtown, and will take their streak to Chicago on Thursday, where they face the team that put an end to the Miami Heat win streak last month (8pm, Thursday, TNT).

Isles clip Flyers

In the other Philly/New York game on Tuesday, the New York Islanders pushed ahead of the New York Rangers in the standings after their 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Nassau Coliseum.  Jakob Voracek gave Philly the early 1-0 lead, but then the Islanders scored the last 4 goals, capped with a John Tavares goal that appeared to be redirected by Erik Gustafsson into his own net and an empty net goal 30 seconds later.  The Rangers will seek to regain a tie with the Islanders tonight as they try to avenge their Monday loss to the Maple Leafs, and the Islanders will be in Boston tomorrow, leading up to Saturday's key Rangers/Islanders showdown.

Masters Tee Schedule

The 1st and 2nd round tee times have been determined for the Masters.  Of the notables, Stewart Cink will tee off at 10:23AM, Tiger Woods will tee off at 10:45AM and Phil Mickelson will tee off at 1:41PM on Thursday.  On Friday, Cink, Woods and Padraig Harrington will benefit from afternoon coverage with afternoon tee times.  The Masters will be live on 1410 CBS Sports Radio all weekend, so make plans to listen along while you work or play this weekend.

Midday Recap 4/09: Halla-don't; Ware-ing a title.

Halla-don't
It was a rocky start for Roy Halladay, getting smoked for 7 runs on 6 hits, as the Mets defeated the Phillies 7-2 on Monday night.  John Buck kicked off the Mets scoring with a 3-run shot in the 2nd inning.  Then David Wright and Ruben Tejada brought home runs in the 5th inning to blow things open for the Mets.

With last night's 7 earned runs, Roy Halladay's E.R.A. now sits at 14.73, six times his career low of 2.35 back in 2011.

Sparking Harvey
By comparison, Matt Harvey has looked great in his two starts, only allowing 1 earned run in 14 innings pitched, for a 0.64 E.R.A..  He struck out 9 Phillies batters, while walking 2 and giving up only 3 hits in 7 innings last night.

Buck Yeah
John Buck became the first Met to ever bat in 12 runs in the first 7 games of the season after his three run blast in the 2nd inning.  He has three home runs already in the season, whereas last year he only sent the ball deep 12 times as a Miami Marlin.

Home Run Streak
John Buck's home run continues a Met streak, hitting a home run in their first 7 games of the season.  That's one short of the franchise record of 8, which the Mets could reach tonight with a ball over the wall at Citizens Bank Park.

Tonight's Outlook
It might be hard for the Mets to continue that streak as Cliff Lee is on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Last Thursday, Lee struck out 8 as he went 8 scoreless innings in Atlanta, allowing only 2 base runners all game.  He'll face Dillon Gee, who had a decent outing against the San Diego Padres last week, but got a losing decision as the Mets failed to muster any run support while he was on the mound.  It's lining up to be a decent pitching duel tonight.  Coverage begins at 6:25PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio

In other sports:
Ware-ing a title
Since the unfortunate injury to Kevin Ware last Sunday, the Louisville Cardinals have promised that they are going to win it for Ware.  And they did in a championship that felt as such, defeating the Michigan Wolverines 82-76.  The game was close throughout, giving no indication that either team was going to walk away champions until the very end, where Louisville got offensive rebound after offensive rebound to help pad their lead.

Outstanding Bench
Luke Hancock was not a starter for the Louisville Cardinals, but played 30 minutes, scoring 22 points on 5-5 from behind the arc as he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.  It was the first time in NCAA Tournament history that the honor was given to a non-starter.

Leafed
Phil Kessel scored the game winner as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the New York Rangers 4-3.  Kessel's 12th of the season (and 2nd of the game) came just 39 seconds after the Rangers tied it on Derek Stepan's 14th of the season. Rick Nash scored 2 for the Rangers in the losing effort.  The Rangers sit tied with the New York Islanders for the 7th playoff spot, and only 2 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils and the Winnipeg Jets, who are both outside wanting in.

Lucky 13?
The New York Knicks will be looking for their 13th straight win tonight as they host the Washington Wizards at the Garden.  The Knicks are 2-1 against the Wizards, winning their last meeting 96-88 on March 1st.

Upcoming Live Sports on the Radio:
TONIGHT - Mets @ Phillies - 6:25PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
Tomorrow - Mets @ Phillies - 6:25PM, 1230 FOX Sports Radio
Thursday - THE MASTERS - 2:00PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio
The NCAA Frozen Four - 7:00PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio (joined in progress)

Midday Recap: Mets, Phantoms, Orange

A collision at home plate seemed to be a changing point in the Mets/Marlins game on Saturday.

Greg Dobbs singled to right in the top of the 7th, bringing Juan Pierre home from 2nd to tie the game.  A throw from Mike Baxter was wide to the right of home plate, and as Pierre crossed home plate, he collided with catcher John Buck.  Immediately home plate umpire Jim Joyce called Dobbs out as he was making his way to 2nd, calling interference on Pierre to bring about the 3rd out of the inning.


The Mets used that momentum and seized control of the game with a 3-run bottom of the 7th as two throwing errors from Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo allowed runners to advance to 3rd on steal attempts.  Both would later score.

A Collin Cowgill homerun in the 8th brought the final score as the Mets defeated the Marlins 7-3.

Today: Jose Fernandez (Marlins) and Aaron Laffey (Mets) both make their season debuts in the rubber match and the closing game of the Mets homestand.  Laffey, an acquisition from the Toronto Blue Jays, went 4-6 last year with a 4.56 ERA.  In his last Major League start, Laffey had a no-decision against the Minnesota Twins on October 1st, going 5 innings, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits.  Coverage begins at 12:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

Overtime Slump: The Phantoms continued their 6 game home point streak, but on the same token, continued another streak in their 5-4 shootout loss to the Rochester Americans on Saturday.  The shootout loss was their 5th straight overtime/shootout loss.  The last time they've won in overtime or in a shootout was January 20th, when they won a shootout against the Albany Devils in Atlantic City.

As far as the game itself goes, the Phantoms gave their fans, as well as AHL President David Andrews, a thrilling and exciting game.  Down 4-2 at the 2nd Intermission, Jon Sim gave the Phantoms hope at 1:31 in the 3rd Period.  Then with under 8 minutes left to play, Garret Roe tied the score with his 11th of the season.

The Phantoms would be outscored 2-1 in the shootout, and now are 1 point away from being mathematically eliminated in the playoff race as they travel to Bridgeport to face the Sound Tigers (5:00PM, Classic Hits Q101.7).

Fouled Orange: With less than 20 seconds left, the Syracuse Orange had the opportunity to tie the game on a lay-up.  However, Brandon Triche plowed into a Michigan defender and was called for the charge, which was the right call, but allowed the Wolverines to cement their place in the title game against Louisville, who rebounded from 12 points down to defeat the Wichita State Shockers earlier in the evening.

Championship: Michigan vs. Louisville, 9:23PM Monday (Broadcast begins 8PM on AM1410 CBS Sports Radio)

Midday Recap: Marlins get first win over Mets

The New York Mets were hoping to rebound from their Thursday 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres as the Miami Marlins came to town to start a three game series at Citi Field.  On paper, they should be in good position to, after all, the Marlins only scored 1 run against the Washington Nationals during their three game series. 

The 1st inning started off well enough, as Jeremy Hefner got the Marlins to go down in order.  Then Jordany Valdespin led off with a line-drive single, and then stole 2nd base.  After Daniel Murphy walked to set up 1st and 2nd with no outs, David Wright lined out.  Ike Davis, batting clean-up, cleaned up the bases hitting into a double play to end the threat.

Greg Dobbs doubled the Miami Marlins season run output with a homerun to lead off the 2nd Inning.  That would be Jeremy Hefner's only blemish, made worse as the Mets could not figure out Alex Sanabia.

7th Inning Mayhem
The New York Mets got on the board in the 7th inning after  Daniel Murphy cleared the left field wall for a 3 run homerun off relief pitcher Chad Quails, who replaced Sanabia at the start of the inning.  The only problem: The Marlins scored 5 runs in the top of the 7th inning off Greg Burke to build a 6-0 lead.  So Murphy's homerun only closed the gap in half.

Turning Point
The Mets would load the bases in the bottom of the 8th after Jordany Valdespin was hit by a pitch.  With two outs, Daniel Murphy would come to the plate, and bounced a 3-1 cutter to Donovan Solano, who easily threw to Dobbs for the final out.  The Mets would again send the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning, but a bouncer to first ended the game, and the Mets would fall to the Miami Marlins 7-5.

Ike's Woes
In the first game of the season, Howie Rose commented that Ike Davis' swing resembled that of the first half of last season when he was going through his hitting troubles.  And after four games of the season, he is 1-for-16, batting a rocky .063.  Of his 18 plate appearances this season, he has reached base only three times, and has struck out 7 times.  On Friday, he provided the third out three times, grounding into a double play in the 1st inning, and fly outs to left field in the 3rd and 5th innings.

RISP-Troubles
The Mets went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position on Friday.  Coupled with Thursdays 0-for-5, the Mets now are 2-for-16 in their two losses this season.

Will Saturday be nice for Niese?
The Mets will try to rebound as Jonathan Niese pitches his 2nd game of the season on Saturday.   Only allowing 2 runs against the Padres on Monday, he'll try to stop the Marlin bats.  For the Marlins, Ricky Nolasco will be on the mound as he tries to curb his opening day loss where he surrendered two solo home runs against Bryce Harper.  Not a lot of time to think about the Friday loss - it's a day game with a 1:10PM first pitch.

Coverage begins with Mets Extra with Ed Coleman at 12:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

Midday Recap 04/03: Missed Perfection, Penguins get Sabred

So the Mets were off on Tuesday.

Didn't mean anything else was going on.

Yu misses perfection

For 26 batters, Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish was perfect.  After a 2-pitch 9th inning, the final Houston Astros batter came up with the chance to put an end to Darvish's perfect run.  Marwin Gonzalez broke up the bid with a single that went right between Darvish's legs for a base hit.  

Penguins get Sabred

The main storyline for the National Hockey League this shortened season has been streaks.  First, it was the Chicago Blackhawks picking up from where they left off last season and extending their regulation point streak to 30 games before taking a regulation loss to the Colorado Avalanche.  The Columbus Blue Jackets got hot themselves helping improve their push for a playoff spot.  And the Pittsburgh Penguins went perfect in all of March, capping together a 15 game win streak.  But like how they ended February, they started April with a loss as they fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-1.

Mike Rice

And by now, you've heard the story about Rutgers Men's Basketball coach, Mike Rice.  He was fired this morning after a video of him throwing basketballs at his players, pushing and shoving them and using racial slurs in practice surfaced.  Originally, Rice earned only a three game suspension plus a fine for his conduct, but then once the video came to public view, brought about calls for his termination.

Mets Tonight

Don't forget the Mets are on 1230 FOX Sports Radio tonight as they host the San Diego Padres in the middle of their three game series.  Matt Harvey hopes to start his season on a high note, overcoming the decision he took in his third game last year at San Diego when he allowed 8 hits in 5 innings pitched, earning 5 runs in a losing decision.

Cowgill's Grand Slam Caps Mets Explosive Opening Day Offense

It was a Spring Training of sorts for the New York Mets.

At first, it was planned to have Johan Santana as their opening day starter, similar to last year when he started the season with a win over the Atlanta Braves.

However, that plan didn't work out the way the Mets would have hoped.

Instead Terry Collins went to Jonathan Niese, who went 13-9 last year with a 3.40 ERA, to kick off the Mets season against the San Diego Padres on Monday.  Despite surrendering a base hit on the first pitch of the game, Niese and the Mets made sure that the base runner wouldn't score.

After a quiet bottom of the first inning, the bottom of the order got things going as Rubin Tejada and Niese would bring home the first runs of the season.

In the 3rd and 4th innings, Byrd was the word as Matt Byrd brought home a run in each inning, helping the Mets jump out to a 7-1 lead.

The game would be sealed in the 7th inning when the Mets loaded the bases.  Jordany Valdespin, who showed he had power last year, grounded and reached on-base on a fielder's choice when they opted to force-out the runner going home.  Then Collin Cowgill came to the plate, and with a single swing of the bat, Cowgill became the RBI leader for the Mets this season as he hit one that barely made it over the home-run line, making the score 11-2.

Scott Rice came in to finish the game for the Mets with a non-save situation, and fanned two of his three batters as the Mets defeat the San Diego Padres, 11-2.

Mets Starting Pitcher Line:
Jonathan Niese (W, 1-0): 6.2 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 4K, 1HR   ERA: 2.70

Batter Woes: Of the nine starters, only two did not record a hit.  Lucas Duda struck out once and reached base twice on walks.  But Ike Davis did not reach base at all, striking out 4 out of the 5 times he was at the plate.  Jay Bruce of the Cincinatti Reds had a similar fate in his game against the Los Angeles Angels with 4 K's on 5 at bats, however he did reach base on a walk.

Base-Thief: David Wright leads the majors with 2 steals after he took advantage of two curve balls early in the game, helping to propel the Mets offense.

Around The Majors: Bryce Harper is not the only player with a 2.000 slugging percentage after one game.  He is joined with Justin Maxwell of the Houston Astros, who had two triples in their first game against the Texas Rangers.

Next Mets Game: Matt Harvey makes his season debut for the Mets as he goes up against Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.  First pitch is schedule at 7:10pm, with Mets Extra with Ed Coleman getting the coverage started at 6:30pm on AM1230 FOX Sports Radio.