OK, we are a full one game into the 2018 MLB season.  As we live in the era of analytics and Artificial Intelligence, SU has done the math on what to expect now going forward:

• The Mets, who always seem to win on opening day, are projected to go 162-0, and Todd Frazier will hit .250 and score 162 runs.  Great news for the Mets.
• On the Yankees side, Giancarlo Stanton is clearly not worrying about making the transition to the American League and had an impressive debut.  SU has run the numbers and he is projected to hit 324 home runs this season – a number which even Barry Bonds would be proud of and who no doubt will wonder if he should have used a more potent formula while he was playing.

Of course, as we know, it’s a looooonnnnngggg season and no reason to get ahead of ourselves.  We have also seen players have torrid Aprils and then rapidly come back down to earth (see Graig Nettles for the Yankees back in the day).  SU read that the Yankees had not won on opening day since 2011 during the Joe Girardi era.  SU says the common denominator there was pitching either CC or Tanaka in those games who both usually were terrible to start the season.

John Sterling had a chance to try out his Stanton home run call on radio and as expected, no one knows what he’s talking about as it seems to relate to some Italian opera singer or something or other.  Look for him to make the call to the bullpen to bring in a new home run call before the end of April.

SU is ready for the Final Four for both the men and the women this weekend.  I do feel Michigan will benefit from playing a team that looks like them while Villanova’s defense will be the difference in a win over Kansas.  The women’s match-ups are very good – these are the 4 best teams and UConn is not a shoe-in here which is good for the game.

Finally, for the 7 people who watch the Tennis Channel, there is a new American on the scene in the women’s game – Danielle Collins – who learned to play on public courts and went to college 4 years at UVa.  She is 24 (old by tennis standards), has a big game and appears to have her head on straight as she has not been playing with a large entourage for many years and apparently doesn’t even have a clothing contract as of yet if you see how she’s dressed on the court.  Someone to keep an eye on this year.

Greg Bird is starting to remind Yankee fans of Nick Johnson.  Left-handed first baseman with a sweet swing for Yankee Stadium but who cannot stay healthy long enough to be on the field.  The news yesterday that he would be out 6-8 weeks with a broken bone spur is, I suppose, better than being out all year, but on the other hand, the start of what he went through in 2017.  He is still young but you wonder at what point do the Yankees just decide to go in a different direction?  SU is disappointed as he is my favorite Yankee so far this season but I will adapt.  The hope is that they have properly diagnosed the problem (based on last season, not a sure thing by any means).  Clearly, this line up can absorb the blow but they are very right-handed now.

So, Knick fans, Trey Burke has started the last 2 games.  And last night he took advantage of that opportunity to score 42 points and dish out 12 assists – 35 points coming in the 2nd half and OT.  Jeff Hornacek will get credit for finally deciding to start him but please – SU was imploring management to bring him up to the parent team back in November and to play him once he was here.  Coaches who have a feel for the game and the players can figure this out much, much sooner.  SU has nothing against Hornacek – seems like a nice guy – but to wait this long to start him was clearly ridiculous.  On any other team, you might think that this is your starter for next season.  But with the Knicks, of course, you cannot think that way.  No-one would even be surprised to see them trade Burke for Carmelo Anthony during the off season (just kidding – won’t work with the salary cap!).  SU says he is your starting point guard now.  He is under-sized but there is so much pick and roll in the NBA and switching, it’s just not that much of a factor.  He can score, create his own shot and penetrate.  Please: do the right thing.

But the big news of the day is that John Sterling, the 80-year old radio voice of the Yankees, got cataract surgery during the off season and apparently can see again.  This is huge for the home run calls that are often actually fly balls to short center field.  Fans will, hopefully, no longer have to listen to the crowd noise to know what is going on during the game.  As important as the trade for Giancarlo Stanton.

Well, we saw the big boys play yesterday in a great game between Duke and Kansas.  It was only fitting that Grayson Allen’s shot at the end of regulation roll off the rim.  He should not be allowed to be a hero.  Allen makes Christian Laettner look like a choir boy with all of his dirty plays over the years.  If you are a “clean living” player, that shot drops through the net.  When you have a career full of trips and hip checks, it drops out.  Good riddance to him.

Watch out for Marvin Bagley III in the NBA.  He will be a force and a high pick in this year’s draft.  Loyola has had a great run but SU likes the match-up with Michigan in the first Final Four game Saturday.  They play very similarly, are not big and don’t have the tall players with giant wing spans that look to disrupt the offensive flow.  They can certainly beat Michigan if they shoot well and whoever makes shots from 3-point land will win this game.  SU is hopeful that Michigan’s assistant coach who is in charge of the defense and came from Illinois State is familiar with Loyola as they were in the same conference.  Michigan will be very challenged against either Villanova or Kansas and I will stick with my prediction of Villanova winning it all.

Leonard Hamilton of Florida State had a brain freeze at the end of that game by not fouling with 11 seconds left and only down 4 to a Michigan team that is challenged from the foul line.  After watching Kansas State foul in the last minute down 15 points, you wonder what he was thinking?  His post-game interview was cringe worthy as he had no clue what the sideline reporter was even asking him about.  SU did see that he put out a statement yesterday trying to explain himself and apologizing for any dis-respect he may have shown to her.  That was a class move by him.  She asked the right questions and it’s the coach’s job to answer as best he can.  Clearly, they should have fouled there and extended the game.

Baseball predictions are coming out for 2018.  Sports Illustrated has the Nationals beating the Yankees in the World Series and has the Mets as a wild card team.  Tyler Kepner in the New York Times likes the Astros to repeat (over the Cubs in the Series) but has the Orioles as a wild card team.  No team has repeated since the 2000 Yankees but SU says the Astros are a good bet to do so this year.  The Nationals always find a way to choke in the playoffs – they are actually very creative in that regard.

SU sees it this way:

American League

The Yankees, Indians and Astros win their divisions, with the Red Sox and Angels as wild cards.  I don’t see the Twins repeating as wild cards this year – hard to do for low budget teams.  Astros come out of the AL.

National League

Washington, Cubs and Dodgers take the divisions with the Cardinals and Mets as wild cards (assuming the Mets can keep their starters on the field which as we know is a big if).  Cubs win the NL and then lose to Houston in the World Series.

SU never likes to make predictions but the fans demand it.  Let’s hear from the experts in the SU intergalactic subscriber base.  It’s your chance to look very smart come late October as we can refer back to your incredibly insightful prognostications.

Announcement from the Yankees this afternoon:

“The Yankees announced that Greg Bird had an initial exam with a specialist in Tampa and will undergo “further diagnostic tests”; will include a CT scan and an MRI in his right foot. Bird was scratched from a split-squad game today due to a sore right foot and was then examined by a doctor. The 25-year-old first baseman had surgery to remove a bone from his troublesome right ankle last year.”

Unreal.  He has been terrible this spring – similar to the first couple of months last year.  Same foot that was operated on.  SU says not good.

Yankee fans cannot be happy this week as Judge and Stanton are on the cover of SI.  Now, the Sports Illustrated jinx may be all myth but it’s been around a long, long time.  SU is not happy and would prefer to temper the expectations.  A few thoughts today on the eve of the Elite 8 games in the NCAAs and of course, the Stormy Daniels interview on 60 Minutes:

• SU was reading today’s New York Times and saw that Aaron Boone is seriously considering batting Judge lead-off in certain games.  While I am a believer in all of the sabermetrics and analytics data, I am not sure if I see the logic of this move.  True, he has a high on base percentage and you do want to give your best hitters the most at bats so I get that part of it.  Also, after the first inning, in the AL, with a circular line up, the lead-off hitter is no longer what it is in the 1st inning.  I just envision Judge striking out on a low and away slider to lead off these games.    But I am prepared to be proven wrong.
• Didi Gregorius should be the hitter placed in the middle of Judge and Stanton in the line up.  I know it’s spring training but Greg Bird has been awful.  Didi hits lefties just fine – he needs to bat 3rd.
• The Michigan bandwagon has gotten very crowded and SU is having trouble finding a seat these days.  But Florida State is a big challenge tonight as another tall and athletic team.  SU believes Michigan is most impacted by early foul trouble to Wagner and Simpson – not necessarily opposing defenses.  That’s what you need to watch out for in this game.  They won’t score 99 points again and won’t shoot 3s that well either.  Teams that bank on that are gone pretty quickly in college hoops.
• Interesting article here on John Beilein’s coaching techniques relying on the fundamentals.  Sounds a lot like John Wooden who used to instruct players on how to tie their sneakers and pull their socks tight to avoid blisters:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/columnists/john-niyo/2018/03/23/niyo-beileins-focus-basics-set-table-success/33233733/

Novak Djokovic lost in his first match in Miami after losing in his first match at Indian Wells a couple of weeks ago.  His career is starting to look a lot like Tiger Woods’ last 5 years after Woods backed his car into a tree on Thanksgiving night.  Djokovic had some mystery personal issue a couple of years ago after winning the French Open and has since been battling elbow issues with limited success.  He has taken months off at a time, had some minor procedures but no progress.  SU believes he will need major surgery on the elbow which tracks with Woods’ many back and knee surgeries.  The reality is he may be done as a top player which is a shame at 30 years old.  In fact, the men’s game is missing Murray, Nadal, Djokovic and Wawrinka now due to injuries which is allowing Federer to continue to flourish.  It’s a great time for the young American players to make their move.

New York says good bye to Jason Pierre-Paul who was traded to the Tampa Bay Bucs.  Too bad – he had a great run in NY but it is probably time for a change of scenery.   Is Eli Manning soon to follow out of town?

SU is not following the Jets’ logic of trading so many high draft picks to move up in the draft for this year.  If they are intent on drafting a quarterback, the guys out there are good but no sure thing.  Definitely rolling the dice.

There is a lot of hype about the addition of Giancarlo Stanton on the Yankees and how they are surely World Series bound.  This may all be true as they were just one game short last year of making it to the final round.  But SU asks: have they really improved themselves in the areas that needed improving?  Let’s take a look:

• Everyone loves having Stanton on the team.  SU has been lukewarm on this from the start as he is a big strikeout guy and tends not to stay healthy for a full season.  True, he adds a lot of home runs and batting practice is a must see event now for any fan going to a game.  The team scored plenty of runs last season.  Was this really the issue?
• Cashman talked about going young and they rolled out Andujar at 3rd base and Torres at 2nd base this spring.  Well, both are now down with the minor league teams as Neil Walker will play 2nd base until he gets hurt and Drury will be slotted into 3rd base.  Starlin Castro was very good last year at 2nd base – hard to think Walker improves on that.  Drury is probably an improvement over the Headley/Frazier combo but I guess that remains to be seen.
• From what I can tell, the pitching staff is identical to last year.  No upgrades.
• Clint Frazier has had a concussion all spring and will have to play his way back up to the majors in April and May. Ellsbury beat the rush and got his oblique injury out of the way.  He is supposedly healed from that but now has flu like symptoms.  I think it’s safe to say that Cal Ripken’s consecutive game playing streak is safe.

Soooooo, you win the Wild Card game last year which is always a crapshoot and then beat the Indians in 5 games and lose to the Astros in 7.  Have you improved enough to beat Houston?  Cleveland is probably worse given some roster moves.  Cashman may still look to add a stud starting pitcher during the season.  Chance Adams had a bad spring unfortunately so he did not threaten to make the starting staff.

Bottom line: still a very good team that should make the playoffs but not a sure thing to win it all.  SU would still prefer to go with the youth movement and look to get both Andujar and Torres up to the parent club sooner vs. later.  I cannot say there is a marked improvement over last year but they will be interesting to watch if you like home runs and strikeouts.

Yankee fans: how optimistic are you for this season?

Those of us who are old enough to have watched ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” growing up are very familiar with that phrase.  The agony of defeat in the opening was the ski jumper crashing on the launch and flying right off the ramp onto to the slope.  Last night, Michigan and Houston had one of those moments in the final seconds of what had been a brutal game to watch if you are a Michigan fan.

SU must say this having now watched a few games in this year’s NCAA tournament.  I know how the Big Ten refs its games (badly) and my sense is that the other conferences are better in that regard.  But it seems like the NCAA has instructed its officials to put a stop to any minor infractions – especially early in games.  In the NBA, it’s no big deal – you get 6 fouls and coaches don’t worry much about 2 early fouls for a player.  However, in college with 5 fouls, most coaches whose players get 2 early fouls are sent to the bench for the rest of the half.  If it’s an obvious call, we all get that.  But last night, for example, Mo Wagner picked up a foul in the post where he was battling with the opposing player for position.  In the NBA, this would be seen as business as usual.  In another one, a player drove on him and elbowed him in the face and the foul was called on Wagner.  To top it off, the refs stopped the game to review on replay if the elbow to Wagner’s face was in fact a flagrant foul.  Explain that one.  SU says the refs need to see how the game unfolds and then react accordingly on their calls.

Last night’s game had no flow in the 2nd half.  The last 10 minutes were a lot of foul shots, touch foul calls and little action for long stretches.  Michigan played its 2nd consecutive awful game offensively but SU has a theory on this.  In the Big Ten Tournament, they got away from their offense a bit and just stretched out the floor and allowed their guards to go one on one to make plays on drives to the basket.  That is not their normal offense.  I feel like they are still playing that way in these last 2 games and the guards are struggling big time to finish at the rim.  They don’t get any calls on those drives (unlike Houston) and their 3-point shooting has been terrible.  Wagner has been invisible.  They should have lost last night – SU was resigned to that in the last minute – and in the end, you never blame the refs.  You have enough possessions and opportunities to overcome it.  Find a way to win – that is your mission.  Overcome adversity.

SU did demand on the last possession that Jordan Poole get that shot (we have text proof on this).  The fact is that Beilein does not play him enough.  He is instant offense and can take anyone 1-on-1 which given how they are playing now is critical.  He needs to be on the floor much more.  SU says expect him to be out there more Thursday night.  The celebration was great but they were really, really lucky,

While my bracket is busted due to Virginia’s amazing blowout loss in the first round, I am enjoying the games.  Loyola’s last second heroics have been great and Buffalo’s win over Arizona was not on many people’s bracket.  At least for a few weeks we don’t have to hear about the FBI investigation and you notice that the announcers never bring it up.

One more request: get rid of the reviews by the refs late in the games.  If you can’t resolve these more quickly then don’t bother.  They take forever and don’t always get it right in the end.  I always felt the calls were part of the game and over a lifetime, they come out around 50-50 in your team’s favor.  Combined with the play clocks that seem to stick in every game, who needs it?  The Michigan – Montana game ended around 12:30 am and included a blowout of the scoreboard that took 15 minutes to fix.

Actually, one more request.  In these early round games, the top seeds get to play in an arena close to home.  Kansas played in Wichita for example.  But if you play their game first, many of the fans leave and don’t stick around for the 2nd game which makes for a quiet arena.  SU says play them 2nd.  Their fans may not come to the 1st half of the first game but they will filter in for the 2nd half.  When you watch on TV, you have to wonder where are all the fans?

Michigan will play the winner of the North Carolina – Texas A&M game in LA Thursday night.  They were blown out by Carolina back in December on the road but that was a long time ago.  The Tar Heels are good but often go long stretches with not scoring (like Michigan) and are not unbeatable.  SU has Michigan in the Final Four but they have been fortunate to get to the round of 16 – really in both games.  If they continue playing at this level, they will lose by 25.  SU just needs 2 more weeks to get me to the start of the baseball season.  I have confidence.

The brackets are out for this year’s NCAA tournament.  Here is what you need to know as you fill out your brackets:

• How did Oklahoma get in this tournament?  18-13 record, 4-11 in their last 15 games.  SU says ridiculous.
• And the same goes for Syracuse who no-one was talking about as even being a bubble team.  Clearly the NCAA did not want some other bubble teams in there as they are the subject of the FBI investigation into the NCAA.  Let’s face it: this is not an exact science despite all of the “quadrant” wins and losses.
• SU says the experts are not expert.  They are like you and me – trying to forecast this year’s upsets and who will get hot for 3 weeks.  Jay Bilas of ESPN is predicting Michigan State.   Maybe he knows something the rest of us don’t but even when winning 13 games in a row, they were not blowing people out in the Big Ten.
• Be bold and this is the year to do that.  There is no one clear favorite despite Virginia being the #1 overall pick.

SU sees it this way.  I think Villanova is a seasoned, veteran, experienced tournament team that if they can stay fully healthy should win it all.  I also think Michigan will have a deep run as teams don’t like to play them in the tournament and John Beilein does a good job of preparing his team.  SU’s final 4: Villanova; Auburn, Virginia; and Michigan (OK, I prefer to pick them to go far vs. predicting with my head and having to root against them).  Villanova over UVa in the finals.

Key upsets: Loyola over Miami; St. Bonaventure over Florida; Michigan over everyone; and Auburn over Kansas.  Make your predictions and if you are right you will have the enduring admiration of thousands of SU subscribers around the world.

Yankees sign Neal Walker as clearly Cashman is concerned that Glayber Torres will not be ready to start the season at 2nd base.  They will keep him at Scranton for a few weeks until Walker is injured (who is from the Jacoby Ellsbury school of not playing a full season).  SU actually likes Walker and is ok with the move.  Clearly an upgrade over Danny Espinoza.  But Torres needs to get hot in Scranton and then make the case for getting the call to the majors showing he deserves it.  Hitting .130 in March is not cutting it.

Every once in a while you attend a sports event that is so enjoyable that the memory will stay with you for years.  SU had that experience over the past 3 days with the Big Ten Tournament here in New York.  SU was at MSG for the last 3 games to see Michigan play along with a number of members of the SU intergalactic subscriber base including B. Levine, J. Silver, A. Cohen, S. Fink and A. Weissman.

Aside from the fact that it was stupid for the Big Ten to hold its tournament a week early just to play in New York, for Michigan fans, of which there are thousands in NY, it was an opportunity to see your team play up close and personal.  SU’s observations:

• John Beilein makes his teams play the right way.  SU views any season as a journey.  What you see in December is not what you will see come March.  Players develop, some regress, others go through slumps and the style of play evolves over time.  That is the joy in watching a team sport.  Basketball is not a one-on-one sport despite what you often see in the NBA.  It’s about running, cutting, screening and every player touching the ball on every possession.  It’s not four guys standing on the 3-point line while one player holds the ball and jab steps.  Beilein doesn’t recruit the one and done players.  Michigan does have some guys leave after their sophomore year (see Trey Burke, Nik Stauskus, Glen Robinson III) but the majority stay at least through their junior year and as we all know, that is the joy in college hoops.  Watching players develop, get better and take on more of  a leadership role over time.
• Beilein had 3 players leave last year and had to restock.  To win the Big Ten Tournament in back-to-back years with so many guys playing more important roles is a great achievement.  Also, if you are a top point guard in high school, how do you not want to play for him?  He gives the point guard so much control and accountability – you have to want to be here.
• The Garden was electric Saturday when Michigan played Michigan State.  Very loud, sold out and a great atmosphere.  Tom Izzo trolled the sideline which is an appropriate way to describe that.  If you have ever listened to one of his post-game press conferences, it’s never his fault.  “We had a great scouting report and game plan but didn’t execute parts of it.”  Hey, he has two lottery picks on this team (Miles Bridges and Jarren Jackson Jr. who by the way, is going to be special in the NBA.  Izzo has not developed his game but he is a future star and the Knicks should pay attention here) and they had a great record this year but their style of play is choppy, not fluid and so far, they have under-achieved given the talent.  Now, they may find it later this month but talent-wise, they are one of the top teams in the country.
• Big Ten refs are just bad.  Gene Steratore reffed the Friday and Saturday games and he just sees fouls from across the court that refs who are much closer to the play let go.
• SU has thoroughly enjoyed Michigan’s season.  This team can be very frustrating and if they don’t shoot well from 3, well they will and do lose.  They now have a long break before the NCAAs start and that may hurt them.  On the other hand, they could make a deep run but for SU, unimportant.  This tournament was special and a great achievement for this team.  Whatever happens from here on out is icing on the cake.

By the way, LeBron has it right: let the high school kids play in the G-League right away and skip playing in college.  The one and done players make it a joke.  You go to classes for one semester and then take the 2nd one off to prepare for the combines and the workouts before the draft.  It’s stupid.  Go directly to the G-League and get paid.  I would much rather watch kids who want to be there in college and will stay a few years.

SU caught a few innings of the Yankees yesterday.  I don’t know if it’s because I am transitioning from the action of basketball to baseball, but the pace of play is a big-time issue.  Soooooo many strikeouts.  So many shifts.  Greg Bird is way under .100 so far and while it’s only early March, you worry a bit about him.  They continue to shift against him and if he doesn’t learn to go the other way, he will turn into Mark Texeira.