Rex Ryan has led the New York Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games. And both years, he has fallen short of his Super Bowl guarantees. Would this year be any different?
If there is a 2011 NFL season, Rex Ryan wants everyone to know, he still believes the Jets are going to win it all. In fact, Ryan guarantees it. Yes, again. Ryan enters his third year at the helm of the Jets, bringing a winning tradition to an organization that is starving for a title. It has been 42 long years for fans of Gang Green and the past two seasons have brought them oh so close and yet so far.
Ryan believes that the Jets will "lock arms and get it done" in 2011. I'm not sure what that means, but he has his players and the fanbase believing. The only thing that may stop them - a lockout, which looks like a certainty when the collective bargaining agreement expires on March 3.
Writers and other members of the sports media have begun to feel that these Ryan rants are getting old. Some wonder if Ryan's job will be in jeopardy if the Jets don't win it all this year. I disagree with the notion that the Jets' front office will be looking in another direction. However, Ryan is setting the bar awfully high.
Hopefully, the players and owners can agree on a new labor deal before September. Then, we'll see how Ryan's Jets live up to Ryan's mouth.
For this week's assignment, I had the chance to sit down with Daniel Martin and ask him about what's going on in his life. Dan is a sophomore Journalism major at St. John's University. Being from Landenberg, a small town in Pennsylvania, Dan had an interesting take on living in New York and many other topics. When he's not in class or waiting tables, Dan occupies much of his time working for the St. John's Radio Station, WSJU, along with the fan website, Johnny Jungle. Below you'll find an excerpt from my conversation with Dan.
Q: Growing up in Pennsylvania, what's it like to be in New York City?
A: It's a really different experience because I'm used to the countryside. In my backyard, if you look out through the trees, there's a horse field and you see horses running around. There are no stoplights in my town. There is one stop sign, a few gas stations and a pizza shop. Outside of that, there's just a lot of grass and a lot of barns and stuff like that. So coming to New York where it's all concrete and so much hustle and bustle, it's a really different experience. I've enjoyed the city a lot because of the opportunities it affords to you. There's not much in Pennsylvania. You have to drive 20-25 minutes to get anywhere. The only thing is that it is quite a bit cheaper. But outside of that, there's not too much there, so I'm glad to be in the city.
Q: Do you see yourself working in a big city like New York or maybe in a small town like home?
A: Well, with the media field, as you know, we're probably going to settle down in the first place we can find a job, wherever that is, because there is so much flexibility with communication. Ideally, I'd like to stay somewhere in the city. I was born up in Boston so I might head back there. I recently visited out west so I might go out there because I really enjoyed that. It's probably just ultimately going to be where I can find my first job, but I would definitely prefer the city to a smaller town.
Q: Being a waiter is a very interesting job. So what's that like?
A: It's an interesting thing because we're on the track to graduate with a college degree and that opens up a lot of doors and opportunities. I work with a lot of people who are either immigrants or didn't have the chance to go to college, so this is their full-time job. I really prefer to be around people who are of the middle and working class rather than really rich people because I think they are infinitely interesting. It's a good contrast. I only work one day a week, but it's good to get away from it. It's good to interact with customers. There are a few people who come in now and request me to be their waiter because they enjoy what I do and that's always good. It's a relatively simple job and it's sometimes under appreciated a lot of times, but it's good to sort of, experience both sides of the coin. If you're going to school for business, you are probably going to be the owner of a business rather than the people who work there. So, to get the experience of being one of the hourly-wage employees, it's a good experience. I enjoy it.
You can hear the rest of my conversation with Dan by clicking play.
Although the official start of spring isn't until March 20, spring is here. Well, at least for baseball fans. Most of the 30 Major League Baseball teams will report to spring training in the next few days. The New York Yankees will open camp tomorrow and for one of the few times in their recent history, they have many roster spots in question.
The biggest concern heading into the spring is a major one, the starting rotation. With Cliff Lee opting to take less money with the Phillies along with Andy Pettitte deciding to retire and stay home in Deer Park, Texas, the Yankees are left to find answers in unusual places.
The Bombers have signed veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon to go along with young Ivan Nova and unproven Sergio Mitre in hopes of finding some combination for the the last two spots in the starting rotation.
Behind ace CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett, the Yankees hope that two names emerge in the spring. Brian Cashman is holding on in hopes that a big name starting pitcher becomes available via trade.
Sabathia is the only lock out of the three. Hughes had a great first full-year as a starter but he's never done it two years in a row. Burnett may be one of the biggest enigmas in baseball. He has some of the best stuff in the league but can't seem to put it all together. He was so bad last year
(10-15, 5.26 ERA), Joe Girardi didn't give him a postseason start.
This year, Burnett and the rest of the Yankees staff will be working with a new pitching coach. Larry Rothschild will take over the reigns from Dave Eiland, who was let go in November. Rothschild will have his work cut out for him, but he is an established major league pitching coach who has proven he can handle even the hardest of challenges (aka Chicago Cub starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano).
In the field, the Yankees are getting older and will be looking for a viable utility infielder who can spell Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez a rest in the long season ahead.
For the first time in his career, Jorge Posada will go into the season as the team's designated hitter. The long-time catcher will give way to newly-signed Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli, and Jesus Montero.
Yes it will definitely be an interesting spring for the Yankees, one that is unlike anything they are used to. Many baseball insiders have predicted Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia will win the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the rotation. What do you think the starting rotation will look like when the team heads north?
For the past two weeks, Jets fans have been trying to look ahead. The future looks bright. The quarterback and coach are in place. And back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances all help the starving fanbase's quest for a Lombardi trophy.
But today, I can't help but wonder what might have been. How this past week could have been so much different. How today would be a day where I sit in front of the television for 12 straight hours looking on proudly as my favorite team has finally made it to the promise land. Instead, I'll turn the game on right before kickoff and enjoy what looks to be a great football game with my mind somewhere else.
I, along with many other Jets fans, couldn't even envision what today would have been like had New York punched it in from the 1-yard line two Sundays ago and beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh ending a long and overdue drought. Gang Green hasn't made it to the Super Bowl in 42 years when Broadway Joe Namath guaranteed victory in Super Bowl III and cashed in his words by bringing home the trophy.
Unfortunately, that great moment was one of the last great moments in the history of this franchise. We need another one and it needs to be soon.
Today could have been our day. The day where the entire football world looked on with envy as we made history. Maybe, just maybe, that day will come next year.
As for today, I'll watch the game, but I won't be rooting for either team to win. Instead, I'll hope for a good game and when it's over, I'll close the book on another unsuccessful football season, one that saw the ultimate goal slip away yet again.
