Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.
1. Roger McDowell was the second spitter in an episode of Seinfeld.
2. Doug Heffernan once asked his father-in-law, Arthur, to make him a candle shaped like Rusty Staub on the King of Queens.
3. Many members of the 1969 Mets once appeared in an episode of  Everybody Loves Raymond.
4. On an episode of the Simpsons, Whitey Ford was pelted with pretzels at a Springfield Isotopes game. Homer then suggests renaming the pretzels Whitey Whackers.
5. Fictitious Met Chico Escuela (played by Garrett Morris) regularly appeared on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update.
6. Former Giant Fred Dryer starred in the TV show Hunter in the 1980s….

Over the years, New York athletes have appeared on TV, in movies and even recorded some really bad music. See how much you know about New York sports in popular culture. The answers will be posted tomorrow.
1. Who was the second spitter in an episode of Seinfeld?
2. On the King of Queens, Doug Heffernan once asked his father-in-law, Arthur, to make him a candle shaped like what New York Met?
3. Members of what championship New York team appeared in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond?
4. On an episode of the Simpsons, what Yankee pitcher was pelted by pretzels at a baseball game?
5. What fictitious Met regularly appeared on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update?
6. What former New York …

That was easy. Plaxico Burress shooting himself in the leg was no distraction for the Giants, as they handled their division rival down in DC (or Maryland, wherever), 23-7. Big Blue has now won seven straight games, and the last six have come against teams with winning records. They’re steamrolling right through the tough part of their schedule.

The Good

Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg. (Are the Giants covering something up, by the way? He only played three downs last week. Maybe he shot himself when he was reaching for that pass right before he left the game in Arizona.) He wasn’t going to play anyway with his bad hammy, but his absence just paves the way for more playing time for Domenik Hixon. The Redskins defense keyed in on the run all game long, forcing the Giants to try and beat them by passing the ball. Didn’t they watch the game last week against the Cardinals? Stop the run? No problem. Eli Manning will beat you …

It was Kids’ Day at the Garden this afternoon, but the game turned into a nightmare, as the Rangers were booed off the ice, losing to the Panthers, 4-0. If the Rangers were hoping to recruit a new generation of hockey fans, this wasn’t the game to do it. They were lucky they weren’t pelted with Wiggles coloring books when they left the ice.

The first period saw a wide-open, back-and-forth game, and the Rangers had plenty of chances to score. Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury all had great opportunities to put the puck in the net, but all failed. In the second period, the game turned quickly and Florida took complete control. They scored their first goal on a breakaway when Marc Staal fell down and Michal Rozsival was left in the dust in the Rangers’ offensive end. And about five minutes later Florida scored two more goals in the span of 12 seconds. I didn’t even have time to finish yelling at the TV after …

For the second game in a row the Rangers went to a shootout down in Florida, and for the second game in a row they won, this time beating the Panthers, 4-3. They’re using the shootout as a crutch. If they blow a late-game lead - like they’ve done the last two games now - they know they’ll win if they can survive overtime, because they have a not-so-secret weapon: Henrik Lundqvist. He’s only allowed two goals in 17 shootout atttempts, and the Blueshirts are 6-1 in shootouts.

The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The romp was on. Ok, the romp wasn’t on. That’s two consecutive games that they’ve had an early lead. It’s a brand-new world for them, and I’m not sure if they know what to do with it. Nikloai Zherdev got New York on the board first with his eighth goal of the season. That gives him a goal, five assists and a fight in his last …

It’s Black Friday. You probably woke up this morning on the living room floor under a pile of gnawed-off turkey legs and empty beer cans. You were going to go shopping, but screw it, that’s what Christmas Eve is for. Sometime this weekend you’ll get around to putting up the Christmas lights Griswold-style. But first, let’s take a timeout for the Hot Stove Player of the Week. In honor of Thanksgiving, this week’s prize is a chance for the winner to give thanks for what he has and give back to the community - by raking my leaves and taking out the garbage. Congratulations.

Winner

Domenik Hixon: The Giants answer to Leon Washington, Hixon was all over the field in their victory over Arizona. He returned three kickoffs for 180 yards, including an 83-yarder and one for 68 yards. With Plaxico Burress out with a barking hammy, Hixon moved into his spot and caught six passes for 57 yards. He gained 11 yards rushing on an end-around. And he …

Here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.
1. Sammy Bough was first coach of the New York Titans/Jets.
2. Bob Folwell coached the Giants in their debut season of 1925.
3. Weeb Ewbank was the longest-tenured coach of the Jets. He led the team from 1963 to 1973.
4. Steve Owen was the longest-tenured coach of the Giants (1931-1953).
5. Lou Holtz coached the Jets for only 13 games in 1976 before resigning.
6. Bill Parcells replaced Ray Perkins in 1983.
7. Charley Winner replaced Weeb Ewbank as coach of the Jets in 1974.
8. Alex Webster played running back for the Giants …

Now that’s more like it. The Rangers put the last couple of disasters behind them, and whipped the Winnipeg Jets, er Phoenix Coyotes, 4-1. Scott Gomez was back on the ice. Henrik Lundqvist was back in the net. And the Blueshirts were back to actually trying to win.

The Brandon Dubinsky/Nikolai Zherdev/Markus Naslund line had it going on in this one. Zherdev had three assists, and his world-class talent was on display all game long. With Wayne Gretzky looking on from behind the Coyotes’ bench, Zherdev played like the Great One tonight. If only he could do this every night. He was stickhandling and zipping passes all over the ice. Dubinsky recorded a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (not to be confused with a Michal Rozsival Hat Trick: giving up a shorthanded goal on a turnover, committing a stupid penalty leading to a power play goal and having your pants fall down at center ice). The center scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, which was his first …

See how much you know about the men who have led the two area football teams. The answers will be posted tomorrow.
1. Who was the first-ever coach of the Titans/Jets?
2. Who was the first-ever coach of the Giants?
3. Who is the longest-tenured coach in Jets history?
4. Who is the longest-tenured coach in Giants history?
5. How many games did Lou Holtz coach the Jets?
6. Which Giants coach did Bill Parcells replace?
7. Who replaced Weeb Ewbank as coach of the Jets?
8. Which former Giants running back went on to coach the team?
9. Who coached the Jets the one …

Maybe Eli Manning should play every game in Arizona. The Giants returned to the scene of their Super Bowl victory last season, and the Giants QB, with a big boost from Domenik Hixon, led Big Blue to a 37-29 romp over the Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals. It was another test for the best team in football, and they passed with ease.

The Good

With no Brandon Jacobs available, the Jints took to the air to beat Arizona. All the talk before the game centered around Kurt Warner and his arsenal of receivers, but it was Manning who was the better quarterback on the field again. He was an efficient 26 for 33 (240 yards), and threw three touchdown passes. And he didn’t make any mistakes. No interceptions, no fumbles. Warner threw for a TD, but also had a pick and fumbled once. The Giants only gained 87 yards rushing, but they ran 33 passing plays to 27 on the ground. They beat Baltimore by running last week, and they beat Arizona by …

Getting off to a good start was a priority for the Rangers in their match up in Ottawa. How’s this for a rousing beginning to a game? They were killing penalties for the first six out of eight minutes. They didn’t get a shot off until roughly 13 minutes into the first period. Chris Drury and Michal Rozsival let Dany Heatley skate right between to set up a Jason Spezza goal to fall behind 1-0. They were flatfooted, lifeless, had no aggression, no energy, no nothing. They just flat out stunk. And they deservedly lost, 4-1.

Coming off the disaster against Vancouver, you’d think the Rangers would show a little more effort and heart. But you’d be wrong. With the exception of their goaltending and penalty killing, they’re not particularly good at anything, so if they don’t out-work the other team, they’re going to lose. And they didn’t even come close to out-working the Senators. Were they mesmerized by Ottawa’s new alternate jersey? That’s the only excuse I can think of. …

If you’re a parent (and you’re like me), you’ve trained your child to hand you a beer the moment you walk through the front door on Friday evenings. And if you’re a Hot Stove New York reader, you know Friday’s the time to look for the Hot Stove Player of the Week. The Jets didn’t play this week, but there were plenty of games to choose from with the other six area teams all in action. In honor of Donovan McNabb, the prize for this week’s winner is a copy of the NFL rule book.
Winner 
Giants Offensive Line: This week’s winner is a group effort. They weigh a collective 1,576 pounds. They eat a collective 1,576 pounds of raw meat a week. Their beer of choice is Bud Husky. They’re the unsung heroes. And they completely dominated Baltimore’s #1 rushing defense (who have now been …