As a veteran observer of the sports industry, SU knows that you need to let the baseball season unfold over a period of weeks. It is never a good idea to over-react to the early season games, and this is especially true for 2022 with the late spring training start and how pitchers are being coddled for their first few starts.

However, in Yankee Land, it’s never too early to panic and complain, so let’s get to that:

1. The team is even more unathletic than the 2021 version. I mean, who in that lineup can even steal a base? Or go from 1st to 3rd on a single? They are so slow.
2. SU does not understand what the attraction is with Aaron Hicks. Now, he’s a good guy, good presence in the clubhouse but he is a .230 hitter for his career, and he certainly has not cut down on his swing for 2022. The likelihood is that he will pull some muscle soon enough and go on the IL but he cannot be the answer long-term in centerfield.
3. Which brings us to predicting the over/under for when Cashman signs Brett Gardner to play the outfield. You know it’s coming. SU says May 15th.
4. SU worries about Aaron Judge. He passed on a very fair offer from the Yankees for $30.5 million a year for 7 years. He is 30, and rarely plays close to a full season. He will be 37 at the end of that contract offer (we did the math and checked it 3 times). That is a very good offer. He is now risking injury this season or a very down year which could hurt his long-term value for that next contract. If he gets off to a slow start, the pressure will build on him. Judge is a good guy (aside from the vaccine issue) but he is going to put a lot of pressure on himself to perform this season. Something to watch.
5. Bullpen looks good which it had better be given that the starters are going 3 innings. It sounds like Severino will be on an innings limit this year. German is still recuperating and will be a factor.
6. Bottom line: SU is not excited. This is the same team as last year basically, and while I have only watched a couple of games so far, I find myself moving over to Netflix or Apple TV for an hour (which equates to 2 innings). I need to see more.

Meanwhile, the better NY team, the Mets, could be undefeated at this point if their bullpen had not imploded in back-to-back games. They have the higher payroll in NY and a more interesting team. SU sees them as having a better season. The Mets are legitimate division contenders while the Yankees will once again compete for the wild card.

SU is strapping in for the NBA playoffs. I know it’s stretched out over too many weeks but always a lot of fun. We need the Nets and Sixers to either both lose early or face off against one another. Any team with Harden or Kyrie is impossible to root for for SU. Keep an eye on Golden State where if Curry can come back healthy, they have the pedigree to make a run in a tough conference. The Suns are dominant and the heavy favorite but the West has some quality teams.

OK, am I right about the Yankees? Any reason to get excited? Sure, they came back multiple times vs the Red Sox, but Boston is not even as good as Toronto.