SU did not see the Yankee game live yesterday in the 1st inning where the Guardians formally challenged a play in center field at 21 seconds. Now, the rule is that you have 15 seconds to make the formal challenge. Apparently, the Guardians played the replay on their center field TV screen and the crowd went wild when it saw that Aaron Hicks actually trapped the ball instead of catching it cleanly. The umpires huddled and then allowed the challenge.
Now, the good news is that they ultimately got the play right but that is not the rule. You have 15 seconds to challenge. Period. SU has done the math (several times), and 21 seconds is longer than 15 seconds. Case closed right? Nope. Aaron Boone rightly went nuts and earned his first ejection of the season. SU says abide by the rules please. Ignore the rest. And MLB should please acknowledge that the umpires blew the call and we can move on.
SU loves the NBA Play-in Games. This is great. So much on the line. The road team won 3 of the 4 games, and the Lakers were lucky to advance at home in OT. Positioning for these spots down the stretch became a thing and resulted in more meaningful games vs. having teams tank to improve their odds for the draft. It’s entertaining. Props to the NBA for coming up with this.
Of course, this is followed by something like a 3-week period of 1st round playoff games as the NBA likes to stretch these out. Lakers – Grizzlies is a very interesting first round. Miami vs. Boston could also be fun. All eyes in NY are on the Knicks – Cavs. This is a winnable series for the Knicks. This is a fun time of the year with the start of baseball and the NBA playoff games.
Tampa Bay Rays are now 12 – 0. While many of their games have been at home and against teams with losing records, well, this is baseball and a streak like that is very, very rare. They always put a competitive team on the field and seem to overcome injuries every year. Their schedule gets a lot harder right away but they are no doubt good in 2023 yet again. The Yankees are winning the close games so far this season vs. what happened in the 2nd half of 2022. The starting pitching continues to be a problem with the injuries. SU says it’s barely mid-April: no need to get aggravated. Now, come early May, well different story.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
I think there must be some technical glitch with my SU subscription, as some of the content appears to be getting cut off. I am certain the part that says, “This is a fun time of year with the start of baseball and the NBA playoff games” must have included a segment that said “as well as the NHL playoffs, which annually provide a ton of drama and must-watch TV.” But for some reason that never showed up.
Yes, yes, my bad, Mark. I know there are some devoted Ranger and Islander fans in the SU intergalactic subscriber base. I start paying attention in the later rounds of the NHL playoffs but a fair comment here.
As an avid SU reader but a non – contributor,
when I saw the NHL door slightly ajar, I will kick it open. As an avid Ranger fan, I think the team can make it to the Finals…or…lose in the first round. The Bruins look to be a runaway train but keep in mind that since 1986 the Presidents trophy winner (the team with the most points) has won the Cup a grand total off 8 times…Staggering. It’s paramount to win a round or two in 5 or 6 games as the fatigue factor will become omnipresent….Enjoy.