SU apologizes for the absence of recent posts – working way, way too hard these days.  But SU has been keeping up with the latest developments and has this to share with you this morning:

• The Mets are now discovering the beauty of Robinson Cano.  News flash: he does not hustle.  Even when he was younger, he didn’t hustle.  He is just not going to bust it down the line to first base.  It’s more of an issue when he’s not hitting which would be now.  The GM blasted him apparently and the manager spoke with him.  For Callaway, it’s not good news as he is already on the hot seat.  SU prediction:  Cano will start to hit now – he usually takes a while to heat up and Callaway will get fired.  He will be replaced by Joe Girardi who knows how to handle a guy like Cano.  You heard it here first.
• As we know, Tiger Woods did not make the cut for the PGA Championship.  Many were surprised but Woods’ comments were interesting.  He basically admitted that at age 43 and with several back surgeries behind him, he just doesn’t know anymore how his body will react each day and for each tournament.  SU says that is clearly a factor.  But don’t lose sight of where Woods was the week before when he received a special award at the White House from the President.   As the book title says, “Everything Trump Touches Dies.”  Coincidence?  Time will tell.  SU is a big Tiger fan and hopes that was just a blip.
• The Yankees keep moving along with their line up of replacement players.  Down 6-1 last night, they clawed their way back and Gary Sanchez actually hit a home run with men on base.  SU must admit: I was sure he would strike out there.  He had a couple of hits with RISP in that game and has started to produce with basically no protection in the line up.  SU must give him props there.  Didi will return in June which is huge.  Andujar mercifully took the surgery option and can get ready for next season.  They will still need another starter unless Severino can return.
• SU is not a big fan of the “Opener” approach to pitching that Tampa Bay uses.  Why do you assume that every reliever that you roll out there is going to be on that day?  SU is not sure that this can work for every team as no-one has that many relievers that are all top flight.  Certainly the Yankees don’t right now beyond their core guys.
• The YES Network doesn’t show the shifts all the time but when they do, especially late in games with RISP, it is really frustrating.  How teams don’t teach hitters to hit a ground ball to the opposite field is a joke.  The Yankees’ replacement players will do it but you know once the big boppers return, that will stop.  Stanton is already rehabbing now – oh boy!  Should be interesting when he returns.
• SU has been watching the Michigan search for a new coach.  The reality is that there aren’t appropriate big name coaches out there right now for this job.  SU says put one of the assistant coaches in charge for a year or two and maintain the culture and approach.  It’s not glamorous but it is smart.  Prediction: nope.
• Check out the men’s side for the upcoming French Open.  Nadal is the clear favorite, of course, but there are several players who just might take him out this year including Djokovic, Thiem, and Tsitsipas.  The men’s game is as good and deep now as at any time that I can recall.
• Finally, here’s hoping for a Bucks- Warriors finals.  SU says the Bucks will win that one if Durant can’t return which I don’t think he can do.  Calf injuries are lingering and you don’t want to come back too soon.  I will say this: Golden State has not lost since Durant got hurt and is showing how good they are even without him.  This will only solidify his decision to leave town this off-season and look for his next challenge.  SU predicts he will be in NY – but it may just be Brooklyn over the Knicks.

Ugh.  This is a punch to the gut for SU.  The Pistons were wining and dining Beilein last year but he passed at that time or it may been mutual.  But now it’s been reported that he is taking a 5-year deal with Cleveland which given their current roster is a total rebuild.  It has to be that at his age (which I think is 67 years old), he is tempted to see if his style can fit in the NBA – especially as the style of play has become more up and down the court for many of the better teams.

Is this a good move?  Not for SU.  Michigan basketball had become my favorite sports viewing activity.  I suspect that they will promote someone on the current staff or maybe bring in a recent alumnus who will play the game the same way – at least in the short term.  But there is no guarantee long term and they may take on a style that is like most other teams.  But he was there a long time and SU is thankful for that.  My only hope now is that he might bring in some of his former players to the team – and that would be worth watching for SU.

The Yankees took 2 of 3 in Tampa Bay – very impressive.  Gary Sanchez up to 7 errors for the season including a stint on the injured list.  He may be going for a historically bad year defensively.  I don’t know what the ERAs are of the pitchers when he is behind the plate but you can tell the pitchers prefer throwing to Austin Romine vs. him.  But he hits the occasional 450-foot home run so there is that.  A classic #7 hitter and he can compete for that spot in the line up with Giancarlo Stanton who has the same all or nothing approach.  The big problem for the Yankees, and it’s coming soon, is what to do with Urshela who has no more options.  They can’t send him down to the minors.  SU says send Andujar down to get his confidence back.  He is hitting under .130 now and no doubt feeling pressure from Urshela’s success.  Hicks will be back soon which means they will demote someone but some other roster moves are coming.  It will be very interesting.

Did you know that Brett Gardner is 1 for 26 with RISP this year?  It came out on a recent broadcast.  Clint Frazier deserves to play ahead of him – watch out for that once Hicks is back this week.

Finally, Novak Djokovic won the Madrid Open this weekend and is primed now for the French Open.  I know SU is one of the 7 people who watch the Tennis Channel but the men’s tour is outstanding right now with a crop of younger players starting to win.  Worth a look.

SU has been doing a lot of thinking and has some questions for the intergalactic subscriber base:

• Who knew that horses do not like running in puddles and will jump to avoid them in the biggest race of the year?
• Given how the use of analytics is exploding across all sports, how does that apply in horse racing?  For example, after the running of the Derby, does the trainer for Maximum Security sit down with the horse to go over data?  It seems likes the jockey has a limited degree of control out there.  How does this work? And how do you train the horse not to jump over puddles in the future?
• Now that Brian Cashman has learned that Severino will not be ready, at the earliest, until after the All-Star Break, does he wish he had back the $30 million a year (for the next 10 years) sunk into Giancarlo Stanton?  Might that money be useful to sign some starting pitchers for a team that is ready to win now?
• In 2019, is there a more useless statistic in baseball than reporting on how many wins you have against teams with winning records?  If you look at the standings, so many teams are within a few games of .500.  For the Yankees, who cares about the opponents?  In 2 weeks, those teams below .500 will be above it, and vice versa.  SU says wins are wins – get over it.
• Is Aaron Boone a great manager?  Or does he have so few healthy players to put in the line-up, anyone reading this right now could do it just as well?
• Does anyone agree with SU that the next injury for the Yankees will be to one of their trainers or strength and conditioning coaches?  Surely, they are being stretched to the limit and a pulled muscle or rotator cuff injury are just around the corner.
• Are you watching the NBA playoffs?  If not, you should be.  The games are intense and the absence of LeBron is a real opportunity for a lot of teams.  Good stuff.

OK, there you go.  Food for thought.  Feel free to weigh in on any of these incredibly insightful questions.

SU is not like one of the tens of thousands of fans lining the streets of Nashville last night to watch the NFL draft.  But I did tune in for the Giants’ first round picks – I was curious to see if they would pick Eli’s successor.  And, it turns out they did.  But tell me: who is Daniel Jones from Duke?  And is he a legit #6 pick in the first round?  SU says the Giants either are incredibly shrewd talent evaluators and have found the next Eli Manning given the endorsements from Eli’s former coach, or this is just another move that will set the team back for years to come.

Many teams seemed to be scared off by Haskins from Ohio State as he dropped to the 15th pick despite great stats this year in his only full year of playing in college.  The Arizona Cardinals need to move Rosen now but he was pretty bad in his rookie season last year.  It appears to be a head-scratching move but SU is prepared to be enlightened.

Meanwhile, Yankee fans have to be enjoying how this team of youngsters is competing for the last week and a half.  They have long at bats, hit to the opposite field, hit in situations to get guys across or in, and even steal bases.  SU looked it up and it’s called “baseball.”  But, alas, the stars are ready to return soon no doubt.  Gary Sanchez has given them 5 strikeouts in 2 games, a passed ball (of course!) and mindless at bats in his first 2 games back.  I know he has potential, and as Michael Kay said last night is seen as a “40-home run guy.”  And you can put him back to back with Giancarlo Stanton and they both will end up with 40 home runs and 81 rbis and 175 strikeouts.

Clearly, the Yankees are better with Didi back, Judge back, Hicks back, Andujar back.  But for SU, Tulo, Sanchez, Stanton – just take your time with the rehab.  No one misses the wild swings on the sliders low and away, and your thoughtful at bats.  I mean, who would try and get you out with that pitch?  I know Romine is not an everyday catcher but you can tell the Yankee pitchers would prefer to throw to him.  If the team needs another starter, SU votes to move Sanchez.

Btw, the Yankees’ bullpen is leaking this year.  Chad Green needs a few weeks in the minors and no one is a sure thing.  But SU likes the spirit and the fight right now – even Tyler Wade is stepping up.  The contrast between the high strikeout, high home run line-up and this style is striking, and Cashman needs to find the right mix going forward as the season unfolds.

If you happen to watch the Yankees of late, it is striking how the current line up of fill-in players seem to all look to hit to the opposite field.  This is truly amazing.  Clearly, if you are a superstar earning more than $25 million a year, you can ignore the batting coaches and just go out hunting for your home runs.  It seems that the youngsters, who mostly make the MLB minimum, actually listen.  SU is very excited to see this.

Btw, give the Yankees credit.  There is no hanging their heads and complaining about all the injuries.  It’s “next man up” and you go with who is available.  While they may not be the 1927 Yankees, they put the ball in play and go with the pitch.  SU says this is so much more entertaining!  Note to Giancarlo Stanton: take your time and make sure your bicep is just right before returning.  SU will enjoy the little guys playing in your place and putting the ball in play.

Meanwhile, you can say the Yankees are having some bad luck, but in this era of sabremetrics and the most expensive strength and conditioning advice and research, available, clearly the Yankees need to change their approach.  This is well beyond bad luck.  This has to be the wrong type of training and strength/conditioning.  Too much weight lifting?  Not enough stretching with all of the calf injuries?  Are the players too muscular?  Time for a major reassessment by the team.

The Judge oblique injury is a killer.  SU says this is likely a 2-month injury and we will see if the Generational One can step in fill the void.  It’s interesting to read that Judge is seen as the one player that they can’t replace.  If you make $30 million a year, how are you not that guy??

You seriously cannot make this stuff up.  Greg Bird is now on the Injured List with a plantar fascia tear.  Clearly, he got this from Jacoby Ellsbury in spring training down in Tampa.  Everyone is worried about the measles outbreak but the Yankees have their own set of health issues.  SU says this will be the end of Bird’s tenure with the team.  They called up Mike Ford who has been tearing it up at Scranton and it’s time for the Bird era to end in NY.  He has blown every chance and this year in particular.

SU says that the Yankees will soon be in the market for a new Head Trainer and a new Strength and Conditioning coach.  What is going on this year?  And did you see that David Robertson is now on the IL with the Phillies?  That makes Chapman, Betances, Kahnle and Robertson from last year’s bullpen all having issues over the past 12 months.  Cashman never felt that Girardi was enough of a communicator but he knew how to manage the bullpen.  Whatever Boone did last year is having some carryover in 2019.  If the Yankees struggle all year, the Boone era may be short-lived.

The Yankees have been unwatchable all season but you have to figure better times are ahead.  However, no buzz with the Red Sox in town – for either team.  The Mets meanwhile have a circular line up and put the ball in play.  They are worth a look.

Did did you see that Golden State blew a 31-point lead last night at home?  The Clippers scored 85 points in the 2nd half.  Crazy.  And the Sixers had 51 points in the 3rd quarter against Brooklyn.  While SU really enjoys the fast pace and high scoring, just a little bit of defense might not be a bad idea.

SU is not a huge golf fan but I must admit I watched much of the final round (and some of the 3rd round) of the Masters this weekend to see if Tiger Woods would win.  I have always been a Tiger Woods fan.  True, he is a flawed human being and much of his trouble has been self-inflicted (at least the porn stars part).  But he has made golf “cool” (as some say) by incorporating fitness and strength into the mix, and has been a model for a whole generation of today’s young golfers.  He is also great for ratings and yesterday’s final round, with so many golfers in contention, was fun to watch (especially compared to watching any Yankee game this year which is truly painful).

SU was trying to recall a greater redemption story in sports but it really is hard to think of one.  There was probably some boxer who late in his career won another championship well past his prime (Ali?) but given that Woods was at a point where he might never play again for health reasons, this was pretty amazing (hopefully there won’t be a Dr. Galea story that pops up in the next few weeks to spoil all of this).  Of course, Ron Burgundy’s great comeback in the movie Anchorman is another heart-warming story of redemption.

SU knows there are a number of Tiger haters on this subscriber list.  Some of you may not be happy about this weekend’s developments.  Thoughts?

SU will post later about the Yankees and the Mets.  The Mets, by the way, are a fun team to watch.  And you know what???  They actually try and hit to the opposite field.  What??  They also must have a training and strength and conditioning staff that knows how to keep players from pulling calf muscles when they move to colder weather.  Anyway more to come on that front.

Stanton clearly could not handle the commentary from SU from last night and has opted to go on the 10-day injured list to rehab.  The Yankees are reporting a bicep issue but we all know better.  Clearly, 3 days in the outfield is taxing.  Clint Frazier gets his shot.  He needs to make the most of this chance – hope Boone puts him out there.

Yankees are now down Hicks and the Generational One.  SU likes this: put the new guy from Colorado out there or Frazier.  It’s another chance to play guys who don’t go for the home run on every at bat and might even hit to the opposite field.  This could be revolutionary.

SU has noticed that the Yankees fans are already booing Miguel Andujar for not coming through with men on base.  It’s not even April 1st yet.  SU says adopt the John Sterling approach where he won’t even give you a hitter’s batting average until May.  You don’t want the young guys to get down on themselves early.  No need to boo – just don’t react then if you are sitting in the stands after paying $125 for your ticket.  Move Andujar down in the order to get his confidence.  You wonder if Aaron Boone is smart enough to figure that out.  But he is the great communicator and no doubt a line up demotion combined with a big hug should work.  Actually, the only challenge for Boone is to figure out where to put his 1 or 2 left-handed hitters each game in the line up.

It’s only been 3 games but SU has some insightful observations as always:

• Giancarlo Stanton is just not clutch.  He’s just not.  It’s not his fault that some team wanted to pay him $30 million a year for 10 years, and that the Yankees eagerly picked up that contract.  He lives comfortably and after another day at the ballpark where he left runners all over the bases (as in today), he will have a nice dinner and enjoy his luxury apartment.  Note SU is not bashing him and I will not boo him.  He is what he is and I accept that.  My only request is that you bat him 7th so that the Yankees can avoid him in rally situations.  I will take the 42 homeruns and 85 rbis along with the .255 average.  Yay, Giancarlo!
• You cannot bat Judge and Stanton back-to-back.  Too many strikeouts.
• And by the way, the all right-handed line up is just stupid.  The Yankees were overpowered by the lowly Orioles the last 2 games by hard throwing right handed pitchers and soft throwing change up lefties.  They all go up trying to hit homeruns.  They may break the season record that was set last year but it’s a problem for winning championships.
• The new guy LeMahieu was a great pick up.  He takes a ton of pitches, hits to the opposite field (WHAT!!!!!!!!!?????) and plays everywhere.  He needs to play every day.  New SU favorite.  They could use 4 more guys like him.
• No need to panic after 3 games.  But you can see the weaknesses already.  Baseball is a marathon but having all right-handed hitters all just trying to hit home runs is not ideal (note: this did not work last year).

SU likes the Met newcomers already coming through.  Good first series on the road.

Coach K is a hall of fame coach, obviously, but does he run any offense for Duke?  Michigan State is a team.  SU has no love for them but they are a consummate team.  So is Texas Tech and that will be a very good game come next Saturday.

Finally.  OK, technically, it’s the 2nd Opening Day for this year as there were two games in Japan.  The NCAAs have kept us occupied for a couple of weeks and the NBA slogs along to the start of the playoffs which actually should be very entertaining this year.  SU is transitioning into baseball mode but knows the faithful demand some predictions for 2019.  SU is happy to oblige in its fearless fashion.  Of course, we welcome all of your comments from all comers – unlike the White House these days who seems to be more particular.

American League

Beware of the following:

• Boston pitched several of their starters in relief last year in the playoffs on their off days.  This is going to lead to arm and shoulder injuries for Price and Sale in 2019.  Their bullpen is depleted.  The offense is still a powerhouse.  They will not repeat.
• Houston lost a couple of starters to free agency.  They will win the division but are not as fearsome as last year.
• No way Tampa Bay wins 90 games again – they were over-achievers last season.
• The Yankees already have starting pitching issues but you know they will pick up some guys along the way.  The offense will be strong although way too right-handed.  As in way too right-handed.  Have I told you that they are too right-handed?  Once Hicks returns, Bird will be sent down.  But they will score a lot of runs this season.  And they will need to as Tanaka and CC always get hurt for some period of weeks and Paxton has a history of that as well.  Look for some youngsters to step up though.  The Yankees will be strong if not flawed.

Division winners are the Yankees, Cleveland and Houston.  A’s and Red Sox take the wild cards.  Yankees win the pennant as they are due for one in this decade and this is their last chance.  SU is not into predicting the number of wins but no team in the AL will win 100 games this year.

National League

The NL feels more balanced:

• The East will be a dog fight.  The Mets and Phillies are better, and the Nationals and Braves are worse.  SU says this may be the most interesting division in baseball this year.
• Milwaukee was close last year and may be ready to make that move this season.
• SU says enough of the Dodgers.  Over hyped every year and they over spend.  Down year for the SF Giants.
• St. Louis is ready to return to the playoffs and the Cubs are feeling some pressure as the GM is threatening to tear the whole thing down if they don’t do better in 2019.

Division winners are the Braves, Brewers and the Dodgers, with both wild cards coming out of the Central (Cardinals and Cubs).  Milwaukee takes the pennant and loses to the Yankees in the World Series.

SU has a feeling about the Yankees this year.  They have cleared the Chase Headleys from the roster- that is huge.  They avoided the bad signings this off-season.  They are still short on starters but Cashman will fill in the holes and will give some youngsters a shot.  Once Boone finds the appropriate spot in the line up for Stanton (6th feels about right – the Andruw Jones spot), and Didi returns, this team will take off.

OK, sports fans, what say you?