While the Knicks’ season ended last night, the future is potentially bright for this team, and they are definitely trending in the right direction. A few points:

1. This team plays hard. There is a grittiness to them.
2. Jalen Brunson had a coming out party against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. He showed that he is an elite point guard, and if they can put some real shooters around him, then you have something special. Last night, he was all 1-on-1 but that was how they run their offense.
3. Get rid of the 1-on-1 offense next season. Julius Randle is Carmelo Redux. Jab step, jab step, pass the ball with 3 seconds on the shot clock. That is not the NBA anymore. The best teams are up tempo – the Knicks need to do that. Clearly, the Quickley injury was huge plus Thibodeau had put Rose and Fournier in moth balls so the roster was extra short.
4. Try and trade Randle. He is a solid player but his attitude seems to be up and down, and he is a ball stopper deluxe.

SU is back on the Knicks’ band wagon after a 20-year hiatus. Good times ahead.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are out. This year’s team just could not win on the road all year. James Wiseman never developed as expected, and they could have used a mobile big man vs. the Lakers. Jordan Poole is a mess and SU wonders if they may trade him in the off season. He is still fun to watch on offense but needs to learn to play defense. Klay Thompson shot them out of this series and Draymond Green can be a free agent soon. The Warriors’ GM is also a free agent. An interesting team to watch in the off-season.

The Yankees showed some fight last night coming back a couple of times late vs. Tampa Bay. SU says you can point to the injuries to explain their current last place position but even when fully healthy, they need more. The Frankie Montas trade was such a killer last summer. JP Sears on Oakland is a really good pitcher and had showed flashes for the Yankees last year. At this point, I think we can all agree that the Yankees over-hype their minor league prospects. Volpe is the real deal but others just never fully develop. Michael Kay pointed out that Tampa Bay has feasted on the bottom feeder teams so far while the Yankees have played few of them. Perhaps true but the Rays still beat up on them and the Yankees will continue to struggle to score runs all year. Josh Donaldson is closer to returning but is that a good thing?

SU heard last night that in 2022, 51% of all MLB pitchers spent time on the IL during the season. That is pretty amazing. Pitching is not a natural motion and pitching in the high 90’s must be even more unnatural. One wonders if there is a trade-off of speed for health?

The Mets have also underachieved but they have even more injuries than the Yankees. SU will reserve judgment until they are closer to a full roster. I still believe their long-term prospects this year are better than for the Yankees.

SIxers – Celtics game 7 will be a fun watch. These two teams are hard to predict. You have to give LeBron credit to play at such a high level given his age. The Lakers play hard on defense. Denver is really good though – have to give them the nod to make it to the finals. Miami will lose quickly to either the Sixers or the Celtics.

You can’t say no one told you this was coming. SU was on the case a week ago as the Yankees embarked on that road trip. Going 2 – 5 puts them into a tie for last place in the competitive AL East. And it is not going to get any better. Aaron Boone is juggling the same lame group of hitters each game but really, it does not matter where anyone hits in the lineup.

Yes, you can blame it on injuries but every team is dealing with its share of injuries. SU says given that Stanton only plays 40% of the time anyway, you have to anticipate that he will be out for half the season. Just feels like the team missed the boat here on offense. Jake Bauers came up and played half an inning before crashing into the left field wall making a great catch. SU is hoping he will make an appearance. Seriously, even if he is only 80%, worth throwing him out there.

Bottom line: there are more exciting things to watch now on the sports front starting with game 7 Rangers – Devils tonight. See? SU is all over hockey.

Where do you rank the Bruins’ game 7 loss in the first round after setting an all-time regular season record for wins and points? It has to be way up there. The reality is that there is extra pressure when you have that once in a lifetime regular season record. Remember the Yankees in 1998? Down 1 – 2 to Cleveland in the playoffs – that was major pressure. El Duque responded and set things back on track but a team carries extra weight in those instances.

Miguel Andujar got called up to the Pirates on Saturday and promptly went 4 -5 in a doubleheader with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Good for him. Hoping he can stick with the hot Pirates.

The Warriors – Kings’ series was a great playoff opener. Fast pace, high scoring. Golden State needed Steph Curry to bail them out in game 7 with 50 points but you can’t expect him to do that at his age vs. the Lakers. While the Knicks went down in game 1, SU sees that series going 7 games. But on offense, they need to stop with all of the 1 on 1 stuff and get back to moving the ball. They are much better in transition. SU fully expects them to rebound in game 2 – especially if Jimmy Butler is dealing with a sprained ankle.

Just saw that the Mets hit Ronald Acuna Jr. on the Braves in game 2 of their doubleheader after the Braves’ pitchers hit 3 Met batters in game 1. Buck Showalter style ball. No more big hugs and yukking it up at 1st base. Good for the rivalry.

It has taken SU many, many years to get back on the Knicks’ bandwagon. I left once Isiah Thomas took over and briefly returned during the Linsanity era (I think that was 3 weeks) but the Melo dynasty was too much to take (jab step, jab step, jab step and everyone else stand around).

But this version is very appealing to watch. The Knicks play hard every night – on both offense and defense. They have a likeable group of players although Julius Randle is borderline for SU. And when Randle is out resting, they push the ball and let their athleticism take over. Josh Hart has been a huge addition – that guy hustles, plays tough defense and looks to push the ball at every opportunity. For SU, there is nothing worse than a team that walks the ball up the court and barely crosses mid-court in 8 seconds. What is the point of that? Today’s NBA with all of the rules on defense and how teams play is built for a high tempo offense. Just watch the Warriors and the Kings – they get it.

Next up for the Knicks is Miami. Somehow, Milwaukee once again choked away a big 4th quarter lead last night and the Heat advance. The Knicks have home court advantage for this series and MSG is a difference maker this year. Very intimidating to the opposition. Hopefully, Randle’s latest ankle injury is not as severe and he can return. They are already down Grimes in the starting lineup and do lack some depth. Clearly, the need is to find a way to contain Jimmy Butler and make others beat you. This should be a fun series.

Management needs to sign Josh Hart to a contract in the off season.

SU is back on the Knicks’ bandwagon. Just please keep Isiah Thomas away from Mr. Dolan.

I know: 13-9 is a good record for April, and it projects to a 96-win season. Most teams would sign up for that in March. SU has watched its share of games and has a good feel for the team. Consider:

1. 16 of the 22 games that the Yankees have played have been at home. They are not as good on the road as we know.
2. Like many teams, they have their share of injuries – especially to the starting pitchers. Schmidt was much better yesterday which apparently is very important as Rodon is not near making his return. Nor is Severino. Donaldson is on the IL although SU does not consider that to be a loss. The Stanton injury is more significant as he will likely get hurt again later in the year. Bader may be back in a week or so which will help a lot.
3. The Yankees are something like 23rd in MLB in runs scored. If you watch them, they don’t hit in the clutch (continuing a 10-year run) and don’t even put that many runners on the bases. They are playing 3 rookies now and you have to get through their growing pains phase. But the big bats are not exactly producing so far. Judge’s monster season in 2022 covered up some other shortcomings that are still short this year.
4. The more balanced schedule is a good thing for 2023 as the AL East is very good.

The positives are the faster games. So, in those games where they are not hitting, they end pretty quickly. SU says keep an eye on the team over the next couple of weeks with more road games and Tampa Bay looming on the schedule. The current record may move closer to .500 very quickly.

SU is officially on the Knicks’ bandwagon. They are playing an exciting brand of basketball. Yesterday, you had to give Tom Thibodeau credit for keeping Julius Randle on the bench for the whole 4th quarter as Toppin was playing very well and Randle’s head was not in the game. SU is not a fan of walking the ball up the court and waiting until 8 seconds are left to run a play. You get the lead by pushing the ball and moving it on offense. Cleveland is going to figure out how to stymie those late play calls on the shot clock.

The best series is Golden State vs. Sacramento. Both teams look to push the ball, and scores in the 120s are fun games to watch. Steph Curry almost blew the game yesterday calling a timeout when they didn’t have any which results in a technical foul and loss of possession. He then shot with 10 seconds left instead of running the clock down. The Warriors were lucky to escape with the win. Sacramento is really good and well-coached. If they advance, no one in the West is going to want to play them.

What is going on in the NBA playoffs with all of the cheap shots, i.e., stomps on the chest, kicks or punches to the groin? Dillon Brooks on the Memphis Grizzlies takes it to another level. Of course, he has been an a-hole going back to his days at Oregon in college. SU says it is a way for a marginal player (which he is) to stick around in the NBA. Does every team need an “enforcer?” The Detroit Pistons had more than one back in the 1990s but for SU, it’s stupid. Just play. Much prefer to seeing highly skilled players do their thing vs. the antics of a Draymond Green, etc. The NBA is going to have to figure this one out – and soon – as their star players are even in the mix now (Harden, Embiid). Not a good look.

The energy at MSG on Friday night for the Knick game was off the charts. The Garden has the best home court advantage in the NBA, and we will see if the Knicks can bring the same energy to game 4 today. The momentum swings in NBA playoff games is crazy – you cannot expect one performance to carry over to the next. Loved seeing Duncan Robinson finally getting some minutes and producing for Miami.

SU was reading up on the Max Scherzer suspension for “sticky stuff” on his hands and glove. Initially, I was thinking he was getting a raw deal but apparently the MLB rules are very clear on rosin in your glove and coming from places other than the rosin bag on the mound. I do agree with Scherzer that the rule should be changed, as you don’t want umpires making subjective judgments at the ballpark based on their sense of stickiness on hands. Scherzer will now have to adapt as the Mets really need him with all of the injuries to starting pitchers. In case you have not been watching, the Mets are killing it on the West Coast this week. If they can ever get completely healthy, watch out.

SU is aware that I am one of the few people watching the Tennis Channel these days but the men’s tour has so many great young players right now. Nadal and Djokovic can’t stay healthy and you have to figure this is the year that we see the changing of the guard in the Majors. Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune are the youngest up and comers but there are also plenty of mid-20s players as well. Djokovic is the victim of not getting vaccinated and then making his return on heavy, wet, slow clay which has damaged his elbow. It’s unclear if he can recover in time for a run at the French Open and Nadal is not even playing right now.

Wow, the NFL just suspended several players for a year for betting on non-NFL games. Apparently, you can do that but not from an NFL training facility or the stadium. Seems like an odd rule considering how the League promotes all of these betting sites?

Finally, as mentioned by others on this blog, the NHL playoffs are certainly dramatic and exciting. SU has tuned in – a bit – to some of the Rangers-Devils games, and the pace is off the charts. Even the mighty Bruins dropped a game in the first round.

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.

Whoa, just read that the NY Mets already have 9 pitchers on the IL and it’s only early April. Apparently, they have the oldest starting rotation in baseball combined with a bullpen with a history of injuries. Sounds like the perfect storm at the moment. As we know, injuries usually crop up as the season unfolds but it looks like the Mets beat the rush for this year. This will be something to watch as they try and navigate the early months of the season.

The Yankees are off to a decent start at 3 – 2, although for SU, the all-right handed lineup is still an issue. Last night, they had IKF in center field and Aaron Hicks getting another start in left field. Hicks was the only left-handed bat in the lineup as Rizzo was sitting. The Phillies started a left-handed pitcher but he was basically untouchable. Hicks was lustily booed with each out and you have to feel badly for the guy. It’s almost like the fans are rooting for him to fail now. No doubt, he is anxiously awaiting some road games.

SU is struggling with my Yankees’ rooting interest. Actually turned off the game last night after 7 innings as you knew they would not come back. I am not sure what the issue is at this point. I like the faster pace of play as in I love the faster pace of play. What an improvement! The ball/strike calls are pretty bad but players seem to not be arguing too much so far. SU may have to ease into the season and find a favorite player on the team to root for. Volpe is the easy one but I usually prefer a fringe player.

Props to Caitlin Clark who took the high road yesterday and had only nice things to say about LSU’s Angel Reese. Smart move. They will both be on the US Olympic team together soon enough and Clark is also a trash talker. She gets it and this should be the end of it now.

The NBA playoffs will soon be upon us. Are the Knicks better without Randle? The ball seems to move a lot more. He can get hot and dominate a game but the team’s level of play has not dropped off with his absence. They are a good watch this year. The NBA Western Conference is crazy close for the play-in games. It’s great to see teams have to try right down to the end of the regular season vs. tanking (there are still plenty of those).

Thoughts on the new baseball rules?

I know I am old school. SU always liked the way NFL running backs crossed the goal line and just dropped the ball behind them – like they had been there before. Today it’s all about your special dance and routine with teammates. OK, that is actually entertaining and fun – it’s an internal team celebration. Have your fun – no problem.

We see it in the NBA every night. Even Steph Curry, one of the all-time greats, does the “put the baby to sleep gesture” with a big shot late in games to put one out of reach. SU is not a fan but hey, it’s entertainment I guess. Respect your opponent. It’s why SU is a big fan of this generation in men’s tennis. The greats – Djokovic, Nadal, Federer – always have a warm embrace at the net after a hard-fought 4 – 5 hour match. It also makes the other players behave similarly – for the most part. I know not everyone likes that but for SU, it’s a good thing and younger players see it as well.

But compare that to what we saw over the weekend in the women’s NCAA Final Four. Everyone is on the Caitlin Clark bandwagon – I get that. She is Pete Maravich reincarnated. Scoring 40+ points a game and setting up her teammates. Fun to watch? Sure, it’s different and when you look at her Iowa teammates, you understand why she plays that way. She needs to do all that for them to win. She has skills…. and attitude. No problem – it makes her great. SU is not a fan of the trash talking but you can do that on the court and most fans are not picking up on that. Larry Bird was a master of doing that. SU does not like the post-game hand gestures – either by the LSU player yesterday or Clark in one of the prior games. If you win the game, let it go and win with class. And if you lost, well you should not do anything but say “good game.” Move on.

Of course, the officiating in the women’s finals – and the semi-finals – was horrible. If you watch women’s college games – and SU does watch most of the UConn women’s games – the officiating is consistently bad. It generally ranges from bad to really, really bad. The NCAA needs to look at this and find a way to upgrade the talent. Clark does not get the calls other players do who are taking 25+ shots a game. And the pushing and grabbing under the basket by the big teams like South Carolina and LSU does not get called. So many over-the-back plays that are not called on rebounds. The refs struggled to control the game yesterday. SU knows it’s not easy to ref a game but let’s do better.

SU cannot root for Kim Mulkey at LSU. She is homophobic (https://fanbuzz.com/college-basketball/ncaa-sec/kim-mulkey-homophobic-history/) and her constant shrieking, stomping and screaming on the sidelines is nuts. How she does not get a technical foul every game is beyond me. She is the NCAA women’s version of Tom Izzo who also is never teed up.

A lot of noise around South Carolina and how they play. SU says they dare you to call the fouls. Their style of play would make Pat Riley’s 1990s version of the Knicks proud. Grab and hold on every play and dare the refs to call the fouls. It is actually smart as the refs won’t do it. But not fun to watch as the teams that play with fluidity can’t run their plays.

SU is loving the new baseball rules. Yankee games under 3 hours! Amazing. Now, they are striking out at an alarming rate but we are used to that from seasons past. At least strike out quickly. Aaron Hicks has already gone public with his unhappiness about playing time – claiming “he doesn’t know what his role is.” SU cannot blame him as IKF started in center field yesterday (a converted infielder). Now, SU is no Hicks’ fan and he should be traded if possible but one does wonder what the plan is for him. The Yankees under Boone rarely have anything like this as Boone keeps things in the clubhouse.

Finally, the UConn men’s team has had some run – all double digit wins. San Diego State has a puncher’s chance tonight but hard to see that happening. Teams are already retooling via the transfer portal. It’s like the wild, wild west of free agency in college hoops. For SU, not a fan but it can make your team get a lot better really fast.

March 30th for baseball’s opening day? OK, you are taking some risks there and in NY the thermometer will be struggling to hit 40 degrees. But not a problem for the fans watching on TV. SU says play ball! I do worry about Giancarlo Stanton running to first or playing the outfield in the cold weather. He may need a designated runner to run out ground balls into the shift to avoid injury.

SU was surprised that Michael Kay is picking the Yankees to win the World Series this year. He must be seeing something that I don’t as in MRIs of all of the pitchers who are on the IL. If you think about the Yankees (let’s do that), they had a torrid first half of the season in 2022 and then limped to the finish line in August and September. Which team shows up in 2023? Will the new rules about the shift make an impact for this team which is committed to pulling everything? Or maybe there is a new approach to hitting this year? (Nah).

SU read that some teams will look to put their left fielders into short right field to replicate the shift of years past against the left-handed hitters. Apparently, that is still allowed. That would be very cool. As a left-handed hitter, there is no one in left field at all. I still believe the batters would not try and adjust. The word is MLB will look to outlaw that option mid-season. Something to keep an eye on.

SU will come out with the post-season predictions soon but I do feel this is the year of the Met. This is their year and they have an owner who will do what is necessary at the mid-year trade deadline. The Yankees will be in the mix of course in the AL but it’s hard to see the pitching holding up. It feels like the minor league prospects were used up last year to get Frankie Montas (blechh) and they will pay the price in 2023. Volpe will be fun to watch and we will see the other youngsters get playing time. Gleyber Torres will be dealt at some point to free up room for Peraza.

SU likes that there are so many games on tap today (all 30 Clubs are actually playing) and some great pitching match-ups. You have to figure Cole will miss the Spider-tac in the cold weather today and won’t make it past the 4th inning on pitch count. But who cares? Good times ahead!

SU is back from some badly needed down time in Aruba but has been keeping tabs on the NCAAs and other developments in the sports world. The SU NCAA bracket was especially lame this year, and I have no teams making it to the Final Four. Now, all was not lost here. I was correct about the Big Ten as only Michigan State even made it to the Sweet Sixteen. A mediocre conference was exposed.

There have been some great games and SU is trying to process if having so many upsets and lesser name teams advancing to the Final Four is a good thing. I would have to say it’s a good thing and a net positive but are you going to be glued to your TV on Saturday night to watch San Diego State play FAU? Not sure about that one. UConn has been the most impressive team in the tournament winning all of their games by double digits. Texas was right there but got into the bonus so early in the 2nd half and that seemed to stop their momentum vs. Miami. The Miami vs. UConn game is a good match-up.

What is interesting in college basketball is how the transfer portal can make a team competitive overnight. Kansas State had a team with players who all started their careers somewhere else. It’s like having unlimited free agency. Somewhere out there getting a college degree is important but it is hard to see at this point in college hoops. Bottom line: college basketball is still tremendous fun and this tournament is a hoot to watch.

For SU, the key takeaway from this NCAA Tournament is that you have to have players that can shoot. I know that is an obvious statement but there are so many teams that are firing up 3-pointers and when you watch the shooter’s form and the rotation of the ball in the air, well… that is not how you do it.

Our thoughts now turn to the start of the baseball season, and SU was impressed and quite frankly surprised that the Yankees are taking Anthony Volpe with them to NY and making him the starting shortstop. He clearly earned it but most teams want to have the extra year of control and would wait until June or so to bring up a future star like Volpe. He earned the job and belongs in the lead-off spot in front of Judge. Now, that will not happen as they will want DJ LeMahieu at the top of the order, and it’s likely Volpe will hit 9th to take some of the pressure off for the start of the season. However, assuming he hits, it’s just a matter of time before he becomes a fixture at the top of the order.

The Yankees are badly in need of starting pitchers and if any of you have a son out there who can throw, well Brian Cashman is likely interested. Severino is the latest casualty. The Frankie Montas trade last season is the killer as the Yankees gave up a couple of their top starters in the minor leagues. The thinking is that they will have to trade a couple of the youngsters in the minor leagues or even Gleyber Torres for a starting pitcher early in the season. SU says that will not happen. Cashman will look to piece it together and wait to see if Severino and even Rodon can get healthy over the next few months.

Josh Donaldson looks fitter and thinner – at least on TV. SU will wait until mid-April before calling for one of the youngsters to replace him at 3rd base. Got to give him a shot. Aaron Hicks does not look thinner but we will give him until the end of the month before we get frustrated. The hope here is for all of the youngsters (Cabrera and Peraza) to get regular time in the lineup before too long. No doubt injuries will allow that to happen as it does every season.

For 2023, the Mets are the team to beat in NY. More to come later in the week with our annual, fearless MLB predictions, but this is the year of the Met.