I’m not sure which news today is more surprising. There have been reports that the Knicks and Kidd are scheduled to meet tomorrow. There’s also reports that the Knicks may be willing to offer Lee a six-year contract. So you see both are eye openers and I can’t decide which caught me more off guard.

First waking up this morning I turned on ESPN, the first story I saw was that the Knicks were meeting with Jason Kidd. First words out of my mouth were WTF, so I quickly went online to get details. The NY Post says that the Knicks hope their location is enough to reel in the triple-double machine. Kidd’s kids still live in the New York area and there hope is that he wants to be around them more.

They have to lean on that because all they can offer is the teams mid-level exception. Even with his career winding down its doubtful a player of his talent will sign for just that. Last season he averaged over 9 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists a game so he can still produce at a high level. For a system like Mike D’Antoni’s which rewards all around players, he’d be a perfect fit. The real question would be what happens to Chris Duhon then?

The other surprise came while I was reading about Kidd. The articles said the Donnie Walsh would like to keep Lee, but only at a price that doesn’t mortgage the teams chances for summer 2010. Makes total sense, it’s something I’ve thought for a long time. Lee led the league in double-doubles and is a talent that you can’t let just walk away. BUT at the same time with the upcoming free agent class you have to prioritize.

The same NY Post article indicates that Walsh would be willing to offer around $7 million a year over six seasons. A pretty good deal, especially in this economy but there are plenty of teams who can offer more. Walsh is willing to bet they won’t. “He’ll have to prove it,” Walsh said.

Walsh has that leverage to say that as the Knicks can match any offer Lee receives. That leverage could also lead to Walsh calling up a club and saying I’m keeping him unless you give me so and so’s expiring contract. Win-win scenario for the Knicks, even thou I believe the bigger win would be keeping Lee.

Don’t let the drafting of Jordan Hill and trade for Darko fool you, they’re back-up plans should the Knicks let Lee walk.

In other Knick news, Nate Robinson might be willing to sign his qualifying one year offer. This would be outstanding news for the club. Yes, they drafted Toney Douglas to replace him but who knows if he’ll be able to provide the same output as Nate in just his rookie year.

The Post says there are sources that Nate feels the summer of 2010 would be better for him financially, and he may be willing to wait a year to hit the market. That makes total sense in my opinion. Many teams are tightening up right now with the current economy, and once again because of the next free agent class. There’s going to be so much money available next year that Nate could really score a big payday with another solid season.

I’ll tell you one thing, if the Knicks can sign Kidd, keep Lee and Nate, and add Gortat it could be a special season. The Knicks would have enough talent to be very competitive in the Eastern Conference, probably playoff worthy again. The best part would be they’d make all these moves and still be in a favorable cap situation for 2010.

A playoff berth this year would put Madison Square Garden back on the map as a tough road game. The place would be absolutely electric with the Knicks being competitive again. And even more so when fans consider the future may be a lot brighter then the past decade.

At the age of 32 any knee surgery doesn’t sound good for a career, especially when the player has already had surgery on both knees during his years. The news gets even worse when you hear about microfracture surgery. A surgery that is still in its infant stages in the sports world and has been met with just sporadic success.

There have been some well known athletes who have returned at a high level. They include Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady (although he still has continuous knee problems), Zach Randolph and Amar’e Stoudamire. Hearing those names makes Mets fans think OK we should be alright, till they remember the New York Knicks history with the surgery. Some players have never been the same or forced to retire because of, those include Allan Houston, Antonio McDyess, Jamal Mashburn and Terrell Brandon.

So you see this is a surgery that isn’t a guarantee to get someone back on the playing field. To help his cause Beltran went to Colorado and met with the doctor who developed the procedure, surgeon Richard Steadman. This was his second opinion and I’m sure if he decides to undergo the surgery he’d ask the inventor to do it.

Any surgery would undoubtedly cost Beltran the rest of 2009, something that will doom any chance the Mets have this year. One has to wonder thou is it the teams own fault?

Beltran has been bothered by knee pains for quite a while now. In late may he underwent an MRI that showed a small bone bruise. The team let him keep playing since it was just a bruise. Not too long ago he underwent another MRI which showed the bruise to be twice the size now. Only thing you can conclude is that the injury got worse by continuing to play.

Was it the player not telling the team how much pain he was really in? Possible. But looking at all the injuries the Mets are dealing with this year, you have to wonder if it was the team pushing him to continue playing.

Regardless of whose fault it was I’m sure the Mets brass will be looking into what happened during the winter of 2010. Someone is going to have to answer for the rash of injuries and slow recoveries. I think its safe to say that someone’s job could be on the line if things there get worse.

Back to Beltran.

While his career never reached the heights one thought it would, you know after that huge postseason of 2004 with the Houston Astros, he has turned into a very productive player, a perennial All-Star. For his career to end because of an injury would be a shame. But if he has the surgery and comes back at a high level it could be a new milestone for this type of surgery. It could show that athletes, at least in baseball, can undergo such a surgery and continue their careers.

UPDATE AS OF 1:35

Right after posting this an article was seen at the NY Daily News reporting that Richard Steadman has said microfracture surgery is not needed and that the original diagnosis of a bone bruise was correct. Even so one still has to wonder what’s going on with the Mets and injuries. Is it bad luck or bad trainers?

“As we stand here today, it certainly feels like a mistake on our part,” Huntington said. “On paper, you had a sub-4.00 ERA, a 200-inning starter, we didn’t guarantee a fourth or fifth year, and we got a year of free agency. On paper, removing the human element, it made all the sense in the world.”

The Pirates are calling this a mistake based on Ian’s performance this season. It’s hard to argue with them seeing how Snell currently sports a 2-8 record after 15 games and a 5.36 era. Even worse he was just demoted to AAA last week, something done by his request.

On paper like Huntington would say yes this was a mistake. I say on paper because he’s the one who offered the piece of paper that Snell signed. The mistake was actually offering the extension based on one good season. In 2007 Snell did pitch 200+ innings and had that sub 4.00 era, but that was the only solid season in his career.

Based on the two seasons before that, Huntington probably assumed the pitcher was coming into his own and about to make his own mark in the game. He probably thought let me buy out his arbitration years now instead of risk an astronomical raise one season. In fact he was able to even buy out his first free agent season. All at affordable prices, $3 million this year and $4.2 in the following AND two years of club options.

Barring a complete 180 by player and management we know the club options won’t be picked up. “Our focus now is to salvage something from this situation,” Huntington said, “whether that’s a trade, or Ian comes back — maybe that’s in the bullpen — we’ll see.”

I’d say that turn around is not completely out of the realm. Snell could go to the minors and regain the form he had in 2007. In fact there is some reason to believe he can. In his start last night he struck out 17 batters in 7 innings. Even more impressive he struck out the first 13 batters of the game.

I’ve always liked Ian so hopefully some time in the minors lets him regain that form of 2007. He’s only 27 so there is a chance he could still be a serviceable starter or reliever in the big leagues.

“It has to be the right contract, the right player, the right time,” Huntington said. “We had the right contract, the right time, but you could argue very easily that we missed on the player. When I came here, I was determined to learn from mistakes I’d seen elsewhere, where teams don’t take advantage of knowledge of their own players. At the time, we felt it would be a minimal risk. It’s certainly not a $50 million mistake. It’s not a $20 million mistake. Standing here today, it still feels like a mistake.”

Regardless its wrong thou for his boss to come out and call him a mistake so publicly. One can see why Snell requested the demotion to the minor leagues. The one he requested for being around too much negativity in Pittsburgh.

2008-09 was easily the best season of Daniels career, averaging 13.6 points and 4.6 assists in 31:30 minutes over 54 games. One would assume free agency would mean a raise for him, especially with those numbers. But in this economy that’s not the case, he’ll probably be lucky to get someone’s mid-level exception.

So what are Daniels’ options? His best option might be to resign with the Pacers once free agency begins. With only Brandon Rush and Danny Granger as outside threats, you’d have to assume the team wants Marquis back. They just want him at a more team friendly rate.

With every day that passes it looks more and more like he’s willing to stay in Europe then sign a contract with the T-Wolves. His agent, Dan Fegan has been trying to work out a trade to bring the kid to a bigger market. Obviously for a better chance at endorsement dollars. Minnesota owner Glen Taylor has made it known Rubio is going no where and the team is willing to wait a couple years if need be.

So how will this standoff end? In the end there may be no real winner but its clear that Minnesota will not be held hostage.

The NY Daily News reports that after the draft the team was offered Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier from the Houston Rockets for Rubio. That’s a remarkable offer, two starters for a prospect. One it tells you how highly NBA scouts think of this kid. On the flip side it also tells you how much Taylor loves the kid.

Today’s Minneapolis Star-Tribune speculates on reasons that Rubio may not come over. Hard to believe but it may not be just about the money. They list 3 possibilities.

1. He doesn’t want to play in Minnesota.

2. The Spanish version of the IRS is making life very difficult for him.

3. He isn’t really sure what he wants to do.

I’m still thinking its a combination of money and Minnesota. Now it is possible that he doesn’t know what he wants, I mean he is only 18. I know when I was 18, I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my life but shit if there was a contract on the table for $10 million plus over 3 years I’d jump on it. So yea I’d say its all about the money.

In my opinion, this is the one time the European player has no leverage. The Timberwolves were in a great position of having two top-10 picks and made sure to draft someone who plays the same position as he does. If Rubio doesn’t come over, they have their replacement with Jonny Flynn.

If Flynn succeeds they could always trade Rubio. If he doesn’t? They still have Rubio’s rights. If Rubio stays overseas and performs well, his stock continues to rise and Minnesota can demand that much more in any trade.

So really where is the leverage for Rubio? There’s none.

So here’s the deal Ricky. Can you please just make up your mind so we can stop hearing asking these questions. It’s like the Brett Favre annual scenario but about an 18-year old who hasn’t done jack shit.

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Looking between these rivalries one can see many similarities in the characters involved. In my mind the Autobots are the Yankees, and Decepticons are the Red Sox. The characters on both side aren’t so clear cut thou.

Here are the characters in tonight’s movie and the athletes that play them.

Optimus Prime played by Mariano Rivera. I could’ve gone either way here, using Rivera or Jeter. I eventually went with Mo because he is the protector. Without him saving 497 games over the past decade the Yankees would have not been so successful. I chose Mo because the movie incarnation of Optimus Prime, is trying to protect the All Spark from Megatron. The other reason is Mo is a battler. He can be knocked down and beat up but get back up to fight again. Just like Prime, when he gets back up he’s even stronger then before.

Megatron played by David Ortiz. This one’s pretty obvious. Big Papi even in a down year is the biggest weapon the Red Sox have. He’s their leader on and off the field. Just like Mo they wouldn’t be where they’ve been without him. Papi has provided countless big time blasts for the Sox and what’s Megatron known for? The shots from his cannon. Another thing that makes these two the perfect match is their knowledge of their opponent, and that knowledge brings out their best. Ortiz has struggled mightily this year, only 6 homeruns but 2 of those have come against the Yankees. The thought of facing Mariano and the Yankees gets him focused and brings out his best.

Starscream played by Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod is the main reason why I couldn’t just go Yankees as Autobots and Red Sox as Decepticons. His persona fits the Starscream billing perfectly. Starscream has always been a character with an ego, one that looks down upon others, even those that are superior. He even tried to betray his leader, Megatron so many teams that he was eventually exiled from the Decepticons. Well let’s look at A-Rod. He’s got the ego, there’s no doubt about that. Yankee fans have also always debated whether he is a Yankee or not due to his constant failures in big games (specifically against the BoSox) and the postseason. Those failures actually make me think of one thing, and that’s one of Megatron’s most popular lines. “You’ve failed me yet again Starscream.” Don’t us Yankee fans consistently say “You’ve failed us yet again A-Rod”??

Sam Witwicky played by Derek Jeter. He’s the only human character I’m listing here. Over the past decade Jeter has been in the lead role of this rivalry, much like Sam is the lead in the movie. He’s the guy that Yankee fans want to come through the most, and the guy the Red Sox fans want to see fail the most. (Even more then A-Rod). On top of that he gets the hottest girls and what did Sam get? Megan Fox the hottest person in the movie, a girl that might be the only one in Hollywood that Jeter hasn’t dated.

The Fallen played by Terry Francona. The Fallen is one of the ancient Transformers. Those ancients’ roles were to roam the galaxy and find planets that they could use to harvest Energon, the life blood of the Transformers. These ancients can only be killed by descendants of the Primes, i.e. Optimus Prime. And you know what the only way the Red Sox and the run of Terry Francona to be killed is for Mariano Rivera to close the door on them.

Bumblebee played by Dustin Pedroia. Bumbleebee has always been one of the smaller, weaker members of the Autobots. With that being said he’s one of the most valuable members of the team. He’s very efficient at what he does. He’s scrappy and will always put up a good fight. This is a lot like the reigning American League MVP, Pedroia. The guy is not the biggest and definitely not the strongest but he sure as hell is a fighter.

Devastator played by the Boston Red Sox. Devastator is a massive Decepticon formed by five others. The five that form him aren’t the strongest, aren’t the best but they’re role players who do what they have to. But when they come together they become an almost unstoppable force. That is why I picked the Red Sox as a whole to play them, five players in particular

Mixmaster – Mike Lowell
Rampage – JD Drew
Long Haul – Tim Wakefield
Scavenger – Nick Green
Scrapper – Jacoby Ellsbury.

Five guys who are productive but not the flashy starts. But five guys that make the Sox who they are. Five guys who have the Red Sox where they are today, on top of the American League East standings.

Ironhide played by Jorge Posada. Ironhide is the weapons specialist for Optimus Prime, he’s also his oldest friend. So wouldn’t that make Posada the perfect player to play that role? He’s been paired with Rivera for years, since 1997. The two know each other better than any other Yankee probably does (minus Jete of course).

Soundwave played by Jason Varitek. In Revenge of the Fallen, Soundwave is pretty much the one who calls the shots. He directs people where they need to go and puts them in a position to get the job done. Varitek is the same for the Sox. He calls the pitchers and he’s the one the pitchers rely on. He puts them in a position to succeed and its on them to execute.

Blackout played by Kevin Youkilis. Blackout is extremely loyal to Megatron and what surprise Youkilis is extremely loyal to the Sox and his teammates. In the 2007, he was one of the ones to rally the Decepticons at Hoover Dam. Youkilis is one of the keys to any Sox rally. Without him the comebacks normally don’t exist.

Ratchet played by Andy Pettitte. Ratchet is the chief medic for the Autobots, which means he can fix just about anything. He’s got numerous tools at his exposure, much like Andy. Originally Andy was a two tool guy, a devastating cutter and a pick off move out of this world. As he’s aged he’s developed more tools to add to his arsenal. All of these tools make him a formidable foe for any opponent.

Barricade played by Josh Beckett. Barricade is a hunter in the movie edition of Transformers. He’s a powerful Decepticon who doesn’t take any failures lightly. Beckett is much the same way, if he makes any mistakes on the mound he gets very frustrated, he’s got a great sense of pride out there. He’s also been known as somewhat of a head hunter for his propensity to throw the brush back pitch when it’s called for.

Frenzy played by Dice-K. Frenzy is a small irreplaceable Decepticon. He can get in to just about anywhere and get any information they may need. He also takes a beating and keeps on ticking. Dice-K is much the same way. He’s been known to give up the hits and walk many but always works his way out of the jam. Frenzy also speaks Cybertronian and does it so fast it sounds like gibberish. Well Dice is from Japan and to many his language sounds like gibberish as well.

There are many other characters in Revenge of the Fallen who play a vital role in the success of the Autobots and Decepticons. These guys also compare to other Red Sox and Yankee players. For the remaining characters, I’m just going to list them out.

Bone Crusher – Jonathan Papelbon
Jetfire – Joba Chamberlain
Sideswipe – AJ Burnett
Wheelie – Johnny Damon
Jolt – Brett Gardner
Mudflap – Mark Teixeira
Skids – Robinson Cano
Sideways – Hideki Matsui
Demolisher – Jason Bay.

So once again the battle of good verse evil rages on in tonight’s opening of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Just as the battle of good verse evil rages on this baseball season. There’s sure to be surprises along the way in both and we’ll all enjoy watching them take place.

Who do you think the characters of the movie correspond with? Let me know. If there are any characters that show up in the movie that aren’t mentioned here, link them to a player.

But for now I have just one think to say

Autobots Roll Out!

Team President Donnie Walsh said on Monday afternoon that the team wasn’t necessarily going for a point guard in the draft. But yet he also talked very highly about two point guards, Jonny Flynn and Tyreke Evans.

Jonny Flynn: “He’s a great athlete. If you need a point guard, you can go with him”.

Tyreke Evans: “He’s powerful. He’s got a great handle and if he has an opening, he’s strong.”

Point guard Ricky Rubio is still a possibility as well as his agent has been telling teams not to draft his client (specifically Memphis and Oklahoma City). If the teams oblige that means he’ll wind up at the fourth pick to the Sacramento Kings or whatever team they trade with. That’s something the Knicks would definitely consider if Rubio fell that far.

At the same time, the Knicks had another point guard in for a workout on Monday. UCLA’s Jrue Holiday was in for his second workout and is very high on the teams radar. You’d have to think the team likes their chances in acquiring this kid if they had him in for another practice. Which means they think he may fall to them, or they’ll consider trading up for him.

One can’t help but believe the Knicks will go for a point guard, no matter how much Donnie denies it. He could throw a wicked curveball and draft another position but all signs are pointing to a point guard.

“It’s early,” Sabathia said. “It’s June and I have a lot more starts to make. So I understand him wanting to play it safe and making sure I can make my next start.”

After hearing that I’d say there’s not much to worry about. Yea, I know the player is always going to say what he has to too stay in the game, or make his next start. But really it’s just tendinitis and sounds like something that’s pretty minor.

“It was just achy,” Sabathia said. “It wasn’t a sharp pain, it wasn’t anything like that. I didn’t feel it on any one pitch.”

I’m sure many are concerned, especially when you consider the extreme work load he had last October. I’m sure many are ecstatic too, saying the Yankees spent $161 million on damaged goods. But in all honesty it just sounds like some general soreness.

He was examined after the game and was told it doesn’t seem serious. Normally with Yankee doctors I’d be very considered but he wasn’t examined by team doctors. The Marlins’ team physician, Dan Kanell gave him a look. I know why should we believe him, he could just be blowing smoke.

The reason I believe him, CC will be traveling with the team to Atlanta. If it was something the team might of thought was serious he’d be on the first plane to NYC. Instead he’ll be in Atlanta and continue with his normal between starts routine.

Granted I think this will give the Yankees notice that they do need to give the hefty lefty a break now and then. With Phil Hughes emergence maybe this is the perfect situation for a spot start. Give CC a start off, a nice little break. With the All-Star break also creeping up he’d get two nice breaks in a month period, something that could go a long way for the Yankees championship hopes.

“It’s early,” Sabathia said. “It’s June and I have a lot more starts to make. So I understand him wanting to play it safe and making sure I can make my next start.”

The Palm Beach Post reports that Ronnie Brown was one of bright spots on the field. That shouldn’t come as a surprise as he’s in his contract year and when don’t players come out firing in those years? The report says that Brown looked like he was in the best shape of his career, fitter and faster then he ever had been.

That’s good news for Brown, he’s 27 and is in the prime of a running backs career. Edgar Thompson says that he looked “like he should be the team’s featured back, instead of splitting carries again.”

For Ricky, camp was a totally different story. Thompson said that Williams was “mostly invisible” That’s something you never want to hear especially with a player of his caliber. You want to know how bad of a report that is? They only thing mentioned about Ricky was that he was invisible.

It is possible that Ricky is starting to feel the effects of age, he’s 32. We all know running backs can drop off fast after the age of 30. So in honestly he could just be losing that speed he used to possess. Then again, he could be taking it easy till camp begins and the pads are put on.

In all honesty, this mini-camp could of been one of the better things to happen for the Dolphins. Brown is at the age where he should be the featured back. He’s proven before that he could handle the role. In 2006, he gained 1008 yards in only 13 games. Last season he gained 916 yards, averaging 4.3 yards a carry in a part time role.

The kids proven he’s got the speed and the talent to perform as a starter. And you know what with the Wildcat Offense he’s the better option. By in no means should they ditch Ricky, but they shouldn’t go with the 55-45ish split on carries.

It’s time for the Dolphins to feature him more and it needs to start this year. Another season of split carries may convince Ronnie it’s time to walk.