Getting ready for the U.S. Open

Monday June 30, 2008 6:26 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

If you know someone between the ages of 6-18 who's looking for something to do now that school's out, the New York Junior Tennis League wants to give them free tennis lessons starting today.

You don't even need a racket--just show up at any of nearly 50 locations in all five boroughs, pretty much anytime during the day this week (or next week, or the next....)

And yup, current world #8 James Blake got his start in one of these programs....

Photo of James Blake at Wimbledon from AFP/Getty Images

Steve Nash shows off footwork in 'Showdown in Chinatown'

Monday June 30, 2008 5:25 AM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Jason Kidd, as he often does, backpedaled on defense, anticipated his opponent’s next move, and swooped in to intercept a pass in his own half. The Mavericks point guard then pushed the ball up the sideline to lead his team’s fast break.

Out of the corner of his left eye, he spotted a teammate streaking forward and, as always, delivered to him a pass with pinpoint accuracy. The subsequent shot hit nothing but net.

But Kidd wasn’t on the basketball court. He was on a soccer field in Manhattan. The beneficiary of Kidd’s assist? Salomon Kalou, a forward from the Ivory Coast who stars for Chelsea in the English Premier League.

Kidd and Kalou were just two of the many star athletes that congregated in Manhattan last week to play in an eight-on-eight charity soccer match dubbed “The Showdown in Chinatown” by its hosts Steve Nash, point guard for the Phoenix Suns, and Claudio Reyna, the captain of the Red Bulls.

“I wanted to bring some of my friends from basketball and soccer together and create a great atmosphere in downtown Manhattan,” Nash said of the event. “Everyone had a great time, and the guys put on a great show for the fans.”

The match, as well as the live auction in SoHo that followed, was organized to benefit the individual foundations of Nash and Reyna, both of which focus on helping children in underserved communities. As Reyna said, “I hope everyone had a good time. But, above all, this was really for the kids in the inner city.”

The two athletes faced off against one another on the pitch for 60 minutes, backed by teams that also included NBA stars like Baron Davis, Raja Bell, and Leandro Barbosa, and soccer players such as Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore, Greg Berhalter, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman.

The names on display attracted a gigantic horde of enthusiastic fans and curious spectators to the small field. Those who could not see over the numerous rows of observers resorted to climbing trees, lampposts, and basketball hoops to get a better view.

Those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the action were treated to a match that mixed sublime skill and light-hearted antics.

Davis, despite being on the lower end of the group’s spectrum of skill, quickly endeared himself to the crowd, playing the match in thick-rimmed glasses and a backwards baseball cap, putting Barbosa in a headlock, and earning a yellow card for swatting away a goal-bound shot with his hands. The Warriors guard even scored a goal of his own in the first half.

“I played in the seventh grade,” Davis said of his soccer background. “I was a forward. I used to score all of the goals because I was quicker than everyone.”

The soccer artistry, meanwhile, was provided by Henry, who became available for the match after his French team was knocked out of Euro 2008 by Italy last week. The Barcelona striker was always in the middle of the action and turned on the style in the second half, drawing from his deep bag of flicks and tricks, much to the delight of the crowd.

“Thierry brought the level of buzz from here to here,” Reyna said, moving his down-turned palm from his waist up to his chest.

Afterwards, Nash and Reyna were quick to declare the event a huge success, and both already seemed to be making plans for another match next year. Reyna said that several other star players, including Lionel Messi, Clarence Seedorf, and Hidetoshi Nakata, expressed interest but could not play this year because of other commitments. The next match, he suggested, could be even bigger.

And how would they deal with a larger, rowdier crowd?

“We might need a stadium,” Reyna offered, presumably only half-joking.

--Andrew Keh

Mets 40-41 at the halfway point

Sunday June 29, 2008 3:22 PM By Max J. Dickstein

The Mets came in one game under .500 at the 81-game, halfway point of their season. Despite yesterday’s encouraging win, the team must still be considered unstable and enigmatic. And while the Mets’ playoff hopes are not yet extinguished, taking the Subway Series from the Yankees 4 games to 2 is likely to be one of only a few highlights from a rocky 2008.

— Max J. Dickstein

The Showdown in Chinatown

Sunday June 29, 2008 9:18 AM By Elizabeth Nielsen

Jason Kidd, as he often does, backpedaled on defense, anticipated his opponent’s next move, and swooped in to intercept a pass in his own half. The Mavericks point guard then pushed the ball up the sideline to lead his team’s fast break. Out of the corner of his left eye, he spotted a teammate streaking forward and, as always, delivered to him a pass with pinpoint accuracy. The subsequent shot hit nothing but net.

But Kidd wasn’t on the basketball court. He was on a soccer field in Manhattan. The beneficiary of Kidd’s assist? Salomon Kalou, a forward from the Ivory Coast who stars for Chelsea in the English Premier League.

Kidd and Kalou were just two of the many star athletes that congregated on the Lower East Side Wednesday evening to play in an eight-on-eight charity soccer match dubbed “The Showdown in Chinatown” by its hosts Steve Nash, point guard for the Phoenix Suns, and Claudio Reyna, the captain of the Red Bulls.

“I wanted to bring some of my friends from basketball and soccer together and create a great atmosphere in downtown Manhattan,” Nash said of the event. “Everyone had a great time, and the guys put on a great show for the fans.”

The match, as well as the live auction in SoHo that followed, was organized to benefit the individual foundations of Nash and Reyna, both of which focus on helping children in underserved communities. As Reyna said, “I hope everyone had a good time. But, above all, this was really for the kids in the inner city.”

The two athletes faced off against one another on the pitch for 60 minutes, backed by teams that also included NBA stars such as Baron Davis, Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa, and soccer players such as Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore, Greg Berhalter, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman.

The names on display attracted a gigantic horde of enthusiastic fans and curious spectators to the small field. Those who could not see over the numerous rows of observers resorted to climbing trees, lampposts, and basketball hoops to get a better view.

Those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the action were treated to a match that mixed sublime skill and light-hearted antics.

Davis, despite being on the lower end of the group’s spectrum of skill, quickly endeared himself to the crowd, playing the match in thick-rimmed glasses and a backwards baseball cap, putting Barbosa in a headlock and earning a yellow card for swatting away a goal-bound shot with his hands. The Warriors guard even scored a goal of his own in the first half.

“I played in the seventh grade,” Davis said of his soccer background. “I was a forward. I used to score all of the goals because I was quicker than everyone.”

The soccer artistry, meanwhile, was provided by Henry, who became available for the match after his French team was knocked out of Euro 2008 by Italy last week. The Barcelona striker was always in the middle of the action and turned on the style in the second half, drawing from his deep bag of flicks and tricks, much to the delight of the crowd.

“Thierry brought the level of buzz from here to here,” Reyna said, moving his down-turned palm from his waist up to his chest.

Afterwards, Nash and Reyna were quick to declare the event a huge success, and both already seemed to be making plans for another match next year. Reyna said that several other star players, including Lionel Messi, Clarence Seedorf and Hidetoshi Nakata, expressed interest but could not play this year because of other commitments. The next match, he suggested, could be even bigger.

And how would they deal with a larger, rowdier crowd?

“We might need a stadium,” Reyna offered, presumably only half-joking.

— Andrew Keh

Dear Coach D'Antoni...

Wednesday June 25, 2008 1:11 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Hi, I'm Tim. You probably don't know who I am, but I'm a lifelong Knicks fan, and I'm happy you're here.

First of all, welcome to New York. Anyone other than Isiah Thomas would have been a godsend, but you bring a winning attitude and a wealth of basketball knowledge with you into this job.

It will not be an easy one. If the roster remains as it is, you will have to deal with Stephon Marbury, who is nothing if not a coach killer. You wisely got rid of him early on in Phoenix, but salary cap wise, you need to eat this contract if you want a shot a Mr. James in 2010.

Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph are not Amare Stoudemire. They're not even Shaq, circa 2008. These are just a few of the roadblocks between you and early success in New York.

Here's a few tips for you as you start your journey:

1) Don't trade David Lee. He's one of your hardest working players, he doesn't quit like the others, and he's younger and far more mobile than most of his teammates. Getting another top 10 draft pick is not worth it, especially in this year's draft.

2) You can make Jamal Crawford a big time player. He fits your system far better than many realize, and he will improve upon his numbers last year, when he started 80 games and quietly averaged 20.6 points and 5 assists per game.3) The big point, and I cannot stress this enough. Do NOT draft Danilo Gallinari. Don't do it. I know he's got exciting potential. You played with his pops in Italy, I'm sure you know all about him. It is just not the way to start out your tenure in New York. Still fresh are the wounds of foreign players like Frédéric Weis, Slavko Vraneš, Maciej Lampe, and Miloš Vujanić. That's just since 2002. As much as you may like Danilo, bringing an unestablished foreign-born player to New York can easily spell disaster for both parties.

It won't be easy. It might not be fun. But I have faith, Coach D'Antoni, that you'll do this city proud. Good luck tomorrow.

P.S.: You may have forgotten about this, but I'm sure a lot of people haven't. Here's a friendly reminder of how things worked out with Mr. Weis:

-- Tim Fiorvanti

'Wang' or 'Wong' let's call the whole thing off

Monday June 23, 2008 12:08 PM By Pete Catapano

Even the most casual Yankee fan will know that the last name of the Yankees injured ace Chien-Ming Wang rhymes with "wrong."

Then why do some of his teams like Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina pronounce it as it rhymes with bang? This is particularly strange with Mussina since he's widely considered one of the smartest players in the game, graduating from Stanford in 3 1/2 years and obsessively doing crossword puzzles etc.

Well, the answer is in John Feinstein's great new book, "Living on the Black," which chronicles the 2007 seasons of Mussina and Tom Glavine. Mussina said he says his wrong on purpose just to see if people "correct him."

"I know how to say his name, Mussina said.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel’s foot-in-mouth comments so far

Monday June 23, 2008 3:34 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

New Mets manager Jerry Manuel has had more than his share of questionable comments in his short tenure so far. Below are some notable ones:

“It’s very, very fertile ground for growth in Shea Stadium…Sometimes, fertile ground has fertilizer.”

–Remarks about Mets fans that have booed reliever Aaron Heilman at Shea this year

Quick fix: “Fertilizer is a good thing. It’s a good thing. You get the greatest results — get the most beautiful plants — when you put it in that type of fertile soil. That’s what we have the opportunity to do.”

“I told him the next time he does that, I’m going to get my blade out and cut him right on the field. Hey, I’m a gangsta now. You go gangsta on me, I’m gonna have to get you now” — remarks about Jose Reyes and his helmet-tossing tantrum after he took him out of the game due to a tight hamstring on June 17.

Quick fix: “I love that [Reyes] wants to play ... But the behavior was just unacceptable and we discussed that. He plays with the pedal on full throttle every day. I don't know how he doesn't run out of gas earlier. We're going to have to keep him fresh.” – Manuel on the real reason behind sitting Reyes after the possible injury.

“She acted up with me, and she had a day off.” — remarks about Jose Reyes and his helmet-tossing tantrum against the L. A. Angels on June 17.

Quick Fix: Former NFL Coach Bill Parcells used the same “she” reference when describing then-Patriot receiver Terry Glenn. Parcells has two Super Bowl rings, so maybe Manuel is on to something…

— Gregory Hassel

NBA Draft Preview: New Jersey Nets

Monday June 23, 2008 1:21 PM By Jamshid Mousavinezhad

Team Outlook: The Nets finished 34-48 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001 -- the year before Jason Kidd arrived and turned the franchise around.

Point guard Devin Harris, one of the many players traded for Kidd in February, has become abuilding blocks for the Nets next season and beyond. At age 25, Harris averaged 15.4 points, 6.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 25 games for New Jersey last season.

Harris' right-hand men are Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, who averaged 22.6 and 21.3 points per game respectively last season.

New general manager Kiki Vandeweghe knows that both Carter and Jefferson still have some value on the trade market, and might use that to his advantage and find other players to surround Harris.

Team Needs: Low-post scoring, rebounding and outside shooting.

Draft Picks: No. 10 and No. 21 in the first-round and No. 40 in the second round.

Who to get at No. 10: Look for the Nets to take small forward Danilo Gallinari of Italy. Only 20-years-old and very unpolished, Gallinari has nevertheless been a proven scorer in Europe.

He can shoot off the dribble, contested or fading away, and could provide the Nets with a versatile, 6-foot-9 forward who is a long-distance threat.If the Nets are lucky, Indiana's freshman Eric Gordon, a slasher with three-point shooting ability, or sophomore Russell Westbrook of UCLA, a very good defender with a lethal first step, might be available.

Each would complement Harris in the backcourt at the shooting guard spot nicely.

Who to get at No. 21: With its second pick, the Nets should go big. Bostjan Nachbar, Josh Boone and Nenad Krstic were the Nets' highest-scoring big men last yearw, with averages 9.8, 8.2 and 6.6 points, respectively. Sophomore JaVale McGee of Nevada would be the optimal pick in this position.

A 7-footer with a wingspan of about 7-foot-6, McGee has the length to rebound and blockshots. His mid-range jump shot is already effective, and will anchor his development in the low post..

Robin Lopez of Stanford (7-0, center), North Carolina State's JJ Hickson (6-9, power forward), Florida's Marreese Speights (6-10) and Rider's Jason Thompson (6-10, power forward) would all be positive additions if McGee is already off the board.

Who to get at No. 40: The Nets might look to fill a backcourt spot if they select Gallinari and a forward/center with their first two picks. Courtney Lee is a 6-foot-5 two-guard out of Western Kentucky who is a fine shooter and might be the Nets' first option.

Washington State's Kyle Weaver (6--5, shooting guard) is a great defender and distributor of the ball and Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon (6-foot-3, combo guard) is a true shot creator with superb scoring instincts -- each might be an alternative option for the Nets.

Of the three, Weaver seems like he is the most likely to be available at No. 40.

--Gregory Hasself

'Mad Dog' Impersonator

Monday June 23, 2008 12:32 PM By Pete Catapano

So now there's a real possibility that the "Mike and the Mad Dog" show is kaput we thought we'd trot out this video of someone doing a spot-on impersonation of an actual Dog tirade. The screaming starts about five minutes in.

— Pete Catapano