In recent weeks, as Brett Favre’s infamous penchant for interceptions became even more pronounced, speculation grew in contrarian circles that the Jets may have made a mistake in acquiring him, that the Dolphins had ultimately been the grand-prize winners in the Brett Favre sweepstakes, and that the Jets would have been better served had they held fast to the steady but unspectacular hand of Chad Pennington rather than leave their fortunes prone to the often-schizophrenic whims of a 39-year-old quarterback who, they said, had selfishly come back to play out the string for no other reason than to shame his former team for not bending to his every want.  read more »

The unsung hero of the New York Giants’ now-legendary 2007 season wasn’t a player but a quarterback coach. Chris Palmer, an 18-year NFL veteran, had a sensational track record: at New England he worked with Drew Bledsoe, who went on to lead the Patriots to the 1997 Super Bowl. The following season, he moved on to Jacksonville, where he coached Mark Brunell, who led all AFC quarterbacks in passer rating that year. By the 2006 season, Palmer was in Dallas, where he took a quarterback named Tony Romo, who hadn’t thrown a ball in a regular season game for 3 ½ years, and turned him into a Pro Bowler.  read more »

Free agency opens on Friday. The Yankees need to sign C.C. Sabathia as soon as possible once it does. He is not the final piece—but it will be extremely difficult for New York them to win in 2009 without him. He represents something the Yankees do not have: an in-prime superstar.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Yankees need a number-one starter. Their best starter in 2008, Mike Mussina, is likely to retire. That means the team needs to replace 200 innings of 3.37 ERA pitching just to keep pace with the 89 wins from 2008.

Joba Chamberlain, likely slated to be a starter for a full season in 2009, is a good bet to provide ace-level performance if he stays healthy.  read more »

Just one week after the New York Jets turned in their most complete performance of the season in a 26-17 win over the Buffalo Bills, some wondered whether the team was not ripe for yet another letdown against the seemingly rejuvenated St. Louis Rams, who had won two of its last four games after a dreadful 0-4 start. In truth, all the classic indicators were in place: an exuberant victory in the preceding week and a crucial game against the New England Patriots on the near horizon. The Jets, it seemed, were in for trouble. After all, this is the same team that squeaked past a winless Bengals team before collapsing against the Oakland Raiders and then allowing Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen, he of the 42 passer rating, to push their season to the very brink of oblivion.  read more »

As the Mets assess ways to improve their pitching staff this offseason, Oliver Perez, who has been a mainstay of the starting rotation, is mentioned as one of several options. But if the Mets are serious about consolidating 2008’s gains, they have no choice but to sign Perez, who is the best of their plausible alternatives, both in 2009 and beyond.

The Mets, despite a laughably poor bullpen, remained in playoff contention until the season’s final day for two reasons: the offense and the starting pitching. And the three starters that kept the Mets in the race were Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez.  read more »

With eight games gone by and half the NFL season now complete, the New York Jets, whose season teetered so precariously on the precipice of doom not two short weeks ago, now enjoy a distinction that they haven’t known this late in any season since 2002: first place.

After a spate of curiously underwhelming performances against an assemblage of league doormats including the Bengals, Raiders and Chiefs, the Jets turned in their best, most complete performance of this 2008 season, defeating the division-leading Bills 26-17 at Orchard Park and securing a three-way tie atop the division along with the Bills and Patriots, who fell to 5-3 by virtue of an Adam Vinitieri field goal that propelled the wounded Colts to an 18-15 victory last night in Indianapolis.  read more »

The New York Jets’ 2008 season might have remained plausible even if they had not overcome a porous defense and three Brett Favre interceptions to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-24 yesterday afternoon at the Meadowlands.

But it would have been a close thing.

For the third time in as many weeks, the Jets were faced with a serendipitous opportunity to right their tattered ship against a listless bottom-dweller, and for the third straight game, they parlayed their good fortune into a bizarre misadventure fraught with curious play-calling, poor execution, and maddening self-sabotage. This time, it was against an abysmal Chiefs team so decimated by injuries and inner turmoil that it was forced to start Tyler Thigpen at quarterback.  read more »

Someone has been looking through the trash cans of the West Village's celebrity residents and sending their finds to Page Six. So far, they've turned up evidence of Mary-Lousie Parker's thyroid problem. Good work, guys! [P6]

One rockstar's model daughter is as good as another: When Bijou Phillips had to cancel on Chrissie Miller's latest photo shoot, the designer simply went up to Alexandra Richards on the street and asked her to stand in. [Page Six Magazine, fifth item]

Lindsay Lohan wants everyone to know that she's going to start dating men again once the attention from this Samantha Ronson relationship has worn off (or something like that).  read more »

A peculiar irony facing the New York Knicks as they embark upon their season Wednesday night against the Miami Heat is that the what little talent they have is completely at odds with the system new coach Mike D’Antoni has installed.

D’Antoni brought his “seven seconds or less” offense to New York, which thrives on converting the missed baskets of opponents and taking high-percentage shots early in the shot clock. The Knicks, however, are a team that struggles to stop opponents, and the team lacks many offensive weapons.

It is clear that New York intends D’Antoni’s system for a rebuilt Knicks team at an undetermined time in the future.  read more »

This marks the 25th anniversary of the Breeders' Cup. Twenty-five years of great memories. The 2008 edition should bring some new ones.

This is the first time the cup will be run on a synthetic surface. Santa Anita racecourse installed a Pro-Ride surface over the summer. Southern California-based horses will have an advantage, I think.

Another first this year is that the Friday racing card will be Ladies Day. All races run on Friday will be for fillies and mares only--the colts will have their day Saturday.

Let's take a look at Friday races.

Filly & Mares Sprint 6 Furlongs

No.

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