As always, SU has its finger on the pulse of the sports media world. SU noted in this morning’s New York Times that excellent columnist, Tyler Kepner, also commented on A-Rod’s remarks from the Sunday Night game on ESPN. Note all of the points were already covered by SU yesterday.
But it gets worse for the Yankees. Check out this story on Yahoo! Sports that the new initiative by the umpires to check on the pitchers is specifically targeted at the pitchers who are throwing with those higher spin rates. Apparently, they are applying some type of substance to their fingers that enhances the grip on the baseball to apply that spin rate. And who is one of the studs doing that? Gerrit Cole, that’s who. His last outing against the Rays apparently showed a lower spin rate which may mean that he is already no longer using a substance. He lasted 5 innings. Er, not good.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/mediocre-yankees-may-nightmare-gerrit-164625092.html
As Yogi used to say, “it’s getting late early.”
Check out the French Open this week. The women have no seeds above the top 15 or something like that given the withdrawls and all of the upsets. The men’s side could feature a Djokovic – Nadal semi-finals match, and today is a Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas quarterfinals. These guys are not just staying back and hitting 30-shot rallies. Good stuff.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Can you imagine if Cole has been using this so-called substance…..stops using it and then turns into an average pitcher. I can see the Yankees balking on paying him for his remaining years here based on him CHEATING by him misrepresenting himself. What team did he come from again? Ahhh yes, the cheaters down in Houston. Let’s hope I am getting way ahead of myself here and this will all just be a bad dream. But _____________
another good article on “spin rate” problem.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-07/trevor-bauer-dodgers-spin-rate-pitching-mlb-rules
The fish rots from the head! MLB has been losing popularity verses the other major sports for more than 20 years. I think you can pinpoint the decline to the day the owners fired Fay Vincent as Commissioner in 1992. No longer would there be an independent overseer looking out for the best interest of the national pastime. This occurred a few years after the collusion ruling. Bud Selig and now Rob Manfred work only for the owners. They do not represent or even pretend to represent the best interest of the game. During the steroid “ERROR” Selig was complicit because the crowds loved to watch Sosa, McGwire and then Bonds bash home runs. As long as the cash register was ringing they looked the other way. Only when there was scrutiny in the public eye (remember 16 year old kids juicing with severe health issues) did they attempt to address the problem.
The players have been equally guilty. With no unbiased arbiter the union reacted by protecting the worst of the cheaters. Even last year in the face of a horrific global pandemic the two sides could barely agree on a framework to play ball. Can anyone argue that a universal DH would not be good for the game right now? The recent cheating scandals and modest repercussions reflect the worst from both sides doing their best to protect themselves rather than the integrity of the game.
The game will not thrive until we have new leadership that forms a true partnership amongst owners and players to grow the game and attract the next generation of fans. I want to be able to take my future grandchildren out to the old ballgame. Not a soccer game or a lacrosse game or god forbid, an E sports exhibit.
Jeff