As mentioned by long-time subscriber, D. Harmon, these are unusually good times for the NY sports fan who has the Knicks, Nets and Islanders all in the playoffs, and the Yankees and Mets either leading or competing for their division leads. It is funny for the Yankee fans who have been frustrated with the team’s performance in 2021 but there they are within a game and a half of 1st place. The Mets’ entire team is on the Injured List but they hang on in 1st place.

SU says we need to give credit to Brian Cashman for taking a chance on Corey Kluber. His contract is a bargain this year for a starting pitcher (something like $10 million) and he just gets better with each start. Taillon isn’t there yet – his starts are inconsistent – but SU believes he will emerge as the season unfolds. We just need to be patient. German has been excellent and SU trusts that the Yankees will not be stupid and put him in the bullpen when Severino is ready to return later this season. As the old saying goes, “Don’t be an idiot.” Just because German can pitch out of the bullpen, he is clearly a solid starter.

Sorry to hear about Aaron Hicks having surgery which pretty much ends his season but the reality is that he is not what they had hoped for. He is decent as a right-handed hitter but just pulls everything left-handed into the shift. Clearly, they can do better. Florial is in the minors and if he does well at AAA, he should be brought up. I am done with Clint Frazier – just can’t watch that anymore – and Gardner is showing some signs of going on a roll finally. The reality for the Yankees is that they are a team that will rely on their pitching all year to try and win low scoring games as the offense will be challenged. This roster will not win a World Series. But there is time for additions.

SU likes the NBA play-in formula. The Golden State games were very exciting and both came down to the final seconds. Proud of Jordan Poole from Michigan who has made himself into an NBA player the 2nd half of this year and made some big shots down the stretch last night.

Excited to see what the Knicks can do in the playoffs before a 13,000 person strong fan base for the home games. Props to their new management team which has made some moves that were certainly not obvious. Randle has totally changed his game this year and Derrick Rose has accepted his bench role without a word. They play hard defensively on every possession and have a lot of upside in the years to come. Atlanta’s coach is already trying to work the refs by saying that the NBA wants the Knicks to advance and will give them all the calls. Please.

I must admit that it’s hard to root for the Nets. They have a legitimate chance to win it all but too many unlikeable players for SU (Irving, Harden). Irving may be the best 1-on-1 players in the NBA but he needs to stop talking to the media – way too annoying. There are so many great players in the NBA – the Nets don’t need to tolerate his idiocy.

Just read that Aaron Hicks has a “torn tendon sheath in his left wrist.” Aaron Boone says that they will try and treat it with medicine but surgery is a possibility. Er, maybe trading Tauchman was not the smart move? Do you really want to play Brett Gardner and Clint Frazier every day now? They are going to have to roll the Generational One out there in the outfield once in a while. Why not in Baltimore? Left field is a small piece of ground to cover. Just avoid crashing into the wall.

The reality for the Yankees is that even though they are winning now, they cannot hit and score runs. Not much margin for error. Clint Frazier is approaching a negative batting average and Gardner looks like he should have retired last year. Tauchman would have been just the ticket now. Btw, he is starting for the Giants, batting lead-off and plays every day.

And so it goes.

SU looked up the stats this morning. I mean, there is a no hitter pitched every other day now. What is up with that? In the American League, the median team batting average is .237. The Yankees are at .225. The Yankees are 11th in runs scored, and are the only team with no triples. The Mets team average is .236 (NL median is .234) and they are last in runs by a lot although they have played about 4-5 fewer games for various reasons.

The issue for baseball and its fans is that the product is boring. SU read that the average hits per game per team is 7.7 hits. There are so many strikeouts and the games are lasting between 3 and 4 hours. They are using a slightly smaller baseball this year – and SU thought the reason was to cut down on the number of home runs. I don’t know if it has had that effect but for me, I would rather see more offense and I don’t mind the home runs. I get the analytics people who say you can score quicker with a home run vs. 2 – 3 singles/doubles. But for the fan, you have a long time between pitches, a million swings and misses or foul balls, and little action in terms of guys stealing bases, hit and running, bunting and dare I say it, hit to the opposite field (WHAT???? WE NEVER DO THAT. JUST KEEP PULLING IT INTO THE SHIFT).

MLB is experimenting with rule changes in the minor leagues and SU predicts you will see this in the majors quickly. This is a big time problem and younger fans will not hang in there for 3 – 4 hour games with no action. Now, maybe the warmer weather will result in more runs – could be. However, I just see pitchers all throwing in the mid-high 90s and not a lot of action.

Miguel Andujar is finally getting his shot. He needs to produce and fast or else it’s back to the alternate site for him. Mike Ford has been awful – SU feels badly for him as he has blown his chance. Clint Frazier is showing signs of life finally but at some point, Cashman is going to have to find more left-handed bats. The Generational One is carrying the team but those streaks do not last forever. Scherzer going for the Nationals today. SU is on the no-hitter watch. The Yankees are perfect for him. Keep an eye out for today’s game.

Other theories out there for what is going on? Is moving the mound back a couple of feet a game changer? Outlaw the shifts? Fire all the batting coaches? Teach minor leaguers to bunt and hit to the opposite field? Make all games 7 innings? Stay tuned…

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.