Weaver, Okha, Newhan, OH MY!

I'm not sure I'm a fan of technology, given that the Rivals machine has been in the shop. Granted, it's had a bit of wear and tear, but I didn't expect my hard drive to burst into pieces. Ugh.

Nevertheless, I am undaunted and return to you with an open mouth and an open mind.

Well, actually, the open mind part doesn't relate to the Mets' rumored pursuit of Jeff Weaver, which, as far as I can tell, could be the worst possible signing in history if it occurs, regardless of dollar amounts. While I still have enough remaining trust in Mr. Minaya to believe that it won't actually come to fruition, color me unimpressed by his scrambling efforts in the wake of the Zito contract.

In fact, Minaya has only been able to lock down David Newhan, who is not even a lock to improve over his batting lines from the last two seasons, including a .202/.279/.312 showing in 2005, and a slightly stronger 2006 performance of .252/.294/.374. It's actually rather telling that a team as woeful as Baltimore would not pursue a free agent who had spent a good deal of time there.

I would normally say, due to the strong performance of JoVal last year, that Newhan was a good flyer, except that Valentin brought 228 career dingers to the table. Contrast that with Newhan's 20-homer ledger, and well, you have the unimpressive fortunes of your 2007 Mets.

I'm not sure it would be prudent to throw in the towel at present, but I would say that the Mets are going to need at least thirty homers out of Wright, Beltran, Delgado and twenty out of Reyes and Alou. The team is set up to live and die on offensive production, and the last thing any of us need is something reminiscent of the Mets' offensive output from September and October.

Thankfully, there are other capable sports teams in this city, one of which is presently the New York Rangers. Shocking, no? Merely a week ago, the team was in the throes of a vicious losing streak, one that is roughly analogous to a sixteen-game losing streak in MLB. Yet now, the Rangers have dispatched the Capitals, Devils, and Flyers, and are looking to make it four straight in Montréal today.

Oddly enough, the Rangers' recent winning streak has included very little contribution from lynchpins Shanahan and Jagr and more production from unlikely heroes Martin Straka, Darius Kasparaitis, and Marcel Hossa. Since the debacle in Toronto, Hank has been rather strong and has showed it off during this streak.

Oh, and how about that other sports team... your New York Jetropolitans, visiting Tom Brady and the Patriots over in Foxboro tomorrow for a PLAYOFF GAME. I was not a huge fan of the Mangini hiring, but clearly I have backtracked, and with good reason... the Jets are IN THE PLAYOFFS.

No need to dissect the game, we'll just see which coach can outscheme the other.

Jets 23
Patriots 16

We'll hope.

Crosstown Rivals is sponsored by JustGreatTickets.com, your home for Chicago White Sox Tickets.