Finally! The waiting is over! After nine long years without a World Series victory, the Yankees are champs once again. Nobody suffers like a Yankees fan. Think of the toll all those championship-less years have taken on an eight-year-old Yankee fan who’s never seen his favorite team win. After overcoming the Curse of Danny Cater by winning it all in ’77 and the Curse of Hiring a Manager Named Stump with the team’s ’96 Series win, the Bombers have now wiped out the Curse of Giving Us the Image of Jason Giambi in a Thong. This year’s Yankees were a heartwarming story of pies to the face and walk-off wins, and they were, of course, built the old-fashioned way: By buying up every free agent star on the market and paying hundreds of millions of dollars to them. The World Series celebration was more subdued this year because the only people who can afford to go to a Yankee game are the players and their Hollywood girlfriends. But however big their payroll is, they got it done on the field, so they earned it. And the Phillies were certainly no pushovers.

Instead of the usual Player of the Week mumbo jumbo, here are some World Series observations and fun facts:

With their 27^th championship, the Yanks have won 25.7% of all World Series. Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, that’s impressive.

Out of all the players in the history of baseball who have styled their hair using bacon grease, Chase Utley is without a doubt the best of the bunch.

Johnny Damon’s mad dash to an uncovered third base was the best play of the Series and will be the signature highlight of this Fall Classic. If this postseason has taught us anything, it’s that other teams can be as boneheaded and fundamentally lacking as the Mets.

Bud Selig is coming closer and closer to fulfilling his dream of having a baseball game played on Thanksgiving.

If it was his last game with the Bronx Bombers, Hideki Matsui made his mark as a Yankee in this Series, by batting .615 with three home runs and eight RBI’s, and driving in six runs in the clincher, which tied a record set by fellow-Yankee Bobby Richardson in 1960. Matsui also announced after the game that he would be releasing a tell-all book entitled, Stuff I Overheard in the Yankee Clubhouse After Tricking Everybody Into Thinking I Didn’t Speak English.

Is there a cooler character than Cliff Lee? He might as well have been throwing pitches between taking bites of a sandwich.

Do you think Tim McCarver tries to predict every little moment at home like he does when announcing a game? “I can tell we’re going to have pot roast tonight, kids, because your mother is opening the oven door with her left hand. And when she wears an oven mitt on each hand, you just know she’s going to be pulling out a big roast of some kind.”

Phillie fans think Joe Buck is pro–New York and Yankee fans feel he’s pro-Philadelphia. But, come on, he hates all of us East Coasters. His allegiance is to Anheuser-Busch and St. Louis.

I imagine the word “choking” won’t be coming out of Cole Hamels’ mouth on the radio this offseason.

Alex Rodriguez finally got his World Series ring. Thank God―we were all worried for him. Will he love himself even more now? Imagine the makeout sessions with the mirror this winter.

Jimmy Rollins made a nice fool of himself with his Patrick Ewing-like prediction before the Series. Maybe he should stop with the yapping and use that time to take some extra batting practice. That’s two years in a row he’s left the heavy lifting for his teammates (.217 in this year’s Series; .227 last year).

It looks like Mark Teixeira is the new/old A-Rod, with his .136 average. Lucky for him the Yankees won.

The performance of the Phillies’ bullpen was no surprise, but the rest of the Phillies didn’t look like the Phillies. What happened to Ryan Howard (he broke the World Series record for most strikeouts, with 13, and batted .174), Rollins, Shane Victorino (.182) and even Pedro Feliz (.174)? That didn’t resemble the Philadelphia team we’ve seen over the last few years.

Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher in each postseason series clincher for the Yanks this year. Every Yankee fan knows he’s the pitcher you want in a big game. They also know if they need steroids, Pettitte can round some up for them in a pinch.

Joe Girardi: Lucky or genius?

The Yankees announced this morning that they will be charging a nominal $2,500 fee to each fan who attends today’s parade. “If we ripped them off before we won the World Series, think of what we can do now that we’re champs. They’re not the greatest fans in the world for nothing,” they stated in a press release.

Congratulations, New York Yankees.

In Major League Baseball, the MVP award goes out at the end of the regulated season. It goes to the athlete who has stood out as being the most valuable, above all the rest. To an individual player, it is a huge accomplishment and honor considered being the elite in your field.

Within baseball, two players one from the American League and the one from the National League respectively, receive this prize each year.

The awards terms incorporate the obvious, which are stats and production for the season. Baseball has more stats than any other sport but this at least provides an idea of who is in contention.

However, for me, a fan, the MVP means so much more than just that.

A player selflessly plays the game by the game as part of the team not for his own personal goals. This is by no means a wimp, nor a loud mouth. His personal goals are for the team and to help the team win.

It is an athlete, proud of their sport’s history, as well as respects the veterans who played before him by learning from their wisdom.

The MVP is an athlete who discovers it is not his right to be a professional athlete but a gift that get treated as such through hard work and dedication.

Anyone will agree that the first lesson taught in gym class is to be a good sport and a team player. It is the fundamentals of displaying sportsmanship.

Plenty of MVP awards have gone to athletes (aka. Lebron James) who do not display these fundamental basics. The kind of message that is being sent is one where stats are all that matter.

That is furthest thing from the truth. It is so confusing if a player is the named ‘MVP’ because they are supposed to be the perfect, in valuable to a team. Perfect examples all around is what I am getting at.

The game of Baseball took a beating that goes beyond damage. The game deserves to get some of its integrity back. With all the PED talk and craziness of a list, that is destroying baseball name by name.

This only cements why this particular season’s MVP has to special. A player being one with the obvious of having top stats but also displays what the game of baseball is still. It has to be the story that tops the baseball world by getting everyone to stop and remember why it is America’s past time.

The answer might be the easiest decision to make.

Simply, it would be to crown Derek Jeter the MVP because he deserves it.

It sends a message to the kids who idolize baseball. That you can play fairly, not being a circus show, not wanting to draw attention to yourself but to your team and displays the courage to give credit where credit is due, win or lose.

Jeter is the template of baseball and his stats are good enough to be on the list. The persona that Derek Jeter characterizes so consistently is more valuable to baseball than any RBI’s or Home runs hit.

He not only represents the great City of New York but of our country as well at the WBC (World Baseball Classic), which took place last February. The players vote for a captain who will represent not only the USA but also themselves. Rollins, Wright, Pedroia, Youkilis to a name a few all voted for Jeter without hesitation.

If a room full of your own peers, who are the best of the best, elect you to be their captain it speaks more to society then the stats on the score-sheet.

Derek Jeter is the Most Valuable Player this season. He is the Yankees captain, he is also America’s captain and he is baseball’s captain.

No one represents baseball to the fans, to the players and to the world more than Derek Jeter does.

In addition, because of what this athlete is to the sport of baseball alone says it all.

Baseball would not be what it is without Derek Jeter and I am not the only one…..

Rays manager Joe Maddon said it best: “I’m very happy for him. He carries himself in a manner that’s worthy of passing Gehrig.”

“I can’t tell you how much I admire Derek Jeter, everything about him. He’s a symbol of everything that’s right about the game, as far as I’m concerned. He’s a great role model for other players. When I tell my kids or grandkids about the great players from my time, I’ll be proud to say I was on the same field with Derek Jeter.” – Howie Kendrick, Angels

“It couldn’t happen to a better person. He’s a great teammate, a great friend. He’s done things the right way. He’s a great leader on this team, so you can’t say enough about Derek Jeter.” – Andy Pettitte after Jeter broke Lou Gehrig’s hits record

“He’s a leader and a winner and that’s something I’d like to be.” – David Wright, Captain of the New York Mets

The Giants’ transformation from an elite NFL team to ineffectual mediocrity is astounding. Against the Saints, the defense was the culprit; against the Cardinals, it was the offense; but yesterday against the Eagles, it was every aspect of the team that was horrible. The Giants are misfiring on all cylinders. Alarms are sounding, and people are running to the panic room. Are the Giants in a slump? Or are they a bad team? Whichever the case, they’re looking pretty ugly these days, and I mean Oakland Raiders ugly.

Right now, the defense can’t stop anybody – or anything. If a stray dog ran out onto the field, it would run right by the 11 men on defense and score a touchdown. Johnny Damon would go wild against these guys. Not only wouldn’t they be covering third base, they wouldn’t cover home plate either. The Giants certainly miss Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, Michael Boley and Chris Canty, but do they miss them that much? They’ve given up so many points the last three weeks, I thought I was watching the beginning of the NBA season. Is Mike D’Antoni their new defensive coordinator? “There were a lot of times all you can do is throw your hands in the air and wonder why,” said Justin Tuck. Giant fans everywhere are wondering why, too, Justin. “There’s a reason, and we need to find it out.” You have one week, now get going.

On the offensive side of the ball, Eli Manning is turning into an interception machine, and when he’s not throwing picks, he’s tossing the ball 20 feet over a receiver’s head. Are they running bad routes or is he just stinking it up right now? Is his foot affecting his eyesight? And when the Giants were behind by, oh, 90 points, in the third quarter, there was absolutely no urgency by the team. They were happy-assing their way to the huddle and line of scrimmage, and then handing off on every play while time quickly ticked away. Were they even trying? They could have at least pretended like they wanted to win the game. Sure, the one-two punch of the shredded D and Manning’s INT put the game into garbage-time mode within minutes of the opening kickoff, but where’s the competence and discipline? Where’s the effort and fire?

The Giants are disappointing us all right now. They’re slacking off and not playing up to their potential. Tom Coughlin needs to start acting like my father. Should he call them a bunch of idiots and take away the car keys? Ground them until they’ve learned their lesson and start playing the way they’re capable of playing? Kick their ass because they’re ruining the family name? However he does it, he needs to find the answer and find it fast. There’s still half a season left, but they’re sinking like a stone in the standings. How did they get so bad so quickly? What happened?

Here are five things worth noting in week one

1) Carmelo Anthony is playing like the MVP: Melo leads the NBA in scoring with 37.7 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in two straight games. He also has attempted 41 free throws and averaging 7 rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 3-0 including wins over Utah and Portland. If he continues this all season he moves into the first round next season.

2) Gilbert Arenas is back: Arenas had a season high 31 points vs. the Nets on Halloween. He also shot 69% from the field and attempted 12 free throws. In three games this season he is averaging 28 points, 6.7 threes, 2.3 threes and 1 steal per game. He was drafted in the late second-early third in most drafts which looks like a steal now.

3) Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks are fantasy gold: Ariza scored a season high 33 points last Saturday and has made 11 three-pointers in three games. He is averaging 23.3 points, 1.7 steals in 38 minutes per game. Brooks is averaging 21.7 points, 8.3 assists, 2.3 threes and 1.3 steals per game over 39 minutes. Both these players should see big minutes all season which will only help there stats. More importantly both players are shooting well from the field so far.

4) Brandon Jennings is already becoming an elite fantasy PG: Based on his first two games it’s seem hard to believe the Knicks drafted Jordan Hill over him. Jennings first game almost resulted in a triple double with 19 points, 9 assists and 9 rebounds. He followed that game with 24 points, 3 three-pointers and 3 steals.

5) Chris Paul is making the case again why he goes before Lebron James: James is having a strong start to the season but Paul has stepped up his game. Cp3 is averaging 26 points and 1.7 threes per game which would be career highs. His assists and steals are down but he is shooting 65% from the field.

Other stories: Devin Harris already out at least a week, Pau Gasol has missed three games already, Chris Bosh is second in scoring and rebounding, Steve Nash is leading the NBA with 14 assists per game, Channing Frye is averaging 19.7 points per game, Greg Oden leads the league with 2.75 blocks per game, Boston and Miami a combined 7-0, Nets, Clippers, Clippers and Kings all did not have a win.

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Utah, Washington
Teams playing three games: Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto
Teams playing two games: San Antonio

Guards

Rafer Alston (Nets): Harris is expected to miss a week with a groin injury. Alston started at point guard and had 20 points, eight assists, three 3 pointers and one steal in 31 minutes on Saturday. Even though he will be a starter temporarily he is a solid short-term point guard to own.

Juan Jose Barea (Mavs): Barera is averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shooting 93% from the foul line in three games. In his last two games he has played at least 23 minutes and will continue to get time with Josh Howard sidelined.

Larry Hughes (Knicks): Hughes did not play in the first two games but received extended minutes in the home opener with an injury to Nate Robinson. Robinson could miss up to two weeks with an ankle injury which bodes well for Hughes who provided a solid stat line of 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals in 39 minutes. The numbers are a bit inflated because the game went into double OT but any player in the Knicks rotation holds value.

Honorable mention: Delonte West (Cavs)

Fowards

Matt Barnes (Magic): Barnes posted a solid line starting at small forward today with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists.With Vince Carter (ankley injury), Mickael Pietrus (flu) and Rashard Lewis (supsension)  all missing time, Barnes should receive extended minutes.

Rasual Butler (Clippers): Butler has played at least 26 minutes in three of his four games so far this season. Last Friday he scored a season high 19 points in 32 minutes.

Udonis Haslem (Heat): Haslem has at least 10 rebounds in two of his three games. While he does not block that many shots he posts solid %’s in about 30 minutes per game.

Honorable mention: Yi Jianlian (Nets)

Centers

Solomon Jones (Pacers)-  Jones is averaging 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and shooting 55% from the field in two games. He is a good source for blocks and will play solid minutes whenever starting center Roy Hibbert gets in foul trouble.

David Anderson (Rockets): The 7-footer had his best game of the season yesterday with 11 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes. He also hit his first three-pointer of his career and the rookie should be worked more in the rotation with more game experience.

Channing Frye (Suns): A popular sleeper going into the season because of his strong preseason did not disappoint in his first game. He scored 22 points knocking down six three-pointers and pulling down 8 rebounds with three steals. Frye  scored a season high 25 points (six three-pointers) and pulled down five rebounds today.

Honorable mention: Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzles)

All anybody’s talking about in the New York area is the Islanders’ first regulation win over the Rangers (though Jimmy Rollins predicted it on Monday). You can’t walk down the street without somebody stopping you and asking all about the hockey team from Long Island. Will they get on a roll? Is John Tavares the real deal? Islanders, Islanders, Islanders! Everybody’s forgetting all about the bad start of the two local basketball teams, and does anybody even know that the Yankees are in the World Series this year? All the Islanders-all-the-time talk is really taking the pressure off the other local teams.

Here at Hot Stove, we know that the Yankees are in the World Series again, as you can’t get anything by us. The Bronx Bombers paid their $200 million entry fee into the Series, setting up a rematch of the 1950 Fall Classic. And with so many off-days, it seems like there are about 59 years between games in this postseason. In the Series we’ve already seen Cliff Lee nonchalantly put the Bombers’ bats to sleep, and in game two the Yankees proved once again to be Pedro Martinez’s daddy. After the game, Martinez also claimed that Mark Teixeira was his uncle, Hideki Matsui a distant cousin and Jorge Posada was his Aunt Lucille. People in New York may not care for the Phillies (or Eagles or Sixers or Flyers), but not everything from Philly is bad. They did give us two of America’s greatest cultural achievements (no, not Chase Utley’s hair): Cheesesteaks and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Of course, the mayors from the two cities made their usual bet on the Series. Many ideas were tossed around on what the bet would consist of: If the Yankees lose, New York City would change its name to Mike Schmidtville, if Philly loses it would change to Little Smellier New York; if the Phils win NYC would have to replace the Statue of Liberty with a 300-foot statue of the Philly Phanatic, if the Yanks win Philadelphia has to tear down its statue of Rocky and put one up of Clue Haywood; if the Phillies win Pedro Martinez gets to slam the Yankee coach of his choice to the ground once more for old time’s sake, if the Yankees win A.J. Burnett gets to smash a pie filled with stuff fished out of the East River in Shane Victorino’s face. They finally settled on the losing city just disappearing from the face of the earth.

In local football news, the Jets and Giants beat Oakland this season by a combined score of 82-7. The Jets kept things simple for Mark Sanchez, who spent the game eating hot dogs in the huddle while watching his running backs go wild. Teams instantly get back on track when playing the Raiders, but can it work like that in real life, also? If your marriage is on the rocks, can you spend the day with the Oakland Raiders and you’ll be on your way to a second honeymoon? Failing out of high school? Will three hours with the Raiders get those grades back up and you’ll find yourself enrolling in Harvard? If your life is falling apart because of an alcohol problem, will running around the football field for an afternoon with the Raiders put everything back into place? Are the Oakland Raiders the cure for all of our problems?

Player of the Week

Shonn Greene: The Jets rookie stepped in when Leon Washington was lost for the season, and gained a whopping 144 yards and scored two touchdowns. But how many spellings of the name ‘Sean’ do we need? Shonn, Chone, Shean, Sean, Shaun, Shawn. Stop the madness.

Runners Up

A.J. Burnett: The Yanks needed Burnett to come up big, and he was clutch in game two, throwing seven strong innings and outdueling Pedro.

Mariano Rivera: After getting a two-inning save to close out the Angels on Sunday, Rivera did it again last night to save game two of the World Series (though he got a little help from the umps).

Mark Teixeira/Hideki Matsui: Each blasted a homer to right, which was enough offense for the Bronx Bombers. But what’s happening to Alex Rodriguez? 0-8 with six strikeouts in the Series? Uh-oh.

Thomas Jones: Another day at the office for Jones – 121 yards and a TD.

Jets Offensive Line: They only let up one sack and have blocked their way to being the first team to have back-to-back 300 rushing yards since the 1975 Bills, who, of course, featured O.J. Simpson. Let’s just hope that none of these linemen become A.C. Cowlings to Thomas Jones’ O.J.

Calvin Pace: The busy linebacker had three sacks, seven tackles and two forced fumbles. But does it really count if it’s against Oakland?

Andy Pettitte: The veteran lefty notched his record-setting 16^th postseason win, while clinching the ALCS for the Yanks on Sunday.

Kevin Boss: The Giants tight end had three catches, but the one late in the game when he was almost knocked unconscious with a helmet to helmet hit earns him a spot here. That’s one tough dude.

Jeff Tambellini: The Islanders went 1-0-2, this week, and Tambellini picked up three goals and an assist along the way.

Brook Lopez: The Nets big man scored 27 points, hauled in 15 rebounds and blocked five shots, but the Nets still collapsed in Minnesota.

Marian Gaborik: The Ranger star had five points in two games, and left a gaping hole in the lineup when he missed Wednesday’s game.

R.I.P. Bill Chadwick: Legendary Rangers announcer The Big Whistle died on Saturday, at the age of 94. He was colorful, loud and fun. I ranked him #7 on my painstakingly non-researched post of the best local announcers of the last 40 years. He was originally a referee and invented the hand signals that refs still use today. I was watching the Rangers game when his death was announced, which reminds me of the time when I was a kid and was viewing the back-to-back Hogan’s Heroes episodes that channel 5 used to show from 11 PM–midnight, when the news team cut in with the startling report that the show’s star Bob Crane was murdered. I instantly blamed Colonel Klink. Coincidence? Synchronicity? The ghost of Bob Crane has haunted me ever since, though. I constantly wake up to find radios in my coffee pot, tunnels built under my house and Lebeau’s strudel sitting on my kitchen counter.

Schmuck of the Week

Eli Manning: The Giants QB may have been over-thinking things a little too much by changing plays at the line of scrimmage on every down, taking two delay of game penalties along the way and throwing three picks. Or was he listening to the Yankees game in the radio in his helmet?  At any rate, Manning had trouble hooking up with his receivers all game long and never seemed to solve Arizona’s defense.

The Rangers ended their three-game losing streak by beating Phoenix last night, 5-2, winning the game for former Ranger announcer Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick. “We’re dedicating our season to the announcing legend. So much of my youth was spent watching the Rangers on channel 9, listening to the antics of Chadwick and his partner, Jim Gordon, that for a while there, I thought Chadwick was my father, and my real dad was just some guy from the neighborhood who sat around the living room drinking vodka all the time. We had to win this game for The Big Whistle or I’d never forgive myself,” said captain Chris Drury. (Ok, he didn’t come close to saying that; I said it to myself while I was riding on the subway this morning.)

The Blueshirts were going the wrong way the last week or so, but last night they turned things around and put in a steady performance. They fell asleep after taking a 4-0 lead, and got off to a rocky start in the third period when Dan Girardi took a penalty before he even got out of the locker room, put they took care of business the rest of the way. Brandon Dubinsky and Chris Higgins were set free from chateau bowwow, and both had solid games, though Higgins still can’t buy himself a goal. The defense played well, and Michael Del Zotto is now tied for the NHL lead in points for defensemen, with 12. The team didn’t constantly turn the puck over like they had been, they didn’t make mistakes in the neutral zone and they were quicker to the puck, getting back to the way they want to play the game. And their special teams continue to be among the best in the league.

The stars of the game were the revamped first-liners: Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Enver Lisin. Gaborik and Prospal continue to impress, performing as well as anyone could have expected. And the talented Lisin seems to fit right in with the two veterans. As John Tortorella stated, “I think you often put a young kid that doesn’t have the skill that he has in a top position and it may not work. Lis is a talented player and is getting better away from the puck.” Prospal is now two assists behind Joe Thornton for the league lead. The consistently great Gaborik is now tied for the league lead in goals, with 10, and is second in points (18). But we heard the five words no Ranger fan wants to hear last night: “Gaborik limps off the ice.” He claims the injury is not to his hip or groin, both which have given him problems in the past, and no one around the team seems to be concerned, so hopefully it’s just a routine “lower body” injury and he’ll be back for Wednesday’s game.

The Rangers need to find a little more consistency, and play a full 60 minutes, but as Dave Maloney said after the game, they’re a work in progress, with many new players and a new coach. They got back to their winning ways last night, and, surely, The Big Whistle in the sky was up there watching this game, and I could have sworn I heard him yell, “Shoot the puck, Del Zotto! Shoot the puck!”

Week 1 (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)

Teams playing four games: Boston, Cleveland, L.A. Clippers, Portland
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington
Teams playing two games: Golden State, Indiana, Milwaukee, Utah

Guards

Chris Douglas-Roberts (Nets- owned 3% in ESPN leagues): CDR had a big preseason averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 steals in 34 minutes over seven games. With the Nets trading G Vince Carter away in the off-season Roberts should play a big role on the offense.

Brandon Rush (Pacers-0wned 9.2%): Rush is entering the season as the Pacers starting shooting guard. He averaged 12.4 points, 1.3 blocks and 1 steal over seven preseason games. However, his value is his range as he knocked down 14 three pointers.

Anthony Morrow (Warriors-owned 11.7%): Morrow finished second in the preseason with 22 points per game. He also shot an excellent 52% from three and attempted 6.5 per game. If he starts the season at shooting guard he posts solid %’s and can light it up.

Honorable mention: Brandon Jennings (Bucks)

Forwards

DeJuan Blair (Spurs-owned 5.9%): Blair averaged 7.9 rebounds in just 17.7 minutes per game during the preseason. If injuries occur in the front court the rookie is worth picking up because of his double-double potential.

Andray Blatche (Wizards-owned 3.9%)-: Blatche started 36 games last season averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. F Antawn Jamison is expected to miss the next three to five weeks with a right shoulder injury.

Ryan Anderson (Magic-owned 2.2%): Anderson is expected to start at power forward for the Magic on opening night. It is unclear how he will split time with F Brandon Bass but he could have some short term fantasy value with F Rashard Lewis out. In his final three preseason games Anderson knocked down nine three-pointers.

Honorable mention: Corey Brewer (Timberwolves)

Centers

Joel Przybilla (Trailblazers-owned 2.4%)-: Even though C Greg Oden was named the starter Przybilla still has value. Oden has been injury prone in his young NBA career and also will battle early foul trouble. “Przy” is a good source for field goal %, blocks and rebounds.

Carl Landry (Rockets-owned 7.6%)-: Landry is expected to start at center for the Rockets. Last season he averaged 9.3 rebounds, 5 rebounds, and shot 57% from the field in 21 minutes per game. With more minutes this season his points, rebounds and blocks should all increase.

DeAndre Jordan (Clippers-owned 0.4%)-:F Blake Griffin is expected to miss the next six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. This injury could impact other players minutes but with the injury risks to C Marcus Camby and C Chris Kaman makes Jordan an intriguing player. We saw his potential last year as he started 13 games averaging 7.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and shot 67% from the field.

Honorable Mention: Darko Milicic (Knicks)

Ok, that’s two bad games in a row. Last week in New Orleans the defense was the culprit, and last night the offense lost the game for the Giants. Big Blue feasted on the weak teams the first five weeks, but now facing solid teams two weeks in a row, they looked lousy in both games.

The D wasn’t great but came up with two big stops at the end and were good enough to win the game (though the injuries to Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross and Michael Boley seem to be catching up to them). The offense, on the other hand, was off-kilter and inconsistent all game long. Even Jeff Feagles was terrible. Here’s what we didn’t like:

Eli Manning – he threw three interceptions, only completed about half his passes and looked rattled and confused by Arizona’s defense the whole game. And what’s with all the delay of game penalties? He spent most of his time at the line of scrimmage shaking off Jorge Posada. The receivers didn’t help Manning, though. They ran bad routes and dropped a whole bunch of passes. Mario Manningham missed a pass that was right in his hands that was a sure TD. Even the TD pass that Hakeem Nicks caught was pure luck. Ahmad Bradshaw’s fumble near the end of the game killed them. They were finally putting together a good drive, and he doesn’t take care of the ball. And what was he thinking punching a 300-pound man in the facemask? There were way too many three-and-outs, with some curious play-calling at times. And the offensive line gave up three sacks and Manning was pressured all game.

So how do we judge the Giants? They’re not as good as the 44-7 ass whooping they gave the Raiders, but they’re probably not as bad as the last two games. So how good are they?

Are they better than the Redskins but not as good as the Cowboys and Eagles?

Or are they still the best team in the NFC East (they are still in first place, after all)?

Are they better than 9-7 but not as good as 14-2?

Are they better than the Raiders but not as good as the Saints?

Are they better than the ‘72 Giants but not as good as the ‘86 Giants?

Are they better than the Angels but not as good as the Yankees?

Are they better than Sammy Hagar Van Halen but not as good as David Lee Roth Van Halen?

Are they better than the remake of The Longest Yard but not as good as the original?

Are they better than How I Met Your Mother but not as good as The Office?

Are they better than choking A-Rod but not as good as 2009 A-Rod?

Are they better than Jon Gruden but not as good as Cris Collinsworth?

Are they better than tomato juice but not as good as beer?

Just where do the Giants stand? It’s hard to tell right now. Here’s the oddest moment of the night – I flipped to YES during a commercial, and Smokey Robinson, who was on Center Stage, claimed that his all-time favorite movie is Back to the Future, and he’s seen it over 30 times and knows the dialogue to the whole movie. Why do I find that a little strange? Back to the Future? Sure, it was a nice little entertaining movie, but can you really watch it more than 30 times? And do you want have the whole script taking up all that space in your brain? Maybe the Giants need to go back to the future or back to the drawing board and find out where they’ve been going wrong. Next week they take on the Eagles, and they better turn things around before they start sinking in the standings.