Here is this week's installment of 'Valentine's Views,' where I share thoughts on the Giants, Yankees and a host of other sports-related topics.
- I think you have to wish Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson well, and say a prayer for him. Yes, he works for the Eagles. But the man has cancer and he's fighting for his life. You can't think about that in football terms. And, yes, 'GMen69' I'm chiding you a bit here for your 'Fanpost' on Big Blue View about Johnson.
- I think I love watching how speed can change a baseball game. Look at what we have seen from Brett Gardner of the Yankees recently. A mad dash to home plate from second base that resulted in an out on a great play by Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer, one of the best and most exciting plays you will ever see no matter how long you watch baseball. Gardner also victimized Minnesota for an inside-the-park home run. And, don't forget Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home off Andy Pettitte. That stuff is baseball at its most beautiful.
- I think the most fascinating, and probably the most important, part of the upcoming New York Giants' season will be watching the work of the team's coordinators. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride doesn't have Plaxico Burress, but he does have a host of new receivers and running backs. Whether or not he is able to find ways to maximize their abilities will be critical to the Giants' success. Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is a rookie replacing the highly successful Steve Spagnuolo. If the Giants, who loaded up on defense in free agency and the draft, don't play well defensively Sheridan will take a lot of heat.
- I think it's going to be a sad day when the Giants part ways with David Tyree. Barring a rash of injuries, though, I just don't see how Tyree makes the 2009 Giants' roster.
- I think I agree with this statement from SI.com's Jon Heyman. ""The problem with the new (Yankee) Stadium isn't the wind tunnel to right field or the expense. It's the quiet. It's a pricey library."
- Speaking of Yankee Stadium, I think I also agree with this statement from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "Every time there's a fly ball here, I think it's going out of the stadium.
- I think the amazing season being enjoyed by Kansas City's Zach Grienke is all the evidence Yankee fans should need that giving up on Phil Hughes would be stupid. Grienke, 25, has been looked at as a potential star ever since he broke into the league as a 20-year-old in 2004.
- I think I am wholeheartedly in Peter King's corner when he bemoans the movement toward expanding the NFL season. This will not help the game at all. I think it will only shorten careers and water down the product on the field. Oh, and put more money in the pockets of NFL owners.
- I think you have to wish former NBA player Brian Grant well in his battle with Parkinson's Disease.
- I think the coolest thing about the Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA playoff series is Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant are guarding each other. Super stars rarely go mano-a-mano like that, and it is a treat to watch the two of them go at each other.