In golf,  they call the Saturday of the Majors “Moving Day.”  SU says that in the NFL, the Monday after the end of the regular season is also a type of Moving Day and not in a good sense.  The job security for any NFL coach is ridiculously short these days, and you need to show improvement every year to keep your job.  The Giants just fired Pat Shurmur after 2 years.  Now, here is what SU does not understand.  The plan was to basically tank this season and start over with younger players in the coming drafts.  They did manage to develop Daniel Jones  and he seems like a strong talent to build around.  SU doesn’t know if he was a great coach or not, but if the GM is going to clean house, did Shurmur really have a chance?

The Browns fired their coach and the reality is that they did under-achieve or else were over-hyped.  Expect more announcements as the day unfolds.  We see the same thing in the NBA as coaches are on a short leash and following a “process” established by the GM is not necessarily going to enable them to keep their jobs.

Great game between Ohio State and Clemson in the BCS semi-finals.  SU saw that the Buckeyes are complaining about a couple of calls that swung momentum in the 2nd half.  Too bad.  The rules about what is a “catch” and what is a “football move” after making the catch are so ridiculous.  Sometimes what you see in fast motion is the truth.  Same thing on the replays in basketball where a defender knocks the ball out of a player’s hands but with ultra slow replay, you see it graze a finger tip.   Ridiculous.  Stop looking so closely.  Technology is great but if it slows down the pace of play and it defies what we saw in real time, not worth it for SU.

SU was very impressed with the Ohio State receivers.  They run a lot of pass plays where the ball is thrown before the receiver breaks and they all catch with their hands.  That is a lost art for a lot of receivers – even at the NFL level.

LSU will be tough to beat – they are a machine like team on offense but Clemson certainly has the pedigree from prior seasons.  However, the reality is that if Ohio State had scored touchdowns in the first half instead of 3 field goals, Clemson is out.

Very quiet on the MLB front.  SU believes that the Yankees are waiting to see what happens with Lindor on the Indians.  Cashman has his eye on him for shortstop in a trade.  January should be an interesting month.  The Mets did well to grab Betances for a year.  He will be motivated to regain his prior form for his next contract and is used to pitching in NY.

Finally, it was great to see the Patriots lose to Miami and blow the first round bye.  If they make it to the Super Bowl this year, they will do it the hard way.

SU apologizes for the recent lack of postings.  I am coming off hip replacement surgery and focusing on the rehab process under the care of Ms. SU to ensure I am at full speed come January.  However, as always, SU is keeping tabs on the recent developments in the sports world and has these observations to share this morning:

• Yankees fans are very excited about the Gerret Cole signing.  And I mean very excited.  Las Vegas’s early betting line has the Yankees as the early favorites – “overwhelming favorites” – to win the 2020 World Series.  It’s not hard to see this.  First, the Astros are weakened by losing Cole and then they will surely be hit with a major fine/loss of draft picks/suspension (all of the above) for their stealing of signs scandal.   So, the addition of Cole is a direct hit on the Astros.  Second, in the AL, it’s hard to see anyone in the Yankees’ league for 2020.  The Dodgers could retool for next season but SU believes their window may have closer for a couple of years now.
• On paper, SU gets the move.  It’s not my money.  SU does note that Austin Romine is gone (1-year deal with the Tigers where he can start) and of course, Didi is with the Phillies.  He said that Cashman told him that the Yankees’ top priority was Cole and they showed no interest in bringing him back.  Both of these were “glue guys” along with CC and they will be missed in 2020.  Brett Gardner is back and he fills that void to some degree but we are now entering a new era where Aaron Judge will have to play that role pretty much on his own.  Something to watch during the tougher times during the season.
• Rumor has it that the Yankees are in the market for Hader on the Brewers to supplement the bullpen.  Betances is all but gone to free agency and with the new rules in play for 2020, teams will want pitchers who are not “specialists” but rather guys who can get lefties and righties out.  The Yankees should move Clint Frazier now before his reputation takes any further hits.  They have plenty of other attractive prospects to include in a deal with the Brewers and they will clearly be going for it in 2020.
• The line-up is way too right-handed.  It’s ridiculous – especially in Yankee Stadium.  Now, if MLB unjuices the ball next season, some of the opposite field home runs may not make it out.  They will get Stanton back and hopefully he is healthy.  Note to SU subscribers: he is untradeable.  No-one is taking that contract on.  SU continues to not understand how the financials will work going forward but not my problem.  They will also have to get a more capable back-up catcher as Sanchez misses at least 2 months every year.

Other notes:

• The College Football championship playoffs are must see TV.  All 4 teams are deserving, and LSU and Ohio State are a cut above.
• How crazy is it that Ohio State allowed this year’s Heisman Trophy winner to transfer to LSU but had no problem getting their own transfer from Georgia who is also top tier?
• Urban Meyer to the Cowboys in 2020.  It’s time.  And SU wants due credit when that happens.
• College basketball is going to be great this year.  There is no dominant team and by the time March rolls around, the top schools will have their acts together with their new “1 and done” class players.  In the Big Ten, no one can even win on the road this year.  SU finds this to be much more interesting and I would rather see more 22-11 teams come March vs. the 30-2 ones.  Let’s have a real tournament.
• How do the Patriots continue to get away with cheating?
• It was nice to see Eli Manning get another win but hey, the Giants could have used the loss to bolster their draft ranking.  Tanking is an art form.  Need to work on that.  SU must admit that having a career .500 record is not very inspiring.  What is happening there?  Giant fans are ready to move on.

SU is ready for the Bowl season.  Michigan vs. Alabama on New Year’s Day is already circled on the calendar.  Time for the Big Ten to stand up to the SEC.  Or not…

OK, let’s hear from you.

And there you have it.  As reported by Sweeney Murti on Twitter, Didi Gregorius is leaving New York.  SU says the Yankees will regret this one – big time.    But it does fulfill Cashman’s dream of fielding a totally right-handed line up.  Could the Yankees also have signed him for the 1-year deal?  One wonders.  The word is that Didi wants a rebound year to help him get the next big contract after 2020.

All I know is that Didi could play in New York – he succeeded Derek Jeter and excelled.  He was a leader in the clubhouse along with CC.  Now they are both gone.  SU is not happy.

On the Cole front, rumor has it that the Yankees offered a richer deal than what Strasberg got.  Have to figure we are in the $300 million range for 8 years.  He can room with Stanton and they can argue over who will pay for dinner.

Shocking!  Outrageous!  In other news….  Honestly, who cares?  SU does not even watch them.  They would have been better off going with the rookies and doing the “process” thing whatever that is.  Now you have a mix of new free agents and some youngsters.  SU says trade the free agent signings as soon as you can and start over from scratch.  No one will even notice the difference.

Interesting story in the The Athletic today about how John Beilein is already losing the locker-room with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The younger players are tuning him out .  Too much talk about fundamentals and they don’t like the names of some of the plays, e.g., “Polar Bear.”  SU says: ENOUGH!  It’s not like the Cavs are building off of a great 2018-2019 campaign.  Beilein was brought in to create new culture.  The problem in the NBA is that the one and done players don’t know the fundamentals and someone has to teach them.  The solution?  Cut the malcontents.  Bring in the ex-Michigan players and let’s have some fun and SU would watch that for sure.  No doubt Beilein will have to adapt – that’s fair.  But if you are a first or 2nd year player, do you really want to be complaining to the media in early December?  I know I am old school but show some respect and do your job.

Meanwhile, the word is that the Yankees are all in on Gerret Cole and have said so publicly.  SU is not sure that is the best strategy here as Scott Boras is going to drive up the price north of $35 million a year.  There are reports that the Yankees can afford the contract as next year Tanaka and Paxton come off the books.  Hello!  Don’t you need them in the rotation beyond 2020?  I do not see how the dollars add up here for the long term and I know it’s not my money.  Many Yankee fans including many in the SU intergalactic subscriber base want Cole at any price and they may get him.  Some say he has the presence to be like CC Sabathia in the clubhouse.  Could be.  SU predicts 7 years, $260 million.  Ridiculous.  We will see who among the youngsters gets to stick around as a result.

My one caveat: if this means that they trade the Generational One, I am all in.

Whoa.  We have our first benchmark for the 2019 MLB free agency season.  For those of you keeping score at home, that’s $23.6 million a year for a pitcher in Wheeler who is really a #2 or #3 starter.  The Yankees have announced that they will be talking to Cole and Strasberg who are both Scott Boras clients.  SU says there is no way they are going to pay $35 million a year for either of these guys.  And would Cole be willing to cut his hair and Strasberg his beard to come to the Yankees?  Meeting with them checks off the box but SU says not happening.  And that is a good thing.

On to Plan B whatever that is.

Eli Manning starting this week for the Giants.  Let him go out with a couple of games vs. riding the bench off into the sunset.

SU spent the weekend watching the Michigan basketball and football teams.  The hoops team under Juwaan Howard is a joy to watch – they play hard, up tempo,  team-oriented and genuinely seem to like each other and the coach.  SU says if you are a high school stud player, why wouldn’t you want to play for Howard with his NBA pedigree?  You can enjoy this team as the expectations are so much lower vs. the football team.  While they got whomped last night against a very good defensive Louisville team, for SU they will be must TV the rest of the season.

Harbaugh had no answer to Ohio State.  The Buckeyes could/should win it all this year.  Just great players at so many positions.  Note that LSU’s quarterback is actually a transfer from Ohio State.  They are just that good in recruiting top talent.  And for Michigan football, the expectations are just too high and not realistic.  I know Harbaugh makes $7 million a year but unless he can recruit these types of players, it will be hard for him to beat Ohio State anytime soon.  Seasons at 10-2 may just be the reality.

Urban Meyer to the Cowboys next season?  SU has long predicted he will make the move to the NFL.  It’s gonna happen.