The Yankees have officially begun the funding effort for Gerret Cole’s $250 million contract.  What better place to start than not paying the remainder of Jacoby Ellsbury’s contract?  According to sources, Ellsbury violated his contract by receiving unauthorized medical treatment for his 700 injuries.  PAGING DR. GALENA.  Actually, it was some doctor in Atlanta.  Truth be told, the Yankees probably didn’t want him receiving any medical treatment.  I mean, who wanted him back??  SU says, hey, give it a shot.  Nothing to lose here.

Big dilemma for the Yankees.  Should Jacoby Ellsbury’s number be retired?  For those of you keeping score at home, he was number 22 (at least I think he was).  I mean, should they give him credit for having signed the worst free agent contract in team history?  There has to be some lasting monument or memento to him in the Stadium.  Perhaps a urinal with a plaque over it?  You have to give the guy credit.  He leveraged one great year with the Red Sox with 30+ home runs (drug aided?) to a 7-year deal with the desperate Yankees.  His body then disintegrated with injury after injury (of course, surprising as he wasn’t even playing when he got the new ones) which, as we know, often happens to players who possibly had a drug aided career.  As the saying goes, “the world will never know.”  SU says he should start a foundation with all the money he has made for not playing to help people.  Just a thought.

And then, the news that long-time Yankee fave, Greg Bird, has been designated for assignment.  The end of an era.  SU hopes that he can catch on with some other team.  He’s perfect for Tampa Bay who likes to give the cast-offs another chance.  SU says we have not heard the last from Greg Bird.  His plantar will be heard from again.

Did you see Carmelo made his 2019 debut last night for Portland?  Shot 4 for 14 – in mid-season form with some defensive lapses.  The Blazers must be excited that he has hit the ground running like that.

As a long-time subscriber to the NBA Season Pass, SU has been reduced to watching favorite players around the League vs. focusing on favorite teams these days.  Now that Jeremy Lin has been banished to China, SU follows the ex-Michigan players.  It’s actually a science to look up which teams are playing when, and then to anticipate when your favorite players will actually be on the court.  Starters play at certain times vs. bench players.  Well, I missed it last night, but Duncan Robinson made 9 3-pointers for the Heat.  This is a guy who started out at Williams College and then transferred to Michigan.  And some of the 3s that he made last night were about 10 feet behind the 3-point line.  He is a legitimate shooter in the League.  What’s great about the NBA is that in many of the Heat’s games, he is wide open but they never pass to him.  Especially the point guard, Dragic.  The NBA has the best players in the world… and the most selfish players in the world.  But Robinson hustles, is 6-9, somewhat athletic, and it’s a great story.  He has been starting of late until Justice Winslow returns.  Then the coach will put him back on the bench because…….  Sorry, not sure why but it will happen.

More and more, the NBA is now an isolation, 1 on1 league.  I guess the analytics support this style of play but SU will continue to search for a team that actually passes to the open man night in and night out.  I will keep you updated on my search.

Finally, MLB is apparently pissed off at Houston.  They are going to be the poster child for technological cheating.  I guess other teams will have to go back to reading lips again to steal signs.

Maybe some of you have been following the developing scandal with the Houston Astros and their stealing of signs during the playoffs the past few years at home.  Does this make you angry?  Upset?  Or is this just baseball where as long as everyone is cheating, we are okay with that.  See PED usage where you know the players knew who was juicing but they wanted to keep doing it as well so no-one was looking to rat out anyone else.

Check out this tweet by Yankees’ 3rd Base Coach Phil Nevin who had this to say in game 1 of the ALCS in Houston:

Phil Nevin to Alex Bregman: “Tell your f-cking hitting coach I’m going to kick his f-cking ass.”

The Yankees were well aware that the Astros had been doing this for some time.  Baseball is a small community and there are few secrets.  From what SU has read, the Astros, for their home games, had a camera in center field that was showing the catcher’s signs going to a feed in their dugout.  Someone in the dugout would then bang a metal waste container to relay information on the incoming pitch to the batter.  Clever enough.  They also used a whistling sound to relay the information.  Was anyone surprised in game 5 of the ALDS this year vs the Rays when the first 5 or 6 batters hit rockets off of the Rays’ pitcher? SU says how cool would it have been if the announcers were aware of this and started talking about it?  And SU says,  how is it that the sports reporters who are around these teams do not know what’s going on?  Is that the deal?  If you out them, you won’t have access to the players and coaches/manager?

Already, Carlos Beltran, who was on the Astros’ 2017 team that is the focus of the investigation is being asked questions about what he knew.  Big distraction.  SU saw the home and away splits for the 2017 World Series for the Astro hitters.  It’s pretty obvious: guys hit about .500 at home with multiple home runs and .150 on the road with little power.

SU says it’s not that different from what the Patriots did a few years ago with their videotaping of coaches on the sidelines.  Before technology, baseball coaches could try and figure out signs and use that information to their advantage.  In baseball, that is considered to be acceptable – it’s using your brains to get an edge.  But apparently using technology to do it is taboo as not every team has the camera feed into the dugout.

The problem for baseball is that in order to thwart the sign stealing, yo have to start using multiple signs with no-one on base.  Have you ever seen Gary Sanchez go through his signs?  Do you wonder why Yankee games are 4 hours?   This is a direct result of what the Astros are doing and who knows which other teams.  It is directly impacting pace of play.  No one wants to watch games where the signs with no one on base take that long.

So, what is the solution?  A few options:

• Start hitting batters.
• Use technology to relay pitches to the pitcher.  Maybe the catcher can have something on his wrist like an Apple watch that relays it to the pitcher.  Of course, the Astros will bring in a new department of technology guys to break in or find a few Russian election hackers to do that for them (we know who they can contact for that – oh wait, no political talk here!!)
• Fine the Astros and hope it stops – which it won’t

SU says you cannot use this an excuse if you are the Yankees, Dodgers or whoever.  If Phil Nevin and the Yankees knew about it, then they should have knocked down multiple Astro batters and gotten their point across.  SU believes everyone is trying to steal signs and maybe some others even use technology.  The Yankees have long suspected the Red Sox of doing this.  Let’s introduce technology – it will also speed up the game and it just can’t be that hard to do (see NFL and how they call plays).

SU is just not that upset.  But MLB is and it will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Your thoughts?

SU has been in a reflective mode as we complete the baseball season and gear up for college hoops and the never-ending NBA season.   Here are some things to watch for in no particular order:

• The Yankees could have re-signed Didi for $17.5 million for one year and took a pass.  OK, I get it.  They were unhappy with Didi’s finish to the season after coming back from Tommy John surgery.  But as they look to make a move and potentially move on from Didi, SU asks t his question, “What is the most important factor to consider in bringing new players to the Yankees?”  We all know what that is.  It’s not talent, career ERA, on-base percentage.  It is CAN YOU PLAY IN NEW YORK?  Well, Didi can play in New York – he succeeded Derek Jeter at shortstop and excelled.  He’s a leader in the clubhouse, a mentor for the younger players.  SU says either overpay for one year or 2 years, but you bring him back.  It’s an obvious move.  It could happen as there is not a great market for shortstops out there this year.  But US is nervous they will take a pass and put Gleyber at shortstop.  The Yankees need his left-handed bat in there.  They don’t have to do it as LeMahieu can move to 2nd base and Voit to 1st but it’s short sighted.  Case closed.
• Joel Sherman at the New York Post had an interesting observation about hitting into the shift at Yankee Stadium.  With the short porch, it really reduces the area where a ball can fall in.  So, when teams shift against a left-handed batter, there is nowhere for the ball to land without being fielded.  As a result, there is less interest now, perhaps, to have more left-handed batters in the line up for the Yankees.
• DJ LeMahieu opened a lot of eyes in NY.  A guy who puts the ball in play.  Cashman thought he was getting someone like that a few years ago with Chase Headley (long-time SU fave – not) but LeMahieu came as advertised.  SU says he is the model that they should look for now.  Guys that put the ball in play.  Not the Stantons, Encarnacions, even Aaron Hicks who has potential/talent but needs to also go the other way.  SU saw that they got a more innovative pitching coach, apparently, now to replace Rothschild.  Then, make the batters in 2020 go the other way starting in February.  The home runs that go out during the regular season are harder to come by against the top pitchers in October.  Let’s make the move now.  I would say trade Stanton but not happening and there is no market out there as he has a no trade clause.  But then you need to limit the similar type hitters around him which means no more Encarnacion pick ups during the year.  SU likes Tauchman.  He needs to play.  You can bring Gardner back for a season but Tauchman needs to play.
• Do not sign Gerret Cole.  No.  He is going to get $35 million a year for 7 years which is ridiculous.
• The Yankees are close.  2019 was a great, enjoyable and fun year.  They went as far as I thought they would go.  Houston won’t be as good.  Note to Brian Cashman: don’t screw it up.

SU liked the Beltran signing by the Mets.  He is a good guy, smart and pays attention to the details.  The Mets are close and they have a GM who is not afraid to gamble which SU likes.  Of course, gambling means bringing in Robinson Cano who is running on fumes now.  He is a DH, not an every day player.  He will have to figure out what to do with Cespedes should he ever get healthy again.  He may be on the Ellsbury recovery plan now – who knows?

Alabama vs. LSU yesterday was one of those great college games.  Teams marching up and down the field with ease.  Few punts, rosters full of NFL prospects and draft picks.  SU says it’s why college football is more fun than the NFL.  A match-up of LSU vs. Ohio State in the BCS playoffs would be great.  LSU’s QB transferred from Ohio State – great story there.  It is interesting how the same schools are always competing for the BCS title now: Ohio State; Alabama; Georgia; Clemson; Oklahoma; sometimes Notre Dame.  SU watches a lot of Big Ten games and the speed of the SEC is just a level faster.

The last tournament of the men’s tennis season is starting today in London at the ATP Finals – top 8 players.  The field is very interesting.  You have the Big 3 in Fed, Djokovic and Nadal.  Dominick Thiem, at 26, is there.  The other 4 are the Next Generation players.  It’s great for tennis that the next group is finally making their move.  It’s interesting to note that the group that was 5 years behind the Big 3 is not there anymore – Del Potro, Raonic, etc.  For tennis fans, you hope the Big 3 keep playing but the clock is ticking.  The good news is that men’s tennis has a great crop of guys coming up in their early 20s.  SU will be watching on the Tennis Channel along with 12 others nationally.  Check it out.

Finally, a note on the NBA.  Where did the term “load management” come from?  Why is it so hard to play 82 games over about 7 months?  And is it so hard to travel in chartered jets and stay at Ritz Carltons?  I know some guys have chronic injuries (see Kawi Leonard) and some are older like LeBron.  But for a fan who buys tickets in advance expecting to see the stars, this is not a good deal or a smart strategy.

Anyone on your personal wish list for the Yankees and Mets?