Clearly, others have been reading SU on a regular basis.  Note this article from NJ.com after SU had published earlier in the day:

https://www.nj.com/yankees/2019/05/mlb-rumors-heres-when-ex-yankees-manager-joe-girardi-could-replace-mets-mickey-callaway.html

And this in yesterday’s New York Post from an interview that Girardi did with the imperious one, Mike Francesa:

https://nypost.com/2019/05/21/joe-girardi-watching-mets-chaos-unfold-with-intrigue/

SU is a big Girardi fan and he would do well in Flushing with the Mets.  No doubt he can even learn to do the big hugs and soothing words for Robinson Cano to get him to run to first base 4 times a day.  SU is surprised no-one has picked him up to date but he is no doubt being selective.

SU is worried that Boone is going to tire out German on the Yankees.  Right now, he is their best pitcher and I am sure he has never pitched this many innings in a season.  They need to watch this closely – can’t afford to lose this guy.  SU says the athletic training staff should study this carefully and then do the opposite to give them a fighting chance of German not going on the IL.

Great exchange between John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman last night discussing the Orioles’ injured DH, Mark Trumbo.  Sterling said that the days of the big home run hitting DH are numbered in baseball as teams want more versatile players.  SU says the obvious contrast is with Giancarlo Stanton on the Yankees who is going to turn into that guy very soon.  But he will still be paid $30 million a year for the next 10 years.  Is he the last of the Mohicans?  A dying breed?  We will see if Sterling draws that conclusion for a player who is very much like Trumbo.

SU apologizes for the absence of recent posts – working way, way too hard these days.  But SU has been keeping up with the latest developments and has this to share with you this morning:

• The Mets are now discovering the beauty of Robinson Cano.  News flash: he does not hustle.  Even when he was younger, he didn’t hustle.  He is just not going to bust it down the line to first base.  It’s more of an issue when he’s not hitting which would be now.  The GM blasted him apparently and the manager spoke with him.  For Callaway, it’s not good news as he is already on the hot seat.  SU prediction:  Cano will start to hit now – he usually takes a while to heat up and Callaway will get fired.  He will be replaced by Joe Girardi who knows how to handle a guy like Cano.  You heard it here first.
• As we know, Tiger Woods did not make the cut for the PGA Championship.  Many were surprised but Woods’ comments were interesting.  He basically admitted that at age 43 and with several back surgeries behind him, he just doesn’t know anymore how his body will react each day and for each tournament.  SU says that is clearly a factor.  But don’t lose sight of where Woods was the week before when he received a special award at the White House from the President.   As the book title says, “Everything Trump Touches Dies.”  Coincidence?  Time will tell.  SU is a big Tiger fan and hopes that was just a blip.
• The Yankees keep moving along with their line up of replacement players.  Down 6-1 last night, they clawed their way back and Gary Sanchez actually hit a home run with men on base.  SU must admit: I was sure he would strike out there.  He had a couple of hits with RISP in that game and has started to produce with basically no protection in the line up.  SU must give him props there.  Didi will return in June which is huge.  Andujar mercifully took the surgery option and can get ready for next season.  They will still need another starter unless Severino can return.
• SU is not a big fan of the “Opener” approach to pitching that Tampa Bay uses.  Why do you assume that every reliever that you roll out there is going to be on that day?  SU is not sure that this can work for every team as no-one has that many relievers that are all top flight.  Certainly the Yankees don’t right now beyond their core guys.
• The YES Network doesn’t show the shifts all the time but when they do, especially late in games with RISP, it is really frustrating.  How teams don’t teach hitters to hit a ground ball to the opposite field is a joke.  The Yankees’ replacement players will do it but you know once the big boppers return, that will stop.  Stanton is already rehabbing now – oh boy!  Should be interesting when he returns.
• SU has been watching the Michigan search for a new coach.  The reality is that there aren’t appropriate big name coaches out there right now for this job.  SU says put one of the assistant coaches in charge for a year or two and maintain the culture and approach.  It’s not glamorous but it is smart.  Prediction: nope.
• Check out the men’s side for the upcoming French Open.  Nadal is the clear favorite, of course, but there are several players who just might take him out this year including Djokovic, Thiem, and Tsitsipas.  The men’s game is as good and deep now as at any time that I can recall.
• Finally, here’s hoping for a Bucks- Warriors finals.  SU says the Bucks will win that one if Durant can’t return which I don’t think he can do.  Calf injuries are lingering and you don’t want to come back too soon.  I will say this: Golden State has not lost since Durant got hurt and is showing how good they are even without him.  This will only solidify his decision to leave town this off-season and look for his next challenge.  SU predicts he will be in NY – but it may just be Brooklyn over the Knicks.

Ugh.  This is a punch to the gut for SU.  The Pistons were wining and dining Beilein last year but he passed at that time or it may been mutual.  But now it’s been reported that he is taking a 5-year deal with Cleveland which given their current roster is a total rebuild.  It has to be that at his age (which I think is 67 years old), he is tempted to see if his style can fit in the NBA – especially as the style of play has become more up and down the court for many of the better teams.

Is this a good move?  Not for SU.  Michigan basketball had become my favorite sports viewing activity.  I suspect that they will promote someone on the current staff or maybe bring in a recent alumnus who will play the game the same way – at least in the short term.  But there is no guarantee long term and they may take on a style that is like most other teams.  But he was there a long time and SU is thankful for that.  My only hope now is that he might bring in some of his former players to the team – and that would be worth watching for SU.

The Yankees took 2 of 3 in Tampa Bay – very impressive.  Gary Sanchez up to 7 errors for the season including a stint on the injured list.  He may be going for a historically bad year defensively.  I don’t know what the ERAs are of the pitchers when he is behind the plate but you can tell the pitchers prefer throwing to Austin Romine vs. him.  But he hits the occasional 450-foot home run so there is that.  A classic #7 hitter and he can compete for that spot in the line up with Giancarlo Stanton who has the same all or nothing approach.  The big problem for the Yankees, and it’s coming soon, is what to do with Urshela who has no more options.  They can’t send him down to the minors.  SU says send Andujar down to get his confidence back.  He is hitting under .130 now and no doubt feeling pressure from Urshela’s success.  Hicks will be back soon which means they will demote someone but some other roster moves are coming.  It will be very interesting.

Did you know that Brett Gardner is 1 for 26 with RISP this year?  It came out on a recent broadcast.  Clint Frazier deserves to play ahead of him – watch out for that once Hicks is back this week.

Finally, Novak Djokovic won the Madrid Open this weekend and is primed now for the French Open.  I know SU is one of the 7 people who watch the Tennis Channel but the men’s tour is outstanding right now with a crop of younger players starting to win.  Worth a look.

SU has been doing a lot of thinking and has some questions for the intergalactic subscriber base:

• Who knew that horses do not like running in puddles and will jump to avoid them in the biggest race of the year?
• Given how the use of analytics is exploding across all sports, how does that apply in horse racing?  For example, after the running of the Derby, does the trainer for Maximum Security sit down with the horse to go over data?  It seems likes the jockey has a limited degree of control out there.  How does this work? And how do you train the horse not to jump over puddles in the future?
• Now that Brian Cashman has learned that Severino will not be ready, at the earliest, until after the All-Star Break, does he wish he had back the $30 million a year (for the next 10 years) sunk into Giancarlo Stanton?  Might that money be useful to sign some starting pitchers for a team that is ready to win now?
• In 2019, is there a more useless statistic in baseball than reporting on how many wins you have against teams with winning records?  If you look at the standings, so many teams are within a few games of .500.  For the Yankees, who cares about the opponents?  In 2 weeks, those teams below .500 will be above it, and vice versa.  SU says wins are wins – get over it.
• Is Aaron Boone a great manager?  Or does he have so few healthy players to put in the line-up, anyone reading this right now could do it just as well?
• Does anyone agree with SU that the next injury for the Yankees will be to one of their trainers or strength and conditioning coaches?  Surely, they are being stretched to the limit and a pulled muscle or rotator cuff injury are just around the corner.
• Are you watching the NBA playoffs?  If not, you should be.  The games are intense and the absence of LeBron is a real opportunity for a lot of teams.  Good stuff.

OK, there you go.  Food for thought.  Feel free to weigh in on any of these incredibly insightful questions.