SU has been a long-time fan of Novak Djokovic going back many years. I don’t agree with everything he says but as an old person, I have learned to not love or hate on athletes based on what they say (although I do have my limits). However, I have always admired his fight and what he has achieved over the course of his career – especially against Federer and Nadal. Basically, every match he played against them was an “away” match with the crowd solidly behind the other guy across the net. Given the quality of competition in this era, he is deserving of the GOAT status in my opinion.

He is now 39 and hardly plays outside of the Grand Slam events. You have to give him credit: he has been making the semifinals of pretty much every tournament but generally runs into Alcaraz or Sinner, and his body just can’t stand up to 7 rounds of best of 5 tennis anymore. Lately, if there is any humidity in the air or if the temperature is above 70 degrees, he basically gets sick on the court almost immediately. Over his career, he has struggled to play in heat and humidity so it’s really nothing new. But at age 39 and not being in the best shape due to lack of competition, he gets sick after a handful of games.

SU believes Djokovic has a choice now: play more tournaments and get yourself in better shape stamina-wise to compete or retire. Last night, he was throwing up all over the court and then his body locked up in the last couple of sets. I am sure he has a lot of pride and does not want to put out this type of product in the first round against journeymen type players. It’s possible there is some type of medical condition at play here but again, he has struggled in heat and humidity going back to his early years. The difference is that his body could adjust on the fly and he would rally during those matches. Appears to not be the case anymore.

SU prediction: he will want the swan song tour and will look to exit at Wimbledon, 2027 – perhaps the US Open. I would be shocked if he just decided now to hang it up. But let’s see…

The Yankees showed me something this weekend. True, the effort Saturday afternoon was weak but we have seen that type of game going back the last 3 months. Credit to Will Warren yesterday for pitching the best game of his young career when the bullpen was shot and they needed innings. The Yankees benefited by the non-overturn of a great catch in center field and the Red Sox imploded from there. Not that they didn’t complain about it after the game. And their radio announcers? Outraged, I say outraged, by Jazz Chisholm stealing 2nd and 3rd in the 8th inning of a 7-1 game. Boston elected to not hold him on at 1st base. SU has seen enough games this year where teams have staged late comebacks and the Yankees did not have much depth in the bullpen yesterday. It was absolutely appropriate to try and score more runs and it’s not up to the Red Sox to say that they are waiving the white flag. SU had no problem trying to score more runs there. The radio announcer wanted them to hit Wells as he was the next batter. No doubt fines are to come for this guy.

Neither the Yankees or the Red Sox are great teams. Each is flawed and SU does not see either of them winning it all this year. The Yankees flashed some offense the last 2 games and maybe, just maybe, that carries over to the upcoming road trip out West. For SU, the problem is that if you start winning games and your starting pitchers are going 5 – 6 innings, you need to get 3-4 innings from the bullpen and they do not have enough quality relievers to do that – especially in close, low scoring games. Headrick has been great but he is giving up runs now in each outing. Severely overused.

Heliot Ramos had enough of the hating from SU and credit to him for hitting a big home run yesterday. But he should be the odd man out once Judge returns although SU suspects Boone is going to DH Judge and Ben Rice may also lose some starts.

Keep an eye on the return of Anthony Volpe in September and SU believes he is going to have some big moments down the stretch.

Bottom line: we hate the Red Sox and that was a huge win yesterday to help secure home field for the Wild Card series come October.

In the 2026 MLB season, you really don’t have to be that good to win the AL. You just don’t. A mediocre team that takes care of business against the bad teams can come out with the best record and advance to the World Series.

Cue up the Yankees. Now, their pitching is actually elite – especially the starters despite the continued injuries to Fried and now Weathers. And the bullpen, while lacking 1 – 2 pieces, has been solid. However, it is clear to SU that the “trusted” relievers are a man short and they are going to be overused and gassed come October. The more you win, the more you call on these guys to pitch and it will not hold up. The Yankees desperately need to move one of the starters there – hopefully it will be Weathers as he is already at a career high for innings pitched and he has done it before.

All the Yankees need is just a little offense. And that is a good thing as this roster can only produce a little offense. Spencer Jones is showing signs of being a productive, everyday player. It will come down to whether Aaron Boone (pressured by Brian Cashman to put in one of the guys he just traded for) sits Heliot Ramos. He is epically bad – no shame in admitting that. Can’t perform in New York. He joins a list of many. SU would just play Jones every day and not pinch hit for him ever. He hangs in vs. lefties and while he strikes out a lot (clearly the Yankees groom their youngsters to do that in the minor leagues and don’t give a sh*t), no one really cares. It’s all about the upper cut swing and hitting home runs. Of course, this won’t work in October against the better pitching but perhaps the analytics department does not have stats for the post-season?

SU’s point is that the Yankees have the pitching to have the best record in the AL. The loss of Stanton for the rest of the year (most likely) is not a big deal. His return would have just created a logjam at DH with Rice. Btw, SU does not hate on Stanton – he is a good guy, always talks to the media and is accountable. His body has given out on him and that is too bad. SU wishes him well but I would also not bring him back for the last year of his contract. Time to move along for both sides.

Right now, the key is to sit Ramos. The actual order of batters makes no difference. Seriously. No one hits for average, no one ever hits based on the situation (see extra innings futility) and moving runners along is a foreign concept. But they do need to hit more home runs and SU does believe that Ben Rice has a hot streak in him. It’s coming.

The key now is to show up next weekend against the Red Sox and remember that you got swept by them in Fewnway not that long ago. How about playing with a chip on your shoulders and not hugging the opposing players when you see them on base?

My long-winded point: the Yankees are majorly flawed on offense but there is no excuse now to not win the division and have best record heading into October. They are still unwatchable but it is time to perform.

Brian Cashman made his first major move by trading for Luis Garcia, Jr. from the Nationals who by all accounts hits home runs, is a lifetime .268 hitter and has never struck out more than 90 times in a season. On paper, he is not a good fit with the Yankees based on those statistics. Makes too much contact, gets hits – what were they thinking?

No doubt the Yankee hitting coaches will teach him to hit with an upper cut (see Anthony Volpe flail time after time) and not worry about not moving runners along. Better to go for the home run and not play situational baseball. Better to lose every extra inning game by playing mindlessly.

I know: just another arrogant Yankee fan who complains about a team with the 2nd best record in the AL. But SU has watched enough games this year and since Bellinger is now down to go along with Stanton and Judge, they have zero offense. Worse than that: Ben Rice is the only player worth watching come to the plate. Seriously, who else might actually put the ball in play for a hit? What is extra frustrating is that their starting pitching is excellent and their bullpen has somehow pieced it together even though they need at least one or two quality relievers. The AL is there for the taking this year.

SU is not familiar with Garcia but he can hit from what I see. Goldschmidt will be the odd man out as he plays first base but this lineup is so anemic right now. Bellinger is out until mid-September and Stanton may get hurt walking to the bathroom tomorrow. Not clear Judge even returns this year. Jasson Dominguez has been such a disappointment. Seems like a good kid but he has 15 RBIs for the season. And cannot play the outfield. SU says his shortcomings on defense are appalling as they have had him in their system since he was 16. He still throws to the wrong base.

SU gives Cashman credit for developing Rice, Spencer Jones (he shows signs and is athletic) and Schlittler (and Judge) but Volpe is now a bust and the rest of the lineup all came from other places. He has until 6 pm today to add pieces to the bullpen and maybe get a right handed hitting catcher. We know the prospects are always overrated so other than Lombard, figure anyone is expendable.

Luis Arraez just got traded to the Phillies. Always hits .300. And always gets traded. SU is clearly not up on the most important analytics but I still can do the eye test. You can put a .300 hitter on my team – thank you very much.

Right now, they are unwatchable. Strike out at an alarming rate. SU does not blame Boone as he does not have the players who can hit. Boone will continue to make questionable decisions regarding relievers but this season is not on him. How is it that the Dodgers farm system is so stacked?

The net result is that SU, a lifelong Yankee fan, cares less. They have worn me down. Boston is going to pass them soon enough and losing in the wild card round is not acceptable for this team. Starting pitching is just so good – it’s crazy they are this lame offensively.