We have seen this all before. Your team loses the first two playoff games on the road in New York. The games are physical. The refs are letting a lot go and you believe that your team is getting hosed. What’s a coach to do?

That’s an easy one. You pull out the Phil Jackson playbook from his days at the Chicago Bulls. “Outrageous officiating!” “We are getting man-handled!” “So many missed calls!” Blah, blah, blah. And of course, this being the NBA, what happens in game 3? The road team, up 2 – 0 in the series, has most of its starters in foul trouble in the first 5 minutes of the game. It is the classic over-reaction by the refs. And it happens time and time again.

Nick Nurse is in over-drive this morning. Filing a grievance with the NBA on the officiating in the first 2 games vs the Knicks. Please. You are getting clobbered on the offensive glass – start there. In SU’s view, Brunson is getting abused on every possession, and Kyle Lowry gets away with murder. The Sixers’ strategy is to foul on every possession and dare the refs to call it. The strategy says they won’t call it on every possession and you can establish a more physical style of play for the entire game.

At the end of last night’s game, Maxey fell down and Brunson did grab his jersey from behind but unclear to SU that caused him to fall down. In real time, it sure looked like a foul but in slow motion, much less so.

I saw LeBron walked out of his media session unhappy with the refs from his game last night. He is also a master at getting his team better calls in the next game. We know reffing in the NBA is very challenging. The players are so good, athletic and fast. It’s not an easy job. But the Knicks will be up against it in game 3. SU believes the over-reaction usually only lasts one game, and game 4 will be officiated better. But no way in this next game.

The Aaron Boone ejection yesterday was a classic if you get to check that out. The YES broadcast picked up the audio. SU says MLB should allow all managers and umpires to be miked up – it definitely spices up the action and the back and forth is fun to hear. OK, so there is some profanity but hey, it’s all about entertainment here. Boone obviously should not have been ejected as he didn’t say anything but in baseball, you can still call the shots in the runway under the dugout. Not a big deal especially with the Yankees’ bench and the fact that they rarely play the non-starters.

As a lifelong Yankee fan, SU has listened to John Sterling for over 30 years. For a time, it was John Sterling and Michael Kay back in the 1990s, and then he picked up Suzyn Waldman as his booth mate. John Sterling is a good guy and it’s easy to wish him well in whatever the future holds for him.

However, for the past 10+ years, he has been unlistenable for SU. And rest assured, I can listen to anyone – with the exception of Dick Vitale in recent years who I actually have to mute on the television. SU is fine with Sterling being a homer for the Yankees – heck, we had Phil Rizzuto and no-one was more of a homer than him. For me, it was a few things with Sterilng:

1. Soooooo inaccurate on the home run calls. He was so excited to make the call on the home run and he did not seem to ever watch the TV monitor right in front of him. As his eye sight diminished, these calls became: “It is high, it is far, it is….caught 30 feet in front of the warning track.” As a fan, you started to listen more to the crowd noise in the background on these calls to figure out if it was actually going to be a home run. Brutal…. and super annoying.
2. He stopped giving the score of the game. You know: you get in your car, the games is on and you just want to hear the score. If the game was in progress, and no inning break in sight, you could wait a ridiculously long time to get the score. I finally started to check the score on my phone first because of that before turning on the game. Again….. annoying.
3. Working with Suzyn Waldman. SU has said this before: Suzyn was great when she did the post-game interviews in the clubhouse. Really excellent. As a radio analyst? Not so much value add there. I know many enjoy her with Sterling but I always felt it was a tough listening experience.

I like the Yankee television broadcasts. Kay, Paul O’Neill, David Cone, now Joe Girardi. All good. A different story on the radio and honestly, I stopped listening completely for the past couple of years for the reasons above. Unenjoyable. Nothing against him personally. Wish him all the best but looking forward to the new regime.

The Yankees are off to a great start but the cracks are starting to show a bit. The loss of Loaisiga in the bullpen is big as he was slated in for 2 innings at a time. Their ERA is excellent so far but you can see it coming. Over use as the starters don’t go much past 5 innings, and if you keep winning, there will be problems. Something is wrong with Anthony Rizzo in the field. Dropping throws at first, not scooping up balls in the dirt and last night, just missed a pop foul near the Yankee dugout. One wonders if the PTSD he suffered last year is totally gone.

Gleyber is not hitting but he will come around. The offense is more varied and once the weather warms up, they will be a tough out. They really need Gerrit Cole though to bolster the rotation. Truth be told, the AL is not all that good this year but the roster will need some tweaks going forward. I know: Yankee fans are spoiled. I prefer to think we have higher standards.

SU is excited about the Knicks’ playoffs coming up. They are an over-achieving team and fun to root for. A match-up with the Sixers will be very tough though – that is a team that may be built for the playoffs if Embid can stay healthy. But no matter what happens in the post-season, a great year for the Knicks.

SU has watched most of the UConn women’s games this year. As I have said before, they play the game the right way – team-oriented, up-tempo, constant movement on offense. They were definitely an over-achieving team and getting to the Final Four with this 8-player roster represents a master class in coaching by Geno Auriemma and his very capable staff. You have to realize that he is so hard on his players that he needs assistants to build the egos back up of his players – especially the freshmen. SU thinks Paige Bueckers is one of the top 3 players in the country and will be a huge draw in the WNBA and the Olympic team going forward.

UConn was down 9 or 10 points late and fought back to have a shot at the game with 9 seconds late. Impressive. Bueckers had a tough game as Iowa employed a similar approach that UConn had on Caitlin Clark with a smaller player basically face guarding the whole game. Still, she should have had more shot attempts in this game and that actually falls on Geno who did not alter the offense enough to free her up.

So, was that screen by Edwards a foul? SU says no – not by the standards that college basketball calls screens. Forget the NBA where illegal screens are a staple of the game. However… UConn had been called 3 times for a similar screening foul earlier in the game, and you have to be aware that these refs were calling it a foul. Iowa had none. SU believes that it was marginally an illegal screen but you don’t call it at that point in the game. The Iowa defender did a good job of jerking her head back and got the call.

It’s funny: if they don’t make the call, Bueckers gets the last shot under pressure. Maybe she gets hit and there is no call and then that is the argument. SU has to say that she does not get the respect from the refs that Clark does. Several drives she was hit and knocked to the ground – no call. To her credit, no crying about it, no arms flailing or not getting back on defense, i.e.., no LeBron behavior.

General observations:

1. NCAA women’s basketball refs are really bad. If you watch regular season games, it’s embarrassing at times. Just inferior. So many missed calls or incorrect calls. SU actually thought this game was called pretty well last night. Sure, the calls were favoring Iowa but UConn could not afford real foul trouble to any of the top 5 players and they survived for the most part.
2. Love Ryan Rucco. Great announcer.
3. There was a drive by Clark where she pushed off KK Arnold in the lane – sent her flying. Obvious offensive foul – no call. That’s what I mean about the officiating at the women’s games – not the same quality. So many games, nothing is called in the 1st quarter and then all of a sudden, everything starts to be called in the 2nd quarter.
4. SU does not believe that you can blame the officiating for losses. You have too many chances to win the game in the rest of the game. Missed foul shots, turnovers, missed layups, etc. That’s where the game is lost. If the game comes down to the last play, you are at the mercy of the officials. Do you want to put yourself in that situation? You hope they call the play correctly but it’s not an easy job and there are misses.
5. It is still super frustrating to see this game decided on that screen call. Wrong call at the wrong time.

If UConn can stay healthy which seems to be a big lift for them, they will have a really good team next year. South Carolina is much deeper and physical. SU will be surprised if Iowa can keep it close on Sunday. Bueckers and Clark are great ambassadors for the sport going forward. SU is not an Angel Reese fan – trash talker supreme. She is disrespectful but SU knows that I am not of this generation and many love this stuff. Act like you’ve been there before. Respect the opponent. Is it so hard?

The Yankees are off to a good start but the warning signs are flashing. Loaisiga is now on the 60-day IL and you know he will not be back. Despite being 6-2, the run differential is only +4 and they have won games where line drives late in the game found a glove. SU loves the left-handed bats in the lineup – who would have thought that was a good idea?? Will Stanton get untracked before he gets the annual injury? At least he is thinner this year but at some point, SU hopes he has to earn the at bats to be in the lineup. Dominguez will return this summer and then we will see who is playing.

While the Mets looked horrible for the first 5+ games, they have now eked out a couple of wins. Remember this: teams are not as good as they look when they are winning, and they are not as bad as they look when they are losing. The truth is somewhere in between. It’s a really long season. But for Yankee fans, it’s never too early to start complaining!

Full disclosure: SU has not had the staff do the normal deep dive into the analytics for this year’s baseball season predictions. I must say I am amazed at how all of the preseason prediction articles seem to be very analytics-based to the point where I have no idea what they are talking about.

SU goes by feel. So, here is what I feel:

1. SU is not excited (at all) about the Yankees for 2024. They did a number on me in 2023 to the point where I no longer cared. Never happened before – even going back to the dark days of the late 1960s (OK, SU is old). Hal Steinbrenner is managing to a budget this year – clearly – and it seems very apparent now that if Gerrit Cole does not return later this year, and is not effective even if he does, they are going nowhere. The Yankees traded so many of their pitching prospects the last two years that there is no depth. It all comes down to Carlos Rodon being really good, and hard to feel confident about that. The offense will be better and there are even some new left-handed bats in there (amazing) but the Yankees will need to out-slug their opponents all year. There is not much of a bench – at least at the moment.
2. So much talk about Giancarlo Stanton and the “chip” he is carrying around from last season. SU says what chip? You are paid $34 million a year to perform and be in the lineup. He has done neither the last few years. Stanton is a good guy and he stands up in the locker room but please, just produce and everyone will love you. Glad he is leaner and maybe that will help him stay healthy. SU prediction: hot start and then plays in cold weather and we get the inevitable hamstring pull and 2 months on the IL. Hope I am wrong.
3. The over/under for the Yankees for SU is 90 wins which gets them a Wild Card and a loss early in the playoffs. Cashman no longer has the magic touch at the trade deadline. Not sure Judge can stay healthy, LeMahieu is already hurt and in decline. SU is not feeling it.
4. The Mets appear to be in a rebuild. How did that happen? Are they just a .500 team this year? Met fans will complain that Yankee fans are entitled but your owner has deep, deep pockets and is willing to spend to be good. It’s hard to say they are good right now.

Predictions: Atlanta over Baltimore in the World Series. SU believes it is the Braves’ time. They certainly have the players and the experience now. I think the gambling scandal with Ohtani’s interpreter will drag him down for much of the season. Yamamoto is not a sure thing. The Dodgers will win the division but making it out of the NL will not be easy – a number of solid teams there. It would be hard to believe that Ohtani was actually betting on games himself or having this guy place bets for him but time will tell what they discover in the investigation. No doubt there will be the chants from fans on the road. You have to assume he has never faced that type of thing before in his career.

People are very positive about the Orioles – almost too positive for SU. They should still win the AL East as it is no longer such a powerhouse. But they are very young and sometimes, teams do not progress in a straight line. Still feels like they are good enough to emerge from the AL.

The floor is open for your predictions. Am I being too negative about the Yankees? Are the Mets better than a .500 team?

SU has been enjoying the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament – both men’s and women’s games. I have to admit that I am much less familiar with the players on the men’s teams this year as compared to any other season. It’s a direct result of watching fewer games this year (thank you Juwan Howard for making Michigan basketball unwatchable) but also a function of the transfer portal and the impact of NIL money. Players switch teams to get more playing time or earn more NIL money every off-season and it’s hard to know who is playing for what team. When you combine that with the “one and done” players who jump to the NBA after their freshman seasons, well, you end up with new rosters every season for many teams.

Having said that, SU has observed something this year which I believe is a trend at the college level. I believe college coaches, mostly on the men’s side, run offenses that are basically exclusively one-on-one basketball. There are teams that literally don’t have an offensive scheme from what I can tell. Maybe they run a pick and roll to free up the guy going one on one. It harkens back to Mike Woodson when he was the coach of the Knicks. His offensive playbook was a pamphlet: give the ball to Carmelo on the wing, let him jab step 17 times while everyone else stands on 3-point line hoping for a pass.

SU watched the Northwestern – Florida Atlantic first round game and the FAU coach ran this offense. Northwestern’s Chris Collins knew this and had his team double team the one-on-one player as he started his move. Brilliant move as the FAU players had no idea where to throw the ball. None. Caused lots of turnover. But FAU is not alone – many other teams play the same way. Some are up tempo and it’s masked a bit but others play a slower pace and it’s all one on one.

For SU, this is unwatchable and unenjoyable. The beauty of basketball is constant movement, passing and finding the open man. It’s why I enjoy UConn women’s games so much. Those teams, no matter the talent which is top notch, are so unselfish, and they enjoy making the extra passes. There are men’s teams that do it as well – Duke, North Carolina, UConn. But so many do not and then they are exposed in the NCAAs when they play better teams who can defend a limited offensive scheme. If SU was ever coaching against one of these teams, I would do what Collins did at Northwestern. Man, that was easy and so disruptive. The FAU coach is the new Michigan coach (gulp) and I hope he does not bring that style of play to Ann Arbor.

SU saw an interesting stat on Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Preseason, his teams are always forecast to be top 10 – almost every year. And when you compare the preseason prediction with where his teams finish, well they always fall short. This tells me he is a great recruiter but not a great developer of talent. Or his talent is over-hyped. Few of the Michigan State players really shine in the NBA.

Am I old school and out of step with the times? I mean this is more of an NBA style of play in large part but it’s not fun.

Baseball starts this week! The Yankees refused to overpay for a free agent starting pitcher and will hope that Cole can return in a couple of months. For SU, this season hinges on whether Carlos Rodon is actually good. It will come down to that. SU will make its fearless predictions later this week for the 2024 season.

SU saw that ESPN’s Buster Olney has the Yankees making it to the World Series this year where they will fall to the Phillies. I have to believe he has access to insider information that indicates that the Yankees have pitching depth this year that is not available to larger public audience.

Their only chance to having a decent year in 2024 is for Gerrit Cole to be healthy. Twitter (uh sorry, X) is reporting that Cole is having an MRI on his pitching elbow according to Bryan Hoch of mlb.com. So far, we have seen Nestor Cortes get rocked in his starts as well as Rodon and Schmidt. If Cole is out for any length of time. SU’s over/under of 90 wins will be in jeopardy. Will Hal open the purse strings for Snell or Montgomery? Or do we just tank the season now and call it a day as the tickets are already sold?

A few random observations and thoughts today:

SU knows that Caitlin Clark is the real deal and a generational talent (Soto? Giancarlo Stanton?). However, SU says do not lose sight of Paige Bueckers on UConn who is bigger and stronger this year and is a force. She fills up every statistical category. The UConn women are still SU’s favorite college hoops viewing. They play the game the right way.

Man, the NY Knicks play hard every night but are just lacking the offensive players right now. If you watched the Sixers last night, they doubled Brunson and were not worried about leaving others unguarded. Someone needs to come off the injured list and soon. Or Alec Burks who was having a good year, needs to get comfortable and do what he was traded to do, as in score off the bench.

March Madness is almost upon us. Given the transfer portal, this is the first year that I can remember where I know almost nothing about the men’s college basketball teams. Michigan was unwatchable (which equals less viewing for SU) and the Big Ten always underachieves despite getting 8 – 9 teams in the dance every year. SU will make its fearless picks soon enough but this year will be wide open – which is a good thing.

Check out the New England Patriots Dynasty series on Apple TV. Very well done and interesting with behind the scenes interviews with all of the major players including Roger Goodell, Bob Kraft, Tom Brady, etc. SU is not a Pats’ fan but this has been a fun watch.

You have to give Mahomes his due. This year’s edition of the Kansas City Chiefs lacked Tyreek Hill, and they struggled for much of the year to find receivers who could actually catch the ball. Rashee Rice definitely emerged but even Kelce was dropping passes for much of the season.

The Chiefs did little for much of the first half and while SF dominated, they did not put the game away or build a big enough lead. The Niners also did nothing in the 3rd quarter – literally. Frankly, not the most exciting game but it was close throughout and we did get an overtime which is unusual for a Super Bowl.

Watching Mahomes, one of his greatest assets is knowing when to take off with the ball. He is certainly fast enough and is masterful at picking his spots. Late in the game and in OT, he made some very good decisions to pick up big yards.

A bad night for the Niners special teams with the blocked extra point and the big fumble on the punt which hit the foot of one of their players. It will be interesting to see what happens to SF now as they lost in the Conference championship last year and now the Super Bowl. Few teams are able to keep the pieces together to make it all the way back for 3 straight years. The window may close for them although they certainly have key pieces on offense that are young enough. The salary cap will tell the story in the end.

SU was off as always on its prediction although we had good intentions. Props to long-time subscriber, M. Levine, for putting his score out there.

Comment on sports viewing for Super Bowl Sunday. It is a sign of the rising popularity of women’s sports that FOX had the Iowa-Nebraska college hoops game on to showcase Caitlin Clark, and ESPN had UConn vs. South Carolina. Btw, South Carolina is a powerhouse team – what a collection of All-Americans.

SU is not a Tony Romo fan – not anymore. Just too enamored with himself making predictions that he hopes come true or imploring coaches to go for it on 4th down deep in their own territory. And enough of the talk about “leverage.” What is that exactly?

It is an annual Super Bowl tradition for SU to inaccurately predict the outcome for the big game. SU is proud to say that I have not read any of the pre-game shows/podcasts/articles but I did watch a A LOT of NFL football this season following our under-performing fantasy football team (note to readers: do not select Stefan Diggs anymore for your fantasy team). It is that time.

Prediction: SF 31 – 27 over the Chiefs.

I do see that many are on the Kansas City bandwagon and it is hard to predict against Patrick Mahomes. Btw, why all the hate towards the Chiefs and Mahomes? And I am not referencing the MAGA crowd and their obsession with Taylor Swift. Is it that Kansas City is always in the Super Bowl and a desire for something different? Too many Travis Kelce commercials?

For SU, Kansas City really struggled for much of the year. True, they are playing a lot better of late, and their defense has been very good down the stretch and in the playoffs. Mahomes has won with far fewer weapons on offense, and is a master of buying extra time in the pocket. I think Christian McCaffrey is a difference maker for the Niners, and will actually be the game’s MVP. He should be fresh with the bye week and see an extra workload both running and receiving.

SF’s defense looked pretty pedestrian last game vs. the Lions, and you have to figure they have made some adjustments there. The Niners have a rookie kicker in Jake Moody, and I don’t think they will rely on him much in this game, i.e., they will go for it on 4th down and short more often than not. Feels like this game will be close throughout and will come down to the final possession which for SU has the Niners stopping Mahomes on the game’s last drive to hold on to a small lead.

As always, the floor is open for anyone to insert their prediction in the Comments section, and be eligible for the SU logoed umbrella and key chain. Your chance to gain the admiration of thousands with your correct prediction!

SU is firmly on the Knicks’ bandwagon this year after an absence spanning many, many years (thank you Isiah Thomas, Stephan Marbury and Carmelo for that). This is a likeable team that plays very hard at both ends, has a true superstar in Jalen Brunson and now has the pieces, if and when healthy, to make a deep run in the playoffs. New York will totally embrace this team in May if they can get to the Conference finals.

Finally, stumbled across this on the ATP Men’s Tennis Tour. Just 5 minutes but amusing: https://twitter.com/atptour/status/1755275229633384956

SU will withhold any Yankees’ commentary as we near the date where pitchers and catchers report. That’s because they have not done anything of late to supplement the pitching staff, and I will not get excited over the 2024 team going into this season with this roster. Can’t do it. 90 – 72 is the likely landing spot and early golf tee times for the players come October.

So, enjoy the game and let’s hear from you!

Wow, job security for NFL coaches – be it head coaches or assistants – is not what it used to be. Probably better to rent a house vs. buying. SU is sorry to see Jim Harbaugh move on to the LA Chargers but he has earned the right to do so. He has checked all of the boxes at Michigan in his time there and you can only wish him well as he starts Chapter 2 in the NFL. He was very successful in SF with the Niners but the reality is that he is a high maintenance hire. He knows what he wants and is unafraid to ask and go for it. He wore out his welcome in SF and SU is certain he will do the same with the Chargers in a few years. The key will be if he can deliver some playoff success to LA and justify all that goes with it. SU has the over/under at 4.5 years for Harbaugh with the Chargers.

Meanwhile, Michigan will likely give the head coaching spot to the offensive coordinator, Sherrone Moore who has earned it. SU sees him as a great hire who will be highly effective on the recruiting trail. Good for him and he can hopefully hold on to his assistants – especially Jessie Minter for the defense. I must say that there should be a rule that college coaches who depart for the NFL are not allowed to poach their assistants from the school. Somehow that seems unfair although I suppose the new incoming head coach could choose to gut his staff anyway. Just feels wrong to me.

SU comment on college sports. Players should get paid – I have no issue with that. But the combination of NIL money and the transfer portal has ruined college football and basketball. It is very clear now that the top college football schools have to pony up millions of dollars to compete both for high school recruits and transfers. It is total free agency with no salary cap. Line up the boosters, give out the SUVs, bags of money. This is a good thing? As a fan, the disruption in rosters – especially for college hoops – with all of the transfers makes me less interested in watching. Part of the fun was rooting for your team’s freshmen to see how they develop over time. No more. SU is not loving this.

Djokovic went down in Australia to Sinner in a beatdown. He looked like an MLB starting pitcher who just did not have it – at all. Not to take anything away from Sinner who is a great, rising player but Djokovic had nothing. I cannot recall another time that he played that badly. Is it age catching up? Maybe but SU feels it’s a blip for him and something that will get his attention to not repeat it. Sinner is well coached and continues to add to his game. He is pure power but can now hit the topspin angle shots to move the opponent off the court. Tennis fans will be treated to the Alcaraz – Sinner rivalry for years to come. Fun to watch and both are good guys which SU appreciates.

Yankee fans remain in a holding pattern. This roster is a 90-win team. Are you excited?

At least NY fans have the Knicks who play hard every night and are a true team. They do need one more scorer to provide some cushion in the event of injury but they will contend in the East come April. And yes, NY fans have the Rangers! I know someone would have pointed that out to me.

Clearly, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reading SU. See what he wrote this afternoon about Marcus Stroman. 

Rosenthal: Yankees’ rotation additions must continue beyond Marcus Stroman – The Athletic

It is not a pretty picture.