Big early season test for the Yankees and their right-handed line-up.  The Astros are throwing Morton tonight (1.86 ERA), Verlander tomorrow (1.36 ERA), Yankee killer Keuchel on Wednesday and then McCullers on Thursday who shut them down in game 7 in the playoffs.  SU has these observations to share:

• Didi Gregorius looks tired.  He should be DH in one of these games this week.
• Giancarlo Stanton looks tired.  Of course, that is a joke as he is DH in most games.  The truth is that he looks bad.  The Yankees are 18-9.  What would their record be without Stanton?  Hint: 18-9.  Non-impactful player for a month now.  I know they gave up almost nothing to trade for him but his $30 million salary could have been used on starting pitching.  Now, he may break out this week but for SU, with his swing, whenever he gets a hit I am surprised.  We are talking Todd Frazier territory here.
• Brandon Drury is raking down in Scranton and is ready to return.  The Yankees carry an extra relief pitcher – unnecessary although with Sonny Gray starting tonight, they likely need 2 extra relievers.  Neil Walker can be designated for assignment – this was a bad pick-up and just eat the $4 million salary.  That is a rounding on Stanton’s contract.  SU continues to be concerned that Cashman is going to send down Andujar or possibly Torres.  Tyler Austin is ready to return and Greg Bird is taking batting practice.  The smart money says that once Bird returns and is hopefully healthy, you package Austin and prospects (Clint Frazier?) for a starting pitcher.
• The line-up continues to be too right-handed.  Many are not worried about this but let’s see how it looks this week against playoff contender pitching.  Gardner is hitting about .100 for the last few weeks but we know he will then hit .500 for 2 weeks before reverting to .100 again.  He will be at .260 come October.
• Judge is starting to strike out a lot now after a solid start.  SU must say that he does not get the calls for those low strikes which are clearly below his knees.  The umpires don’t make the adjustment calling those pitches.
• It was heart-warming to sweep the Angels and Mike Scioscia.  The Yankees have also won 3 of the last 4 games by 1 run.  Good sign as last year they lost many of those games.

SU knows the NBA is a superstar league but must James Harden and LeBron get every call?  LeBron initiates so much contact on his drives as does Harden.  SU says make them non-calls if that’s the case.  Otherwise, how do you play defense?

Carmelo finally voiced some complaints about how he was used this year in OKC.  While SU is clearly no fan of his, I actually feel a little badly as he was marginalized playing with Westbrook.  Did you see Westbrook took 43 shots in game 6?  What is that?

The Pacers had a shot yesterday but their offense became entirely one-on-one in the 4th quarter.  SU says since when did Mike Woodson’s offense become all the rage in the NBA?  Coaches just find it easier to coach offense this way.  You don’t see it at the college level as much but come playoff time, many NBA teams resort to this style.

SU just read the excellent article about Saquon Barkley in Sports Illustrated.  The short story is that he is intent on becoming the poster child for the entire National Football League.  He is a marketing machine and has a 15-person team representing him.  Barkley is very image conscious and is determined to make all the right moves to not only be the face of the franchise for the Giants but the face of the NFL.

Now, the Giants already have someone like that who also wants to be in everyone’s face in Beckham Jr.  This is going to be an issue for the Giants to manage.  OBJ will welcome him – at least in the beginning – but it will be very interesting to see how they compete for media attention.  SU says this does not end well – for OBJ.

Btw, after reading this article, SU is even more positive that the Giants made the right pick.  This guy is solid and if he can stay healthy (always a big if in the NFL), is headed for greatness.

Did any of you catch the Yankee game last night and the bizarre sacrifice fly play that the umpires badly botched?  The Yankees had runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out and slugger Neal Walker up.  He tagged one that made it to the right field wall where the outfielder leaped over the wall to take away a home run.  Didi was on 3rd and tagged up but so did Stanton on 2nd base.  The replay showed he waited for the catch and then ran to 3rd base.  The Angels frantically waved to throw the ball back in to 2nd base where the infielder stepped on 2nd just before Didi crossed home plate.  The umpires just whiffed on this play and called Stanton out at 2nd and a doubleplay.  However, they ruled that Didi crossed home before the player stepped on 2nd (he did not and it was clear on replay).  They allowed the run to score.

Now, Aaron Boone already had his bench coach ejected complaining about balls and strikes earlier in the game.  Boone took too long to file an appeal for replay and thus could not challenge the play.  Apparently, in MLB you can’t challenge a sacrifice fly play at 2nd base but you can challenge a “border” play like a catch at the wall which would then allow the replay officials to review the entire play.  Are you following this?  If done correctly, Stanton should have been on 3rd with 2 outs.

SU says the umpires just screwed it up and Boone being a bit of a novice and not having his bench coach there also did not handle it well.  Replay is annoying in terms of delay time but the umpires make it a necessity due to their inability to get the close plays right or even this one which wasn’t close and was pretty obvious.  As Mad Dog would say, “bad job!”

A very intriguing 2018 NFL Draft last night.  Four quarterbacks go in the first 10 picks – unheard of.  Let’s discuss:

• The Giants, who benched Eli Manning last year for a game, are now all in on him for at least the next couple of years at 37 years of age.  The reality is that he was never mobile so you can’t say he has lost a step he never had.  SU saw Barkley play in person at Penn State’s romp over Michigan last October and he is really, really good.  The question is whether the NFL values quarterbacks over running backs in this era.  Longevity for running backs is an issue, obviously, due to injuries and most teams play a much more wide open style of play these days.  On the other hand, Barkley is an excellent receiver and can also return kicks.  He could be a legitimate game changer — IF the Giants have any type of offensive line to open holes for him or protect Eli to get him the ball.  SU is ok with the pick – none of the quarterbacks was a lock to be successful.  Like anything else, time will tell.
• The Jets took Darnold over Rosen or Webb, thus denying the NY fans of having a Jewish QB in town.  Rosen clearly has some attitude issues – a bit unfiltered and arrogant but has the confidence.  SU was surprised that Mayfield went #1  as he is a graduate of the Johnny Manziel school of knuckleheads.  He will likely make the crotch grab his signature move.  But he is scrappy and has overcome the odds in his career.  Darnold seems to have all the tools – solid choice.
• Rosen was clearly pissed off going #10 to Arizona.  He thought he would go #1.  SU says that will only help him and playing with a chip on your shoulder always helps.  He should be happy to play half his games in an indoor quality environment in Arizona – good for the stats.
• Final point: future NFL players should really get off Twitter or at least erase their high school accounts.  Josh Allen dropped in the draft order for that reason.  Look, he may be a jerk, I have no clue, but no need to document it.  Better to have others just say you are one from their interactions with you.

SU knows there are many passionate Giant and Jet fans out there.  Happy with your team’s picks?

I don’t know if you have been following the Mike Francesa saga of late.  To much fanfare, the Imperious One retired last year – end of an era, blah, blah, blah.  Well, he misses the spotlight and has unsuccessfully worked to land a new gig somewhere.  Rumor has it that he explored something with Mad Dog on Sirius Radio as well as other things but nothing worked out.  Sooooo, he then went back to WFAN hat in hand but apparently there was no interest.  Not taking no for an answer, he then went to the President of the parent company that owns the FAN and asked for his afternoon drive time show back for less money.  They agreed and booted the afternoon show to an earlier slot in the afternoon.  Looks like Big Mike (and he is a big dude) will be back on as early as next week from 3 – 7 pm.  It also sounds like all of the other FAN sports show hosts hate him big time – more so than before as they already beat the rush and hated him based on some of his comments ridiculing the FAN since his retirement.  As they say, “what a d**k!”

Keep an eye on Brian Cashman next week.  Drury is ready to come off the DL and will start a rehab assignment tonight.  You may remember that they traded for him to play 3rd base or 2nd base.  Since he went on the DL with dizziness, Andujar has been red hot and an extra base hit machine.  They have also now brought up Gleyber Torres and gave him #25 so he is here to stay.  Let’s figure Drury is ready to play early next week.  If you are Cashman, what do you do?  Andujar is a rookie and has options.  Will they (stupidly) send him down to Scranton?  Do you release the over-the-hill Neal Walker who has a $6 million salary (SU believes)?  But Walker can play 1st base.  Or do you send Tyler Austin down?

SU says Cashman should have gone all in on the young line up right from the start.  That was a mistake.  By signing Walker and trading for Drury, you have clogged up the works.  Did you see that on Monday, the Yankees’ entire line up including Severino who pitched was under 30 years of age?  How cool is that?

SU has been checking out some NBA playoff action.  It is must see tv.  Let me tell you: no big hugs out there.  It’s chippy, physical and intense.  Credit to the NBA for putting on a quality post-season show.

NFL draft tomorrow night.  What will the Giants and Jets do?  And what should they do?

Wait for it.  You know.  It’s the Yankees who already have 2 more errors tonight.  In the Joe Girardi era, the Yankees were always strong on the fundamentals.  What’s up?  Cold weather?  Maybe although many teams are playing in damp, cold conditions.  Combine this with all of the base running blunders early this season, and you wonder why?

Did you see Tommy Kahnle was put on the DL with a sore shoulder?  Did you see that Boone had him throw 48 pitches in one outing last week?  SU has said this several times: Girardi protected his relievers.  He was the anti-Joe Torre.  In the cold weather, is Boone paying attention?

Rookie manager, rookie mistakes, learning curve in a sport where the  manager is just not that critical.  Look, this is nothing that 250 home runs won’t cure but it will not get it done in the post-season.

SU issues this parental warning: do not let your children watch Giancarlo Stanton play at Yankee Stadium.  The dude comes up with RISP every time and is just not getting it done.  It’s hard to watch and the viewer needs to turn away.  Boone, the great communicator, needs to tell him in a soothing voice while rubbing the back of his neck that he will bat 6th for the foreseeable future as he is killing every rally.  Let him be Graig Nettles and hit 32 home runs with 68 rbis down in the line up.  Lower the expectations for the $30 million man.

We start today with a public service announcement from YOUR NEW YORK KNICKS!  Jeff Hornacek has been fired along with the rest of his coaching staff including Kurt Rambis (thank goodness).  It barely got a mention – guess everyone assumed it would happen.  As we all know, if you don’t have the players, you are not going to win.  Both Hardaway Jr. and KP missed a ton of games and the Knicks also lost a number of close games which is usually a reflection of the coach.  SU had no major issues with Hornacek other than not starting Trey Burke until the end of the year.  Mark Jackson’s name is floating out there along with other NBA re-treads.  It’s a tough spot for anyone – if you select an up and coming assistant, he will fail with this roster that isn’t going to win for a couple of years.

SU says keep your eye on Doc Rivers.

OK, back to professional sports talk.  I know: it’s April; it’s cold; it’s damp; it’s early; blah, blah, blah.  If you don’t hit, your team looks lethargic.  The team looks tight but wait!  You have the great communicator in Aaron Boone at the helm who will keep things loose.  SU gets all of that but notes the following:

• Amazingly, Tyler Wade looks over-matched in 2018 just as he did in 2017 and made a bad throwing error to boot last night.  Who would have thought that?  Torreyes is a solid hitter and also provides a spark.  SU says please play him until you decide to promote Gleyber Torres at which point, you demote Wade.  SU says Wade will bring you a starting pitcher mid-year in a deal for prospects.  Trade him now while his value is still reasonably high.
• Porcello easily navigated the line-up last night.  There literally were no hard hit balls until Judge’s double.  The Yankees were swinging on the 1st pitch as if they had a plane to catch or wanted to warm up in the dugout.  Unfortunately, we have seen this before in the post-season against the better pitchers.  Question: do you have a line up that can manufacture runs against the aces?
• Sonny Gray must be the most inefficient pitcher in baseball.  He throws so many pitches to get through every inning.  Overrated?  3 wild pitches last night and you really can’t blame Sanchez.  He is all over the place.
• Stanton is showing signs of life.  I guess that’s a positive.  Hicks is back – key guy.  The injury to Drury really hurts as Andujar is struggling.  SU says keep Torreyes in the line up somewhere and take some of the pressure off Andujar who may need a few weeks in the minors to get his confidence back.
• Note that in the Boone era, with basically the same players, the base-running and defense have both been pretty bad.  SU asks: why is that?  Are players more relaxed under a more relaxed manager?  Or is there less attention to the details now?

The reality is that the manager in baseball is less important than coaches in the NFL and the NBA.  Girardi was very solid in SU’s opinion.  This is Boone’s first go-round and he faces adversity right away.  Better hope the home runs are coming,

We can officially say good-bye to the Big Papi “Big Hug” era up in Boston.  You remember those years.  Ortiz hugs everyone, and when there is a runner on any base the Yankee and Red Sox players are slapping each other on the back, yukking it up, it’s all good.  Sure, the fans still hate each other but on the field, it was different from years gone by.

Now, that started to change last year when the Red Sox were caught stealing signs by having one of their coaches communicate with his Apple watch.  They only got a slap on the wrist for that but Gary Sanchez set a modern day record running to the mound to call pitches verbally.  The funny thing is that the Boston and Yankee rosters are made up of mostly good guys – you wouldn’t expect things to change now but last night, they did.  A few observations:

• Tyler Austin’s slide, while technically legal, did cross the bag, and his spike did clip the shortstop’s leg.  They had words at 2nd base, the benches cleared for some reason and that was that.  But you sensed this would linger.  SU says if the roles were reversed and that was Didi that got spiked, the Yankees would also have taken exception to that.
• David Cone picked up on what was going to happen.  Kelly threw inside to Austin and Cone said he thought that was intentional.  Michael Kay and Paul O’Neill seem to have missed the intent part.  The umpire could have warned both benches then but hey, this is baseball, and it’s hard to measure intent on a cold night.  Of course, 2 pitches later, he clearly nailed him with intent.  Austin rightly went after him – SU has no issue there.  When he first emerged from the scrum, Kay thought he was bleeding from the mouth but fans like SU knew it was chewing tobacco juice dribbling out of his mouth.  It’s a good look.  Austin always has his cheek puffed out as do many players these days – unreal as why risk oral cancer?  So stupid.
• The best part of the fight was the presence of Judge and Stanton pushing the pile towards the Red Sox dugout.  When you include CC and Marcus Thames, the Yankees certainly outweigh the Red Sox.
• SU did not like Judge in the middle there.  This is how guys get hurt and the reality is that Kelly and Austin put the stars at risk.
• SU did like that Phil Nevin, the Yankees’ 3rd base coach has some fire.  He got ejected for whatever reason and Red Sox manager Cora was seen waving for him to get off the field.  SU says let’s beat the rush and start hating Cora now: douche bag move and not very managerial.

Bottom line: this will linger throughout the season.  The Red Sox hitters need to worry about Tommy Kahnle who is legitimately a lunatic and throws high 90s and Betances who is a nice guy but has no idea where his 100 mph fastballs are going.  We know Chris Sale will keep things alive as well.

The sad part is that guys get hurt and in baseball, it’s easy to break a bone.  It’s all stupid but hey, it’s baseball and like hockey, the fans like the occasional fight – especially in a 4-hour game.  Stay tuned.

SU is keeping an eye on rookie manager, Aaron Boone, following last night’s 14-1 blowout up in Beantown.  He is sticking with his line up batting Judge 2nd and Stanton 3rd.  OK, SU says it’s early – you did this for a reason and don’t want to look like you are panicking.  Tyler Wade in there tonight against a tough lefty in David Price even though Torreyes had a good series over the weekend and is a right-handed hitter.   Hmmm.  That one is a no-brainer.  Of course, Wade is cooking along at .136 and still seems over matched in 2018 just like 2017.  But what do I know?

I do know that Cashman wants him to play Wade.  So there is that.  Meanwhile, Gleyber Torres is red hot in Scranton.  His time is coming and soon says SU.

Gary Sanchez is scarily hitting something like 2 for 33 this year.  He is a key guy.

Tonight is a gut check game.  You don’t have to win but you do need to look like you can win.  SU says show some spine.  That is what SU is now looking for.  Spine.  Of course, SU is looking for that in Washington these days as well.

The Mets are just cruising along.  D’Arnaud is on the DL which is a loss but the key is pitching and if the starters can stay healthy, no reason to think they won’t be in the mix.  They can fly under the radar in NY for now.

Last year, the Yankees played with house money.  No expectations.  The pressure is there this season.  Let’s how the youngsters respond.  Judge is coming along.  Sanchez is making me nervous and I have no expectations for Stanton.  Waiting to be surprised.

So, is New York too big for Giancarlo Stanton?  Can a guy who played on losing teams in Miami step up to the limelight in the Big Apple?  Let’s see how he’s doing so far:

.167 20 strikeouts in 42 at bats.  Since a strong debut on Opening Day, it’s been all downhill.  He struck out today to end the game with 2 runners on and had 5 Ks for the game.  SU says he may want to switch his name back to Mike instead of Giancarlo to see if perhaps Mike Stanton can play in the Bronx.  As SU said at the time of the trade, did the Yankees really need another swing and miss, lots of home runs hitter in this line up?  The team lost its 2nd extra innings game in 3 days and this only highlights their reliance on the big fly and an inability to manufacture runs late in games.     I know: only 10 games in.  No time to panic.  But it will be interesting to see how Aaron Boone handles this and protects Stanton.  Perhaps move him up to 2nd in the line up?  Up next is Fenway.  SU says how long before the “Over Rated!” chant fires up from the Boston faithful?

A couple of positives:

• Betances has looked better the last few games and is benefiting from those big Boone hugs vs. the Girardi cold shoulder.
• Ronald Torreyes is getting some starts with the injuries and illness and maybe, just maybe, will move ahead of Tyler Wade to play 2nd base.  Also, Gleyber Torres had 4 hits today and we will see him sooner vs. later.  Andujar is showing signs at 3rd base – he needs to take advantage now of this opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Mets are off to a great start and are quietly owning NY for the moment.

Exciting Masters weekend.  Tiger Mania died down quickly and the top players rose to the forefront for an entertaining weekend.  SU can watch the majors when it comes to golf but I do have my limits.

Long-time Yankee manager, Joe Girardi, had this saying when things headed south for the Yankees: “It’s not what you want.”  SU says that Aaron Boone may want to try this out given how the season has started.  Of course, it’s a long season and 4-4 is better than 1-7 for example.  But SU was on this way back during the winter after the Stanton signing.  Here are the troubling signs for this team:

• The line-up is way, way too right-handed.  It seems like every starter these days is a righty and the Yankee hitters don’t hit right-handed pitching well.  Stanton stands so far off the plate and is only looking to hit to right field.  Sanchez looks lost – every ball is a grounder to shortstop or 3rd base.  I know Hicks and Bird are hurt and they will add some pop from the left side when they return and assuming they can stay on the field.  But if you watch Tyler Austin, Andujar, Stanton, Sanchez, Judge, etc., you just don’t feel they will get a hit.
• Do you remember Brian McCann?  He was another guy that SU felt would never get a hit when he came to the plate.  A left-handed version of Todd Frazier.  The Yankee line-up has a lot of these hitters.  Tyler Wade?  Cashman loves him but I continue to say he is over-matched and over-powered at the plate.  Boone prefers to not play Torreyes and has limited his at bats.
• Last night, CC went out after 4 innings with a sore hip and the Yankees apparently don’t have a long man in the bullpen.  Kahnle threw 48 pitches over 2 innings.  This was Tanyon Sturtz and Scott Proctor like with Joe Torre using them so much their careers were cut short.  Girardi would never have left a reliever in for that many pitches.  Let’s monitor his next few outings to see if he develops arm or shoulder issues.
• SU does not understand the logic of batting Judge and Stanton back to back.  You have to put Didi in between as he is the only guy really hitting so far of the big boppers.
• And finally, the games are boring.  SU multi-tasked through last night’s game including a nap at some point.  They can’t score without the benefit of the home run.  Judge and Stanton had bloop singles to knock in runs but increasingly, you get the feeling that this is an all or nothing line up.  They may still get to 100 wins if the bullpen straightens itself out but it’s not the right recipe for the post-season.  I know Stanton is signed through 2027 and I know as some have said on this blog that he is a “generational player” but for SU, he is still too much of an all or nothing hitter.

Next week, they go to Boston for 3 games in the cold weather.  Again, it’s April – no need to panic.  But Drury is on the DL as of this morning with migraines, CC is on the DL with the hip, Sanchez left last night’s game with cramps and Chapman was examined by the trainer last night for loss of velocity.  Stanton will be in left field; better hope he doesn’t crash into the Green Monster as he is no doubt not familiar with playing there.

It’s not what you want…