Posts from the New York Category at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Chicago Cubs (52-35) at St. Louis Cardinals (49-39) - 3:55 PM ET

It's sad to see a friendship go south as apparently the one between Tony La Russa and Jim Edmonds has now that Edmonds is with the Cubs and La Russa is playing ultra-sensitive. But in reality, La Russa and Edmonds are mere players in the larger war that is Cubs vs. Cardinals, with first place on the line and growing ever so further away from the Cardinals. Today, Kyle Lohse is going to have to continue his 2008 magic (remember when nobody wanted Lohse? Yeah, well now he's 10-2) against Ted Lilly.

Just the other day, I asked myself, "What do the Knicks need?" And of course the answer is "Another offensively shaky and underwhelming point guard!" Because you can never really have enough of those.

It is in that spirit that the Knicks today signed free agent point guard Chris Duhon to a two year, $6.5 million contract. The former Bull is expected to compete with Stephen Marbury for the starting point guard spot, according to the report by the New York Post today.

Duhon does have some potential. He scored 34 against Golden State this year (but then again, who didn't score against Golden State), and had 22 against Milwaukee. He also had a whole lot of the dreaded DNP-CDs. He's solid in some spots, brilliant occasionally, terrible in stretches, and mediocre a lot of the time. However, you have to wonder how much of that was the coaching in Chicago which was less than supportive of guard play. Compare that with D'Antoni's speed-first guard system, and this could turn out well.

The Magic were said to be heavily interested in Duhon as support for Jameer Nelson, but apparently their indecision on Duhon versus Keyon Dooling was enough to convince Duhon to head to New York, for what may have been less money. With Duhon off the books, it's likely that Dooling will resign with Orlando.

Chris Duhon, Jared Jeffries, Danilo Gallinari, and Zach Randolph. Let's get excited, Big Apple!

It was announced back in May that David Ortiz would take part in an on-field promotion for State Farm Insurance in which he'd "call his shot" during the Home Run Derby. Considering the Derby is taking place at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees were up in arms about a Red Sox player riffing on a on a piece of storied Babe Ruth lore.

As luck would have it, Ortiz won't be participating in the Derby because of his wrist injury, but it's interesting to note that the Yankees would have gotten their way, nonetheless. Major League Baseball changed the format of the promotion, so instead of just one player calling his shot, both of the finalists from the eight-man field will have their chance.

Granted, there's still a good chance that the sluggers who do call their shot won't be wearing pinstripes (especially with Alex Rodriguez declining an invitation), but at least Yankees fans can rest assured some bum from the Sawx won't be descreating the old ballpark. Because, you know, some things (that may or may not have actually happened and took place 76 years ago at Wrigley Field!) are just sacred.

It's the Fourth of July, which for many Americans, is a wonderful excuse to get drunk and stuff your face, all under the guise of celebrating freedom.

And if you're a competitive eater, you can actually make a few bucks in the process. It's not exactly glamorous, but, hey, everybody's good at something, and for Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, it's all about chugging hot dogs (video proof here).

Ah, yes, the ol' "cannonball technique." (Actually, what I know about competitive eating consists of the few seconds each year I tune into the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, before puking and changing the channel. Maybe the cannonball technique is banned in many states.)

By the way, I love how ESPN has an on-scene reporter quizzing the contestants after the Chestnut pulls out the overtime victory (this seems like an event tailor-made for Heidi Watney; I'm guessing Jerry Remy agrees), and even better, Kobayashi has his own interpreter.

In case you're wondering, Kobayashi says he wasn't quick enough in the five-dog overtime eat-off, but he plans on being back in '09. Oh, and with the victory, Chestnut is still the No. 1 ranked eater. Don King would be proud.

Previously on FanHouse
Joey Chestnut Beats Takeru Kobayashi at Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest
Kobayashi vs. Chestnut Hot Dog Live Blog

Keith Hernandez certainly had his say regarding the Jose Reyes tantrum from last Sunday, where Reyes slammed his glove down on the ground after making a throwing error on a routine grounder. Since Hernandez's job is to speak on television, most of us here in New York heard what we had to say. But nobody heard Reyes' response to Keith on the team plane to St. Louis on Sunday night ... until now, thanks to the New York Post.

A team source described the situation aboard the plane as "very heated." One player told The Post that he thought Reyes and the popular former Met - now an analyst for the club's SNY TV network - were close to exchanging punches until others stepped in.

Reyes said yesterday he was angry at Hernandez after numerous friends and relatives told him Hernandez accused the Mets of "babying" Reyes during the broadcast of Sunday's 3-1 win over the Yankees at Shea Stadium.

"He got his point [across] and I got mine," Reyes, when asked to describe the confrontation, told The Post before he drove in three runs in the Mets' 11-1 victory over the Cardinals last night. "I'm not too happy with the way he's been talking."

Will this story end in a chokeslam? Read on and find out ...

Much was made Wednesday of Marian Hossa's decision to sign a one-year deal with Stanley Cup champion Detroit, rather than take one of several lucrative multi-year offers that were available to him.

While Detroit is a fine team with fine fans, it's hard to get past the idea that Hossa simply didn't want to play for Pittsburgh anymore.

Once Hossa bolted, attention turned to Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr, who started his NHL career in Pittsburgh. While he was booed lustily during the Rangers' playoff series against the Penguins, it was still assumed that the Pens had a good shot at signing Jagr.

After all, who doesn't want to play with Sidney Crosby?

Evidently, Jaromir Jagr is going to pass on that chance.

American Joey Chestnut retained his world hot dog eating title today, beating Japan's Takeru Kobayashi in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island.

Kobayashi had won the event every year from 2001 to 2006 before Chestnut dethroned him last year. Now Chestnut is the champ again, after an epic battle that had to go to a five-dog eat-off after they were tied at 60 hot dogs apiece following the 10 minutes of regulation time.

"It's just incredible," Chestnut said afterward. "It was a little bit messier than I wanted it to be, but I got them in me and I got them down. That's what I wanted to do."

Chestnut added: "I love to eat, I love the competition. It's the Fourth of July."

There's no greater rivalry in sports today than that between Japanese competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi and the American who dethroned him at last year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut. So when they take to the table again this afternoon at Coney Island, we'll be live blogging the festivities.

The New York Mets, for all of their problems, are still within striking distance of the Philadelphia Phillies at four and a half games back, with a four game series in Philly coming up this weekend. But according to ESPN's Jayson Stark, they're considering a player move which may be construed as a "sell" move.

... there might be one prominent Met on the market any minute now -- Oliver Perez. An official of one team who spoke with the Mets' brass this week reports the Mets are so fed up with Perez's inconsistency, they're about ready to listen to offers for him.

When you think about it, this move would, if it happens, make a ton of sense. Perez is not only a free agent after the season, he's a Scott Boras client. And if Boras can elevate the price for Perez as only Boras can, then that pretty much means the Mets will be out of the mix. And I get the feeling that the feeling would be mutual, and that the microscope of New York isn't for him. So the Mets would do themselves a favor to at least see if they can get more in a trade to stock the minor leagues than what they would get as compensation for losing him in free agency.

And with a 5-1 career record against the Yankees, would you be at all surprised if Omar Minaya's first phone call was to Theo Epstein?

Arm bash: Hot Foot

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, which means one of America's great annual sporting events -- the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest -- will take place on Coney Island.

The typical reaction from people who watch competitive eating is that it seems impossible that the human digestive system can handle the stress of getting 60-plus hot dogs shoved into it in a 12-minute span. So how do they do it? The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog reports that a study published last year in the Journal of Roentgenology, titled, "Competitive Speed Eating: Truth and Consequences," provides an answer by observing a competitive eater stuffing his face.:

"His stomach now appeared as a massively distended, foodfilled sac occupying most of the upper abdomen, with little or no gastric peristalsis." [Marc Levine, a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania] said the stomach was like no healthy stomach he'd seen in his 30-year career. He compared it to a "giant balloon that looks like it has no limit." The eater's previously flat belly swelled out as if he were pregnant.

So that's the bottom line. A normal person's stomach doesn't stretch much when food is put into it, and that's why we feel full. The stomachs of guys like Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi just keep expanding.