The Giants underachieved. The Jets were an embarrassment. The Mets are terrible. The Yankees are playing well but currently unable to pull away from Boston. New York’s two teams that are (er, were in the Knicks’ case) involved in postseasons just endured a hellish week. The Knicks bowed out of the NBA Playoffs and the Rangers are on course to make a similarly unceremonious exit from the quest for the cup. It’s tough sledding in the city that never sleeps right now, but New Yorkers are not exactly alone in misery.

(All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag)

New York sports. The Knicks showed signs of making amends for disappointing football seasons from the Jets and Giants. They snagged the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed to get on the opposite side of the bracket from Miami and took care of Boston in six games to begin their playoff campaign. But it all came crashing down in the second round. One road win was enough for the Pacers, who finished off New York with a 106-99 victory in Game 6 on Saturday night. The Rangers, who at least aren’t favored like their basketball counterparts were, are two games away from another second-round ouster. After outlasting Washington in seven games, they dropped Game 1 at Boston in overtime then got blown out 5-2 on Sunday. New York is a -140 home favorite over the Caps on Tuesday.

Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies were outstanding in taking four straight games and the series from OKC, but they forgot to show up in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at San Antonio on Sunday. Memphis scored only six of the game’s first 24 points and just eight of the first 31. The visitors briefly pulled to within six during the third quarter but trailed by 16 after three en route to a 105-83 loss. They are looking for their second straight playoff series win over the Spurs, having previously upended Tim Duncan and company during first-round action in 2011. The Grizzlies are +200 to win the series and +1200 to win the NBA Championship (ahead of only Indiana at +1500). They are +5 road underdogs at San Antonio on Tuesday.

Miami Marlins. Being the worst team in a league is one thing. Being the worst team in a league that includes the Houston Astros is another thing altogether. The Marlins, in fact, are tied with Houston for last place in the overall MLB standings after actually winning a game on Sunday (2-1 over Arizona) while the Astros were blanked 1-0 by Pittsburgh. Miami has still lost seven of its last eight games and 10 of its last 12. The team is dead last in the bigs in batting averaging, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, and runs scored. But hey, at least the Fish haven’t allowed a game-winning run by having their right fielder collide with their second baseman while trying to catch a pop fly…yet! Miami (Alex Sanabia) is a +170 home underdog vs. Philadelphia (Cole Hamels) on Monday.
 
Bruce Irvin. Irvin has been suspended for the first four games of the NFL regular season after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. That is bad news for the Seahawks, who are also expected to be without fellow defensive end Chris Clemons at the beginning of their 2013 campaign. Clemons underwent knee surgery after being injured in Seattle’s playoff victory over Washington. Irvin was a key performer as a rookie after being selected in the first round of the 2011 draft. He recorded eight sacks and also had three multi-sack games. The Seahawks are +120 to win the NFC West, +500 to win the NFC Championship, and +900 to win the Super Bowl. They are -3 road favorites at Carolina in Week 1.

Belmont. The stakes won’t be the same this time around at the Belmont. I’ll Have Another was going for the Triple Crown last year in New York, bidding to become the first such winner since Affirmed in 1978. Like many others before him, he saw his opportunity go by the wayside. Orb, who captured the roses at the Kentucky Derby, saw his chance at the Triple Crown fall away at Saturday’s Preakness. He never seriously contended and finished fourth, well behind Oxbow and also trailing Itsmyluckyday and Mylute. The bottom line is that when the Kentucky Derby winner fails to snag the second leg in Maryland, the Belmont Stakes hype simply is not the same. In fact, it’s almost nonexistent outside of hardcore racing circles. Orb and Oxbow are co-favorites at +300 to win the Belmont on June 8. Normandy Invasion, who was fourth in Kentucky before skipping the Preakness, is currently the third choice at +600.

Roger Federer. Federer did well to reach the Rome Masters final, but he received an unwelcome step up in competition after facing four unseeded opponents. The third-ranked Swiss ran into familiar foe Rafael Nadal and promptly lost to his rival for the 20th time in 30 career matches. In two meetings with the Spaniard this season, Federer has won no sets and a total of just 10 games. Federer’s record in 2013 stands at a mediocre 18-6, and he is still in search of his first title after contesting his first final in six tournaments. By contrast, Nadal has advanced to the final in all eight of his events, and he has lifted the winner’s trophy six times. Nadal, who has now won back-to-back Masters titles on clay since losing the Monte-Carlo final to Novak Djokovic, is a -175 favorite to win the French Open. Djokovic is second at +160 while Federer is a distant third at +1000.

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