Josh Donaldson may not know it yet but his days as a Yankees are counting down to zero. Look, what he said about Tim Anderson was overblown and was not so terrible. SU gives him a pass on that. Donaldson is a career instigator and has rubbed people the wrong way on many MLB Clubs. No doubt Hal Steinbrenner and Cashman were not happy but he apologized and we move on. SU says the problem now is that he went public with a complaint that his Yankee teammates did not have his back. That shows he is tone deaf to the whole incident, and that he put his Black teammates in an awkward position. Rumor has it that Judge spoke to him directly about it and that should have been the end of it. By speaking to the media now, that will be a bridge too far for the Steinbrenners. Unless he returns to the field and starts hitting home runs galore, SU says he will be gone by early July. The Yankees run a corporate operation and do not like controversy, tattoos, long hair, facial hair, etc. LeMaihieu can play 3rd base just fine. Let’s watch how this plays out in the weeks ahead.

SU did not watch the entire NBA playoff game last night but I did follow along in the 1st quarter. It looked like Steph Curry was red hot and determined to get his points. I believe 21 at the end of the 1st quarter. The problem is that your teammates are unable to get into the flow – especially coming off a week layoff. SU says a better approach is to get everyone going early as that will pay dividends the rest of the game for the team. Boston went nuts in the 4th quarter and credit to them for making shots and stealing game 1. I saw some of the physical defense from the Celtics that I thought they would do. It’s basically we are going to grab and hold on every play and dare the refs to call all of the fouls. It makes it harder to run and cut for Golden State, and of course, for the viewer, it mucks up the game a la the 1990s version of the Knicks. We will see how this plays out. The refs end up not calling the fouls. But it’s the playoffs and Golden State will need to adjust in game 2.

Great match between Nadal and Djokovic the other night in Paris. Nadal was locked in and hit an amazing number of lines. Djokovic had his shot serving for the 4th set but fell short. Amazing stat at the French Open: when Nadal is receiving and wins the first point of the game, he breaks serve 66% of the time. Not too shabby and a lot of pressure on the server. Zverev is up as the next victim in today’s semi-finals. He beat Alcaraz in the quarters which was a huge win for him as Zverev tends to choke in the major tournaments. SU says keep an eye on the score today as he is playing with house money and no one thinks he can beat Nadal. Unlikely but he has a puncher’s’ chance to pull the upset.

Finally, can we please pull the plug on Joey Gallo? Surely, there is some outfielder out there who can play better than this. He’s not a bad guy and goes about his business. But he has said that he will not change his hitting style so it is what it is. And that is a sub-.200 average with home runs (occasionally), a lot of strike outs and some walks. The shifts against him are ridiculous but he won’t adjust. If you are going to keep and play Aaron Hicks, you don’t have the luxury of keeping and playing Gallo too.

There is the old adage in sports of “next man up” when a team is faced with injuries to key players. We have seen this play out for the past couple of weeks with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and of course, your NY Yankees. Guys get hurt – it’s part of sports – and you hopefully have a deep bench to step in. The Celtics have been without Marcus Smart and Al Horford for key playoff games but have persevered into the NBA finals. They are a dangerous team and SU says a good match-up with the Golden State Warriors. This will be a fun series.

SU was rooting for the Miami Heat and found it interesting how Erik Spoelstra managed his roster and bench in the last two games. The rotation is certainly shortened in the playoffs vs. the regular season and you wonder if coaches ever have 2nd thoughts about who they played once the series or season is over. SU was disappointed that Duncan Robinson was almost completely taken out of the rotation for the playoffs over concerns that he was a liability on defense. You wonder what his prospects are going forward and the loss of confidence? I guess getting paid $18 million a year softens the blow.

And then we have the Yankees. SU has been warning for weeks that the offense is tenuous at best given how Judge and Stanton have carried the team. Stanton is now on the IL with a strained calf and who knows if that becomes a season long concern? Will they no longer even put him in the outfield? Donaldson is on the IL with a shoulder issue but truth be told, he has done little on offense this season. SU says the big concern is the outfield as you are doing to see Hicks and Gallo playing A LOT. Hicks is in an awful slump with RISP and look, we all see it. He has zero chance of getting a hit from the left side. He should no longer bat left-handed – you have to platoon him. Teams do the extreme shift and that just causes him to swing even harder into the shift. Yesterday, with 2 strikes, they put an infielder in the outfield and left the entire left side of the infield open. Hicks is at best a .230 hitter and should only bat right-handed from now on. Let him platoon with Andujar who has shown signs of life.

Gallo just needs to be designated for assignment. Cashman has made some good pick-ups in the bullpen and with the starting pitchers but Gallo was a mistake. Not a NY guy. He is now batting 9th and that is even too high in the order. SU notes that the Yankees do not seem to have any minor league outfielders who are ready for prime time. Florial got a shot but went hitless. Matt Carpenter is the DH fill-in and has looked OK. If Greg Bird was not the king of missed opportunities, he would have been a candidate but he has not shined as of yet in Scranton.

Loaisiga is hurt yet again and Chapman is also on the IL which is a relief. Cashman will go with a closer by committee when Chapman returns. Holmes is better this year but if a team keeps winning, you really need more than one closer. The Yankees are being carried by the starting pitchers but that won’t last. Someone will get hurt – they always do on the Yankees.

Bottom line: great to have a cushion and to be in 1st place obviously. But Cashman needs to look for mid-year talent for the offense if they are going to make a deep playoff run in 2022.

Finally, you may want to check out the French Open quarterfinals this week. Djokovic vs. Nadal, and this kid Alcaraz is the real deal. Interestingly, for the Nadal-Djokovic match, it may come down to when the match is played. A day time match favors Nadal and a higher bouncing ball in warm conditions. A night match favors Djokovic in slower conditions. Alcaraz has played more night matches than the others and wants a day time match. Amazon Prime is broadcasting the night matches apparently and they will surely want Nadal – Djokovic. Apparently, in the majors, the players submit their requests for when they want to play their matches in the late rounds. Interesting. SU says they will give the nod to Nadal for day-time given his career record.

And finally, finally, SU is not a fan of the MLB games being played on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. I mean how are you supposed to flip around to the different channels? Btw, if you follow along on mlb.com, there is about a 45-second to 1 -minute delay on Amazon for the game action. You may or may not want to try that.

In case you missed it yesterday, Josh Donaldson on the Yankees continued his recent issues with Tim Anderson on the White Sox by calling him “Jackie” yesterday when their paths crossed near 2nd base. In their last series about a week or so ago, Donaldson put a hard tag on Anderson at 3rd base and the two of them had words then.

Anderson is one of the most out-spoken Black players in MLB, and does want to be viewed as a leader within Baseball as he expressed in a Sports Illustrated article back in 2019. He always has a lot to say, reacts strongly to a lot of things, and is clearly the team leader of the White Sox. Donaldson has played for many teams and brings along his own baggage. Certainly not the type of player the Yankees look to put on their roster going back about 15 years under Cashman.

SU’s take: he was trying to engage with Anderson near 2nd base and smooth things over from what had happened last series. Apparently, he has jokingly called him “Jackie” since that article came out over the past few years. Anderson was having none of that yesterday and reacted. Things escalated from there. I don’t know if Donaldson is a racist or not. But to me, this is an easily resolved matter. Today, before the game, Donaldson and Anderson should get together – either under the stands or even on the field – and talk it out man to man. Donaldson said he would apologize yesterday – just put it to rest. The problem is that the Yankee Bleacher Creatures are going to start chanting “Jackie, Jackie” today when Anderson comes to bat or makes a play in the field, and that will not be a good look for the Yankees or baseball. You also wonder if the Yankees will try and hit Anderson or if the White Sox will hit Donaldson.

Communication is supposed to be Aaron Boone’s strength. Well, this is his moment to get with Donaldson and LaRussa and calm things down. Whatever Donaldson’s intentions, he has a chance to set things right and turn a bad moment into a teachable moment. As always, interested to hear others’ thoughts. And please keep it civil.

The French Open starts today and in the same half of the men’s draw you have Alcaraz, Nadal and Djokovic. Djokovic and Nadal would play each other in the quarterfinals. It’s likely that for either Djokovic or Nadal to win, they would have to beat the other plus Alcaraz and then likely Tsitsipas in the other half of the draw in the finals. A lot to do. Tennis should find another way to do the draws. This seems very lopsided.

This year, we have been treated to several game 7s in the early rounds of both the NHL and NBA playoffs. It’s interesting to see how teams respond – especially the favored teams in their respective series. Phoenix had the NBA’s best record this year and was oh, so close to winning it all last season. But they had a historically awful performance Sunday night – trailing by 45 points at one point in the 2nd half. SU says they will not recover from this with the current roster. Now it’s true that Devin Booker had a hamstring injury that no doubt hampered him in the series. My take is that teams that barely fall short the previous season have a hard time winning it all the next season. For some reason, it does not usually work out. No doubt they were feeling the pressure as the Pelicans extended them in the first round more than expected.

And then we have the NY Rangers. Long-time subscriber, M. Levine, has offered his services to provide commentary on the Rangers this post-season and he weighs in here:

Hockey people I trust thought the Rangers were 50-50 to make the playoffs, so finishing where they did was a real accomplishment, and coming back from 3-1 down against a really good team took it to another level. They are probably the weakest of the 4 teams remaining in their conference, and may even be the weakest of all 8 remaining. That being said, this is the NHL, where upsets can happen, and this team has three things on their side that all NHL teams need, and that should make them a tough out – tremendous team chemistry and character, as shown in the last series (down 3-1 in the series, down 2 goals in game 5, 2 goals in game 6, and down a goal with 6 minutes left in game 7); a big-time goalie, despite some shaky moments last series; and a great power play.

SU must admit that I watched more hockey the last 2 weeks than I have in the last 3 years. The Ranger games have been very exciting – good stuff. We will see if momentum carries over to the next series. Certainly belief will carry over if they fall behind on the road at the start of the series with Carolina.

The Yankees continue to thrive. Shades of 1998 for sure. SU continues to worry that either Judge or Stanton will get injured, as that will hurt. Joey Gallo has hit .300 the last few weeks – it’s hard to believe as I have watched my share of games and just cannot recall that many hits. He is either a walk, strikeout or a home run. Nothing in between. They are beating up on the lesser teams as they need to, and will have built a nice cushion once their schedule becomes more challenging in the Summer. SU says enjoy the ride while it lasts. Btw, Aroldis Chapman may not be the official closer the rest of the season. He is no longer a sure thing as he cannot locate his fastball for a strike anymore.

Interesting note (but only to a few people): Michigan will have a player on the NBA championship team this season. Jordan Poole may be the only one who actually steps on the court (vs. Stauskus on the Celtics, Duncan Robinson on the Heat, and Trey Burke on Dallas), but it is still a nice achievement for a college team.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

OK, it’s still only April, but when you check the MLB standings this morning, you find that the Yankees and Mets have the best records in their respective Leagues. One assessment is to say, “it’s early but hey, better than the alternative.” Another is to say, “hell yes, these are the top 2 teams in baseball!”

SU says the answer is found in who they have played so far. For the Yankees, other than a couple of series at home against the Red Sox and the Blue Jays, they have played the worst teams in the AL. Beating up on Baltimore, Detroit and Cleveland is what good teams are supposed to do, and truth be told, the offense is finally coming alive. The pitching has been consistently solid and the offense is showing signs of life the last week or so beating up on the Guardians and the O’s. SU says good progress but we really need to see how they perform against the better teams. But much more entertaining the last week. The answer is TBD.

Now, the Mets, aside from getting hit by pitches almost every game, are a legitimate top tier team in the NL. Their line up is balanced and they put the ball in play. They played the SF Giants tough last week which was a great sign, and got the better of the Cardinals. The Mets are contenders this year. They need their star pitchers to be around in September but they are the better team in NY.

Have you noticed how much trouble pitchers have had lately controlling pitches? A combination of dry weather, cold temperatures and even wind seems to make it hard to grip the ball for breaking pitches. SU read an article that pitchers are highly critical of MLB for not finding a solution to the gripping issue now that Spider Tac has been outlawed. The hitters are nervous as the pitchers don’t know where the ball is going. SU says you should not need a rocket scientist to figure this out. Talk to the pitchers and figure out a solution (for a suitable solution to rub on your hands). Get it done.

The Nets are history. Thank goodness. Kyrie has already said that he will be working with ownership and the GM to rework the roster. Really? That is what you want? He’s a great player but toxic. Like last off-season, the Nets will have to find veteran players who want to take less money to play with Durant. Not sure they want to play with Kyrie. The problem is that these guys can’t stay healthy and that is why they are available.

There will be some really good 2nd round NBA playoff series. Bucks and Celtics is likely the best one. But a Golden State – Memphis series would be must see TV.

SU dozed off for most of the NFL draft but seemed to be a lot of trading action after the first 10 picks. Early signs that both the Jets and Giants did well but SU would like to hear from the experts on that front. It’s interesting to see how the NFL embraces Las Vegas now when just a few years ago, that was not a destination due to sports betting concerns. Different day now and Vegas is a hub. It’s probably just a matter of time before there are MLB and NBA teams there as well.

Finally, SU does not like the Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarussian players. I get it that a Russian team in the Olympics or some other world championship, e.g., World Cup, should not be allowed to compete. But banning individual players in tennis or golf is not right. I would not be surprised to see that decision reversed before the tournament.

SU has seen enough of the Yankees this season. They are really not suitable for prime time, real-time viewing. Think of the bad habits that youngsters are learning by watching these games? Hitting into the shift, ignoring the shifts, having no game plan when hitting with runners in scoring position, playing as if you don’t care, not signing $210 million contracts. It’s a long list. SU says broadcast the games starting at 11 pm and cut out the parts that are unwatchable. This will result in a 27-minute game.

SU “watched” the 4-hour affair last night. Between NBA playoff viewing and dozing off frequently, this is not a Major League product. Boone would be better off just fielding 9 relievers every game at each position. Those are their best players but it’s just a matter of time before they burn out having to pitch 6+ innings every game. Cole got through 5 outs last night with around 70 pitches and 5 walks. SU knows it’s cold in Detroit but hey, he used to pitch in Pittsburgh and this is baseball which schedules too many games in cold weather cities in April. Joey Gallo was 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts. Truth be told, he has hit a few balls hard this year with no luck but he is hitting into the shift. Judge is pressing – as predicted by not signing the big contract – and Hicks is now the best hitter in the lineup (enough said there).

The Mets are the best team in NY and just swept a very good Giants’ ‘team. And they are doing this without deGrom. They have hitters that put the ball in play. This is the year that NY fans point to when the Mets became the team to watch. Similar to the mid-1980s in New York.

Did you see how far the Orioles pushed back left field? I think it’s 398 feet now in the left-field power alley. Huge change and that park will play a lot bigger now. Someone let Gary Sanchez know before the Twins make an appearance there.

SU has been following Novak Djokovic’s play this year. He lost in the first round in Monte Carlo and tired badly in the 3rd set. He is now in Serbia playing in a tournament that he hosts and was seen screaming at his coach in practice. He is going to pay the price in 2022 for his dumb anti-vax stance. He wants to peak for the French Open but if he can’t win any matches and build up his stamina, well, that is not going to happen. This is what he will be remembered for when his career is done. Pretty amazing.

Check out Jordan Poole on the Golden State Warriors as he is becoming a star in his 3rd season. SU is on the record for saying he made a mistake to go pro after his sophomore year at Michigan but he was smart to watch and watch and watch Steph Curry and learn what he does. He has the same basic game and teams are hard-pressed to cover Curry, Klay Thompson and Poole when they are in together. Very entertaining to watch – constant movement, cutting to the basket, making the extra pass. Not your typical jab step offense — but we won’t go there.

SU only caught the end of last night’s Yankee game but I make the following observation. Michael Kay will often reference the nature of the shift but they rarely show how the fielders are positioned on TV. It’s interesting to see exactly what the hitter sees when he steps to the plate.

Case in point. In the 9th inning, Anthony Rizzo is up with one out and the Yankees down 2 runs. In this instance, they did show the shift. 4 outfielders, one infielder on the left side of the infield near 2nd base and the 2nd baseman playing softball style in short right field. So, what’s the objective if you are Rizzo? Um, get on base right? So, he bunted down the 3rd base line – perfect. Ball skipped past 3rd base into foul territory. Heady play to bring the tying run to the plate with Judge on deck.

When you go to a game in person, you see the shifts on every play. It is striking how much of the field the defense leaves open. And it is equally striking how most hitters – and I put that in the 99% category – ignore the shifts. SU knows it’s hard to hit a 98 mph fastball exactly where you want it but the opportunity is staring you in the face. It is very frustrating to watch the Yankee “sluggers” hit into the shift over and over again. Smart money says that if you go the other way, teams will alter their defensive strategy. I guess there isn’t much smart money in baseball these days.

The broadcasts should show the defense alignment more often. It really is interesting and amazingly frustrating for fans to observe how hitters attack it.

A lot of talk today about John Sterling’s inaccurate home run call with Stanton up and the team down 2 runs last night in the 8th inning. He went into his “It is high, it is far, it is GONE” call and naturally, the ball was caught on the warning track. Long-time Yankee fans are used to this. If you are ever listening in the car, you learn to wait – and listen to the crowd – as he can’t be trusted. SU actually doesn’t care anymore. He is 80-something years old and unlistenable. It’s better to follow on mlb.com on the phone and avoid the radiocast. And it’s nothing to do with age – this has been an issue for a long, long time.

Is Gerrit Cole still an ace? Or without Spider-tac, is he just another hard thrower? SU says it’s still just April and you have to give him some time to round into form. He’s a smart dude and will figure it out.

Should Kershaw been allowed to finish his perfect game yesterday? Temperatures in the mid-30s and only 80 pitchers through 7 innings. SU says it was the right decision to pull him. Even with Gary Sanchez probably coming up again which makes the job easier. This is a guy with a history of arm problems, and you can’t risk the whole season in early April with his track record. Sure, a perfect game is a big deal but we all remember Santana on the Mets who blew out his arm completing a no hitter. The Dodgers’ manager made the right call there.

As a veteran observer of the sports industry, SU knows that you need to let the baseball season unfold over a period of weeks. It is never a good idea to over-react to the early season games, and this is especially true for 2022 with the late spring training start and how pitchers are being coddled for their first few starts.

However, in Yankee Land, it’s never too early to panic and complain, so let’s get to that:

1. The team is even more unathletic than the 2021 version. I mean, who in that lineup can even steal a base? Or go from 1st to 3rd on a single? They are so slow.
2. SU does not understand what the attraction is with Aaron Hicks. Now, he’s a good guy, good presence in the clubhouse but he is a .230 hitter for his career, and he certainly has not cut down on his swing for 2022. The likelihood is that he will pull some muscle soon enough and go on the IL but he cannot be the answer long-term in centerfield.
3. Which brings us to predicting the over/under for when Cashman signs Brett Gardner to play the outfield. You know it’s coming. SU says May 15th.
4. SU worries about Aaron Judge. He passed on a very fair offer from the Yankees for $30.5 million a year for 7 years. He is 30, and rarely plays close to a full season. He will be 37 at the end of that contract offer (we did the math and checked it 3 times). That is a very good offer. He is now risking injury this season or a very down year which could hurt his long-term value for that next contract. If he gets off to a slow start, the pressure will build on him. Judge is a good guy (aside from the vaccine issue) but he is going to put a lot of pressure on himself to perform this season. Something to watch.
5. Bullpen looks good which it had better be given that the starters are going 3 innings. It sounds like Severino will be on an innings limit this year. German is still recuperating and will be a factor.
6. Bottom line: SU is not excited. This is the same team as last year basically, and while I have only watched a couple of games so far, I find myself moving over to Netflix or Apple TV for an hour (which equates to 2 innings). I need to see more.

Meanwhile, the better NY team, the Mets, could be undefeated at this point if their bullpen had not imploded in back-to-back games. They have the higher payroll in NY and a more interesting team. SU sees them as having a better season. The Mets are legitimate division contenders while the Yankees will once again compete for the wild card.

SU is strapping in for the NBA playoffs. I know it’s stretched out over too many weeks but always a lot of fun. We need the Nets and Sixers to either both lose early or face off against one another. Any team with Harden or Kyrie is impossible to root for for SU. Keep an eye on Golden State where if Curry can come back healthy, they have the pedigree to make a run in a tough conference. The Suns are dominant and the heavy favorite but the West has some quality teams.

OK, am I right about the Yankees? Any reason to get excited? Sure, they came back multiple times vs the Red Sox, but Boston is not even as good as Toronto.

After all of the upsets in the early rounds of the Tournament and the run by St. Peter’s, we are left with the usual blue blood teams in the Final Four. Now, true, North Carolina had a down year and was a lower seed but the others all fall in the #1 or #2 category. The last several games were all blowouts but we have had our share of entertainment. It looks like the St. Peter’s coach will be the new coach at Seton Hall for a lot more money and it’s his alma mater. Cannot blame him for that.

Interesting comment from Reggie Miller yesterday (remind me why he does any of these games??) about how great the college transfer portal was. Now, SU does agree that the students deserve a bit more flexibility to transfer the same way their coaches can but there was a player on Miami yesterday who had played at 5 different schools. The last time I checked the goal of college was to get an education. I am sure these guys are not transferring because one school has a better Political Science Department. SU is all for improving your chances for a pro career in the NBA but the reality is that 95% won’t ever get there. It seems very disruptive to me but I suppose it allows schools to quickly improve their rosters for a season.

Greg Bird lives. Apparently, after a “strong spring” (2 words not normally associated with Greg Bird), he is one of the few left-handed bats on Toronto and will be a DH / 1st base option for the Blue Jays. Still only 29 years old. SU will be rooting for him. Toronto is the popular pre-season pick to win it all this year.

The Yankees and Aaron Judge are close to a long-term deal. Surely, getting vaccinated NOW will be a requirement, right? There are 9 games in Toronto that he won’t be able to play in as things stand now. You want your $250 million? Get the shots. SU read that the Red Sox made Story get vaccinated before signing his $140 million deal.

SU rarely, rarely puts out a trivia question as I do not trust everyone to not google the answer (I mean no one would do that right?). But long-time subscriber M. Levine offers up this question: “Who is the only Kansas Men’s basketball coach to have a losing record in the school’s history?” Provide your response in the comments section first and have the enduring admiration of thousands around the world.

The AL East is a really good division aside from the Orioles.

Did you know that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ payroll of something like $35 million is lower than Max Scherzer’s salary in 2022 which is in the ballpark of $44 million? SU thought that was interesting – and not a good look for baseball.