Get Shorty – Van Gundy hasn’t gotten his Phila. coaching just yet
Never too early to speculate where Jeff Van Gundy will land. JVG loves his time off, but is itching to get back to coaching and that place could be a lot closer to the Garden than people think.
If Larry Brown gets totally fed up with Allen Iverson after this season, Van Gundy would jump to the Sixers, provided he can deal with Iverson. That shouldn’t be a problem because the Little General has always adapted well to his team’s star. Expect a new and gentler Jeff to come on the scene.
Van Gundy’s old buddy Dave Checketts is back in the television biz, buying SouthWest Productions in Utah. SouthWest’s biggest claim to fame is televising BYU events.
As for the Knicks, they should be landing their point guard soon, someone along the lines of Nick Van Exel or Damon Stoudamire, who is in the best shape in years, which, of course, means Portland is desperately trying to trade him. When a big man is dealt away in such a deal, expect the Knicks to bring back old reliable Patrick Ewing for a Final Farewell Tour.
A silent plea
With all the strike talk this past week you might not have noticed that Alex Rodriguez was in town, putting on the perfect “Please trade me to the Mets” face.
A-Rod is too smart and classy to come out and say such a thing but our Inspyders insist the Rangers’ losing ways are wearing on him. Ten straight years of last-place finishes might get to you even if you are the best baseball player on the planet.
With the Mets coming apart at the two-seams, this offseason is the time for them to make such a deal. A-Rod would have gotten his wish with Nelson Doubleday in charge but now he’s trying to impress Fred Wilpon to take on the last eight years of his $252 million contract.
A-Rod would not only give the Mets a Derek Jeter-like presence on the field – and that is the only way for the Mets to compete with the Yankees – but his clubhouse presence is needed now more than ever.
Don Kalkstein, the Rangers’ performance enhancement coach – yes the Rangers have such a coach, which begs the question how bad would they be without a performance enhancement coach? – says he has never seen a more positive leader than A-Rod. “He is the perfect role model for the players,” Kalkstein notes, adding that Rodriguez has worked wonders with Ruben Rivera, former Yankee glove thief.
Postscripts
The most heartfelt event of this NFL Kickoff week will take place Tuesday night at the Loews Astor Theater on Broadway when NFL Films unveils “The Bravest Team: The Rebuilding of the FDNY Football Club” for the media. The FDNY lost 343 men, including 22 active and former members of its football team in the murderous Sept. 11 attacks. NFL Films chronicled the team’s 2002 season and honors the memories of the department’s fallen brothers. The film debuts Tuesday, Sept. 10 on ESPN … If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Bill Parcells is now writing a column for NFL.com. We want to be the first to welcome him to the writer’s world. If Parcells hangs around long enough, he may be able to vote himself into the NFL Hall of Fame, an honor that is overdue. In his first column Everybody Loves Bill wrote about preparing for the final preseason game, which is a little bit like preparing for the salad bar at Sizzler. He noted in his final paragraph: “I’d make the final cuts, have them lift weights, run and give them Monday off during the first week and then bring them back on Tuesday and have an extra day to prepare for our first game.”
Sorry Tuna, that doesn’t make the cut, let’s write with more passion next week.
Bouncing Bon Jivey
The Giants may well be Livin’ On A Prayer this season, but at least they can smile about the appearance of Jon Bon Jovi this week at camp. Jim Fassel went so far as to design a special play – “Blue 21 Bounce” – for the Jersey rocker, putting Bon Jovi, whose new item just happens to be entitled “Bounce”, in Tiki Barber’s slot.
The first time he ran the play, Bon Jovi, who was promoting Thursday’s NFL Kickoff Live in Times Square, had his hands placed in the wrong position to take the handoff. Bounce went the football. Then came the second handoff and the second Bounce. Bon Jovi loved chatting with Barber, Kerry Collins and rookie TE sensation Jeremy Shockey. Co-owner Wellington Mara, who has seen a lot of Bad Medicine in his 78 years in the NFL, observed the show and asked, “Did the coach approve all of this?”
The Kosher Kid
There are nicknames and then there are great nicknames. Here’s one – The Hebrew Natural. His real name is Adam Unger and he is a slick-fielding shortstop from Great Neck. He’s playing baseball in Japan at the age of 17. Unger, who plays for Great Neck South during the school year and the Long Island Tigers in the summer, is training under Japanese national coach Masatake Yamanaka at Hosei University in Japan. Unger’s rare opportunity began Aug. 13 and continues through Aug. 29. “Adam thinks the technique and training is better in Japan,” says his father, Bob. “It’s been an adjustment for him. He misses his pancakes. He told me you can’t put maple syrup on sushi.”
Scouts love Unger’s defense and his offense continues to show improvement. His work ethic has amazed scouts and the Japanese, which tells you there’s a lot of sweat to the Hebrew Natural.
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