SU was surprised to see that the Texas Rangers backed up the Brinks truck to give Jacob deGrom $185 million for 5 years. Last time I checked, deGrom is 34 years old and if I do the match correctly, he will be 39 at the end of this deal. He has a recent history of arm and shoulder issues. He throws over 100 mph and the biology says that it’s hard to stay healthy in baseball doing that for any extended period. The Mets were smart to walk away from this one. You can’t criticize Steve Cohen – the right move. Max Scherzer is already commanding over $40 million a year and there are not many examples of hard throwers lasting this long other than Justin Verlander.
Meanwhile, the latest talk on Aaron Judge is 9 years. That will put him at just about 40 years old. Now, he is a great guy, the face of the franchise and is coming off a historic season. He will be the next Yankee captain. The Yankees apparently have 8 years and $300 million on the table. If the SF Giants are offering the 9th year, you know Hal will go for it although rumor has it that Cashman is not as enamored about resigning Judge as Hal. SU says hold your nose and get it done. We will pay $22 for beers and $40 for a burger and fries. Perhaps they will clear the roster now of the Josh Donaldsons (least favorite Yankee player for SU) and try and move the Generational One (not possible). SU is ready to bring up the youngsters.
The BCS Committee will make its decision in a few hours. SU says this should be easy: 1) Georgia; 2) Michigan; 3) TCU; and 4) Ohio State. TCU has a strong strength of schedule and should not be penalized for losing in OT in a conference championship game. Ohio State should not jump 2 spots from #5 to #3 without playing and if the Committee wants a rematch with Michigan, that’s fine but it should be in the championship game. Alabama? No – absolutely not. True, their losses were in close games but so were a few of their wins. They are stacked with first round draft picks but they are not worthy or deserving this year with 2 losses. Apparently the BCS has never had a 2- loss team in the final 4. Case closed. Please do not surprise us.
Finally, props to the US Men’s Soccer Team for a great World Cup showing. The 2026 World Cup is going to be in North America and the 22-year olds on this year’s team will be in their prime in a few years. The US should be well-positioned for that next World Cup. Btw, Saudi Arabia is a leading contender for the 2030 World Cup. I mean, that cannot happen right?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
The Saudis bought many of the world’s top golfers for LIV golf, so why not many excellent soccer stars to field their program?
Amazing what a barrel of oil can buy you today..
Guess they are hoping for a Nolan Ryan repeat….
$125/3 years was a generous offer to DeGrom. Can’t blame him for taking the extra $50 million with an option year. Texas willing to overspend. Very sad to see him go but I am confident the Mets will reinvest the money in a contract or contracts that make more sense for short and long term.
How to change the narrative and shake up NY baseball? 400Mil 10 year offer to Judge!
LFGM!
The spending in MLB is out of control. Not saying that owners should collude, but they need to dial it back a bit on these aging players (and overpaying for players who are not yet arbitration eligible). Not sure why starting 25-30 games is worth $35 million a year.
I disagree with SU and think Alabama should have been in the Top 4. Every game they play is the other team’s bowl game, and no one tears down a goal post after beating TCU. It would have been much more interesting with Alabama being at 4 and them playing Georgia and Michigan playing Ohio State. That way the SEC vs. Big 10 debate could once and for all be decided on the field. Our best against yours. USC blew it (to no one’s surprise) against Utah. Disappointing for their somewhat non-existent fan base (my sister went there and did not even know they were playing in the Pac-12 championship).
I still am dumbfounded why there is not more discussion for Stetson Bennett IV (the UGA QB for those who live in the Northeast) to win the Heisman. Take away the hype for these other candidates, look at the numbers (both his statistics and the one statistic that counts – team record), and realize that he exemplifies what college football should be about. NIL, Transfer Portal, nope. Give it to the QB who had to go to a JUCO program and fight his way onto the roster as a walk-on then beat out the nation’s once top ranked QB for the starting job.
I agree, congrats to the USA Mens team on making it to the knockout round. I would not call their performance “great” as I thought they underperformed in game 1 vs. Wales and in the game against Netherlands, but they definitely (possibly) have a foundation to build on for the future.