The Ilya Kovalchuk Thread

[Satans Hockey]

It will be fun booing him out of the building if he signs with the Rangers. 

I hope Santini plays in the first game and puts him over the boards like that panthers player earlier in the season and Kovy never plays another game. 

[BlueSkirt]

1 hour ago, MadDog2020 said:

Why start this thread? We’re two days from starting the playoffs for the first time in six years, having long moved on from this fvcking douche, and we have a thread on fvcking Kovalchuk now? Come on. When the fvck is this fan base gonna get over this a$$hole? This is ridiculous. If I was a mod, this would be closed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Heck, I've just gotten over the LHRB Holik and NeedmyBrother.  Parsie's animous still has a few years to go.  For Kovy, he did us a favor by leaving.  But yeah, it's about the playoffs now

[NJDfan1711]

1 hour ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

I’m just trying to figure out how you can say that the Yankees (trading for, not buying) the reigning NL MVP on the good side of 30 is even in the same stratosphere as this Kovalchuk move. 

But ignorance is bliss I guess

That particular move is not about the age as it is the dollar amount, and just who he is as a player (regarded as one of the best in the league, added to an already pretty stacked team).  And that's just one move of about several dozen over the course of the past 25 years or so which earned them that reputation.  I'm not the biggest baseball fan, it's my third favorite sport, and a very distant third behind hockey and football, but I can tell you I'm not nearly alone in that opinion.

[NJDfan1711]

55 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

2. Abraham Lincoln. But only until Bob Barker dies, because I think that is the perfect dog name. 

[thecoffeecake]

 

2 hours ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Gotta ask how this is even remotely close to “Yankee”ish? Or is that just a stereotype that you’ve clearly not vetted?

Rangers = Yankees - winning. They're practically the same organization, perfectly reflective of the city they play in. Big money, high prestige, the biggest teams in their respective sports in the biggest sports market in North America. And to this point, they're both more interested in adding flashy names and making a big splash with fans and media than building a cohesive roster. It's all about the brand. 

They are mirror organizations, whether Yanks fans in Jersey like to admit it or not. 

[Aitchmack]

I never give Kovy a second though, but seeing as you mention him here's my two cents worth;

1. Even if he can sign for the Devils in time for the playoffs there is no way we should go anywhere near him. There are players that have been here all season doing their best to help the team that do not deserve to be shunted aside for that glory hunting asshat.

2. I think NYR would be a perfect fit for him. They both promise much and deliver nothing. Both think far more of themselves than anyone else does.

3. I hope in his first game against the Devils one of our players makes a bee-line for him and lays him out. He bailed on the Devils, he bailed on the fans, he bailed on the NHL and he bailed on his contract. F@ck him.

[Devs1965]

Please, I would love to see Kovalbaby sign with the Rags for some crazy $$ then get home sick in November!!!

Rangers " We are re-building with youth!,,,,, Oh wait Kovalchuk's available? " 

[LittleBallofHate]

The NYR WISH they were as successful as the Yankees - they should not be compared. And no, I am not a Yankees fan. Baseball = Zzzzz (to me). 

Besides, Cashman is a BIG Devils fan.   That makes his team OK in my book. 

I will not comment on the topic but it is funny the strong feelings that come out when his name is mentioned... and how quickly the pages rack up.

 

[thecoffeecake]

3 minutes ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Again, this is adorably ignorant. More interested in “adding flashy names and making a big splash” than cohesiveness? Did I miss the high profile free agent signings of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, Mariano Rivera? Oh, that was in the past? Then I guess I missed the blockbuster signings of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and Dellin Betances. Oh wait, I guess that doesn’t fit your babble either.

17 World Series <> 1 Stanley Cup since World War II seems like a distinction worthy of separating them entirely, regardless of the city they play for. 

Is a list of 10 homegrown guys over the past 20 years supposed to hammer home your point? The Yankees' core is largely made up consistently of big time free agents and guys brought in through the trade. No one said "the Yankees have never received contributions from home grown talent". It's an overt strategy of the Yankees to build by spending money and bringing in stars. It's undeniable, it's an integral part of the Yankees culture and identity. 

[Lateralous]

Honestly, I was hoping for Kovy to the Rangers.   It's a perfect fit, especially if he's lost a step.    

[NJDfan1711]

11 minutes ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Again, this is adorably ignorant. More interested in “adding flashy names and making a big splash” than cohesiveness? Did I miss the high profile free agent signings of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite, Mariano Rivera? Oh, that was in the past? Then I guess I missed the blockbuster signings of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, Greg Bird and Dellin Betances. Oh wait, I guess that doesn’t fit your babble either.

17 World Series <> 1 Stanley Cup since World War II seems like a distinction worthy of separating them entirely, regardless of the city they play for. 

Again, you're missing the point.  No one denies that the Yankees have had success - with the way they build their roster, one would hope and assume they'd have some success here and there.  That in turn is why the Rangers are all the more laughable, because they build their team in similar ways and don't have anything to show for it, but that doesn't make them less similar to the Yankees in terms of how they've architected their roster over the last two decades, and in general how their organizations are run.  

Edited April 9, 2018 by NJDfan1711

[LittleBallofHate]

Can't we all just get along? 

[NJDfan1711]

3 minutes ago, LittleBallofHate said:

Can't we all just get along? 

Damn, Nico with some babes.  Good for him.  

[LittleBallofHate]

3 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Damn, Nico with some babes.  Good for him.  

Um... one is his sister (and one is his mom)  

[NJDfan1711]

6 minutes ago, LittleBallofHate said:

Um... one is his sister (and one is his mom)  

I kinda figured that was the case, but still doesn't mean he isn't with babes... his mom is hot. Either that or I'm old.  Or both.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, thecoffeecake said:

Is a list of 10 homegrown guys over the past 20 years supposed to hammer home your point? The Yankees' core is largely made up consistently of big time free agents and guys brought in through the trade. No one said "the Yankees have never received contributions from home grown talent". It's an overt strategy of the Yankees to build by spending money and bringing in stars. It's undeniable, it's an integral part of the Yankees culture and identity. 

I'm not a Yankee fan by any stretch, but they fact that they actually use their resources to either bring in high-profile FAs or keep homegrown players (that get more expensive after their team control and arbitration years are up) isn't really a negative (though you're trying to make it sound like one, mostly because you hate all things New York, so of course you're going to put a negative slant on it).  I think the teams that pocket more money than they should and aren't trying all that hard to field a competitive team are a lot worse than the Yankees.  It also doesn't hurt that many players DREAM of playing for the Yankees...they have a big "in" that way (much like the Dodgers do).  They own a unique sex appeal that goes back decades. 

I'd say your "names over cohesion" observation applied to the late 80s-early 90s Yankees much more than it's applied to the Yankee teams of the last two decades.  The Jeter teams boasted impressive homegrown players.  And they've made some smart trades when they've had to...like Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill, bringing in Tino and Brosius, and several other good deals.  Not sure how you hold making some good deals AGAINST a team. 

Yes, their deep pockets do allow them to bail themselves out of some bad deals that would severely cripple other teams, or cash in on obvious salary dumps (like Stanton or A-Rod), and Brian Cashman hasn't always been the most creative GM in the world (sometimes he has just gone for the obvious FA targets), and that can be annoying to outsiders sometimes.  But teams that have a lot of success will always alienate other teams' fans.  Just how it goes.  And the Yankees aren't breaking any rules. 

 

4 minutes ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

Lmao. God, I hope all Mets fans aren't all this disillusioned. In the 90s dynasty, Jeter, Posada, Mariano and Pettite were literally called the core  four.

He's not a Mets fan, he's a Phillies fan and apparently a fan of all things South Jersey and Philadelphia, because he every now and then he'll poke his head into the Mets thread to tell us all how swell and awesome the Philly scene is...the Devils seem to be his only exception.  He never hesitates to take shots at the NY sports scene.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

33 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Again, you're missing the point.  No on denies that the Yankees have had success - with the way they build their roster, one would hope and assume they'd have some success here and there.  That in turn is why the Rangers are all the more laughable, because they build their team in similar ways and don't have anything to show for it, but that doesn't make them less similar or the Yankees him terms of how they've architected their roster over the last two decades, and in general how their organizations are run.  

The Rangers for years tried to fit square pegs in round holes...they literally just collected names without ever considering how they'd fit or mesh...Sather was a complete joke for several years, because he put almost no effort into his job...he'd just look for the top name(s) on the FA list and offer them a lot of dough...like Lou once told Marty "The Rangers will always sign the best (read:  best known name) player, we try to find the best players for our TEAM."  Sather couldn't have possibly been less creative for much of his tenure.  Yes, at times the Yankees spent a hell of a lot of money, and they didn't always do it wisely, but for the most part, I think they did have more of a "how will this guy help us?" mentality than the Rangers ever did, especially during the Sather years.  I'm not the biggest Cashman guy (though I think he's done his best work in the past few years), but I think he at least put some thought into building his team.  I don't think Sather ever did...not with the Rangers, anyway. 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Jimmy Leeds]

12 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

I kinda figured that was the case, but still doesn't mean he isn't with babes... his mom is hot. Either that or I'm old.  Or both.

Mom, Dad, Sister and Girlfriend (not sure who's who)

Yes, Mom is hot too

[NJDfan1711]

Just now, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

The Rangers for years tried to fit square pegs in round holes...they literally just collected names without ever considering how they'd fit or mesh...Sather was a complete joke for several years, because he put almost no effort into his job...he'd just look for the top name(s) on the FA list and offer them a lot of dough...like Lou once told Marty "The Rangers will always sign the best player, we try to find the best players for our TEAM."  Sather couldn't have possibly been less creative for much of his tenure.  Yes, at times the Yankees spent a hell of a lot of money, and they didn't always do it wisely, but for the most part, I think they did have more of a "how will this guy help us?" mentality than the Rangers ever did, especially during the Sather years.  I'm not the biggest Cashman guy (though I think he's done his best work in the past few years), but I think he at least put some thought into building his team.  I don't think Sather ever did...not with the Rangers, anyway. 

I dunno, like I said baseball is not my favorite sport, but from a very high level, I've always regarded them as pretty much the same.   I firmly acknowledge that there were a huge corp of guys that came up with the organization and contributed to their success (as KitB said - Williams, Posada, Rivera, Jeter, Pettitte, etc), but there's also a slew of guys that they went out and reached for... Giambi, Burnett, A-Rod, Tanaka, Teixeira, Sabathia, Clemens, Knoblauch, etc etc - not to mention most of those guys they went out and got they only got because they were able to afford them in the first place, while most other teams could not.   

[thecoffeecake]

14 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I'm not a Yankee fan by any stretch, but they fact that they actually use their resources to either bring in high-profile FAs or keep homegrown players (that get more expensive after their team control and arbitration years are up) isn't really a negative (though you're trying to make it sound like one, mostly because you hate all things New York, so of course you're going to put a negative slant on it).  I think the teams that pocket more money than they should and aren't trying all that hard to field a competitive team are a lot worse than the Yankees.  It also doesn't hurt that many players DREAM of playing for the Yankees...they have a big "in" that way (much like the Dodgers do).  They own a unique sex appeal that goes back decades. 

I'd say your "names over cohesion" observation applied to the late 80s-early 90s Yankees much more than it's applied to the Yankee teams of the last two decades.  The Jeter teams boasted impressive homegrown players.  And they've made some smart trades when they've had to...like Roberto Kelly for Paul O'Neill, bringing in Tino and Brosius, and several other good deals.  Not sure how you hold making some good deals AGAINST a team. 

Yes, their deep pockets do allow them to bail themselves out of some bad deals that would severely cripple other teams, or cash in on obvious salary dumps (like Stanton or A-Rod), and Brian Cashman hasn't always been the most creative GM in the world (sometimes he has just gone for the obvious FA targets), and that can be annoying to outsiders sometimes.  But teams that have a lot of success will always alienate other teams' fans.  Just how it goes.  And the Yankees aren't breaking any rules. 

 

He's not a Mets fan, he's a Phillies fan and apparently a fan of all things South Jersey and Philadelphia, because he every now and then he'll poke his head into the Mets thread to tell us all how swell and awesome the Philly scene is...the Devils seem to be his only exception.  He never hesitates to take shots at the NY sports scene.

 Yea, I mean, you're agreeing with me on the primary point. Marty over here is trying to tell us the Rangers and Yankees organizations are nothing alike, and lists off a handful of homegrown guys that the Yanks have developed over the past quarter century as if to dispel the idea that the Yanks don't use a lot of their roster space for big name transplants. It's objectively true. The team today is led by guys like Stanton, Sonny, and Chapman. No other team in baseball is so consistently stacked with outside guys like that (although the Sox looked like they were on that track for a while). There's a reason people refer to the Yanks as the Evil Empire. I sure as hell didn't come up with that. 

Oh, come on CR, I've been civil over the recent seasons when I've popped over to your thread. I hate the Mets a lot more than the Yanks, but respect the way they build their team far more than the way the Yanks do. And you know what, last year's Yanks team was the first I didn't despise. 

I take shots at the New York sports scene because it's the worst sports market in the country, from the arrogance of the organizations to the ignorance of the media and fans. It's horrible, and it upsets me to see Jersey guys standing shoulder to shoulder with those people during the other sports seasons. 

And now I know you're just trying to make me look bad. The Devils aren't an "exception". I'm from Jersey, and they're the only Jersey team we currently have. I was a die hard Nets fan. I support Philly teams otherwise because I live here and love it here, the sports scene is a hundred times more tolerable, they're all closer to my hometown than the NY teams (besides the NFL teams, but I would never support a NY team playing in Jersey). I made a pretty calculated decision to come here over New York for so, so many reasons. I'm not from New York, I've never lived in New York, I have no connection to New York. Bring any teams to Jersey and that's where my primary allegiance lies. 

[thecoffeecake]

22 minutes ago, Kinkyisth3b3st said:

No wonder he posts like he eats crayons. Yikes.

 Oh, come on Marty, crayons are a nutritious and delicious addition to almost any recipe. Throw a couple of blues into the pan before whipping up some alfredo, you've got yourself quite the treat. 

[mfitz804]

Pretty sure that's his sister on his left. If its not, my man is dating someone who looks exactly like him and that's creepy. 

26 minutes ago, Jimmy Leeds said:

Mom, Dad, Sister and Girlfriend (not sure who's who)

Yes, Mom is hot too

I think his Dad is on the far right.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

16 minutes ago, thecoffeecake said:

 Yea, I mean, you're agreeing with me on the primary point. Marty over here is trying to tell us the Rangers and Yankees organizations are nothing alike, and lists off a handful of homegrown guys that the Yanks have developed over the past quarter century as if to dispel the idea that the Yanks don't use a lot of their roster space for big name transplants. It's objectively true. The team today is led by guys like Stanton, Sonny, and Chapman. No other team in baseball is so consistently stacked with outside guys like that (although the Sox looked like they were on that track for a while). There's a reason people refer to the Yanks as the Evil Empire. I sure as hell didn't come up with that. 

Oh, come on CR, I've been civil over the recent seasons when I've popped over to your thread. I hate the Mets a lot more than the Yanks, but respect the way they build their team far more than the way the Yanks do. And you know what, last year's Yanks team was the first I didn't despise. 

I take shots at the New York sports scene because it's the worst sports market in the country, from the arrogance of the organizations to the ignorance of the media and fans. It's horrible, and it upsets me to see Jersey guys standing shoulder to shoulder with those people during the other sports seasons. 

And now I know you're just trying to make me look bad. The Devils aren't an "exception". I'm from Jersey, and they're the only Jersey team we currently have. I was a die hard Nets fan. I support Philly teams otherwise because I live here and love it here, the sports scene is a hundred times more tolerable, they're all closer to my hometown than the NY teams (besides the NFL teams, but I would never support a NY team playing in Jersey). I made a pretty calculated decision to come here over New York for so, so many reasons. I'm not from New York, I've never lived in New York, I have no connection to New York. Bring any teams to Jersey and that's where my primary allegiance lies. 

Coffee, I'll give you that if NJ ever got a baseball team of its own, I probably switch allegiances the day that's announced.  I'm NJ first.  Tried to get into the Nets (my dad took us to games back in the 70s, when they were playing their home games at Rutgers), but hoops just never took. 

The Devils are an exception for you...you clearly identify heavily with Philly, even if it's been a while since you've mentioned that in a Mets thread...if anything I'm kind of surprised you're not a Flyers fan yet, mostly because you've really seemed to take to every other part of that area (though to be fair, I don't think I could ever leave the Devils behind, even if I left NJ...admittedly I don't know what I'd do if the Devils themselves actually left...if the Devils had left NJ after 1995, the rumor was that the Whalers would've moved to NJ to fill the sudden void...just the idea of ever supporting that NJ "New" Devils is hard to stomach).   

Edited April 9, 2018 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[MadDog2020]

I can probably pick out the Dad

His sister is easy to pick out too, she looks just like Nico lol.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dmon2010]

Well, look what I found...