February is about as dead as things get in New York sports, especially these days. The Knicks and St. John's haven't been competitive for a decade, spring training is still a few weeks off and roughly 38 people care about hockey in New York.

Since Conor has all you hockey fans covered, I'll be trying out a new weekly segment focusing on New York sports radio during this sports lull. I'll be giving a brief overview on what was on-air the week before, as well as some of the best and worst quotes from the week before and I'll also be spotlighting a host. For those of you already into sports radio, I'll try and offer you some added insight and I'll be looking to you to contribute if you hear something that tickles your fancy, and for those of you who prefer to rock out in the car, I'll give you a look into what's being talked about around New York sports.

Your input would be greatly appreciated; if you hear anything on the air waves that you think I should mention just e-mail it to nysportblog@gmail.com or post it onto the comments section below. Without further ado...

The Buzz

It took about 48 hours after the AFC Championship game that New York put the Jets to rest and the inevitable Met bashing began. As usual, most of sports talk radio this past week consisted of angry Met fans talking about how much the Mets and their organization suck. For those of you new to sports radio, Met bashing is by far the most popular and frequent topic on both WFAN and 1050 ESPN, New York's two full sports talk stations.

Many fans were weighing in on why the Mets couldn't sign Bengie Molina or Yorvit Torrealba this offseason (like that would make the difference), and almost all were predicting how many games the 2010 edition of the Mets will lose. Hosts and fans were united in the opinion that the Mets will win no more than 75 games.

Aside from the Mets, some lingering Jets talk focused on Rex Ryan's middle finger to Dolphins fans last weekend, especially on Francesa's show (more on this in the quotables below). Some Knicks, Nets, Giants and hockey talk (none of it positive) also made cameos this week, but it wasn't more than a few snippets.

Both WFAN and 1050 sent many of their hosts and their updaters down to Florida for the Super Bowl, so most of the afternoon coverage involved interviews with football players and experts like Kurt Warner and Adam Schefter.

Expect talk this week to stay centered on baseball (mostly Mets) and the Super Bowl, but also look for some increased Nets talk on their now almost certain move to Brooklyn.

Notable Quotable

"New York's all about rings and the Giants went 8-8, so nobody is going to talk about what a great season (Eli Manning) had." -Don La Greca, 1050 ESPN (Feb. 2)

Fans as well as local and national media were quick to blame Eli for the Giants' woes this year, but in a career year where Eli threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns, La Greca correctly points out why people ignored Eli's achievements.

What has your team done for me lately?

Deplorable Quotables

1) "The Jets are going to the Super Bowl! The Jets are going to the Super Bowl!" -Bill Daughtry, 1050 ESPN (Jan. 17)

Daughtry's premature celebration (right after a game entirely worth celebrating on its own!) deserves plenty of scorn, even if it is a little belated.

2) "Has any athlete ever been fully loved by New York?" -Tiki Barber (posing question to the hosts of the Michael Kay show)
"Don Mattingly" -Michael Kay
"Derek Jeter" -Don La Greca
"Vinny Testaverde" -Bonnie Bernstein, 1050 ESPN (Feb. 2)

Based on what I've heard since she joined the show last summer, Bernstein will be making plenty of appearances in this column. Arguing that a mediocre quarterback (who spent half of his six years in New York riding the bench) is New York's only beloved athlete isn't going to help her cause.

3) "I will always give you a strong opinion, and I will always give you a strong response." -Brandon Tierney, 1050 ESPN (Feb. 2)

Right, because I listen to talks shows for weak opinions and bashful responses. Thanks for clearing that up.

4) "It's time for the Jets and their fans to get very, very quiet," (in response to Rex Ryan's giving-the-finger incident) -Mike Francesa, WFAN (Feb. 1)

The Jets overachieved very, very much, Mr. Francesa. They have had a very, very crappy history and a very, very bright future, and their fans have every reason to celebrate.

5) "The pounding that I took last week, for at least 30 minutes, was...ugh!" -Brandon Tierney, 1050 (Feb. 2)

Hooray for gross out-of-context quotes! Sorry, had to throw that last one in there.

Spotlight on: Brandon Tierney, 1050 ESPN

Brooklyn-born and New York raised, Tierney is gaining a reputation around NY sports talk circles for his big mouth and often cut-throat player interviews.

While he's often insightful and certainly passionate, his huge ego makes him hard to listen to at times. Even in a profession littered with ego-maniacs, Tierney is right in the middle of the conversation for the title of most egotistical host. His show's website even has a listing of rules his show and its callers have to abide by, including a ban on callers saying "first time long time", common lingo for callers who haven't chimed in for a while. It's kind of cute, but mostly obnoxious.

Despite these criticisms, 'BT' has steadily climbed the ladder at 1050, starting as a co-host, then getting his own evening show and now he's on during a coveted morning slot, so he must be doing something right. You can listen to Tierney from 10 to 12 weekday mornings on 1050 ESPN and judge for yourself.

That'll do it for this week, if you think I've missed something or you've heard something quotable, email it to nysportblog@gmail.com or just post a comment below. Thanks for reading!