SU says that the Yankees certainly finished the season strong and beat up on the teams that they had to beat to grab a share of the Eastern Division with Toronto. Ultimately, they paid the price of so many Devin Williams blown saves back in April – that was the diference in winning the division.

Now, the reality is that their record vs. the AL East was pretty bad as was their record vs. teams with winning records. SU watched its share of games and the reality is that they really, really (as in really) struggle against the top starting pitchers and relievers. This is a team built on the home run and it’s just harder to do that against the top tier pitchers.

Soooo, what is going to happen in October? SU is not feeling it. Playing a best of 3 series against the Red Sox – even with them down a top starter in Giolito – is a tough lift. While regular season records are not necessarily an indicator of playoff outcomes, it has to give Boston a lot of confidence going into this series. Crochet is always tough and no doubt the Yankees will load up on the right-handed hitters which makes the defense weaker by sitting McMahon and the offense worse by sitting Rice. Maybe it will work – no doubt the analytics guys are busy doing their thing – but SU wants Rice in there every game.

Not winning the division puts you in this position, and the Yankees were bad for about half the season as in past years. SU is concerned and would not be surprised by an early post-season exit. Toronto awaits in the next round and they dominated the Yankees this year – also with top starting pitching.

Elsewhere:

1. Wow, the Mets just collapsed the 2nd half of the year. Sure, they had a lot of injuries but the offense should have been good enough to win one more game to get to October. I guess the good news is that they have some talented young starters coming up which should set them up for the future but they needed to quality for the playoffs and no doubt Steve Cohen will make changes. But the manager deserves to stay for sure.
2. Ryder Cup: credit to the Americans for making a gallant run on Sunday. No credit to the fans in Bethpage this weekend though. Golf is not one of the sports that lends itself well to act out against the opponent. It’s not a constant motion type of sport (you think?) and like tennis, you have a bunch of individual players going at it with downtime galore. In SU’s opinion, it made the NY fans look bad and drunk – trying to summon support by jeering the Europeans vs. cheering their own. It’s a bad look. Will the European fans return the favor in Ireland in 2 years? Probably and that won’t look any better. But revving up the crowd is dumb. Do better.
3. Injuries in the NFL just keep piling up – and to top stars. Long-term, the NFL needs to figure it out to lower the level of hitting and injury.
4. Enjoy October: the best time of year with the MLB playoffs, college football in full swing, the NFL and then the NHL and NBA seasons getting started.

So, Yankee fans, are you seeing a World Series in the team’s future this post-season?

While you were sleeping, no doubt some NFL team had a field goal blocked or a pass interecepted and run back for a touchdown. What a crazy day in the NFL yesterday? We are only 3 weeks into the NFL season but there have already been a slew of missed field goals and extra points combined with made 60-yard kicks that would have been jaw dropping 10 years ago. Are the balls juiced?

We enter the final week of the MLB season and the Mets are running on fumes. They have gone from having almost the best record in baseball back in June (they may have had it and maybe it wasn’t in June but the SU research team is off for the Jewish holidays) to desperately hanging on for the final wild card spot in the National League. Now, we know past history says that the Mets can turn it on in October and you can never count them out but at this point, making the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card round will be a failed season. Is this the week that you paid over $700 million for Juan Soto to do something?

The Yankees appear to be comfortably locked into the top Wild Card slot and there is a tremendous battle now for the other two spots between Cleveland, Houston and Boston. Even Detroit is now in the mix. The Yankees cannot beat the good teams but they sure are good against the bad ones. Making the World Series this year is just not that hard in the American League as most of the teams are really medicore – including the Yankees. Note to Aaron Boone: stop platooning Ben Rice and find a spot for him every game. He is learning to hit lefties and there is no reason to sit him given his bat. Sure, his defense is a bit of a problem but just tell Volpe to throw strikes to first base.

Will this be the year where Aaron Judge has a great post-season? SU says it is. He is ready to stop swinging for the fences and put the ball in play come October. The Yankees will need to score a lot of runs – we all know that – and no lead is safe with this bullpen. As in no lead. SU still believes that they are overpowered by good pitching and Boston is scary in a short series given their starters. Success for this season has to be another World Series appearance.

SU believes the World Series champion will come out of the National League this year.

It used to be that only in college football did we see teams score with 25 seconds left in the game or half. But now, the NFL is in the same boat. Really, no lead is safe with long passes and kickers who are money from 60+ yards out. Crazy.

Can NFL and college players stop with the taunting and the gestures that come with 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? A Michigan defensive player cost his team a punting situation on Saturday and last night, Karim Hunt, after scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run had to do the throat slash gesture. Kicked then missed the extra point which was 15 yards further back. SU knows it is a different generation and players want to get the social media hits as well as show up the opposition’s players and fans, but how about “act like you’ve been there before?” I know: old man talking but the rules were made by old guys and they will enforce them.

Finally, a happy and healthy New Year to the SU Jewish subscribers who are celebrating this week. Really hoping for a better new year – in this country and abroad.

He’s never been the most popular player, never received the adoration of the fans the way Federer and Nadal did. For his career, every match is pretty much a road match. With the exception of Australia at times, Djokovic has never had the home town support that Federer and Nadal did all over the world. It has made his achievements all the more impressive. He’s a guy that came from nothing in Serbia and had to learn as he goes – making mistakes along the way and ruffling feathers here and there.

Sure, he has some bizarre world views and as we know, is not a fan of the Covid vaccine. But at 38, he has now made it to the semi-finals of all 4 Grand Slam tournaments this year. In the era of Alcaraz and Sinner, that basically means he is the best of the rest out there. At 38 – an age when most tennis stars are in the twilight of their careers or have already retired. His body is breaking down now and he seems to require a trainer in almost every match for some ailment. And because he plays so few tournaments now, he has to work himself into shape as he goes in the early rounds.

If you watch him closely, you will see that he just tries to keep the ball in play in the early rounds, and as he progresses, he will start going more for the lines and for more risk as the quality of opponent ramps up. We are certainly seeing that in this US Open. Taylor Fritz had his chances last night but truth be told, he has a ceiling due to his style of play. Big guy with a big forehand and serve but rarely comes to the net. That lack of variety hurts him against the top players. He has made the most of his physical ability but hard to beat the elite players without that other aspect of his game. SU thought he had a shot last night going in if he could extend the match to 4 or 5 sets. He almost got there. Their playing styles are not that different and quite frankly, the points were a bit boring and repetitive. But Djokovic perservered and now has Alcaraz on Friday.

Amazingly, Djokovic has a 5 – 3 career record vs. Alcaraz and has not lost to him on hard courts. But you can see how Alcaraz is a sponge and is constantly learning and processing information. He has the complete game and the only hope of opponents is that he is so confident and cocky that he will go for too much risk on shots and miss some. SU believes that Djokovic has a better shot vs. Alcaraz as opposed to Sinner who just overpowers him. Their games are very similar but Sinner at this point of his career does it better, faster and younger.

SU says that for Djokovic, does he want to hang around another year making it to the semis of Grand Slams? Is that rewarding enough for him? I don’t think so. 2026 will be his last year and he will play the big events and say good bye to the fans. I hope the fans will give him his due – he has earned it and why not? But when he hangs it up, is every tournament going to be won by either Alcaraz or Sinner? And is that entertaining? Surely, some other phenom will come along – maybe it’s Ben Shelton although SU says he needs to fix that backhand to really threaten them. But tennis needs other players to be more in the mix.

I will miss him when he goes. The good and the bad. I hope the tennis world give him his due.

After flat lining vs. the Red Sox a couple of weeks ago, the Yankees are taking care of business against the bad teams and are once again, threatening to win the division. The formula for them is simple: hit home runs and win. Don’t hit home runs and rely on putting the ball in play and moving runner along – and lose. SU is still not a believer, and I don’t see how this approach plays out in their favor in October against the better pitchers. Love that Ben Rice is now playing every day. Concerned that Jasson Dominguez is not progressing although he is still young. And any ground ball to Vope in the 9th inning is terrifying.

Juan Soto is on a tear although I thought I heard some stat that most of his home runs this year have been solo shots. Can that be true? SU still believes that the Mets will go further in the post-season than the Yankees. Time will tell.

SU will never request that a manager or coach get fired. I also don’t boo players at games (and not even on TV!). However, yelling is permissable and the occasional throwing up of the hands.

However, last night Aaron Boone made the odd decision to bring in Devin Williams to pitch the 10th inning (at home in Yankee Stadium before a sellout crowd of unadoring fans). His first pitch was a wild pitch and it was downhill from there including an RBI single, a ball off the right field wall that should have been a double but ended up in a forceout and then a 2-run home run. It was all very predictable at this point for Williams who has had a brutal week. Anyone else would have been a better choice. SU says you are not doing Williams any favors at this point as his confidence is shot and the Yankees can generally not score in extra innings anyway. They need to win in 9 innings. Soooo, is Boone just trying to get himself fired? It was clearly the wrong move, and even he has to know that.

The fans on Twitter (er, sorry, X) certainly want him out. They are unhappy campers but then again, they hate everyone all the time. Boone is a good guy and a good communicator but it feels like this year’s team needs more of a yeller in the clubhouse as they are way too comfortable and casual in their approach. Paging Joe Girardi? Last night, McMahon hit a slow grounder to 2nd and jogged down to first. The 2nd baseman actually made a wild throw pulling the 1st baseman off the bag and if McMahon had been hustling, he would have been safe but there was none of that. Same for all of the other players. Yankee fans used to complain about Gleyber Torres last year dogging it to first and this year, other than Ben Rice and Judge, most others show their frustration with the slow jog to first.

As SU has said before, Cashman should have been a seller at the trade deadline as this roster is not a good fit. You are starting 2 rookies and Gil who is still a youngster. Hard to see them making a concerted run where the bullpen needs to cover 4-5 innings except when Fried starts and Rodon occassionally. It is a tall order for any team. I know it’s the Yankees and you have to compete but like this? Houston has 14 players on the IL and they are still in 1st place. Plus many of their players seem to be home grown.

The Mets are struggling but their fans are much more forgiving and come in with lower expectations. SU saw a headline that perhaps the Soto signing had hurt the culture in the clubhouse. Maybe but I would take having the slugger in the middle of the lineup who plays every day over culture. They will pick it up and be a force in the playoffs. Just a matter of time. Scrappy team and SU has much more confidence in them getting on a roll.

Not so with the Yankees this season. Stanton will be in right field today and while he is a sevicable outfielder, you can see him running into the wall or pulling a muscle either running in the outfield or on the bases. They do need him in the lineup now as he is locked in and they desperately need some offense. SU says if Judge is just a DH, worth the risk but a bit terrifying.

Football is on the horizon – both NFL and college – and that makes this easier to handle for Yankee fans. I am not talking about the Giants or Jets mind you, but the Red Zone Channel which is tremendous fun (and aggravation if you play fantasy football). Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers have the best record in baseball. Great story and an easy team to root for.

Yankee fans who have long listened to Michael Kay’s daily show know that he is much more up front and honest about the Yankees on his radio show vs. what he ever says on the Yankee broadcasts. However, as they continue their slog over the past many weeks this season, he is starting to crack even on the Yankgee broadcasts on YES.

SU says that Jazz Chishom getting doubled off first base yesterday on a routine pop up to 2nd base caused him to snap. This came on the heels of a runner getting thrown out at home in the 1st inning by about 30 feet. Kay went off about the continued sloppy play in almost every game and lack of discipline by players. SU would agree. Aaron Boone even took Cisholm down the tunnel in the dugout for a chat, and we saw him yelling at the 1st base coach in the dugout on the broadcast. In defense of the 1st base coach: shouldn’t a veteran MLB player know to get back to 1st base on a pop up to 2nd and 1 out? This is not 4th grade rec baseball. SU says not his fault. Austin Wells jogged off the field on Wednesday night thinking there were 3 outs. Again, is that on the 1st base coach? It’s embarassing and BTW, more a reflection of the manager than anything else. There needs to be a culture of attention to detail and this team clearly does not have it. Boone is a good communicator with the media but many question his in-game moves almost every game (see Twitter for his detractors).

Perhaps someo of you caught Ian O’Connor’s recent column on the Athletic where he basically said that there are no excuses for the Yankees now, after the flurry of trade deadline moves, to not only make it to the World Series but basically win it all (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6528920/2025/08/01/yankees-trade-deadline-moves-opinion/).

Now, SU does not hold to that theory (at all!) but it’s interesting that one of the best sports writers around feels this team should now be able to win it all this year. It speaks more to the mediocrity of the American League than anything else. There are no dominant teams out there and if you can get hot and healthy in October, it would not take much to get to the World Series. Cashman took care of some of the major holes (as in recreating the entire bullpen) but a lot is riding on Gil regaining his form of 2024 coming off an extensive rehab from an injury. It also assumes that Judge will return to form and that his shoulder/arm injury is not serious.

The Yankees have worn me down. SU still pays attention and will watch the games but that bad feeling when they lose is gone. For me, it’s a function of so many .230 hitters, no situational hitting, no aggressive base running and a strategy of just waiting for the next home run. Plus the bone headed plays every game and not playing Ben Rice enough. I would be happy with a total overhaul this off season. And please stop over hying the prospects and let’s get some real talent that is developed and not traded on July 31st every year. OK, enough said.

SU knows Met fans will have their issues at times, but they field a team that makes contact and seems to have an idea of how to move runners along. Also, having attended games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field of late, the Mets have a better in-game experience – although the Whitestone Bridge traffic is a disaster so there is that.

A few random thoughts for today:

1. SU has been paying more attention to the WNBA this year with Paige Bueckers making her debut. She is terrific on a horrible Dallas team. But the games are not watchable, and the refereeing is truly awful. The WNBA needs to upgrade the refs – perhaps sprinkle in some of the NBA refs? So many missed calls and as the games get more physical, players are getting hurt.
2. Men’s tennis has become a 2-man race now with Alcaraz and Sinner. Djokovic can still be competitive with them but not after having to advance through multiple rounds to get there in the semis or finals. His body can’t stand up for the early round long matches and SU suspects he will hang it up in 2026. He will not be motivated enough to be 4th in the world or whatever. I know many have issues with him but his record is pretty amazing and he is a super smart guy and an interesting interview (depsite some off the wall views). He also goes out of his way to mentor the younger players and btw, neither Nadal or Federer ever did much of that. The Djoker will be missed. SU does believe someone else will come along to threaten Alcaraz and Sinner – although hard to say who that is at the moment. I sure do not see it. Maybe Ben Shelton will make the jump in the next year with his big serve?
3. SU is excited about another college football season on the horizon. Interested to see how the NIL investments will pay off this year. Who will stay and who will go after the season. Someone needs to fix this as it’s just too much free agency – especially for college hoops. Too much disruption year to year.

Sorry for the absence of posts this past many months. Too much happening in the world on a daily basis to process. It wears you down but I know: #sticktosports.

Another game for the Yankees against a right-handed starting pitcher and another game where Ben Rice sits on the bench. The Yankees DFA’d LeMahieu today and while that is too bad for DJ, it’s the right move. He came into Spring Training slimmed down and in much better shape than prior years. But he has become a singles hitter with limited range at 2nd base. Like most free agent contracts, they end badly and 2 years too long. In fact, the Yankees still owe him one more year in 2026 at $15 million.

Full disclosure: SU does not like this year’s edition of the Yankees. I still watch the games but I am not emotionally invested. This team is uninspiring. No situational hitting, no ability to move runners. An incredibly bad record in extra innings. The record is fine and they may still eke out a wild card spot but so many injuries now to the starting pitchers and relievers. It feels like too much to make up with trade deadline moves this year. You don’t want to mortgage the future by trading top prospects in a season where they won’t have enough to make an extended post-season run.

SU does like Jazz, Bellinger, and I really like Ben Rice. He can play multiple positions and is still young. Boone has tried to shuffle players in and out of the lineup – especially with Stanton back – but it seems clear now that he will go with the starters moving forward. Goldschmidt is a veteran and he will get the starts at first base. They have to play Stanton as they want him to get hot finally. Last night was the first game where he stopped stepping in the bucket and maybe he will get on a hot streak now. At least until he pulls the annual calf muscle – coming to a theatre near you.

The benching of Rice tells SU that he is being shopped. Personally, I would trade Grisham and keep Rice but to get quality, you need to give up quality. Rice just needs an extended time to start and see what he can do. Some other team will give that to him. The reality is that with this lineup, there will never even be pinch hitting opportunities. Not going to happen.

Gil may return in a few weeks but you have to figure he will be on a pitch count and even in his best years, he has had arm issues. Stroman becomes the #3 starter – enough said. The bullpen needs a total makeover.

SU is ready for new leadership at the top. Cashman had a good run but he has likely run his course with the Yankees.

So, is SU wrong? Is this team ready to make a run in 2025 with about 17 trade deadline moves? I don’t see it and I am not feeling it. Convince me otherwise.

Well, that was not good. The Knicks had this game in hand late in the 4th quarter but a combination of soft defense on the 3-point line, hot shooting, missed foul shots and late turnovers created a collapse not seen going back at least 30 years. The Knicks are a resilient team and did some of this to the Celtics last series in those first two games but this takes it to another level of choking. A few observations:

1. SU notes how the Knicks went on a great run in the 4th quarter once Brunson went to the bench with his 5th foul. Taking nothing away from Brunson who is a great player but the ball “sticks” for much of the shot clock when he is in and walking the ball up the court and dribbling near mid-court. The Pacers are making the adjustment to double him out there and he fell down several times in overtime – probably exhausted. Josh Hart said in the post-game that they need to keep up the pace – that no doubt is directed at Brunson.
2. OG Anunoby has to be better. They cannot afford for any of the starters to not be scoring – especially if the scores are going to be north of 120 points in this series.
3. Guard the 3-point shooters – please. The defense in the last few minutes and overtime was really bad. SU says some of that is due to fatigue. The Pacers are running 10 guys out there and as Reggie Miller pointed out, none of them plays more than 33 minutes a game on average. As fast as Indiana plays, Thibs should consider longer minutes for Deuce McBride and Robinson at a minimum.
4. Haliburton is a punk. Great player but not in the mold of what SU likes to see from a player. The choke sign after his lucky shot bounced through the hoop was classless. Perhaps karma will come back to bite him on the ass later in this series.
5. The overturn on that call in the last minute on Anunoby was a horrendous call. He had fumbled the ball but was regaining possession to shoot it. The officiating reviews in the NBA are tiring. SU says the refs do the best they can and the calls will typically even out in the end. I know there is contact on every play and reffing in the NBA is incredibly hard. But that was a blown review.
6. The physical contact allowed against Brunson bringing the ball up the court is a joke. SU does not recall a rule in the NBA playbook that allows defenders to push, hold and grab like that. It has been allowed throughout the playoffs.
7. Most of the Knick playoff games this year have been very close – similar to last night. They know how to play in close games. Indiana is very good offensively and they want the fast pace. So do the Knicks. The problem for the rest of this series is that no lead will be considered to be safe for NY.

Game 2 is clearly a must win for the Knicks. We will find out if they are cooked or if they have some pride left. I think they will show out but it will not be easy. They could use Anthony Mason right about now to restore some order.

How are the rest of you feeling?

SU was not surprised to see the Knicks get blown out last night in game 5 in Boston. I was actually surprised that the game was tied at half time. The first half had a nice flow to it and some very good shooting. In the 3rd quarter, the refs, for whatever reason and SU is not an NBA conspiracy guy, decided that all of the physical play allowed in the first half had to be called. The Celtics shot 18 foul shots in the 3rd quarter and Jalen Brunson actually picked up 5 fouls in just the 3rd quarter. He averaged 1.9 fouls per game this season. Some were clear fouls and some were of the touch variety. I have never seen a player get 5 fouls in a quarter. Ever.

For SU, the game slowed to a crawl and became unwatchable. There are clearly plays that are phyical with no call. But basically, if you drive to the basket, you are going to get the call unless of course you Karl Anthony Towns who gets no calls on his drives to the basket. In any game. Somehow if you are 7-feet and mobile, it’s OK to bump you and body up to cause contact. Bottom line: the refs reward the aggressors, and usually the home team are the aggressors. To the Knicks’ credit, they don’t make excuses about the refs. Their defense last night on the 3’s was pretty awful and KAT continues to pick up silly fouls on the perimeter.

I know SU is old school but back in the day, players would fight over the screens on top to stay with their man. Today, they are happy to switch all the time and it seems that on every possession, KAT is on either Brown or White in a clear out.

SU says this game was lost in the 3rd quarter when Thibodeau refused to sub for the first 9 minutes as the lead blossomed to 15 points. Both Mitchell Robinson and Deuce McBride had played well in the first half, and you would have thought the right move was to break the flow and sub them in. Nope. SU has said all year that the loss of DiVincenzo was huge to this team. They are missing someone off the bench.

But, if you were told at the start of this series that the Knicks would be at home for game 6 up 3-2 in the series, you would have signed up for that in a minute. It is amazing as they have trailed for most of the 5 games by double digits. Playoff series are all about adjustments between games, and let’s see what the Knicks come up with for game 6 against the bigger Celtics lineups.

For SU, Brunson has to get others involved in the first quarter. He is dribbling away so many possessions, and even if he scores, others are not in the flow. Bridges and OG were invisible last night. He has to get them going at the start. For the Knicks to win, you need everyone in double figures.

A game 7 in Boston will not be pretty and even though the Knicks play well on the road, it’s too much to ask. It’s all about game 6 then. Even without Tatum, Boston has plenty of firepower but they will live and die by the 3-pointer the rest of this series.

Finally, a special shoutout to Reggie Miller on TNT. Unlistenable. SU finally muted the game in the 3rd quarter and I rarely do that. There must be someone better to call these games.

What do you think Knick fans?

How many of you had the Celtics building up late 3rd quarter 20-point leads to the Knicks at home and then losing both games? OK, no-one right? How do we explain this? Game 1, sure, attempting 60 3-pointers is crazy and once you start missing as a team, it’s contagious. So, for Game 2, you make the adjustment and drive the ball more which they did in the first half. The Knicks were nowhere last night. Then, in the 4th quarter, Bridges goes off and Boston gets tight. What is going on? SU has a view here:

1. The Celtics lack a classic point guard to run the show. This becomes an issue late in close games apparently. Bad decisions, broken plays.
2. Porzingis has some type of illness which is sapping his energy. He literally can only play a few minutes at a time. They are much better when he is on the court.
3. The Knicks are a resilient and battle tested team. They basically play 5 guys with a few minutes for Robinson, Payne and Deuce. Now, SU believes this is also a huge problem. Any foul trouble or an injury would be a killer for them. Thibodeau should use the bench a little more but he is stubborn.
4. Robinson has a very positive +/- points advantage going when he is on the court. You have to play him early in the quarter as they are fouling him and no one wants to watch him at the foul line. But he has been a difference maker on both ends – especially with KAT on the court.
5. Boston may just lack a player with that killer instinct. It’s hard to believe as they have manhandled the Knicks all year and Tatum especially is usually uncoverable. But he has come up small in these first two games.
6. The Knicks have gotten lucky as well. They are not playing lights out by any measure and have been sloppy at times. Hart was huge last night even though he is reluctant to ever shoot. He is such a great finisher at the rim.

By no means is this series over. The Knicks are 5-0 on the road in the playoffs and seem to play freer away from the Garden. The Celtics have dominated most of the first two games, and while their confidence in the 4th quarter is clearly shaken now, it’s not like they are losing by 10 points. The Knicks will have to bring their best effort on Saturday. SU says please pass the ball and move. The Brunson clear outs are great at times but not every time.

Buckle up!

SU has a few thoughts to share on a bright, sunny day:

1. The NBA is now a much more wide open game with recent rule changes and teams pushing the ball up the court. Gone are the days of walking the ball up the court or having Carmelo Anthony jab step at the 3-point line for 15 seconds while his teammates stand around the perimeter hoping for a pass (er, it’s not coming). Then, the Knicks vs. the Pistons series started and we are seeing so much grabbing and holding. SU is not saying that the Knicks are not doing any of that but the refs are allowing Brunson to be pushed, shoved, bumped over and over again. Does he act a bit? Sure but this type of physical play would be whistled during the regular season. Do you now say, “this is playoff basketball” and start allowing it? In the first half of game 1, the Knicks did not even attempt a foul shot until there were 10 seconds left before half time. Ridiculous given how physical the game was. And then in the 4th quarter, it was all foul shots. This is one of the marquis first round series. The refs should call the fouls in the first quarter and make a statement for the rest of the game. We do not want to watch Pat Riley style, 1990s Miami vs the Knicks games which were in the 70s and low 80s for points. It’s not watchable and not inspiring for fans. Clean it up tomorrow night.
2. Can Devin Williams pitch in New York? SU is not seeing it and Luke Weaver will be the closer come June. So, Williams blew the 4-run lead on Saturday and has not been used since. We know closers do not like being brought into games where they can’t register a save. Weaver has been used a lot in high stress situations. He pitched last night. Today, it’s 5 – 1 in the 9th, and a well, well rested Williams is passed over to have Weaver close the game. SU believes it was a case of Boone not wanting to insult Williams by bringing him into another non-save situation. Weaver gave up some long, long fly balls and they won the game but he should not have been in there. Tomorrow is an off day – Williams has been bad in most of his outings. Bad job by Boone handling the bullpen although we are used to that as Yankee fans.
3. How good are the Mets? True, it’s only April but they are getting great starting pitching and timely hitting. The NL is much better than the American League this year and they will have many tough games ahead but they are off to a great start with little in contributions from Soto. A lot to be excited about for Met fans and they will have the sports pages to themselves soon enough in New York (are sports pages still a thing?).
4. Speaking of good, Aaron Judge is hitting over .400 with absolutely no protection in the lineup this year. Very impressive. You have Rice, Goldschmidt and a lot of sub-.200 hitters with Grisham out. Judge is in his prime: you need to win now. Rumor has it Stanton is almost ready to resume outdoor batting practice which feels like a huge advancement for him. SU is not a believer in the Yankees this year with the starting pitching the way it is. Just not sustainable and they will burn out the relievers. New York is a Mets town.
5. 35% of men’s NCAA basketball players are in the transfer portal. Now, it doesn’t mean they will all transfer but this is college free agency on steroids. Great for the players who can chase the NIL money but lousy for the fans as you basically have a brand new team every year for schools that you root for. Plus players are in the portal during the NCAA tournament. Needs to be fixed.
6. The NFL draft is upon us. It is not a good year to draft a quarterback but it seems likely that 3 or 4 will still go in the first round as teams chase a savior who can strike it big.
7. SU has said this before but Paige Bueckers is going to be bigger than Caitlin Clark in the long run in the WNBA. And I am not even talking about basketball ability per se although she has the complete game. Huge social media following and fans all over the country. I believe you will see giant crowds for her games similar to what Clark had last year. SU is still not sold on the WNBA but I enjoy following the former UConn players. Azzi Fudd will be the next big thing when she graduates next year. A lot of talent there.

Are the Knicks winning this series? They need to feature KAT and take the pressure off of Brunson. Post him up against the smaller defenders and get him 20 shots in game 3. Enough of the hero ball and the clear out offense.