Nets Announcer Ian Eagle On The New Era In Brooklyn

YES Network announcer Ian Eagle is excited about the new era of the Brooklyn Nets, led by General Manager Sean Marks.

Eagle is encouraged by how Marks is building this team, the hiring of Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and the signing of point guard Jeremy Lin.

I caught up with Eagle at a the NFL on CBS media day, and here is our conversation:

For Kreis Sake: Coach Gets Revenge on NYCFC

Orlando City SC Head Coach Jason Kreis. USA Today Sports.

Jason Kreis thought he got a raw deal when he was fired after just one season as coach of New York City Football Club.

Kreis got his revenge on Sunday night, as his new club, Orlando City SC beat NYCFC, 2-1.

Kreis took the focus off of himself after the game, as he said, “The importance of the win has nothing to do with the opponent. It wasn’t about me, it’s about the performance of the team and what the guys are willing to do. So I’m really pleased for the players, they are the ones who deserve the credit.”

Orlando City got two goals from their star Kaka, while NYCFC's European stars, David Villa, Frank Lampard, and Andrea Pirlo, were largely kept in check.

Books: "The Cardinals Way" by Howard Megdal

The Cardinals Way: How One Team Embraced Tradition and Moneyball at the Same Time

By Howard Megdal

Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin's Press

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the great franchises in baseball history and they are in the midst of one of the most successful periods in their history.

They have made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons. In that time, they won the World Series in 2011, made it back to the Fall Classic in 2013, and reached the National League Championship Series twice, losing to San Francisco both times, in 2012 and 2014.

Howard Megdal takes an extensive look into their history, dating back to the days of Branch Rickey a century ago, in The Cardinals Way.

"Coming on the heels of Tony LaRussa's 2011 World Series championship in his final season, the Cardinals have put together the kind of sustained success that is rare in baseball, drawing all kinds of attention and a simple question. How are they doing it?

The Chance Of A Lifetime

Barclays Center. Photo by Jason Schott.

Anybody who has ever dreamed of playing professional basketball has the chance to further their dreams.

The Long Island Nets, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, will hold a local player tryout on September 24.

The tryout will be held at the Pratt Recreation Center on LIU Post’s campus, which is located at 720 Northern Blvd. in Brookville, N.Y. Player check-in for the tryout will begin at 9 a.m.

St. John's Releases Non-conference Schedule

Carnesecca Arena. Photo by Jason Schott

The St. John’s Red Storm announced their men's basketball out-of-conference schedule on Thursday.

The Red Storm has a 13-game docket lined up against non-league opponents in 2016-17, and it includes marquee contests in the Battle 4 Atlantis, Gavitt Tipoff Games, and a road game with longtime rival Syracuse.

The first couple months of the season features seven local dates and appearances in three of New York City’s boroughs.

Marks Continues Quest To Take Nets Beyond Brooklyn

Nets GM Sean Marks - @BrooklynNets

In his quest to build the Nets into a model franchise, General Manager Sean Marks has stressed how he wants his team to be the leader in scouting in the United States and beyond.

Marks furthered that goal on Monday when he named Gianluca Pascucci as director of global scouting and BJ Johnson as coordinator of player evaluation.

“We are thrilled to add Gianluca and BJ to our front office,” said Marks. “Collectively, they bring valuable experiences that cross many platforms and their extensive knowledge of both the NBA and the global game will be tremendous assets to our scouting department. Both will be excellent additions to our culture and we are excited about welcoming them to Brooklyn.”

Villa Leads NYCFC Past LA Galaxy

 NYCFC's David Villa battles LA's Nigel De Jong. USA Today Sports.

In the battle of the European stars, New York City Football Club beat the LA Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

These are arguably the two highest-profile teams in the MLS, as NYCFC boasts Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and David Villa, while Los Angeles has Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, and Ashley Cole.

This was the first time the number 8's, English national teammates  Lampard and Gerrard, faced each other in the MLS. For years, they battled in the English Premier League when Lampard's Chelsea and Gerrard's Liverpool vied for titles.

“It's normal, we're used to it. It was Lampard versus Gerrard in the England team, it was Chelsea-Liverpool for many a year. I love it," Lampard said of his rivalry with Gerrard ahead of the match. “I think we're more relaxed about it and we can enjoy it more these days.”

NYCFC came out strong, especially Lampard, who was looking to make something happen when he was taken down by a Galaxy defender in the box in the fifth minute. To his dismay, there was no call.

A minute later, NYCFC crashed the net, as Ronald Matarrita got off a shot, which deflected off Galaxy goaltender Clement Diop, and Villa slipped by two defenders to score.