Gang Green Still Alive: Jets stun struggling Chiefs to remain in playoff hunt

After falling into a gaping 14-0 hole early in the first quarter by way of two touchdown grabs by All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, the New York Jets responded strongly with just enough defense, sloppy play by the opposition and a solid effort by their veteran starting quarterback Josh McCown the rest of the way to eek out a huge 38-31 victory over the free-falling Kansas City Chiefs in front of an energetically raucous 77,562 fans at MetLife Stadium. The Jets (5-7) remain alive for an improbable AFC wildcard playoff spot with four crucial games remaining on their schedule. McCown put forth a very much-needed efficient game under center, completing 26 of 36 pass attempts for 331 yards and a TD toss to running back Matt Forte, and also entered the end zone himself on two 1-yard sneaks. Also, big kudos to place-kicker Chandler Cantanzaro on his three big field goal makes in the 'W' over KC, who fell to the .500 mark at 6-6 after kicking off the season with a 5-0 start. Next up for head coach Todd Bowles and Team Gang Green are the equally struggling and underachieving Denver Broncos (3-9) on the road come Sunday, December 10.  

The managerial hiring of Aaron Boone an interestingly bold move by the New York Yankees

Since the Bronx Bomber's positively surprising 2017 regular season and postseason run to the A.L. Championship Series ended with release of manager Joe Girardi, there was oh so much speculation as to who would be the guy to replace him. Names such as former major leaguers David Cone, Carlos Beltran, and even Alex Rodriguez were all in the conversation for the highly coveted position of Yankees manager. So when GM Brian Cashman and the higher-ups decided that former pinstriper and ESPN baseball analyst Aaron Boone, 44, would be the successor to Giradi and the 35th field manager in franchise history - despite having 'zero' prior experience either coaching or managing on any level, I think it's a refreshingly exciting move. I think Boone will step into the dugout and do a reasonably good job with his coaching staff. Plus, I think he'll not only relate well with the players on the roster come Spring of 2018, but will be very accommodating to the New York media, most importantly. Boone is already a legend and fan favorite from his days as a player in the Bronx - most notably, of course, for his dramatic, ALCS-clinching walk-off home run off of Boston Red Sox reliever Tim Wakefield back in the Fall of 2003. Plus, it helps being part of the legendary Boone family legacy in Major League Baseball. With talented young building blocks such as reigning A.L. Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up Aaron Judge, A.L. Cy Young third-place finisher Luis Severino, backstop Gary Sanchez and first baseman Greg Bird, a successful future is definitely in the cards for the new manager and the New York Yankees - with hopefully more World Series titles in mind.

Back On The Red Carpet: SAMMIE 'Coming Of Age' LP

By Ross Guity aka R.G. Major (www.instagram.com/R.G.Major)

Since his 1999 debut on the radio airwaves as a young teen, the now 30-year-old Sunshine State native Sammie has definitely experienced his fair share of highs and lows in this unforgiving music industry. Now as 2017 comes to a close, his new album release 'Coming Of Age' truly reflects his growth as a man, but with still more to learn in the game of life. Tracks like the lead single 'C.O.A.' and 'Confessional' are strong, soulfully emotional pleas for forgiveness that indeed touches the heart. Other quality selections are 'Good Life' featuring Florida brethren Rick Ross, the sexy flow of 'Tsunami,' 'Be Alone,' and the Caribbean-spiced 'Bad Gal,' which has definite potential to be on heavy rotation at radio stations worldwide. After releasing a few fairly nice EPs over the past couple of years, the awesomely talented Sammie Leigh Bush, Jr. and his creative songwriting/production team came through positively solid this time around, and has literally, truly COME OF AGE as we head in to Chapter 2K18 as the Savior of R&B!

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A big 2017 for Adult R&B/Soul music

To the pessimists who insisted that the state of traditional R&B/Soul music is on a downward spiral towards irrelevancy has proven to be false here in Chapter 2017. Yes - I know and I got it that album sales aren't what they used to be, but you cannot deny the incredible quality of work that's been put out this year by super-talented newbies such as Kevin Ross, Yuna, La'Porsha Renae, and multi-faceted actress/singer Demetria McKinney - just to name a few. But for me, what's been amazingly impressive in 2017 has been the vibes released by the legendary O.G.s of the game like Mary J. Blige, Keith Sweat, Charlie Wilson, Joe, Leela James, Chante' Moore, Musiq Soulchild, Will Downing, Bell Biv DeVoe, Johnny Gill and so many others that have quietly slayed it majorly on the Urban Adult Contemporary radio airwaves, giving hope for the truly 'grown and sexy' demographic that 'Real R&B/Soul Music' performed by truly talented, top-quality, real R&B/Soul recording artists are still in vogue, and is showing 'zero' signs of slowing down going into year 2018. No disrespect to the artists doing the 'Urban R&B/Hip-Hop' thing, but the Adult/Traditional vibe is STILL winning in my book. Oh, and who could forget the big reunion of Kandi, Tiny, LaTocha and Tamika - aka multi-Platinum-selling vocal quartet Xscape?

Wizards rout Celtics to even up East Semis

Fueled by a 42-point offensive explosion in the third quarter - which included a 26-0 run, the Washington Wizards evened up their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal round series with the top-seeded Boston Celtics at two-apiece with a resounding 121-102 victory at the Verizon Center in DC. John Wall bounced back from a slow start and finished with 27 points and 12 dimes. Bradley Beal shot an efficient 11 of 16 from the field and led the Wiz and all scorers with a 29-spot. Isaiah Thomas was held in check on the offensive end for a second straight game by Washington's collective defensive effort, scoring just 19 points to pace the Celts in the loss. A pivotal Game 5 will be played in Boston on Wednesday night, May 10.