Upon Quick Updates:

With a loss last night at Golden State, the Knicks are 0-3 on this critical road trip, and the playoffs seem to be out of the question. It may just be me, but they seem to be in just about every game they play, but the difference in victory and defeat is execution down the stretch. With a birth in the lottery more likely than not, combined with a pick acquired in a trade, the Knicks have a chance of landing someone decent through the draft. Their primary need, which has remained the same since the departure of Ewing, is at center. Mutombo, Fredrick Weis, and Nazr Mohammed have not provided the answers NY needs. It remains to be seen if the Knicks win another Ewingish lottery and can grab Bogut, or if Thomas can make a deal for him. A big-man may be available from over-seas as well, and free-agency puts several centers on the market. The Knicks’ overabundance of PF and SF is well-documented, and it remains to be seen who among Kurt Thomas, Sweetney, Malik Rose, Mo Taylor…etc, will remain on the roster. What is not in question however, is that NY fans will not take a losing team with the NBA’s highest payroll for much longer.

I will finish the Yankee player profiles presently(for those of you holding your breath). Sunday night looms large, and I can’t wait to see Randy toeing the rubber in pinstripes as 50,000 go nuts. The boos and anti-Sox cheers should make for a fantastic game environment.

Final 4 didn’t exactly shake out as I had predicted it would, though NC and Illinois were safe bets to be sure. Kudos to Michigan State and Louisville for overachieving.

I will get more posty later this week.

Upon Reflections

I typed and deleted at least 4 openings to this post, trying to sound all deep and reflective. Its not happening. Its like forced sincerity, or fake emotion, it just doesn't exist. I look around at the empty desks of people who unabashedly took Easter Monday off, and wonder why I didn't. In a morning of contradictions, I think about dedication to a job I don't care about. Is that possible? If not, where does the fallacy lie? Am I not dedicated, or do I care about this job? I am inclined to think the former (which is interesting since sentence arrangements such as the foregoing, where former and latter are established, generally end on the side of the latter- I digress). I merely do what I must to facilitate my lifestyle, such as it is. Is it possible to be too lazy to be depressed? I am a prime candidate if this is the case. Can one be depressed in the general sense without being so in the clinical sense? I think so, because I don't have much black in my wardrobe, and I really hate all the stupid music people who are depressed listen too. Plus I enjoy far too much of life, especially simple and stupid things. Who would have thought that America's Funniest Home Videos could be the deciding factor between a good day and a bad one? Animals, in combat or at play, are always good entertainment. I'll refrain from saying "I've rambled on long enough", as rambling has taken on a literary connotation that I feel is too loosely applied. I'll just say "I'm done."

I'm done.

Upon Surviving the Wreck

CENSORED......

Upon March Madness

I would be remiss if I did not mention the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament that is currently being held around the nation. My lofty notion last week of proclaiming my alma matters as "basketball powerhouses" fell a bit short of the mark. Only Regis managed to win the state championship. The HC women were massacred by Ohio State in round 1 of the women's dance, losing by something like 42 points. Then men didn't even make the dance with a Patriot league tournament championship loss to Bucknell (who incidentally manages to muscle their way past Kansas in Round 1). Holy Cross was left to the NIT, and after beating an uninspired Notre Dame squad in the first round, they lost to St. Joseph's. St. Joes had some nice home cooking from the refs, but the game was still winnable.

My prognostication in picking an NCAA bracket was no better. Early upsets of Alabama, UCONN, Wake Forest, and Syracuse, have doomed my bracket selected by basketball knowledge. I also entered a bracket at ESPN.com, using the method whereby I have a showdown between the two teams mascots, and the more likely victor's team advances. While I do still have my finals game of NC State and Duke alive, teams with a mascot more fearsome than their players UAB Blazers (a dragon is hard to defeat)'Bama (same with an elephant), are long gone.

I have liked what I have seen from UNC, who has destroyed their first two foes. The other 3 #1 seeds, Washington, Duke, and top-ranked Illinois remain alive, as do #2s OK State and Kentucky (my personal favorite). I like Arizona to go far, and we could potentially see a Wildcat v Wildcat finals. An interesting note is that no NCAA tournament has seen all 4 #1 seeds make the Final Four, and I don't see this trend changing this year.

I will go in-depth on this matter, possible Elite 8, more likely Final 4.

Upon Yankee Player Profiles

I have for some reason never finished this, and have had a nagging feeling that its incomplete status is the reason behind the season. I will now complete what I started, obviously updating for what we now know.

The time has come to do a profile of the New York Yankees. I want to give an overview of each player, to help the non-Yankee fan become familiar with the players whom I will make frequent mention of during the upcoming months. For those of you who are quite familiar with these players, you will have to forgive my indulgence. Let’s begin:

LINKS Provided by YANKEES.com

THE INFIELDERS
1st Base- Many people have made the correlation between the arrival of Tino Martinez and the beginning of the 4 in 5 years Championship run, as well as his departure and the Yankees subsequent title “drought”. Well Tino is back in town, and we have to hope that things will be as they were. He will in all probability not be the player he was during his last stint in pinstripes, as age steals from nearly all players abilities. Last year in Tampa, Tino put up decent numbers as the part-time first baseman, including 20+ home runs. A return to the short porch in Yankee Stadium should ensure 20-25 jacks again this year. I think that the Yankees should see no decline in fielding from last year, as Martinez is on par with either Olerud or Tony Clark. A left-hander with a good arm, first base is in good hands with Tino. I don’t see him hitting over .270, but in this lineup he should be in position to score and drive in a bunch of runs. I probably place too much value on intangibles, but I always believed that Tino had a “sense of the moment”, and showed up big when it counted. I will always remember his grand-slam against San Diego in 1998, into the upper tank, removing any hope that the Padres could make a series of it.

Back-up- Giambi is not a bad with the glove as people would have you believe, and if he needs to spell Tino he is certainly capable. The Yankees also proved last year that a good 1st baseman can be found on the market.

2nd Base- As the Yankees second base merry-go-round keeps turning, the latest player to come aboard is Tony Womack. An off-season pick-up from the Cardinals, Womack experienced a renaissance last year, following several marginal years. In a powerhouse Cardinal lineup he was able to hit .307, scoring 90 runs and swiping 26 bases. The Yankee lineup is similar to the Cards in power and ability, but Womack is hitting in the 9-hole. To expect numbers around .280, with 30 steals and 90 runs scored is reasonable. Defensively Womack has traveled around the field, playing shortstop, outfield, and second during his career. Again, I expect no significant up or downgrade from last year with Miguel Cairo and Enrique Wilson.

Robinson Cano, a rookie call-up, shows great promise. He is hitting at .277, despite a terrible early slump and a complete aversion to the base-on-balls which dropped him from his .300 perch. Look out for this kid in the future, if the Yankees can keep him.

Back-up- Old Man Rey Sanchez was also picked up in the off-season from the Devil Rays. He will give the Yankees nothing at the plate, but a good glove in the field.

Short Stop- If you follow baseball in any manner, you should be familiar with Derek Jeter. On a team full of high-profile superstars, it is often Jeter who stands as the face of the franchise. The rarified title of Captain was conferred upon Jeter, and this honor speaks volumes about the player, and the man. In the closing moments of the colossal collapse against the Red Sox, it was Jeter driving a single, rounding first and exhorting his teammates to drive up one more ounce of October magic. In fact, if you look to defining moments from recent Yankee history, Jeter appears more often than not. The flip in Oakland, the dive into the stands against Boston, the run into the hole grab-pivot-leap-throw to first. Jeter got off to a horrible start last season, but turned it on down the stretch to finish at .292. More importantly, he scored 111 runs, marking the 8th time in 9 years he has accomplished this feat. He has scored over 1000 runs as a Yankee, and would have been 9-9 in 100 run seasons if he had not missed many injury games in 2003 (when he still scored 87 runs in 119 games).Defensively, Jeter won his first Gold Glove last year at short, and will always give you a solid player in the field. He hustle will allow him to make plays he shouldn't.

To state it simply, Derek Jeter is what you look for in a baseball player. Even in the criticism of him by other teams fans, you can see the respect for what he does and how he plays. Look for another good year from Jeter with protection all over the line-up, as well as decent SB and HR numbers.

Backup- Old Man Rey Sanchez

Third Base
What can you say about a player who hits 36 home runs,drives in 106 runs, and scores 112 runs? If its Alex Rodriguez you say its his lowest production since 1997. What do you say about a player who moves from his position at short stop to the hot-corner at 3rd to accomodate the incumbent and team captain? If its Alex Rodriguez, you say his assists and fielding percentage are down. When the Yankees signed A-rod away from all other bidders, most people expected an instant World Series. The lack of pitching let the Yankees down last year, but somehow the focus turned to Alex. Nevermind that he was changing cities, changing teams, changing positions, and changing his role as a player; "A-Rod is not a real Yankee." Here is my take:

The Yankees were able to sign one of the great players of our era, and put him on a team with several others. The Yankees now have two of the greatest shortstops to ever play the game on the same side of the infield. Alex Rodriguez will have greater numbers across the board this year. He will only improve at third, where he was excellent last year. He will hit well over 40 HR, and his average should creep back above the .300 line. Alex wasnt just signed for last year, he was signed for the duration of his contract, and he will be a fantastic player for that period.

Back-up: The supreme utility infielder, you guessed it....old man Rey Sanchez.


THE OUTFIELDERS
Left Field
In a surprising jump to perhaps my favorite player on the Yankees, Hideki Matsui. Year 2 of Godzilla was awesome, and I just love this guy the more I see him play. Noone, even Jeter, was better or more clutch during the playoffs. Matsui hit for average, hit for power, and drove in key runs in big spots.

here is an excerpt from Yankees.com:
...hit .412 (21-for-51) with 3HR and 13RBI in 11 postseason games...with nine extra-base hits in the ALCS (6 doubles, 1 triple, 2HR), established the record for most extra-base hits in a post-season series of any length...also tied the LCS record for most runs in a series (9) and established LCS records for most hits (14), total bases (28) and doubles (6)...matched the single-game post-season record for runs scored in a single game in Game Three with five (as did teammate Alex Rodriguez)...his five RBI in Game Three equaled the single-game ALCS record, done six times previously including his own performance in Game One (is the only Yankee to collect five RBI in a single ALCS game....

ANY QUESTIONS?


Matsui grabbed his lunchpail and played every game last year, just as he did the year before, just as he has done every season of his professional baseball career. Torre has been able to write Matsui's name in ink on the lineup card, and that has been a blessing for the Yankees. I fully expect him to improve as he has done his first two seasons, as his numbers in every category but hits and doubles went up across the board. His increasing familiarity with American pitchers and parks makes him a force at the plate, and his still relative newcomer status belies his years of experience as a dominating professional overseas. In left, Matsui has shown the ability to compensate for an average arm with a release that is praised as among the quickest in the game. Twice against Boston I have seen him make a play that seasoned vets do not. The monster is not the easiest left field to play in, but I saw Matsui back up and settle under a supposed fly out which he knew would hit the monster. Doing so, he held a batter with an easy double to just a single, and kept a runner on second from advancing and possibly scoring.

Backup: Bubba Crosby, but in reality it will be when Matsui is spelling Bernie in center.

Center Field
"Now batting...the Center fielder...Number 51...Bernie..Williams"
Bernie has been doing it in center for almost as long as I have been a fan of the Yankees. It is difficult for me to picture a Yankees team without Bernie on it, but that time may be drawing near. However, for a player in pinstripes since 1991, a 2004 season where he hit 20 HR, and scored 105 runs is nothing to sneeze at. The optimist and Bernie fan in me wants to believe that there is still a good season in the tank for Bern-dog. He is in a stacked line-up, and he is a switch hitter who can hit well from both sides of the plate. The injury bug has been Bernie's problem in recent memory, as 14 years of going to war have taken their toll. However, as a career .300 hitter, with only 1 season in the past 9 where he failed to score 100 runs (due to injury), I still think he can do a suitable job. The real problem with Bernie is in the field. Even with the most rose-colored of glasses, You can't deny that Center Field is starting to pass Bernie by. The arm was never a cannon, the legs that caught up to everything are diminished, and the decisions are sometimes suspect. Bernie is the player you can expect to see moved to DH, or out of the lineup, for a replacement most often.

I will remain optimistic and predict 20 HR, 100 runs, an average close to .290, and 80 RBI for Bernie. Swang song maybe, but the goose isn't cooked yet.


Back-up: Bubba Crosby, Matsui

Right Field

You know who he is, and you know how he is playing. Gary Sheffield is one of the most imposing hitters in the game. The magazine article caused some shades of discord, but the fact remains that there is noone whom the Yankees want batting in the 3-hole more than Sheff. He's due for 35, 120, and .300. Hes crushing balls, and putting fear into opposing pitchers. Hes playing an good right field, though not at all great, with an arm that still garners respect (though its probably more for the incredible swings it creates in tandem with the left arm while at the plate). Gary needs to be with this team in the playoffs,or the discord will be even greater.

Back-up: Reuben Sierra (when healthy), Bubba Crosby



Catcher

Lackluster is probably the best word to describe Jorge Posada's season to this point. The offensive numbers that used to overshadow his average to below skills behind the plate have diminished. His repore with Big Unit is non-existant, to the point that John Flaherty no caddies for him . .252, 15, and 50 might seem like good numbers for your average catcher, but Jorgie is regalarly high .270 with 20-25 and 90-100. His switch-hitting can still cause match-up problems, but this has been a down year overall for Posada.

Back-Up: John Flaherty, a top back-up catcher. Solid all-around, spectacular nowhere.

Designated Hitter

Giambi and Tino trade this position back-and-forth, with appearances by Tony Womak, Bernie Williams, healthy Reuben Sierra...etc. Giambi and Tino have both excelled in this position, and Bernie has been a game winning spark several times.


The pitching staff has been so patch-work and poor that a "preview" is hardly worthwhile. Unit has been mortal, Wang was a revealation and then a crushing blow. Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon have been solid, but have no business on the Yankees. Wright looked good his first day back, but for that matter so did Al Leiter. Mussina has been the one constant, and for a guy on the downhill portion of his career, thats bad news. Mariano has it all back, and looked untouchable for months. he would be an ideal post-season pitcher. Middle relief sucks, and Gordon and Sturtze are arm-weary as hell.(same thing that happened to Paul Quantrill). This rag-tag bunch has one more chance, or the season is lost.


So thats it folks, those are your Yankees. They are outside looking in for the AL east and the wild-card, and I haven't experinced something like that in 10 years. i still believe, and will until October.

LETS GO YANKEES!!!!!

Upon Pink Sox?

From ESPN.com's Daily Quickie

BoSox Turn "Queer"
"Cowboy Up!" always struck me as a little "Blue Oyster" butch.

And on Monday, Millar, Damon, Mirabelli, Wakefield and Varitek got made-over by the "Queer Eye" guys.

Kudos to the Sox for enjoying the off-field celebrations of their Series title, not to mention being comfortable enough in their masculinity to play pepper with the Fab Five.

But where's the spring focus? It smacks of when Rocky went on the Muppets in "III," then got his face bashed in by Clubber Lang.

AS AL PACINO FAMOUSLY SAID:





YOU FAIRY!!!

Upon Increased Readership

This weekend has provided me with an affirmation of one additional viewer of "The Widening Geier", bringing the confirmed total to 3. In the style of many baseball broadcasters:

"We wanna send a big hello to Dave in the General DC area, originally from Melrose Massachusetts, home of the Red Raiders of Melrose High"

Upon Basketball Powerhouses

Throughout the course of my education, I was under the impression that I was attending some of the finer academic institutions in the nation. Regis High School and the College of the Holy Cross are fine Jesuit institutions, renowned for their rigor, and the caliber of student they attract. However, I was unaware that I was attending schools who would dominate their respective conferences in basketball.

As of yesterday, the Regis Raiders had won their second Class B city championship in basketball, and were on their way to playing a team from Albany for the State Championship. The Crusader women of Holy Cross have stamped their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning the Patriot League regular season, and Conference championships. If the men’s team is able to defeat Bucknell tonight, they will also be in the field of 64, and could be seeded as high as 13. I find it somewhat edifying that schools who admit mostly or entirely based upon intellect can still field competitive and successful sports teams. The 13-4 upset is not unheard of in March Madness, and if the ‘Saders can get in, they will have a chance.

Upon The West Being Won

I am going to have to pay careful attention to critical match-ups down the stretch, but I believe that last night I watched the Western Conference Champions play. The Phoenix Suns defeated the San Antonio Spurs, and moved into a tie with those same Spurs for the best record in the NBA. This Suns team got a 40+ point night from Amare, who came up huge in the decisive minutes despite playing with 5 personal fouls. Steve Nash turned in one of his seemingly routine double-digit assist games, and caused havoc while getting all of his teammates involved. Shawn Marion offered up one of those inexplicable 16 rebound games, as he continues to display a Rodman-esque knack for crashing the boards. When you combine these key players with the sharp shooting of Quentin Richardson and Joe Johnson, who are both especially deadly from behind the 3-point arc, you have a starting 5 as dangerous as any in the league. The Suns may have a short bench, but they present a nightmare matchup for any team in the playoffs if they get rolling. However, taking into account all of the foregoing, I believe the Spurs and not the Suns will be the eventual winners in the West.

In light of how glowingly I just spoke about the Suns, it may seem a bit surprising that I would go with the Spurs as my pick. Upon closer examination, I believe the Spurs showed as much in this narrow road defeat as they have in their many victories this year. To begin with, the Spurs played without Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili! The team was missing one of the 3 best players in the NBA, whom their entire franchise turns on. No Tim Duncan = a .500 Spurs team at best. They also were without Manu, who is their second most reliable scorer. A healthy team with the best record in the NBA, playing at home against a team without 2 of their best players, should cruise to victory. The Spurs had Tony Massenberg playing major minutes, and they were in the game until the final 1:30. I don’t see how you can overlook a team like this come playoff time. Tony Parker won’t always give you 30, but he has that in his game. Nazr Mohammed from the Knicks was a fantastic, if overlooked, addition. Combine all this with the fact that the Spurs DO NOT LOSE AT HOME, and you have a squad that must be favored. They defend the hell out of the ball, they make you play their tempo, and they are well coached. The probability of a Spurs-Pistons matchup in the Finals is quite high, and I am not sure how I feel about this. It good be great basketball, or it could be a boring college-looking affair that sets the NBA back a pace or two.

Upon the Cessation of Nonsense and a Return to Form

Casting aside nonsense from my blog as chaff from wheat, lets return to normal.

An ardent Yankee fan such as I am will be forgiven for taking such pleasure and positive signs for something as simple as a split-squad exhibition game. To begin with, the Yankees were 0-4-1 this "Spring", and needed a victory just to officially start things off. Secondly, it has been my contention all winter that the Yankees must set the tone for this season by dismantling the Red Sox, early and often. I recognize that both squads were far from full-strength, and that these games are not in the same universe as the 4 critical games the Yankees should have won last year. However, a 9-2 scoreboard is like the alcohol wipe before the injection; not the cure, but clears the way for the healing to begin.

Jason Giambi (that's the same Jason Giambi whom I have predicted will have a return to All-Star form this season) hit one of his classic homeruns about 400 ft, and also sprayed a seeing-eye single between first and second. Hideki Matsui also homered for the Yankees, and Bubba Crosby produced some runs in an effort to secure a roster spot. However, the most important site for me was seeing Jason respond in a somewhat pressure situation; vs the Sox, being jeered constantly, as the focus of Boston hate with no Jeter/Rodriguez/Johnson.

A four-year title drought should have finally served as the awakening that all Yankee fandom needed, singaling that the "grace-period" for a three-peat has ended. Simply making it to the dance will not suffice, losing four straight with a 3-0 series lead will not suffice, anything but a title will not suffice. I intend to enjoy the 2005 Yankee season down to every ball and strike, and I will be up and down with this team. I'm riding with this squad, and I'll see you in the Canyon, some time 'round late October.

Upon the Anonymous Commenter

Edit 1:29 PM-

The words of 5:46 AM are not the thoughts of 11:00 AM? I rather liked the most recent thoughts, yet how quickly they seem to vanish.




The purported "veil of anonymity" does not obscure your identity, you who are much enraptured with your own vocabulary. Know well that I excel in garrulousness, and sarcasm comes as easily to me as breathing. To rephrase the foregoing colloquially, "You don't tap dance on a landmine." When it comes to slings and arrows, my quiver runneth over, and I rapture in intellectual intercourse. Do persist, as I am sure that absent the Nietzschian mortal end, a humbling can only make you stronger.

"When you strike first, ensure the strike is fatal. If not, the riposte almost certainly will be"

Upon Night and Day

"I find that my nights are alight with my vices,
and when I awaken the mourning begins"

Upon the Theft of Time by Routine

I had a realiziation this morning, as I mechanically went through the same set of actions that I do each day. Alarm 1 sounded, and I reached up to the alarm clock and reset it for Alarm 2, to follow in 25 minutes. Soon thereafter, my television alarm came on, and I groped for the remote to turn down the volume. I repeatedly checked the time, and finally dragged myself out of bed at 7:20. After visiting the bathroom, I dressed and filled my pockets with the accessories for the day. As I was pulling on my left sock, the afforementioned realization struck me. "This Routine is stealing my life away".

I spend an average of 5 days out of every calendar week at a job that I don't particularly enjoy. I awake daily feeling less than rested, I drag myself to the job, I pump myself full of caffiene and Red Bull just to keep moving. I complete the menail tasks assigned to me, motivated by fear of losing my job and desire not to be harassed by my bosses, rather than any actual sense I accomplishment that I get from doing said job. I graduated from college in May of 2003, was working by June of that year, and I looked up yesterday to find that it is March of 2005. Nearly two years of my life have elapsed and I do not have much to show for it but a decently large bank account. How is it, I wondered, that I am able to do something that I do not like every day, toward an indefinite end? The answer is routine.

I have gotten to this point in my life by following a routine. For the most part, my days hardly differ from each other. I get up and do the morning routine. I go to work and do the work routine. I come home, eat, watch TV, and eventually head to bed. AND ITS STEALING MY LIFE!! I am getting older and older, and less and less content with the same old thing. I need a new direction in my life, professionally and socially, and there is not laid-out path to follow. In the years through college, you did what you were supposed to do. "Go to elementary school, do well, get into good middle school, do well, get into good high school, do well, get into good college, do well, get good job". I guess the next step in that progression is "do well (in the job)", but it is hard to gauge what doing well entails. I make good money, but dont yet have a raise. I have full benefits, but noone to support with them. The path for career advancement is very undefined, and I don't see much upward mobility from my position. But I have my ROUTINE. I earn my allotment, I save most of it, and I age. Being as I am is not how I want to be.

These are the words of a man who is more frustrated than depressed, but certainly looking for a departure from routine. Perhaps I have an idealized view of how life should be, but I see no reason why my life can not be ideal. Just as there is no set trail for me to blaze, there is neither no obligatory path which I must follow. Why should I not be enjoying every minute of every day? I may well need to become a harder working individual, but right now I can not see the motivation. I continue to look inward, outward and upward for an answer, and forge ahead by adhering to the ROUTINE. "Keep on searching for the heart of gold.....and I'm getting old"- Neil Young

Upon the Knicks and Updating from Yesterday

Yesterday I questioned Tim Thomas' ability to play up to his skill set. He responded (though probably not to me) by hanging 35 on the Lakers in an overtime win for the Knicks, their third in a row. Thomas was on-target from three, and contributed one of the biggest baskets of the win, tipping in an offensive rebound that tied the game up at the end of regulation. An ingame blow-up between Tim and Penny showed that the fire is not out in these Knicks, and they won a close game which went down to the wire, which they had all too often lost this year.

Mike Sweetney, who is my guy on this team, posted career highs in rebounds and points, and will only improve as his playing time increases. Sweet is a foul-magnet, which occasionally gets him into trouble on defense, but more often sends him to the free-throw line on the offensive side of the ball. I have liked his game since he was in Georgetown, as he lives under the basket fighting for rebounds and put-backs.

New acquisitons Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor provide an interesting new aspect to this team. Rose has defensive intensity, and is another rebounder whose hustle makes up for his lack of size. Yesterday, Herb Williams played him as a crunch-time defensive sub, which speaks to his abilities and his teams confidence in him. Mo Taylor is a load on the block, who is a 12 and 7 guy when he's going well. I think he fits in as a one-on-one player when the Knicks spread the floor. Working with Mark Aguire, the Knicks post czar, should enhance his offensive abilities. The defensive example of workers such as JYD, Kurt Thomas, and Rose should inspire him as well. I hope both players can be contributors and help this recent streak continue.

With the addition of Carter in NJ, Webber in Philly, and Walker in Boston, the much-maligned Atlantic will be no picnic. The Knicks will have to win, and win often, to make the playoffs. If Marbury can win a game a week by himself, Crawford can keep producing, and Tim Thomas can keep remembering how he should play nightly, the Knicks have a shot. Time will tell.