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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

29 games in, the Yankees are 21 – 8. SU cannot recall the last time they started a season that way and I am too lazy to look it up. But it feels like a long, long time. The question is whether they can sustain this pace of play and if they are a legit good team. My thoughts:

1. The pitching is solid. The starters are not world beaters – except for Cole in theory – but they are consistently good 1 through 5. They do need to provide more length. The bullpen has been outstanding but they have to cover a lot of innings every game and SU says that will catch up to them soon enough. When you have to throw multiple relievers every game, the odds of them all being good every game are not great. There will be blown saves along the way.
2. Judge, Stanton and Rizzo have carried the team. And to date, they have each done it at a time when the others were not hot. This has translated into an excellent record. Note to readers: neither Stanton or Judge usually play a full season. The Yankees are one oblique or calf injury away from being a .500 team.
3. The team has gotten little from Hicks, Gallo, catcher and Donaldson. And I mean little. Donaldson had his 10-game hitting streak broken which got him all the way to .217 as he had 1 hit each game. He seems to be a good clubhouse guy and a good fielder but SU is waiting to see what he has left in the tank. Gallo is what we thought he was. I do think he has been better of late – takes a few walks and has hit in some tough luck – but he will settle in at .201 soon enough. SU is not a Hicks fan. Both catchers are good defensively and tell the truth: good to not have Gary Sanchez here anymore. Just catch the ball and we are happy. LeMahieu has bounced back nicely and IKF is a very good shortstop.

Bottom line: the answer is TBD. Great start to the season but a long way to go and the offense needs to show us what it is.

Tom Brady FOX deal: $375 million for 10 years. Really? Is he that compelling? Obviously a GOAT at QB but how do they know this will translate into the booth? Have you every listened to Grant Hill on TNT doing the NBA games? Super nice guy but says literally nothing any of you would say watching a game with your buddies. Troy Aikman makes about half this amount and his favorite line is, “that was a heck of a throw” or “that was a heck of a play.” Seriously, listen to him come the Fall. Tony Romo is the new standard but he talks too much for SU.

For those Tennis Channel viewers out there (approaching double digits now globally), the next star showed his stuff this past weekend in Madrid. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, just turned 19, beat Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev in succession to win the tournament. One week after winning in Barcelona. Up to #6 in the world. And SU says his best surface is not clay – he can play on all courts. And can even volley effectively. A guy to watch. Good for the sport as the Big Three approach the finish line.

Credit to the NBA for suspending Dillon Brooks of Memphis for game 3 of the playoff series with Golden State after injuring Gary Payton Jr. on a breakaway layup. Payton broke his elbow. SU says the issue is not the one play but that Brooks has been that type of player going back to his days at Oregon in college. Basketball, when played correctly, is a free flowing game with cutting, passing, moving without the ball and getting shots up way sooner than 24 seconds. The NBA game does not need that style of physical play. Draymond Green was ejected in game 1 but at least he tried to catch the player after his foul. The game has really evolved and the 7-foot post player is a thing of the past. Crazy. You only keep a 7-footer around if he can shoot 3s.

Comment on the NCAA transfer portal. Not a fan. Players opt out so quickly to move to another school rather than compete for playing time. There is no guarantee that you will get the playing time at the next school. There are certainly circumstances where it makes sense but SU sees many where it was just poor judgment.

All I got for today. As always, welcome your comments.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.