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:
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.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Keep in mind Sports Illustrated has regional covers for preview issues, so you’re just as likely to see the Angels or Red Sox on a cover depending on where you are. They can’t jinx everyone.