To be clear, not talking here about trying to get Aaron Judge vaccinated. It is time for SU to unveil its 2022 March Madness predictions. Full disclosure: SU is not good at this. I know – hard to believe. And it’s not because I don’t watch a lot of college basketball – I do – and especially the Big Ten games. Here are some things to think about as you finalize your brackets:

1. The Big Ten – while having a lot of teams in the tournament – is mediocre this year. They beat up on each other for the past 3 months but the difference across the top 9 teams is not that great. I do not see any of them emerging as an Elite 8 or Final 4 team. Sweet 16 at best for any of them.
2. Duke is getting a lot of love from the sports betters. Coach K’s final year and all that. SU does not see it. But they will win the games that they are supposed to win before falling to Gonzaga in the Regional finals.
3. Watch out for St. Mary’s. They beat Gonzaga this year and they are good. The game with UCLA will be very interesting in the round of 32, and SU sees St. Mary’s coming out on top and actually making it to the Regional Finals.
4. Kentucky is stacked. They could definitely win it all this year and SU has them in the Final Four.
5. SU’s true dark horse team this year is Providence. I think they are going to make it to the Final Four. Look, you have to pick some upsets and why not the Friars this year? The Midwest region is where you will see the most upsets with Auburn and Kansas losing early. Bill Self is not a good in-game coach at Kansas, and they have to win games by 10 or more to neutralize his decision-making. Great recruiter but not at his best during the games.
6. Many feel that it’s Gonzaga’s year as they return some seasoned players who almost won it all last year. They are certainly good and talented but SU sees Kentucky as a tad better in the Final 4 semis.

So, my Final Four is Kentucky, Gonzaga, Providence and Arizona. And then Arizona over Kentucky for the championship. Arizona plays at such a fast pace and has freakishly athletic players. SU saw them early in the year in Las Vegas as they pummeled Michigan and they just won the Pac-12 and the Pac-12 tournament. Peaking at the right time.

So, there you have it. Feel free to post your predictions and be recognized and admired if you win, and forgotten about if you are wrong. It’s your chance for fame and fortune (well, at least fame).

SU says enough is enough. Novak Djokovic is bad enough but now apparently there are some Yankee players who are unvaccinated and will not be allowed to play any home games in New York or road games in Canada. Do the math: that means 90 games off the calendar (81 home games plus 9 vs. Toronto plus not sure if there is a Subway Series this year which would mean even more) if circumstances do not change.

And now apparently we know that Aaron Judge is one of those players. SU says we will quickly find out how committed Judge is to his unvaccinated stance. Now, if Joey Gallo is unvaccinated, well, that’s OK.

But seriously: take one for the team. Actually, take one plus a booster for the team. No doubt we will learn who else is on the list. Not a good look.

Yankee fans say good bye to the Gary Sanchez Era. It started off great and has been in a steady decline for several years. A great hitter who showed power to all fields and then, for whatever reason and despite you have to assume prodding from coaches and his managers, he became a pull-only hitter. The result was a declining batting average, poorer stats and a tendency to not run hard to first base. Combined with many trips to the backstop to retrieve passed balls, well, it was time to move on. SU wishes him well in Minnesota where he will no doubt rejuvenate his career – at least offensively. SU is sure that his ranking among catchers for the past several years was actually high but he was so frustrating to watch. Best of luck.

Bringing in Josh Donaldson is curious to SU. He is everything the Yankees do not need: right-handed; aging; high strikeouts; high swing and miss; and plays about half a season at this point in his career due to injury. Plus he hates Gerrit Cole and the feeling is apparently mutual. OK, the last point can be overcome – it always is. SU surmises that the Twins insisted that the Yankees take Donaldson in order to acquire the shortstop who, full disclosure, I never heard of: Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Rest assured I will mis-spell his name weekly. But he, apparently, is a gold glove caliber infielder at shortstop and third base, and he will be the stopgap until the Yankees’ top prospect at shortstop is ready in a couple of years. Gio Urshela was a nice story but he has a ceiling and he hit that and is now past his peak (so they say). They also acquired a rookie catcher, also excellent defensively, who will platoon with Higashioka. That’s fine – you get better defensively.

SU has never liked Donaldson – swing and miss with a home run here and there. Donaldson will be the right-handed version of Joey Gallo – no doubt Boone will bat them back-to-back to ensure at least 4 innings a game have no chance for scoring. But you figure he will be injured at least half the season and it’s not my money. Rumor has it that the Yankees are the leaders in the trade market for Olsen on the A’s to play first base or they will re-sign Rizzo to play first. Luke Voit’s days have to be numbered. They would like to be in the market for Freddy Freeman but that seems unlikely. Btw, the trade with Oakland could actually be a blockbuster featuring other younger pieces and what would no doubt include Gleyber Torres going from the Yankees to the A’s along with other top prospects. Rizzo seems like the cheaper – and safer – move.

Keep an eye on Cashman. If he says the Yankees are done now, there will definitely be another move coming.

March Madness is starting this week and SU will be announcing its Final Four shortly. But sneak preview: Arizona will win it all. That team is freakishly athletic.

Naomi Osaka had another meltdown in Indian Wells over the weekend. Apparently, there was one fan heckling her and she could not cope with it. She is a great talent and fun to watch but she’s not in a good place right now emotionally and really needs an extended break to clear her head and decide what she wants. In sports, you are paid a lot of money to perform – it’s an entertainment business. The fans are fanatics, and they pay a lot of money to watch. Some are more passionate than others. Some are drunker than others. When Giancarlo Stanton strikes out at Yankee Stadium, he hears it from the crowd walking back to the dugout. When Djokovic plays Federer at Wimbledon, he hears it. You can fight it and find a way or you can let it get to you. SU sympathizes with Osaka but she is not experiencing anything worse than what these top athletes endure in tennis and other sports. She will have to decide what she wants and find her way. The world is not getting any kinder and gentler – that is for sure. You can see her walking away.

Thank goodness. Cooler heads have prevailed and we will have a baseball season. And some changes on tap: no more ghost runners on 2nd base for extra innings; no more 7-inning doubleheaders (I believe); no more National League DH (for me, about time but I know some purists on this distribution will disagree); pitch clock; and I am sure a few more changes I can’t recall. Looks like the shift will be a 2023 issue. SU is torn on that one. On the one hand, I hate watching hitters mindlessly hitting into the shift but on the other hand, just go the opposite way.

SU will ensure some extra cushion is in place on my Relax the Back chair for the 3.5 hour games and balls put in play every 4 minutes. But I want the option to watch.

Long-time subscriber, T. Potter, reports that Greg Bird has signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays. SU will be watching to see if he goes 2 for 29 in spring training to ensure he starts the season in the minors. An injury waiting to happen but apparently he hit 25+ home runs last season in Colorado in the minors. But still an SU fave and we have to be supportive.

Hopefully, Brian Cashman has been keeping a list of things to do in the next 2 weeks. One of them should be “get some left-handed hitters” and “call every team about Joey Gallo.” It’s never too early to start hating on Gallo. SU would be in favor of a major overhaul and becoming more athletic. It’s time. Watch to see if Gleyber Torres comes in over-muscled – not good, and if LeMahieu can rebound after his sports hernia surgery. SU says he does have a solid year and will look a lot quicker.

The Mets need to be very careful with deGrom and Scherzer coming out of a shortened spring. Every team needs to be careful. SU says right now, the Mets are the more interesting team in New York.

Michigan choked away a 17-point lead with 10 minutes left vs. Indiana yesterday. I think Juwan Howard is a great recruiter and an excellent motivator but not a good in-game coach. Strange substitution patterns yesterday. They are a true bubble team. SU sees them in a play-in game for the NCAAs and they deserve that.

Watch out for the UConn women. They are finally healthy and will be a real threat to win it all.

Djokovic out of Indian Wells and Miami, and now has to hope that COVID does not creep up to play the French and Wimbledon. I have rooted for him since 2010 but he is going to fall on the sword to not get vaccinated. The sponsors will walk away very soon followed by the fans. He can do infomercials once he retires. Just a strange conclusion to a great career. He will regret doing this once he turns 37 and is too old to win at the highest level anymore, but decides to make a comeback. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Finally, I must say that watching the final rounds of the PGA TOUR events on a late Sunday afternoon on a high definition TV is good viewing. Definitely growing on me.

Full disclosure: SU is not focused on sports these days. The situation in Ukraine is all-consuming and upsetting, and SU is all in with those brave people. And we give thanks for sound leadership in our country especially when you consider the alternative that could have been…

But I know: #sticktosports. And we will do that. What is MLB doing in these negotiations with the players? They just announced that Opening Day will be canceled, and who knows where things go from here? It seems like they are reasonably close on a number of issues (starting salary at $675k or $725k? SU has run the numbers several times and $700k may just work as a nice compromise) but we know from experience that the 2 sides may also dig in for a prolonged waiting period. Baseball cannot afford a shortened season – especially once the NCAAs wrap up in early April. That has to be their launch time. SU needs to be able to kick back for 3 and a half hours every night to watch a ball put in play every 4 minutes. And bring on those strikeouts please.

In addition to needing a full spring training, the teams need time to make trades and sign free agents. There will be a lot of player movement once they settle, and you want the pitchers to be in shape and not rushing. There are a ton of free agents who need to find a home. Once again the fans are being taken for granted.

What’s up with Derek Jeter? Surprising announcement that he is out at the Marlins. SU read a rumor that the TV booth may beckon. I never felt he was very forthcoming as a player. Hard to picture Jeter as speaking forthrightly as a color analyst. But if they paired him with A-Rod, well I would watch that.

Is Paul O’Neill deserving of having his Yankee number retired? Feels like a borderline call and maybe the team was looking for another sellout date on the calendar in August. Tino Martinez will not be far behind I predict.

March Madness is right around the corner and that is a quality 4-week sprint. Wide, wide open this year. Keep an eye on Arizona.

SU believes the 5-game suspension of Juwan Howard at Michigan is appropriate and a reasonable outcome. He was actually lucky as he had a prior incident with Maryland coach Mark Turgeon in the Big Ten Tournament last season where he was tossed from the game for threatening Turgeon. Key points for SU:

1. NCAA coaches need to set an example for the players. And you can’t put them in harm’s way defending the coach in a situation that he started. Two Michigan players (and one Wisconsin player) were each suspended one game for throwing punches.
2. Michigan was pressing full court in the last minute of the game down 17 points with at least 2 starters still in the game. Wisconsin had cleared its bench. Clearly, Wisconsin coach Gard was annoyed and called the timeout with 15 seconds left because of that. He said he wanted to give his team a full 10 seconds to get the ball past half court but he called the timeout to piss off Howard. But that’s fair.
3. Juwan Howard over-reacted to that slight given that he was pressing in the last minute. And he was wrong to hold back in the handshake line. SU says be a man and say what you want to say first in line as all coaches do – win or lose.
4. Gard grabbed Howard and Juwan just does not like that. It set him off.
5. SU was surprised that Gard only received a $10,000 fine and no suspension – for perhaps one game – for the assistant coach who charged forward in the scrum. But clearly the Big Ten wanted to send a message that the instigator – Howard – is going to be punished the most to set an example.

Bottom line is that Howard could have been fired over this, or at least suspended through the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAAs (which is a long shot for this year’s team which just cannot shoot it from the outside). He put his freshmen and sophomores in a bad situation having to defend the coach and risk their careers. Hopefully, Howard will learn from this. SU predicts it will only hasten his departure to the NBA as he is already a hot candidate for NBA head coaching positions which are always plentiful every off-season. His son Jett is going to be a freshman next year and assuming he stays 2 seasons, well, that may be it.

It was a bad look, a bad day for college hoops. You just can’t have it.

Another Super Bowl is behind us. SU can’t say this was the best game ever but at least it was close. After several weeks of exciting overtime finishes, this game almost felt anticlimactic at the end. Anyway, congrats to long-time SU subscriber and most prolific commenter, A. Grossman, who had the Rams winning 27 – 24, and came the closest to predicting the final outcome. His prize is a free 1-year subscription for SU in 2022 which as we all know is almost priceless.

A few thoughts on the game:

1. Neither team could run the ball. The Bengals actually did a little better with Mixon but their coach preferred the quick release passes by Burrow. That’s fine if you have a solid offensive line but in the 2nd half, that was exposed bigly even with quick throws. There were definitely times in the red zone where some runs by Mixon could have resulted in a better outcome. And on that final drive, 2nd down and 1 at mid-field and then no runs with 3 timeouts left?
2. Stafford had a solid game. One interception in the end zone on a 3rd down play was as good as a punt there – not a big deal. The 2nd pick was not his fault – went through the receiver’s arms. He came up big on the final drive passing to Cooper Kupp.
3. So few penalties. Now, they said these 2 teams were among the last penalized in the League but was that the reason or just that the refs did not want to call them? Clearly, there was offensive pass interference on that long pass early in the 3rd quarter for the touchdown, and they called a bunch of defensive penalties on the Rams’ final drive.
4. People really liked the half-time show. Twitter-verse reviews were very positive.
5. The Bengals’ fans travel well. It sounded like they had half the stadium.
6. Quick first half – always a positive.

Bottom line: can’t say it was a memorable game. I guess I am sort of happy for OBJ who got a Super Bowl ring but to be honest, I have been done with him for many years. Too much me, me, me.

We turn our interest now to March Madness which will commence in a few weeks, and maybe baseball???? Feel free to share your thoughts on the game.

The fans demand it. Given how easy it is to bet on sports now, no doubt many of you are laying down some serious money on Sunday’s game (as much as $20!). As SU has reminded you a few times already, I had the Rams going to the Super Bowl and in fact winning it all before the start of the playoffs so clearly my prediction will carry tremendous weight (or not). Here goes:

Rams 34 – 24. The game will not be close and the Bengals will score late to get to 24 points. Key factors:

1. Burrow will be running for his life against only a 4-man pass rush. The Rams won’t even have to blitz as they have a legit front 4 and we have already seen that the Bengals’ offensive line is offensive.
2. Stafford is king of the dumb turnover but he is going to have Phil Simms like Super Bowl stats in this game. It’s his time. He paid his dues in Detroit and has shown that he can make plays if given the time (and if given Cooper Kupp).
3. The game is in LA but not a factor for either team. LA fans can’t maintain enough attention on the game through the endless commercials, plus the locals don’t get that many tickets anyway for the game.

It’s NBA trade deadline day. It feels like there will be a lot of moves today – more than usual. Some teams are already in rebuild mode like the Trailblazers and Pacers, while others like the Lakers, Nets and Sixers need to be bold. Keep refreshing your favorite sports web sites this afternoon.

MLB is blowing it. SU blames both sides. Most of the issues are financial – just figure out a deal and get it done. The product quality on the field is not getting better and apparently the games in 2021 were longer than ever. Things are trending the wrong way right now. No action, too many strikeouts, too much time between pitchers, and too many pitching changes. You all know what it is. A shortened season with out of shape players who start getting hurt is not entertaining. Do not assume that the loyal fans are well….. loyal.

Very sad news about the passing of Gerald Williams from cancer at 55. One of Jeter’s best friends. A good guy.

Feel free to share your Super Bowl predictions here. Clearly, not as dramatic as if you had done this 4 weeks ago but a chance to impress the intergalactic subscriber base all the same.

The NFL playoffs delivered another treat this weekend in the two Conference championship games. SU is proud to say that its pick of the LA Rams winning it all is still alive while the Bills succumbed last weekend (no doubt their coach is running simulations of a squib kick with 13 seconds left in the game every day. SU noted that the Bengals did just that in the 4th quarter and as the models show, it burned several seconds for a short return. And so it goes…).

Anyway, some observations from yesterday’s games:

1. What happened to Tony Romo? SU likes him but he must have been on his 9th cup of coffee in the 4th quarter of the Chiefs’ game. He was saying that the Chiefs, down by 3 with under a minute left, should actually have a running back go to the 1 yard line and fall down, so that they could try and score a touchdown in the very final seconds. SU understands the logic in a tie game but when you are trailing by 3, scoring a touchdown puts you up by 4 with probably less than 30 seconds left. Also talked about having a coach throw the red challenge flag to review the offense’s formation for an illegal formation on the prior play. Not reviewable. SU says sometimes less is more. Too many words to process.
2. The Rams-Niners game featured two quarterbacks who make poor decisions in key situations. Both did the usual yesterday but fortunately for Stafford, his 1st quarter interception did not come back to haunt him, and his long pass that was more like a punt was dropped by the defender in the 4th quarter. San Francisco has a good team with talent in all of the skill positions but Jimmy Garappolo really holds them back. They scored so few points in the playoffs and they would be smart to move on from him.
3. The NFL was faced with a possible replay of the Chiefs winning the coin toss in overtime and going down the field to score and win the game but fortunately we had a different outcome. I am not sure of the exact stat, but Jim Nance said something like the team that had won the toss in the playoffs for an overtime game had won the last 10 games. SU believes the rule needs a facelift. True, it’s up to the defense to stop the offense there but each team should have its shot.
4. No doubt Andy Reid will be regretting the decision to run another play late in the 1st half with 5 seconds left and the Chiefs up 21 – 3. Take the field goal and the 2nd half kick-off. He got greedy there. SU also felt like the Chiefs pulled back offensively in the 2nd half and were content to run out the clock. Amazingly, Burrow finally had some time to throw the ball and their running game wore down the Chiefs’ defense as they tired in the 4th quarter having been on the field for most of the 2nd half.
5. It should be a good Super Bowl as neither team is a world beater.

Rafa Nadal won an epic Australian Open final in nearly 5 and a half hours. Good for him. SU was surprised to learn that this was only his 2nd career Australian Open championship. Medvedev received the treatment that Djokovic normally receives in New York, Paris and London when he plays either Nadal or Federer and ultimately was not able to cope. Stories keep surfacing about Djokovic perhaps forging the failed Covid test in December and SU believes that he may be suspended by the ATP Tour if there is definitive proof. That may not ever come out as the test was administered by the Serbian government and they will no doubt protect him. SU is a Djokovic fan but he is destroying his legacy in real time. He’s too old to pull a Marv Albert and take a year off but he needs to do a 180. Getting vaccinated and use his Foundation to launch a vaccine drive in Serbia would be a good place to start.

Finally, for those of you looking for something new on Netflix, etc., check out For All Mankind on Apple TV. It’s 2 seasons (season 3 on the way) and basically charts NASA and the space race with the Soviets in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, but with the premise that the Russians land on the Moon first. History changes from there. It’s a good watch. SU has started on season 4 of Ozark now. If anyone has some other shows to recommend, I am all ears.

Finally, finally, no winners on the SU Super Bowl predictions so the SU logoed back pack and water bottle go unclaimed.

Lots of activity on social media regarding the latest Hall of Fame voting. David Ortiz is in. SU says that is a no-brainer. He had a sustained, long great career as a DH. Killed the Yankees year after year. Big hugs for everyone. Rumor has it that the Yankees will brush him back on the podium up in Cooperstown while making his acceptance speech as they try to make up for 15+ years of never making him uncomfortable at the plate (all the while Pedro was beaning Jeter and Soriano). OK, not going there.

The bigger story seems to be that Clemens, Bonds, Schilling will no longer be on the official ballot as their 10 years are up. Long-time subscriber J. Rosen had this comment on yesterday’s SU:

“Just read that for those that are in their 10th and final year on the writers ballot hope is not lost. The modern era committee can vote to let them in as soon as next year. So all those sanctimonious writers may be disappointed when Bonds and Clemens get in in the near future. Both top 10 of all time and never officially broke the rules, unlike ARod who knowingly cheated and lied multiple times. That’s my line of demarcation. McGwire should be in too IMO.“

SU says Bonds and Clemens (and A-Rod) were clearly top 10 players in their era and possibly all time (and McGwire) but whether they admitted it or not, they all cheated the game. The reality is that they were Hall of Famers before they started juicing and put up those types of numbers. Is there a positive test result? No, there is nothing official like that although if there was an “a-hole” test, Bonds, Clemens, and Schilling would have all failed in grand fashion. SU has a soft spot for A-Rod and I don’t put him in that category. But he still cheated. I say these guys don’t pass the smell test. Voting for the Hall of Fame is not an exact science. We evaluate what we saw over the years. It was great watching these guys play and you could easily see how their body types changed over time.

If the Hall of Fame was a museum, then sure, they should all be in there – no doubt. You would have the PED Wing and you could display all of their PED-aided achievements. That is history and you are telling the history of baseball in the 1990s and early 2000s. But if the Hall of Fame is for achievement and playing by the rules, then why should they be in there? Again, you may not have the “proof” but we all saw it.

SU was actually surprised at how many sports writers are appalled that these guys are not in. And truth be told, the Modern Era committee or whatever that is will likely put them in later in the year. But for SU, they would not be on my ballot.

Feel free to disagree or agree. All comers are welcome per usual.