The Recap

Untitled from Marc Cira on Vimeo.

The Jeter Meter

For the past week, the New York sports radio shows were taken captive by anti-Derek Jeter calls. I am amazed at how people have turned on the Yankee captain so quickly. But I guess it shouldn't surprise me.

Maybe I am a true fan of Jeter. Maybe I'm just a loyal sports fan - I know, I'm the last of the species. Unfortunately, sports, like life, is very much a what- have-you-done-for-me-lately kind of world. It's sad, but nothing, and no one, is going to change it.

Yes, heading into today's game against Texas, Derek Jeter was hitting a very light .256. I know he had an un-Jeter-like .270 batting average last season. But it's Derek Jeter. The Yankee captain. The man in the middle for 5 World Series championships. It's been more than 15 years of pure greatness. And as soon as we get any hint of decline, we want the guy dropped in the lineup, moved away from his position, or much worse, off the team in place of a younger, new superstar shortstop. It's absolutely mind-boggling to think of.

And it's not just the fans. It's baseball writers, radio talk show hosts, and commentators. It's disgraceful.

For the past 17 years, he has been nothing but class. And for that, and everything else Jeter has done for us, or given us, we pay him back with this.

All the great moments - the "Flip Play" in the 2001 ALDS, the walk-off home run in the 2001 World Series, the patented back-hand play from the hole and jump throw, the over-the-shoulder catches, and of course, the dive into the stands against the Red Sox in extra innings to save the game.

All that, and now this. "He can't play anymore." "He needs to drop himself in the lineup." "The Yankees need to think about the future and sign a shortstop next year." These are just some of the things said by so-called "Yankee and Jeter fans" who have called into radio shows this week.

Derek Jeter, always the professional, doesn't say much about it, at least with his mouth. On Sunday, Jeter answered all the critics with a 4-for-6 performance, including 3 RBI and his first 2 homers of the year. Two patented Jeter swings, driving the ball to right-center field, quieted the Texas crowd today, and all of the phone lines tomorrow. He appears like he's back to being the Jeter of old, instead of just looking like an old shortstop.

But to me, it's like he never left.

Yanks Power Through March and April

The New York Yankees finished up April in first place in the American League East, with a 15-9 record. The Bronx Bombers really were just that, crushing 43 homers in their first 24 games.

Heading into the season, the Yankees had many questions, both in the starting rotation and in terms of everyday players. But New York has to be happy with where they are, although they did catch a big break from Boston and Tampa Bay, who struggled mightily out of the gate.

So let's break down the first real month of baseball in Yankeeland.

The Starting Rotation...

CC Sabathia has been his usual self, posting a 2.25 ERA. However, due to no run support, Sabathia didn't pick up his first win until mid-April. He finished the month with a 2-1 record, striking out 36 batters in 40 innings.

A.J. Burnett may have been the biggest question mark heading into the season. So far so good for Burnett, posting a team-high four wins to go along with a 3.93 ERA. Obviously, new Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild has had a positive effect on the big right-hander.

Phil Hughes was supposed to be the No. 3 starter for the Bombers. After three starts and a 13.94 ERA, Hughes shut it down with what he called a "dead-arm period." Hughes' arm strength is a major concern for the Yankees, as he could barely top 90 mph on the radar gun in any of his starts.

Ivan Nova has been a nice surprise in the early going. He has shown more consistency this season, after making seven up-and-down starts with the Yanks last year. Nova went 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA in April, but has gone deep into games of late.

Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have been everything the Yankees could have asked for and much more. Garcia went 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA, giving up only four runs in 18 innings. Colon, on the other hand, didn't make the starting rotation when the Yankees broke camp. But, he's been a great fill-in for the sidelined Hughes. The 38-year-old posted a 2-1 record with 2.77 ERA in April.

The Bullpen...

Mariano Rivera has been, well, Mariano Rivera. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer finished March and April with nine saves and 2.13 ERA. Rivera picked up his tenth save of the year in the 5-2 win against the Blue Jays this afternoon.

As for his set-up man, Rafael Soriano, it hasn't been the easiest transition to New York. Soriano is 1-1 with a 6.57 ERA and 2 big blown saves. He's also had a rocky first impression with the New York media, not speaking after games that he has blown.

Joba Chamberlain has shown signs of the old Joba, and David Robertson has been excellent, posting a 1.86 ERA.

The Infield...

Derek Jeter hasn't gotten off to the start that he hoped for, but he has picked it up of late, raising his average to a very an un-Jeter-like .242. The Yankee Captain has collected 23 hits, moving him within 51 of 3,000 for his career.

Mark Teixeira, a perpetual slow-starter, got off to a great start this season. Tex opened the season with homers in each of his first three games. He finished the month of April with six bombs, and hit another one in the win against Toronto this afternoon.

Robinson Cano continued right where he left off last season, in which he finished third in the MVP voting. Cano is tied for the team lead in homers with eight, and leads the Yanks with 21 RBI. Oh, and he's hitting a cool .320. Enough said.

Alex Rodriguez has also gotten off to a good start. A-Rod, who missed a few games in April with the flu, is hitting .274 with five homers and 18 RBI in the early going.

Russell Martin has fit in perfectly with his new teammates, and his production and work ethic have been a big reason why. Martin has played nearly every inning this season, missing only two games. But his bat has been the biggest surprise. The former Dodger is hitting .293 with six homers and 19 RBI.

Jorge Posada hasn't had a smooth transition to his new role, being the team's everyday designated hitter. Posada is hitting just .133 after 75 at-bats. However, his bat hasn't looked slow all the time, connecting on six home runs, including a few late-inning clutch homers that have either tied the game or given the Yankees the lead.

Eric Chavez has been a great addition to the Yankees bench. Chavez has played both first and third base, and has been good defensively. But the Yankees and their fans have been more impressed with his bat. In just 31 at-bats, Chavez is hitting .290, including a game-winning hit earlier in the year.

The Outfield...

Curtis Granderson hit seven home runs in April alone, and added another one today. Granderson's eight home runs make him the leader among center fielders, putting him on pace for 52 dingers.

Brett Gardner has had a rough start to the 2011 season. Gardner is hitting just .200, with only four stolen bases in eight attempts.

And in right field, Nick Swisher has also had a rocky start. Swisher is hitting just .218 with only one home run.

Andruw Jones, like Chavez, has also been a good addition to the Yankees' bench, starting in left field against lefties. Jones, in just 22 at-bats, is hitting .273 with two home runs and 10 RBI.

So that's a look at how the Yankees have started the 2011 Major League Baseball season. The Nose Bleed Seats will be covering the Yankees all season long, as well as, the rest of the sports world.

Seismologists Predict Major Earthquake Will Hit West Coast

After watching countless hours of Japanese tsunami video, I couldn't help but wonder about the destruction a tsunami would cause here in America. And apparently, I'm not the only one.

More Americans are now worrying about a potential threat of an earthquake and tsunami, especially on the West Coast. And unfortunately, it's moving toward becoming a reality as predictions are far from optimistic.

Seismologists from the California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory ("or Caltech") have calculated a 99.7 percent chance of an earthquake of 7.0 or more to hit the West Coast within the next 30 years. Studies have also shown that an earthquake of this magnitude is powerful enough to cause a tsunami.

According to National Geographic, roughly 80 percent of the tsunamis that do occur, happen on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire."

Although the March 11 disaster in Japan was caused by an incredibly powerful 9.0 quake, an earthquake of 7.0 could still cause a tremendous amount of damage and casualties.

Japanese officials have now reported a death toll of 14,435, while 11,601 people still remain missing. It is the deadliest Japanese disaster in nearly a century.

Evening News: Could The West Coast Be Next?

The Next Coast?

Seismologists have been studying the plates under the San Andreas Fault for as long as we can remember. But after the horrifying events in Japan last month, the fear that a major earthquake will hit the West Coast has increased.

In fact, it is now more than just a fear. Seismologists from the California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory have confirmed that there is nearly a 100 percent chance of an earthquake, measuring 7.0 or greater, to hit the coast sometime in the next 30 years.

In an interview with CBS earlier this month, seismologist James Gaherty compared the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to what we could potentially see here in America.

"The Pacific Northwest has the same kind of characteristics as the fault beneath Japan," he said. "We're worried about a large subduction zone similar to Japan."

Many other seismologists fear that the West Coast is the last missing piece along the "Ring of Fire" to experience major plate movement.

"If you think of the Pacific plate as a square, we have had a major earthquake in the Northwestern side of that square, in Japan," Simon Winchester said in an interview with MSNBC. "On February 22 we had Christchurch in New Zealand in the Southwest of the square. Last year we had a major earthquake in Chile in the Southeast of that square. The fourth leg of the square, the fourth side, is where the San Andreas and the Cascadia forms. That hasn't ruptured, but if either does, there could be major problems."

California's San Andreas Fault hasn't ruptured in over 100 years, since crumbling the city of San Francisco in 1906. As for the present, seismologists can only hope that if their predictions do come true, the damage is far less than what Japan experienced. The March 11 tragedy is the deadliest Japanese disaster in almost a century, killing nearly 15,000 people.

Japan Radio Broadcast

Editorial: Procrastination Pays Off...Literally

If you didn't see last week's Newsday article about Caroline Trezza, a senior at Roslyn High School who won $35,000 for her research project on procrastination, you missed quite a story.

Did you ever wonder why students, or people in general, procrastinate? Well, I did and I came to the conclusion that procrastination is either caused by laziness or just a result of a busy schedule.

How much money do I get for my hypothesis? Zilch. Nada. Nothing.

Caroline Trezza, on the other hand, won $35,000 for her research project on why students procrastinate. Trezza, a Roslyn High School senior, surveyed 168 sophomores and juniors at her school, asking them about their study habits, schedules, and even their self-confidence.

Okay, so her conclusion goes much deeper into the matter than my one-line statement above. In fact, the 17-year-old found that confidence in teens led to less procrastination in their school work. She also discovered that completing tasks on time is a habit that should be instilled in students at a young age.

Trezza, who was named a second-place winner in the National Young Epidemiology Scholars contest, has quite a busy schedule herself. Not only has she been working on this research project and going to school, Trezza is also the editor-in-chief of her high school yearbook. However, she is human. Trezza did tell Newsday that she sometimes, like many other students, finds it hard to start assignments as well.

There is one thing I think Trezza's research project didn't include. Technology. The technology of today adds so many other distractions that lead to procrastination. Although I don't have any problems with this issue. Yes, I've been writing this with the television on in the background and multi-tasking on the web. But it hasn't affected my focus.

Yeah, right.

Editorial: A Child No More

In response to last week's Daily News article about changing summer camp activities and taking away childrens' favorite games, I could not sit back and let this one slide. I had to chime in. The following is my editorial on why I think the new state law regarding increased attention and oversight at indoor summer camps is outrageous.

We live in a world of technology. A world where you don’t even have to put on pants to go shopping. A world where you can talk to thousands of strangers in less than a second, just by clicking a button. A world where playing outside is no longer safe?

Well, according to the New York State Health Department, it is. In an effort to increase camp safety regulations, state bureaucrats are now discouraging children from playing Wiffle Ball, kickball, dodgeball, and tag this summer. Apparently, they believe these good ol’ traditional summertime games are “unsafe” and officials would feel more comfortable with children spending their beautiful summer days inside the four walls, glued to the television playing video games. Isn’t obesity a big enough problem in children?

That’s right a rubber ball, a hollow plastic bat, and running around are now, after all of these years, too dangerous for our children to take part in. Children are already growing up in a world where face-to-face contact is becoming less and less frequent, and now this. Isn’t it bad enough that 10-year-olds have cell phones, Facebook pages, twitter accounts, and four video game systems? Now state officials want to take away the only “real” social activity children have these days.

This just in. Running, walking and waking up before noon have now been declared risky and therefore, frowned upon. I mean, come on, what is this world coming to? What would our grandparents have to say about this?

You’re only a child once. Let them enjoy their childhood. Let them play.

Knicks Look to Avoid Sweep

The New York Knicks are hoping to avoid a four-game series sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics today at Madison Square Garden.

After two hard-fought, down-to-the-wire games in Boston that ended with heartbreak for the Knicks, New York didn't show up in Game 3's 113-96 rout, showing a lack of passion in their first home playoff game in seven years.

The Knicks will have to show tougher defense around the perimeter if they want any chance on extending the series. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce tore up the Knicks from behind the three-point line, hitting a combined 14 from long range on Friday night.

Rajon Rondo has been the toughest assignment for the Knicks to cover in the series. Rondo picked up a triple double in Game 3, including an astounding 20 assists to go along with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Knicks, they will need another big performance from Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. The two New York superstars combined for just 6-for-24 from the field, one of the many reasons the Knicks were down early and often on Good Friday.

Unfortunately for the Knickerbockers, Stoudemire is questionable for today's game with back spasms. Even if he does play, he'll need to have a performance closer to Game 1, in which he carried the Knicks, scoring 24 points.

We'll have more updates on the Knicks game, as well as the rest of the New York sports world, later on in the day.