Amidst the recent three-game road trip, let's sit back and enjoy Turkey Day with a very different look at the Devils.

Usually it's all about stats and evaluation, but today, we place members of the team as their reciprocal Thanksgiving food.

Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" has come and gone, that much is sure. Whether you're someone who loved the old goal song or not, the Devils made it clear that they are looking for a new song and listening to fans, when they sent out an email asking fans to vote for a new song on Tuesday.

There are plenty of ideas for goal songs, but there are two types of songs that we've seen people suggesting. Either it's a song with a chorus that can be chanted along with, or a song that rocks out enough that hey, why not just go crazy when the Devils light the lamp.

So, the Devils changed their goal song last night and Devils fans were none too happy about it.

According the Daily News, the messages included, "Hile (sic) Hitler,? ?Die N----r? and ?F--k Jackie Robinson and all N------s.?

The epithets were removed from the bronze statue, but remained on the base.

Ok, ok. You probably haven't. But you have undoubtedly wanted to take an exercise class with Devils dancers, no?

Whatever your crazy dreams are, the Devils are accommodating. New Jersey is offering a team-themed cruise, sponsored by Carnival, Aug. 15 through 19.

If you read anything in sports today, may I recommend this?

He begins:

I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark Monday, the excitement pouring out of me like someone wringing a soaked cloth. It was damn-near 50 degrees already and it was only 9 a.m. I rarely get a chance to see my Rays in person living in the northeast. Having left ESPN last August, I rarely get to watch them at all. There's some sort of strange connection between a fan and his team, especially one that you don't get to see often. Those games you do see, be it on TV or in person, take on some larger significance. Needless to say, I was pumped.

We headed to the ballpark with seats I couldn't believe. We sat just left of the right-handed batter's box roughly seven rows off the field. The sun crept over the first-base side of Fenway Park and it felt 65 all of a sudden. It was a perfect spring day, expect for the baseball, which, well, left a bit to be desired. There were a combined eight hits in nine innings of play and the Red Sox countered the Rays' ninth-inning rally with their own, walking off on a Mike Napoli double to left-center field. Disappointing to be sure, but we bounded out of Fenway excited for rest of the day.

Jayson Stark pretty much nailed it at ESPN when he wrote repeatedly, "It happened."

Jay Jaffe's chat at Baseball Prospectus provides a solid coda on the whole thing.

If the Hall has no use for Barry Bonds, one of the three greatest hitters of all time, fans should have no use for the Hall. Same deal for Roger Clemens. Doesn't matter that those two likely did steroids they belong in the hall based on what they accomplished on the field. On the whole, I understand writers who could not bring themselves to vote for these two. I think it's hypocritical, sanctimonious and foolish, but I get where they're coming from.

Even more egregious? The omissions of Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio, none of whom have ever been linked - through drug testing or legal proceedings - to the use of performance enhancing drugs. All three on merit belong in the Hall of Fame.

I'll be sorry not to count him as one of my SNY blog-colleagues anymore, but far more lucky that I can call him a friend after some oodles of emails and hundreds of hours talking baseball and bacon on the Mostly Mets Podcast.

The other good news - there's always good news - is that Ted, and his writing will be back on the internet in relatively short order.

Anyway, if you're wondering why much of lower Manhattan is missing power, this video will help.

The Mets drafted Holkzkom in the 4th round in 2006 and signed him to a $210,000 bonus. The hard-throwing RHP, reached as high as Savannah in 2008, walking 45 batters in 47.1 innings. He missed a year with Tommy John surgery and then hooked up with the Reds, for whom he walked 13 in 8.2 innings in the California League this year. At 6'7", he never ever learned to throw strikes, or a breaking ball.

Oh, so the real news with Holdzkom? He did an amazing impromptu interview on comedian Chelsea Peretti's podcast. He just called in and started talking. Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk did the detective work.

- George Vecsey does a story on Wat Misaka, the first Asian-American to play in the NBA who was a Knick in November 1947. ?Great Story. Perhaps the craziest part is this video of Misaka and his Utah team beating Kentucky in the 1947 NIT.

- In the San Jose Mercury News, Marcus Thompson does a piece on Lin's NBA disappointments, how close he was to giving up, and his sustaining faith. ?Apparently, Carmelo Anthony suggested to D'Antoni to play Lin more that fateful night in New Jersey.

Our minds told us this game was over. We, the two teams on the field, and thousands of others in red and gold and blue and red, had weathered and enjoyed a classic San Francisco rainy, gray, blustery afternoon. Lawrence Tynes lined up for short field goal.? We clenched.? The Giants let the play clock expire for an inexplicable delay of game penalty.? We relaxed our grip. The teams lined up again, and again we held on. The 49ers called timeout. Again, we separated, stomped our feet perhaps against the chill.

I don't think he'd be awfully impressed. Actually, I think he'd be talking about the same issues - racial and social justice, inequality, unjust wars - that he did when he was living. He would actually join a plurality of Americans concerned about the country today. Only 24% of Americans believe the country is on the right track, and that's the highest it's been on the Rasmussen survey since July!

Dr. King: "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom."

Thank you to all of you readers who have made these last 3 years covering the Mets minor league system a blast. ?I have appreciated your comments, interactions, critiques, and mostly your readership. ?Your readership has given me the drive to bring as much content and information as possible for the site. ?Thank you all.

A special thanks goes out to none other than Mr. Toby Hyde, who in my opinion is the best writer around that covers the Mets minor league system. ?Thank you Toby for allowing me to play a small role in the growth of this site. ?Thanks for giving me a platform to express my opinions and observations.

Blake Griffin's reaction to the news: blurting out "Lob City," his enthusiasm (an unrequited chest bump) is classic, and made me laugh. Also, it makes me look forward to an endless loop of yes, lobs from Chris Paul and ridiculous dunks from Griffin.

It sounded a little something like this.

11-19 FB and WBB Highlights - Mono

The Economics of Carry-Ons

For years, I've packed lightly enough to avoid checking bags.? Now, everyone tries to carry on all of their bags to avoid baggage fees.? This makes sense.? However, now overhead bins are always full. The airline's response is now to have agents standing at the end of the gangway grabbing travelers' bags to check them.? It's ok in the sense that I don't have to pay to check a bag.? It's retarded?self-defeating in the sense that I then have to wait at baggage claim for my bag and from the airlines' perspective because they now have to pay for extra staffers at the end of the gangway/door of the aircraft to steal away bags.

Here are my favorite pieces of analysis.

The Offense will have to ChangeNBA Playbook broke down the Knicks' offense, and the offensive games of Carmelo, Stoudamire and Billups using video and advanced stats to conclude:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here's the full "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (April 16, 1963).

I remember playing in a pennant race in 1998.? The stands were buzzing; the atmosphere in the locker room was very exciting.? With a long summer behind you, those feelings of being tired and worn out seam to not matter anymore.? It becomes very easy to forget the aches and pains that you put your body through, because you have to suck it all up for the betterment of the team.? ?Every pitch, every swing, every little play seems to be magnified to the fullest.

Long grueling road trips seem much easier to deal with because the anticipation of the game.? Going on the road is usually a rough thing, but the road seems to knit the team closer together as you have that ?us? against the world mentality.

So a typical road trip starts with packing weeks worth of clothes.? You play your last home game; guys get showered, and have a post game meal.? You talk to the one media guy who does the radio broadcast and writes for the team website.? You then load up your equipment on the team bus, meanwhile waiting for your 17-year old clubby to get your personal stuff washed for the trip.? The coaches are in the office calling in the game reports, and you are thinking at your locker, how did I miss that pitch in the 4^th inning?? Oh the agony of thinking you should never miss that cookie the pitcher threw you.? Then you look at your .245 batting average and think, maybe that?s why you missed that pitch.?

After an hour passes, you go outside the clubhouse and find all the Cali boys hanging together, spewing out ?dude? nonstop in their conversation.? Then you see the Latinos talking to each other 100 miles per hour like they are ready to fight each other, and you think to yourself, where in the world am I?? The bonus babies are packing up their 20 pairs of batting gloves, 3 fielding gloves, and 10 bats with their name engraved on it.? As you pack your 4 bats, you start to think that your name is ?Pro-Stock? (that is what is on bats that are not personalized).

Of course, it's not an elected position, but lets not get bogged down in the details, ok?

He and I talk about this fact and more.

Wednesday night in Lancaster, CA the Lancaster JetHawks beat the Lake Elsinore Storm 10-8, to capture the Southern Division title, the second in the team?s history. The two teams combined for 11 runs in a wild third inning that ended both starting pitchers? nights. After the Storm tied it at 8 with two runs in the top of the eighth, the JetHawks shortstop Yamaico Navarro singled home the winning run as part of a two-run rally in the bottom of the inning.

Here's the go-ahead RBI:

Navarro RBI

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Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege to call a very entertaining minor league playoff game. The Lancaster JetHawks(Red Sox), the #1 seed in the California League?s Southern Division, entered the game down 1-0 in the best-of-five series to the Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres). With the first two at home, and games 3 and 4 on the road, if the upper seed had fallen behind 0-2, they?d be in big trouble.