29 games in, the Yankees are 21 – 8. SU cannot recall the last time they started a season that way and I am too lazy to look it up. But it feels like a long, long time. The question is whether they can sustain this pace of play and if they are a legit good team. My thoughts:
- The pitching is solid. The starters are not world beaters – except for Cole in theory – but they are consistently good 1 through 5. They do need to provide more length. The bullpen has been outstanding but they have to cover a lot of innings every game and SU says that will catch up to them soon enough. When you have to throw multiple relievers every game, the odds of them all being good every game are not great. There will be blown saves along the way.
- Judge, Stanton and Rizzo have carried the team. And to date, they have each done it at a time when the others were not hot. This has translated into an excellent record. Note to readers: neither Stanton or Judge usually play a full season. The Yankees are one oblique or calf injury away from being a .500 team.
- The team has gotten little from Hicks, Gallo, catcher and Donaldson. And I mean little. Donaldson had his 10-game hitting streak broken which got him all the way to .217 as he had 1 hit each game. He seems to be a good clubhouse guy and a good fielder but SU is waiting to see what he has left in the tank. Gallo is what we thought he was. I do think he has been better of late – takes a few walks and has hit in some tough luck – but he will settle in at .201 soon enough. SU is not a Hicks fan. Both catchers are good defensively and tell the truth: good to not have Gary Sanchez here anymore. Just catch the ball and we are happy. LeMahieu has bounced back nicely and IKF is a very good shortstop.
Bottom line: the answer is TBD. Great start to the season but a long way to go and the offense needs to show us what it is.
Tom Brady FOX deal: $375 million for 10 years. Really? Is he that compelling? Obviously a GOAT at QB but how do they know this will translate into the booth? Have you every listened to Grant Hill on TNT doing the NBA games? Super nice guy but says literally nothing any of you would say watching a game with your buddies. Troy Aikman makes about half this amount and his favorite line is, “that was a heck of a throw” or “that was a heck of a play.” Seriously, listen to him come the Fall. Tony Romo is the new standard but he talks too much for SU.
For those Tennis Channel viewers out there (approaching double digits now globally), the next star showed his stuff this past weekend in Madrid. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, just turned 19, beat Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev in succession to win the tournament. One week after winning in Barcelona. Up to #6 in the world. And SU says his best surface is not clay – he can play on all courts. And can even volley effectively. A guy to watch. Good for the sport as the Big Three approach the finish line.
Credit to the NBA for suspending Dillon Brooks of Memphis for game 3 of the playoff series with Golden State after injuring Gary Payton Jr. on a breakaway layup. Payton broke his elbow. SU says the issue is not the one play but that Brooks has been that type of player going back to his days at Oregon in college. Basketball, when played correctly, is a free flowing game with cutting, passing, moving without the ball and getting shots up way sooner than 24 seconds. The NBA game does not need that style of physical play. Draymond Green was ejected in game 1 but at least he tried to catch the player after his foul. The game has really evolved and the 7-foot post player is a thing of the past. Crazy. You only keep a 7-footer around if he can shoot 3s.
Comment on the NCAA transfer portal. Not a fan. Players opt out so quickly to move to another school rather than compete for playing time. There is no guarantee that you will get the playing time at the next school. There are certainly circumstances where it makes sense but SU sees many where it was just poor judgment.
All I got for today. As always, welcome your comments.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I was never a fan of the Donaldson trade. Especially given the fallout (Twins adding Correa). It does seem like he has slid into the Brett Gardner role of sorts- vet leadership and his tenacity and personality are starting to shine through.
The reality is this level of play is not scalable for 162 let alone in the playoffs. We are going to hit a summer lull at some point- all teams do. And as we’ve seen time and again- it is about playing good baseball at the right time. Hopefully this will be the year we can piece things together when it matters.
With all that said, it’s great to see the difference between this year and early last year when we struggled in a big way and had to dig ourselves out of the whole the entire year.
Let’s see what happens mid-summer and if Cashman makes any moves to sure up the bullpen and/or adds another outfielder/utility player
Exciting to have 2 first place baseball teams in NY. Still very early but both teams have good depth and solid starting pitching. I’d say the Yanks could use a veteran innings eater starter and the Mets another good bullpen arm. Here’s hoping for another Subway Series!
It was a refreshing surprise to see a non big three player win a tennis match. Excited to see how the kid does in the majors. Tennis certainly needs some fresh blood to get some new fans.
Finally, college sports is on the brink of catastrophe. The combination of players being aloud to enter the transfer portal at will and $ being thrown around for licensing and imaging from alumni consortiums has huge ramifications that are almost totally negative. I’m all for these kids getting a stipend to help pay expenses besides there scholarship money. They commit 40 hours a week sometimes to their team, and just like a work study student or an RA or a Student Government President they should get some compensation. But having a select few stars getting upwards of half a million dollars from shady groups is a recipe for disaster. The Athletic has run several in depth stories. Wondering what the SU community thinks of this. Is U of Michigan too prestigious to play these games?