SU has been monitoring the number of days off that Giancarlo Stanton has been given in 2021. He is a full-time DH – they never roll him out to play left field. Keep in mind that in all of his years in the National League with the Marlins, the Generational One played right field on a regular basis. Somehow, he has become a bit brittle in the American League.

SU has been running the numbers through its sophisticated models over and over again. Based on our in-depth calculations, it appears that a DH comes to bat either 4 or 5 times a game. Now, the walk from the dugout to home plate varies by stadium. Oakland, for example, has an especially long walk to the plate. However, in baseball there is no clock so you can do that more slowly. We have also factored in the occasions when you might break a bat or need more pine tar which involves walking a few steps back to the dugout. We do not factor in home and away games as those even out over the course of the year. For Stanton, as a right-handed hitter, it’s a longer walk from the first-base dugout vs. the third-base dugout.

Now, when you hit a home run, you jog around the bases. Not too strenuous although the first few steps out of the box may involve a slightly faster pace although the Yankees certainly discourage that for Gary Sanchez. Strike outs involve no running. Walks involve walking.

Bottom line: SU says he needs to play every day. Every day. He is the Yankees’ hottest hitter now and this is not a roster with many of those guys. Most are comfortably below .200 and show no signs of movement up (nor do they worry about being benched as they are right-handed hitters and they know only right-handed hitters are allowed to play). And, when Luke Voit returns, he may need some days as DH with a recuperating knee. Put Stanton in the outfield. SU says this is not like the NBA where you are sprinting up and down the court. Just stand out in left field for minutes on end and then jog after the occasional fly ball. Do not go any further than the warning track – no walls please. And I don’t care if you catch the ball. I mean they roll Clint Frazier out there most games and he is an adventure on his best days. Stanton only has to jog – all the time.

I know you are wondering how Mike Tauchman is doing with the SF Giants since he was traded last week. SU has been monitoring: he has started all 4 games (what? no day off?) and is 5 for 16 with 1 home run and 5 rbis. That is .313 for those scoring at home. Now consider: in 4 games, he has more rbis than Clint Frazier (3) and Gary Sanchez (4) for the entire season. Ahem.

For those of you keeping score at home, Mike Tauchman debuted last night for the Giants in center field and went 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored. Clearly not good enough in New York to play ahead of Hicks in centerfield and his .180 average or Frazier in left with his .140 numbers. SU says the issue is that he hits left-handed. Cashman can now continue on his quest to field an entirely right-handed line-up. We are close now. Once Voit returns at first base, that just leaves Hicks in centerfield as the only lefty. And this makes sense in Yankee Stadium because…?

Meanwhile, Frazier broke out last night with a home run and a double. Clearly he is more relaxed with Tauchman gone and will take off now. On the opposite end is Sanchez who is basically splitting time with Higashioka at catcher. SU’s Yankee favorite is now Higgy and he needs to get the majority of starts until Sanchez starts to hit to right field. And that will never happen. Bottom line: the champion Yankee teams of the 1990s hit to all fields, hit for average and put the ball in play. The 2021 version strikes out, is oblivious to who is on base and just swings for the fences. The analytics may say it’s all about runs and who cares when they come or how you get them. Not a winning formula in October.

SU is now watching Knick games. Love the hustle, defense, camaraderie and effort. Hoping more fans can come to the playoff games. What a change from the Carmelo era. Even Derrick Rose is passing.

All eyes on the NFL draft tonight. With all of the QBs in play, a bit more excitement than usual for SU. Jet fans: who is your quarterback of the future?

Never doubt the clout of SU. Tauchman, Gardner and Mike Ford are all in the Yankees’ line up tonight. Clearly, Brian Cashman has been paying attention. Odor, Hicks and Frazier sit. End of an era. Fingers crossed that Ford and Tauchman do something positive.

In the immortal words of Michael Ray Richardson, “the ship be sinking” in the Bronx. 11 hits this weekend being swept by the Rays. Keep in mind Tampa Bay’s entire pitching staff is on the injured list. They roll out a lot of no name pitchers. The FCC has put out a warning that you should not operate heavy machinery while watching a Yankee game for fear of dozing off. SU stumbled across highlights from the Yankees ALCS vs Boston in 2003, and the 2001 World Series vs Arizona. Those were real teams with players who put the ball in play with a plan.

SU had noticed that the Yankees were not hitting in Spring Training. I know no one cares about that but they rarely had more than 10 hits in a game. Boone is managing by playing the same guys who are slumping every game figuring they will break out of it. SU says start Tauchman now every game. You have so few position players on the roster. He deserves a shot now. Hicks in his best years hits .230. Unacceptable. Signing Jay Bruce (now retiring) and trading for Odor ( can’t field, can’t hit lefties and hits the occasional home run) were panic moves. Cashman had done well restocking the farm system. OK, the Stanton trade was a mistake (have I told you that?) but his other moves are decent. Going forward, get more hitters who can hit to the opposite field. Voit will return in May but he’s just another swing for the fences hitter.

SU says it’s too early to worry about the new starting pitchers. They haven’t pitched for over a year. I can be patient. But not the offense. Players have to earn their at bats. Make them uncomfortable. Boone is not going to get fired nor should he be as long as he starts playing Tauchman. That is SU’s condition.

This is embarrassing.

Check out the Julian Edelman special on Showtime. Very entertaining. He is quite the character.

The Yankees have now lost 3 of their 4 series this year. SU is a lifelong fan and I am not going anywhere (although I do find myself watching more Met games this season). But I need to be entertained and the 2021 version is not entertaining. Full disclosure: I am watching Netflix and following the game on mlb.com.
I mean how many times do we need to see Jay Bruce? No mas. Put Tauchman at 1st base. He is fast, hits to the opposite field and has a plan. This roster is clunky and you have outfielders playing the infield. SU will not dump on Stanton – he got a day off today as when you DH you can’t play a day game after a night game. Huh. Hicks is very good right handed but unless he homers left-handed, it’s an out. Platoon with Gardner.

I am not sure what Cashman and Boone are watching. They may be on Netflix too. Starters only go 4 innings and the bullpen will break down soon. SU says 2020 was a mediocre record with the same roster and this may be who they are. Just an overpaid average team that mindlessly goes for home runs over and over again. It’s not too early to be concerned. Time for some roster moves or at least playing time changes.

SU has seen enough of the Yankees this year. You can say it’s still early (it is) but SU knew this at the start of spring training. Players need to perform to stay in the line-up.

1. Aaron Hicks – totally different hitter right-handed. Hits to all fields. Left-handed, he pulls everything into the shift. SU says platoon him in center field with Gardner. Makes total sense. Done
2. Clint Frazier – already struggling. Tauchman deserves some at bats. He puts the ball in play. Obvious move.
3. Jay Bruce – done with him. All or nothing hitter and teams put 4 guys in the outfield. Still won’t hit to left field. Don’t need him.
   
4. Odor – no clue why they got him. None. But he is left handed and we all know the all right handed lineup is dumb. Worth a shot.

Bottom line: Yankees are painfully boring. On pre- game show today, all the talk was take pitches and be patient. Not seeing it so far. At all. And yes, I know it’s still early. And won’t cut it in October. Am I wrong?

In the NCAA Tournament, it’s all about peaking at the right time for your season. We saw that with UCLA and we certainly saw that with Baylor. In the wins over UCLA and Gonzaga, they were relentless on defense and the offensive glass. They were able to keep fresh players coming in to maintain the pressure. They are not a tall team but they just get after it on defense with a real intensity.

SU was impressed with the general unselfishness from the entire team. That’s what you need to win a championship. What separates them from other teams is that they have several players than can go 1-on-1 with the shot clock running down to beat their man off the dribble. And all of those guys can shoot it from the 3-point line so you have to respect the outside shot. It was quite a contrast with this year’s Michigan team who has, at most, 1 player who can do that (Mike Smith) but he is around 5-9 so getting off a shot inside is very challenging.

Was Gonzaga gassed from the overtime win over UCLA in the semis? SU says no. That was an all-time classic game and great for the sport. But you are down to one more game now and surely you can muster the energy. The reality is that Gonzaga only goes 7 players deep when it counts and they were just punched in the face in the first 5 minutes and could never regain their footing.

Next year in college basketball will be very interesting as a ton of players have entered the transfer portal and the NCAA is also allowing players to come back for another year of eligibility. There will be many players changing teams who will be competing for time with incoming freshmen. For the players transferring, it’s a crapshoot as hard to know where you can get your minutes.

SU has checked out the Yankees for a bit so far this season. I am getting in some quality nap time there. I know it’s early April and it’s cold. The offense is pretty terrible and the starting pitching has been pretty great. The home runs will come but for SU, waiting on the 3-run home run every game is not a formula for success in October. I don’t see how this works in the playoffs. Enough said.

The Mets’ bullpen got that first blown save out of the way in game 1. Too bad for deGrom who was throwing 100 mph – as is half of MLB so far. Why is that? Note to MLB: 100 mph throwers in late afternoon shadows does not lead to a lot of action. But it does lead to a quality nap.

It’s Opening Day! Hope springs eternal for every baseball team. It will be cold in New York but they will get the game in for the Yankees. Mets go live in Washington tonight. Fans in the stands – finally – although limited unless you are in Texas because…. of course.

SU has read a few of the experts’ predictions for the season. A lot of love for the Dodgers I must say. Some say it’s a slam dunk. Repeat champions? SU says teams are not as motivated that next season – even ones as stacked as the Dodgers. Many are high on the Padres and the Braves. The AL is not as interesting – apparently – as many feel the Yankees will roll through the season and the playoffs. Clearly, they are mesmerized by the all right-handed line-up and why that is a formula for success.

SU’s thoughts on the 2021 season:

• Unless the Yankees have totally revamped their strength and conditioning program (which they probably have), I can’t believe that guys like Judge, Stanton, Voit, Hicks are doing to stay healthy all year. Combine that with starters who haven’t pitched in 2 years and another (Severino) coming back from Tommy John surgery, and Zach Britten injured, SU is not 100% sold on the pitching staff. And Chapman is always hurt for a month or two on top of that.
• I hate the all right-handed line-up. And I hate watching Gary Sanchez hit. He needs to aim for right field this year. SU does not care about the home runs. Show me a new approach this year.
• The Yankees look great on paper. I would have to say that given the regression of the Rays with their player departures and the Red Sox being in a rebuild, anything short of making it to the World Series this year would be a disappointment. They don’t have to win it but I think you have to get there in 2021. Many are high on the Angels and the White Sox. The AL West looks like the toughest division in the AL as Oakland and the Astros are always contenders.
• In the NL, SU is high on the Mets. Smart to lock up Lindor – he is young, charismatic and easy to root for. I don’t think they will win the NL East but they will be a Wild Card. SU will also root for Joe Girardi in Philadelphia and Didi Gregorius.

I think the season will really build as more people get vaccinated and teams allow more fans in the stands for games. Will we see vaccinated fans only sections in 2021 along the lines of the alcohol-free sections of years past? SU will sign up for that. And if you want to limit attendance to 50%, I am there for that as well. I don’t need the pushing and shoving in the men’s room in the 5th inning from intoxicated, yelling fans.

I say too much love for the Dodgers. Yankees vs. the Padres in the World Series, and the Yankees finally break through. The key will be Cashman picking up some left-handed hitters at the trade deadline. The Mets will get the Wild Card and will advance to the NLCS where they lose to the Padres. The Subway Series will return as will the rivalry in New York.

Giancarlo Stanton will play in 75 games. In fact, the Yankees will sit him in April when the temperature dips below 40 degrees to avoid calf injuries. Judge will schedule his oblique injury for May and will return in July. Gary Sanchez will be the AL MVP (OK, just kidding).

The floor is open for anyone who wants to weigh in with their thoughts on 2021 baseball. Be bold. Play Ball!

As SU has written many, many times, I am in it for the “journey”, not just the end result. In college basketball, in a normal year, you start with the early season tournaments, then the non-conference games, conference games, conference tournament and the NCAAs. It’s a long season and you enjoy seeing how your team evolves, improves, deals with adversity/injuries and then the final result.

For Michigan last night, that was just a brutal game. I mean, 49 points is a ridiculously low number. While I wanted to see them win and advance to the Final Four, I must admit that even in a victory it would have been less enjoyable. Missed foul shots, silly turnovers, just really bad shooting – we had it all. Michigan played great defense and even though Juzang went off, they held UCLA to 51 points. And despite it all, they had shots to win it in the final seconds. I wanted Brown taking those final shots and do not understand why he was not the first option but hard to argue with Juwan’s success.

But as I am old and wise (or mainly just old), I can appreciate the process and how much this team achieved this year. This was a true “team” – not a roster of future NBA stars. The injury to Isiah Livers was a tough hit late in the year, and he is probably their best player who does so many things for them. Without Livers, Michigan was not a legitimate #1 seed – more like a #3 or #4. So, for SU, making it to the Elite 8 was over-achievement. Should they have beaten UCLA? Absolutely. UCLA is not a very good team. But SU says give them credit – they are in the Final Four and beat some good teams to get there.

For Michigan, Franz Wagner will declare for the NBA draft and some team will take him in the 1st round. While he is gifted physically, he is not a good outside shooter and his shot is awkward and slow to release. He would benefit from a total remake of his shooting motion. SU will be shocked if he has a successful NBA career. Excellent defender, long arms but his future may be in Europe in the long run. Hunter Dickinson knows what to work on this summer: a left-handed shot, jump shot, footwork. SU says he has upside. It was a lot to ask of him as a freshman to be featured on offense last night against smaller opponents. He needs to learn to spin and shoot the other way so the smaller players can’t just flop and flop on defense. He will be an NBA player and could thrive in the right system. But he needs to perfect the mid-range jumper first.

It was a great season. An over-achieving season. It comes to an end suddenly and that is sports. You ride the highs and endure the lows. But you always come back for more and it’s fun to start thinking about next year’s team. That is the process and the journey. Gonzaga is going to be a tough out in the Final Four. They play at a different level from everyone else.

SU’s fearless baseball predictions come out tomorrow. We are already running statistical models on the over/under for the number of games played by Giancarlo Stanton. Even exclusively as a DH, hard to get him over 81 games.

SU has something to say about last night’s Elite 8 match-up of Baylor vs. the UConn women. First of all, this was a great game between two storied teams that have been dominant on the women’s stage for many years. The first quarter which ended with UConn up 26 – 24 was probably as good a 10-minute stretch of college basketball that I watched all season. The pace was incredible and both teams were playing a quick tempo. And let’s call it like it is this year: some of these NCAA men’s games will not go into the time capsule for their offensive prowess. Brutal shooting for long stretches by both teams. This women’s game was excellent.

Now, the rest of the game reverted to the way that Baylor likes to play defense. Lots of grabbing and holding, don’t let the other team run their plays. SU has seen this style of play before. In fact, anyone in the SU subscriber base who played hoops at Blind Brook High School against Rye High School on the boys’ side knows what I am talking about. Grabbing and holding. The idea is that if you grab and hold on every play, the refs won’t call it. The refs will start to accept that is the way tonight’s game will be played and you get away with it. For the final 3 quarters, Baylor got away with it. The game ended up at 69-67 with UConn winning which shows you how much scoring there was in the last 3 quarters.

Which brings us to the last few seconds with Baylor down 2 points. Their play breaks down and one of the players attempts a bit of a fadeaway baseline jumper from around 10 feet with 2 UConn women right on her. Was it a foul? Sure, probably. Both players got the ball but there was some contact. Not called. After the game, coach pissed off. Shooter pissed off. LeBron James pissed off on Twitter. SU says if you basically foul on every possession for the entire game – and certainly the last 3 quarters – then you have to live with it. You got away with calls all game long and this one went against you in the end. Their coach was frustrated in the post-game news conference (somehow her mask ended up in her eye for most of the time which was interesting to watch) but I say you benefited by the way the game was reffed throughout and that is that.

Baylor is a very physical team. They pound it inside on offense and make it hard for you to run your offense. Seriously, they play like the 1990s Knicks under Pat Riley. It’s not enjoyable to watch. The NBA has made the transition away from this style to today’s wide open up and down style which is so, so, much better to watch. Baylor probably got jobbed on that last call but SU has no sympathy. Move on. You can’t have it both ways.