SU is not into predicting scores for individual games but we have received several requests now to put our reputation on the line for the Wild Card game tonight.  As mentioned earlier, SU is not confident for this game.  Starting Severino is not ideal given his 2nd half of the season performance and his abbreviated outing last year in this game.  Not every pitcher is cut out for the post-season.  Some get too amped up or are just too intense.  Look at Clayton Kershaw – not nearly as good in October.

I also don’t think the Yankees are good at making the adjustments for the train of relief pitchers that the A’s will throw out there tonight – especially with their all right-handed line up.  And players and teams get tight in the post-season – see the Cubs who scored 2 runs in 22 innings and will now be at home for the duration.

So, based on all of this, SU sees the Yankees falling 4-2 in a painful game to watch.  Clearly, I hope I am wrong but SU is not paid the big bucks to be a homer.  We call it like we see it.

OK, I know many of you like to put your own predictions out there with the hope of gaining international acclaim if you are right.  Have at it!

SU is back from vacation and has some rapid fire thoughts for you:

• Very worried about the Yankees’ chances in the wild card game.  If Oakland does full reliever on them, it’s not good.  During the year, the Yankees rarely hit well when faced with a succession of hard throwing relievers, and Oakland has a bunch of them.  The team is not built to score without the aid of home runs.  True, they have been hitting better of late but we all know that can come and go.  Can you move runners, hit away from the shift, steal a base?
• SU thinks the Yankees will go with Severino.  Boone likes the idea of the shutdown ace who throws 99 mph.  But he will be on a short leash just like last season.
• Boone will start McCutchen but I would go with Gardner.
• I am not making any predictions but this is a much tougher match-up than the Twins in 2017.  I am not feeling confident.
• Caught some of the Ryder Cup in the morning hours.  It’s funny how bad Tiger Woods’ record is in team competition.  Something like 9-19 in pairs play and he lost in singles on Sunday.  The US captain’s job is just ripe to be second guessed.  Really can’t win.  The US team hasn’t won in Europe in something like 25 years.  But a lot of fun to watch the intensity of the players.
• Which week will the Giants bottom out?  OBJ is just about ready to go nuclear with frustration.  He is doing his best to hold it in but he is going to erupt soon.  They are pretty unwatchable.  Eli has no time to throw.  Period.
• I still think college football is much more enjoyable although the NFL had some high scoring games yesterday.  Still too many penalties and replay takes way too long.

So, Yankee fans, feeling confident?  Let us know what you think.

Yesterday was a busy day in the SU universe when it comes to comments.  We wanted to highlight the comment which came in late in the day from relatively new SU subscriber, J. Levine, as shown below:

SU says you probably shouldn’t slide head first into any base.  Didi Gregorious tore some cartilidge in his wrist on Saturday by sliding into home plate and may miss the playoffs now.  This would be a huge loss for the Yankees as he is probably the best hitter with RISP on the team facing either a left-handed or right-handed pitcher.  Big, big loss if he can’t go.  They can slide Walker in or Echeverria but neither is close to his value.

We have seen Gardner slide into first base trying to leg out infield hits and others have done it as well with several dislocating their shoulders.  Maury Wills always went feet first.  SU thinks it was Ricky Henderson who started the head first trend.  But at home plate with the catcher’s shin guards ready to give you a concussion and jam your fingers?  Ouch, ouch, ouch.  Anyway, Didi is going to make it a go but if he can’t, this could hurt the team’s October chances.  And by the way, why do the Yankees not try and win every game now?  Pitch Cole in the 6th inning?  Home field for that wild card game is important.  Tampa Bay will make the next 4 games their personal playoff to have the Yankees play that game on the road or even still try and catch the A’s.

SU knows many on this blog are not Tiger Woods fans.  “Anyone but Tiger” is their mantra.  SU is a fan – he makes any tournament so much more interesting.  Kudos to him for coming back from back surgery and winning a tournament for the first time in 5 years.  He was very emotional – so out of character but good to see and good for the sport.  OK, so he banged some porn stars along the way and cheated on his wife.  Clearly that makes him presidential material in this country.  The next step will be to see if he can win majors again and you have to think that 2019 will be the year.

Let’s face the truth: after watching the Yankees and the Giants this weekend, we can come to the same conclusion about the offensive production for both teams.

The Giants’ offense has been reduced to throwing quick passes to Barkley and hoping he can break 17 tackles to gain a few yards.  Eli was running for his life all night and took a beating for an older QB.  As Joe Girardi would say, “It’s not what you want.”  SU says Eli has always functioned better in a no huddle offense.  Why is it necessary to huddle up time and time again which just gives the defense more time to decide on what stunt they will be using on that play?  Better to keep the defense off balance and push the pace.  Eli can no doubt call as good a game as any offensive coordinator.  It’s not necessary and he is a smart guy.  Of course, if they don’t fix the offensive line soon it won’t matter either way but it seems obvious to me.

As for the Yankees, there are some interesting things going on here by Aaron Boone that you may have missed:

• He is stretching out the relievers.  Lately, Green and Robertson have gone 2 innings and 40+ pitches.  SU believes that they think Chapman won’t return and they need to find 4 innings (or more) in a playoff game out of Green, Holder, Robertson, Britten and Betances.
• Neal Walker is getting all of the pinch hit spots which means Bird won’t make the post-season roster.  As a young player, this will likely kill his confidence for ever performing well in NY which means he will be gone next year.  Now, you can say he had his chances and did not produce.  But SU says what are you going to do if Voit gets hurt in the next couple of weeks or goes on a cold streak?  Bird has some legit post-season experience and looked good in the one game he has played in 2 weeks.  He deserves a shot. Btw, Walker has done nothing of late.
• SU asks why does Stanton fly under the radar?  Relatively new SU subscriber, S. Greenberg, commented that Stanton is like A-Rod.  An overpaid superstar who underperforms in NY.  As we all know, A-Rod took a beating from the fans and the media, but no-one even comments on Stanton (other than SU of course which speaks the truth).  Stanton will get all the at bats and you know every big game will come down to him.  Perhaps Judge’s return will help – SU is not confident about that.
• The Yankees cannot score without the home run – especially with the bases loaded.  They seem to be incapable of hitting with RISP this year.  Sanchez needs to bat much lower in the order.

Question for Yankee fans: is it better to just lose in the Wild Card game or should they win and then risk getting humiliated by the Red Sox?  It’s actually a tough one.  If they lose home field for the wild card, will be a moot point.

The late, great Yogi Berra had it right for this year’s Yankees.  The wild card lead over Oakland is down to one game.  Despite a terrific regular season record, they could end up on the road for the Wild Card game in a stadium where they don’t play well.  SU, which always has its finger on the pulse of the Yankees, has some advice for Aaron Boone on how to right the ship.  Starting tomorrow:

• You have two outfielders who are past their prime: Gardner and McCutchen.  SU has never loved Gardner but he has earned the right to play most days.  And SU had already beaten the rush and started not liking McCutchen almost from day 1.  This guy is well past his prime and yet, he needs to play every day?  Why?  SU says platoon them – Gardner against righties and McCutchen against lefties.  They are both in their 30s and it will help them to stay fresh.  McCutchen is another hitter who when he gets a hit, you almost want to fall over out of shock.
• I am sorry: Stanton is overrated and I regret my posting from several weeks ago saying he was better than I thought.  At $30 million a year, he is not.  SU checked the stats last night: did you know that with RISP, he is hitting .238 with 3 home runs?  Think about that: your big slugger with RISP (which is a lot) has 3 home runs.  Did you know that Andujar has 6 and Gleyber hast 8???  Bat him 6th.  Even if he ends up with 38 home runs and 100 rbis, that is not a $30 million season for someone who is mostly a DH.  Nope.
• Many will disagree with SU on this one.  I believe Bird is ready to break out.  Last night, a double to left field and just missed a home run his first time up.  I liked having Voit DH and Bird at 1st base last night.  Go with that line up for a few games and see what happens.  You need some pop from the left side of the plate in this line up.  It is so obvious now.
• Crazy to say this but they miss Romine in the line up.  And Walker.  They have both driven in important runs during the middle part of the season.  But I know you have to play Sanchez.
• Boone should encourage/force/beg his players to hit to the opposite field.  You don’t appreciate it on TV as the broadcast doesn’t show it enough but every team shifts against every Yankee hitter.  There are gigantic holes in the infield.  If you really want to play deep into October, start now.

SU has enjoyed the season but I am losing interest now down the stretch which is very unusual.  To me, it feels like the hitters are mindless at the plate and never give a thought as to where the fielders are or how many outs there are or who is on base.  Actually, Andjuar and Torres do it.  The rookies.  And Didi as well.  But not your sluggers or your generational players.  If they lose the Wild Card game, SU will move on.  Boone will be back – not his fault – but I would get new hitting coaches.

So, is SU the only one feeling this way?  Am I too hard on a 100-win team?  Can they get hot?

As most of you know, SU is all in on the Yankees.  I watch most games when I can and this is my team.  But SU must come clean now: this current edition of the team as of September 12th is not going anywhere in October.  Let’s examine why that is the case:

• First of all, where have all the left-handed hitters gone?  Boone rolled out what might be his Wild Card game line up last night with McCutchen in right field and Stanton in left.  Now, assuming Judge is able to return which is still a big if, Judge will slide into right field or DH.  Gardner will be the odd man out it appears.  That leaves 2 left-handed hitters: Hicks and Didi.  Bird earned his way onto the bench so no argument there as Voit deserves to start.  The problem is that so many of the right-handed hitters are of the swing and miss variety led by the Generational One and Sanchez.
• Question: with RISP, who do you trust to get a hit right now?  For SU, it’s Didi, Andujar and Torres.  Never Sanchez, never Stanton, never McCutchen and maybe Hicks.  This is why the Yankees are not built for the playoffs.  They cannot hit with RISP.  Judge may help if he can play and stay in the line up but you have to figure he will be bailing out from inside fastballs along the lines of what Stanton does.
• I don’t love Gardner and his .237 batting average but he should play over McCutchen.
• Oakland is now 2 games back and with 6 games remaining against the Red Sox, the Yankees could easily be playing the Wild Card game in Oakland.  Not good.  Plus Boone is re-jiggering the rotation to try and have Severino pitch that game.  Say what?  That game is for Happ or Tanaka.  Only.

The trade for Stanton clogged up the line up with another right handed hitter.  SU may be alone in this thinking but I would trade both Sanchez and Stanton in the off-season, eat some salary and get some starting pitching or left-handed hitters who make contact and have some speed.  SU is not a believer that baseball is now just a home run hitting sport.  Not in October.

Good comments from the subscriber base about the Serena incident and long-time SU subscriber J. Levine referred readers to this column by the Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova in the “failing” (not) New York Times:

Clearly, Martina has been following SU as we think alike.  It’s been interesting to see how the initial media reaction which was very pro-Serena has now swung back to a much more balanced view which is correct in SU’s estimation.

No truth to the rumor that Eli Manning is doing wind sprints in practice this week to get ready for this Sunday’s game.  Flowers needs to go on the offensive line.  The Giants have playmakers this year but Manning needs time to throw.  Barkley is the real deal.  Meanwhile, the Jets looked great – especially on defense.  But SU feels week 1 in the NFL is never an indication of what the full season will look like – good or bad.  Make the adjustments, calm down and week 2 will be more telling.

First of all, a happy and healthy new year to all of the Jewish subscribers in SU’s intergalactic subscriber base.  Many are clamoring for SU to comment on the Serena Williams outburst from Saturday evening.  Full disclosure: SU was watching but lost the cable TV signal for the key moments and has had to piece together what happened.  But I think I get the gist of it.  SU’s thoughts:

• Serena is the GOAT in women’s tennis.  No question.  Her dominance for so many years is incredible.
• SU has never been a fan of hers.  From the beginning.  I found her to be arrogant, self-absorbed; it’s always all about her.  Until recently, she rarely gave credit to her opponent in losses.  It’s always been about the way she played that day.  I also accept that this attitude on the court has helped her become the champion she is.
• Serena has always felt that she was singled out and unfairly persecuted.  This year in particular, she has commented several times that she is drug tested much more than any other player.
• The umpire that did her match has historically been tough on the men’s stars as well in their matches – especially Nadal.  He is a stickler for the rules.

For me, Serena made the mistake of continuing to push and push and push in her comments with the umpire.  She is correct that the men players will often complain to the umpire and make snide remarks in the heat of battle.  SU has seen this but they have their say and move on.  Most umpires allow the outburst, the blowing off of steam and then the match continues.  Is there coaching in tennis?  Apparently so.  But Serena’s coach from what I saw was pretty open and obvious about it.  For her to say that she never looks over is not believable.  And she made the leap from coaching to “cheating.”  I don’t think the tennis fan automatically equates coaching with cheating.  At this level, SU doesn’t think whatever advice is coming from the friends’ box is not all that impactful.  She didn’t let it go.  From what I heard, she was abusive multiple times there during each changeover.

I also felt the quick move to make this about women’s rights seems to me to be more of convenience than her original intent.  As SU said earlier, it’s always about her and I think that was the whole motivation here.  She is a champion of women’s rights for sure but that wasn’t the initial goal.  She is the same player who once threatened to stuff a tennis ball down the throat of a lines woman at the US Open in the Finals.  There have been other occasions as she is very competitive.

The umpire could have given her a warning in his discussion with her and maybe he should have done that.  SU thinks back in the NBA to the time that Amar’e Stoudamire, when he was on the Suns, took one step on the court when a fight broke out in the playoffs against San Antonio.  The NBA suspended him for the next game and the Suns lost that series to the Spurs.  Turned it all around but that was the rule.  Serena’s point here is that men get away with much more.  SU’s observation is that the men will make the remarks and move on.  She, like a manager in baseball that is looking to get ejected, kept going and going and going.  To SU, she earned what she got for that behavior and in the end, didn’t give the umpire a way out.

SU hated the way she took the spotlight off of Osaka who was thoroughly outplaying her.  Serena ruined the moment for her – that was wrong.  I  know she tried to make things right in the trophy award ceremony but too late.

OK, what do you think?  Was Serena wronged?  Was she jobbed there?

Last night, Roger Federer looked like his full 37 years of age and fell to the #58 ranked player in the world in front of a crowd of 23,000 fans of which 99% were rooting for him in suffocating heat.  In the day session, Novak Djokovic managed to get through his match but was really suffering from the heat as well.

SU says here is the deal.  You can say Federer had not played enough tournaments this year and perhaps his stamina is not what it used to be because of that.  Djokovic in his career never plays well in the extreme heat.  But the problem is with the roof at Ashe Stadium.  The roof, even when open, traps the hot air and humidity, and creates an environment like you are playing tennis in the Lexington Line 42nd St. station in July.  You can take the position that the circumstances are the same for all of the players and SU agrees with that.  However, as a fan, you want to see the best players perform at their best and this is just not the right way to do it.  SU says Ashe Stadium has air conditioners that are activated when the roof is closed.  Why not put it on on for days like we have had this past week?  If not for the sake of the fans who are also suffering?  Today is going to be another one of those days and Nadal will be on deck next to deal with it.

Upsets are great but you shouldn’t create a scenario that is like the show “Survivor” where the players have to compete in extra extreme conditions.  At least on the outer courts there is a bit more of a breeze and air circulation.

The Yankees are also dealing with the “heat” of a Wild Card race out in Oakland and the A’s served notice yesterday: they have a top rated bullpen and in a one game playoff, that is scary.  SU watched the last 4 innings and the Yankees had no hits, not even a hard hit ball.  Sabathia, per usual, was terrible in Oakland as he grew up near there and never pitches well in that stadium.  Stanton continued his major slump since SU said he had been good – I take it all back by the way and should have trusted my instincts.  He is reverting to his lifetime .260 batting average and is trending in that direction.  McCutchen looks to SU like he has seen better days and is past his prime.  However, it’s not like he is keeping anyone on the bench although Neil Walker is now no longer starting.  The Yankees obviously miss Judge but Didi is the bigger loss and his left-handed bat.  His return will make a difference.

Boone will have some interesting decisions to make come playoff time.  Gardner will likely become a platoon player and they will look to put McCutchen out there every game.  Bird languishes on the bench but SU says he deserves a few starts as he appears to be getting closer to contributing.  They are still a home run hitting team and are challenged to get big hits.  They really need to win one of the next two games in Oakland.  Who will step up?

SU note to Yankee fans: relax.  You are not catching the Red Sox – not with 3 of your starters on the DL.  It’s just too much to overcome for any team.  Luke Voit has given them a nice jolt and he should play everyday until he proves he no longer deserves to do so.  Bird is just lost.  David Cone showed a stat the other night that in 2018, Bird is hitting under .100 when he puts a pitch over 95 mph in play.  For his career, he hits .268 in those situations.

You would expect the hitting coaches to fix that but clearly they have not been able to.  SU says why not have him work with the AAA batting coach who probably knows his swing?  Something is off and it just may not get fixed in 2018.

The Yankees traded for Andrew McCutchen to shore up the outfield.  This tells SU that Judge may never come back this season.  Anything to not play Shane Robinson in any game is an improvement and a move worth taking.  If Clint Frazier was healthy, this could have been avoided but he just started a rehab assignment yesterday and who knows if he will be back?  I don’t think McCutchen has much left in the tank but worth a couple of minor leaguers.  Brett Gardner is in .235 territory now although he is due to hit .450 for a few weeks now as he was at .200 for August with 5 rbis.  If there was ever a .255 lifetime hitter, it’s Brett Gardner.  Solid guy in the clubhouse, good outfielder and a nice complimentary outfielder.  But SU is ready for a change there next season and would like to see Clint Frazier get his shot.

The goal now is to get the home Wild Card game and figure out who starts that game.  You have to figure it will be Severino – you go down with your best arm but on a short leash.  Full transparency: SU is not feeling it this year.  The magic from the first half of the season left with the injuries.  The Didi injury was huge – he is such a key part of the line up.  I still don’t trust Stanton in a big spot in the playoffs.  I have enjoyed the season and they will get to 100 wins so no complaints obviously.  Just not feeling it and do not want to be embarrassed by the Red Sox in the playoffs.  The problem is that even when fully healthy, you have a line up that relies too much on the home run and against a top pitching staff, that becomes harder.  Then, how do you score?  TBD.

SU is ready for the start of the college football season this weekend with all eyes on Michigan – Notre Dame.  SU actually enjoys the Michigan hoops season more than football – less stressful and the expectations are more manageable.  For Harbaugh, anything short of a Big Ten championship is seen as a failure, and this year’s schedule is tough with Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State also on tap.

The usual suspects are in the conversation for the national championship – Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia.  But the games are wide open and much more unpredictable vs. the NFL.