What to Watch for in the Battle of the Boroughs III

Joe Johnson has begun to emerge as the star the Brooklyn Nets need him to be. (John Minchillo)

Basketball in the Big Apple has a new rivalry on its hands with the Nets move to Brooklyn. The first installment saw new boys on the block win in overtime. The Knicks took the second behind Carmelo Anthony's 45-point effort. Round Three tips off in less than 30 minutes. If you love basketball, then turn your television on to ESPN. I've got five storylines for you to watch as the game unfolds in Madison Square Garden.

1. Carmelo Anthony is a game-time decision for tonight's game. Anthony has missed the past two games because of continued pain in his sprained left ankle. The Knicks star is taking a cautious approach with his ankle and made it sound as though he's leaning toward sitting out against the Nets. "Of course I want to play," he said Tuesday. "But if I'm not able to go out there and be the player I can be and help my team, then I'm not going to step foot on the court." Reports say that Anthony did run lightly on Tuesday and said afterward that his ankle is still sore and "badly bruised."

2. The matchup of centers Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler will play a decisive role in the outcome of the game. Lopez has been the leading scorer for Brooklyn, averaging almost 18 a game. Chandler is averaging almost 13 points a game and is the focal point of the Knicks' defense. The Nets will try to get Lopez involved as much as possible and try to get Chandler into foul trouble. If they are able to, they'll have a significant edge against the Knicks' less-talented big men coming off the bench. Chandler will have to play smart and not let his emotions get the better of him.

3. Jason Kidd is the x-factor for the Knicks. Kidd was the hero of the Knicks' last game against the Nets and has been the team's leader all season. Despite being 39 years old, he has played a crucial role in the Knick's surprising start. Through 20 games, Kidd is averaging 8.7 points and 1.8 steals per contest, while shooting an amazing 47 percent from three-point range. Apart from sinking the game-winning shot in the Knicks' last win over the Nets, he also had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in that game.

4. Joe Johnson is starting to find his role with the Nets. Johnson struggled early in the season to find his place with his new team, but he is starting to find his groove as of late. Over his past five games, he has averaged 20.8 points on 49.4% shooting from the field. Johnson also sunk his first game-winner as a member of the Nets in a double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons last Friday night before a home crowd at the Barclays Center. The team is starting to believe in him as well. "We were going to give him the ball and ride his back,” said head coach Avery Johnson.

5. The Knicks' ability to make three-pointers could decide the outcome of the game. The Knicks live and die on the three. According to ESPN, "New York's 11.9 made 3-pointers per game and 29.5 attempts are the most by any team since the 3-point line was instituted in 1979-80." Even though it seems unlikely that they will keep that up the remainder of the season, it certainly has a significant impact on this game. Interestingly enough though, the Nets have been very good at defending the three. According to ESPN, "Brooklyn has allowed opponents to hit just 5.7 of their 3-pointers per game, the third-fewest in the NBA." The Nets will need to be just as good if they hope to slow done the Knicks' production from deep.

Blue Jays Land Cy Young Winner Dickey

The Mets have traded 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays as the centerpiece of a seven-player deal. (Jim McIsaac)

After days and days of trade rumors, the New York Mets are officially trading 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays. Dickey reached an agreement with his new ball club on a two-year, $25 million extension that was the final piece to the trade going through.

The Blue Jays acquired Dickey, catcher Josh Thole and minor league catcher Mike Nickeas In exchange, the Mets receive top prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, along with veteran catcher John Buck and minor leaguer Wuilmer Becerra. The Blue Jays paid a hefty price in terms of talent, but they believe Dickey could be the one piece they need going into next season.

"Clearly, he won the Cy Young. He's pitched like one the last three years," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I think he doesn't get the credit and the respect he deserves because of his age and because of what he does throw. And I understand it's so rare. But there's so much overwhelming data and evidence to point to him continuing this success. He's gotten better every single year."

The Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993, but have not gone to the playoffs since. They have tried to rebuild through their farm system and prospects, but have yet to get past the big boys atop the AL East. However, with the New York Yankees passing on top free agents as part of an austerity plan and the Boston Red Sox are reconstructing, the Blue Jays have decided to roll the dice and try and win now.

Toronto's busy offseason got kicked off last month with a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins. They acquired veteran starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, All-star shortstop Jose Reyes and utility man Emilio Bonifacio. The Blue Jays were also busy in the free agent market. They signed outfielder Melky Cabrera to a two-year deal and infielder Maicer Izturis to a three-year contract.

The Blue Jays brought back John Gibbons as manager. As of right now, the 2013 rotation and lineup might look something like this.


1. R.A. Dickey
2. Brandon Morrow
3. Mark Buehrle
4. Josh Johnson
5. Ricky Romero

1. SS Jose Reyes
2. LF Melky Cabrera
3. RF Jose Bautista
4. 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion
5. DH/1B Adam Lind
6. 3B Brett Lawrie
7. CF Colby Rasmus
8. C J.P. Arencibia
9. 2B Emilio Bonifacio/Maicer Izturis

That is a ball club that will definitely be ready to compete in a loaded AL East and for a shot at a return to the postseason. It will be interesting to see if Anthopoulos has any more moves up his sleeves before we reach Spring Training.

The Mets will not be a team competing for much of anything next season. They did trade the reigning Cy Young winner and fan favorite, but you have to consider the bottom line in terms of the future.The Mets have had four straight fourth-place finishes in the NL East, and the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are the division favorites once again. The Mets were destined for a repeat finish in 2013 with or without Dickey.

The future though has become much brighter for a team in desperate need of something positive. General manager Sandy Alderson looked for a package of prospects, like he did with Carlos Beltran two trading deadlines ago. The cornerstone of that trade, right-hander Zack Wheeler, has developed into the club's top prospect. The Mets now add highly acclaimed catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud as well as Class A right-hander Noah Syndergaard to the mix from the Dickey trade.

D'Arnaud is a catcher who is able to hit well and has a lot of skills behind the plate. He is viewed as a difference maker who will play in the big leagues for more than a decade. Syndergaard was regarded as the Blue Jays' best pitching prospect by many scouts. He is a hard-throwing 20-year old who is capable of developing into a front of the rotation starter.

The Mets are starting to piece together a solid young nucleus for a few years down the road. They may not be contenders this season or the next, but they are rebuilding in the right direction. If you are a Mets fan, just hope for the best and check your minor league box scores to see how your future stars are doing as they grow and develop.

What to Take From the 49ers 41-34 Win Over the Patriots

In the biggest game of his young career, Colin Kaepernick outdueled Tom Brady in Foxborough. (Jim Rogash)

In a Sunday Night Football battle that many proclaimed a Super Bowl preview, little went as expected. No one could have expected the 49ers to go up 31-3 midway through the third quarter. It seemed completely unlikely that Tom Brady would rally his troops to score four touchdowns to tie the score up with 6:43 left in the game. The final surprise was when it was Colin Kaepernick who made the big throw to lift his team to victory with the game on the line, rather than Brady.

None of this could have been predicted. However, now that it has occurred, we can look at what we can learn from it. My blog will reveal my five observations from the game as we head towards the playoffs.

1. Colin Kaepernick made some mistakes, but came up with the big plays when the 49ers needed him to. This victory should quell any talks of a quarterback controversy in San Francisco. Kaepernick is and should be the man as the 49ers move into the playoffs. He had an interception and trouble with center exchanges, but his four touchdown passes were each a thing of beauty. All of them being 24 yards or more opens up this 49ers offense completely. His ability to move in the pocket and threat to run only enhances this feature of the offense.

2. Tom Brady reminds us once again that he is indeed human. Brady is known as a touchdown machine. He had multiple passing touchdown games in seven out of the Patriots' last eight games. Brady has also thrown four interceptions all season. He got picked off twice by Carlos Rogers and Aldon Smith. Brady's offense that had been nearly unstoppable all season was held to three points for the majority of the game. Brady is still one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He just reminded us that even the greats have bad days at the office.

3. The 49ers pressure on Brady throughout the night was a crucial reason they won the game. Aldon Smith got pressure on Brady early in the game. Ray McDonald had two sacks from his defensive tackle position. He and Ricky Jean-Francois had sacks on consecutive fourth-quarter plays that led to the 49ers making an imperative stop of the Patriots as they clung to a 38-31 lead. The pressure helped force the interceptions by Aldon Smith and Carlos Rogers that played a significant role in the outcome of the game. The 49ers defensive pressure was pivotal to their success on both sides of the ball.

4. The Patriots can be uncharacteristically careless with turning the ball over. The Patriots entered the game with an NFL-best plus-24 turnover differential. Brady threw a first quarter interception into tight coverage. Then, running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen both fumbled. Those turnovers put the Patriots in an early hole. The Patriots entered the game with just 10 turnovers, but had four in this game, two interceptions by Brady and the fumbles by Ridley and Vereen. This is completely unexpected in the Bill Belichick era.

5. The X-factor that might help the 49ers win the Super Bowl could be their special teams. Punter Andy Lee changed field position significantly with a 64-yard punt in the fourth quarter. After the Patriots scored to time the game up, rookie LaMichael James' returned a kickoff 66 yards to put the 49ers in position for Michael Crabtree's go-ahead touchdown catch. Lee again pinned the Patriots at their 3-yard line in the final three minutes. Even kicker David Akers, much maligned this season, had a solid day making two out of three field goals, including the one that helped seal the 49ers victory. Lee is one of the best in the game, James is a game changer, and Akers is a veteran who knows what to do with the game on the line. The three of them could be crucial to the 49ers run at the Super Bowl.