The feel good New York Knicks (at least for Knick fans) just ran out of players this past week. At some point, you don’t have the players to make a stand. They fought hard to the end and you have to tip your hat to guys like Josh Hart who no doubt played through a tremendous amount of pain from his abdomen injury, and OG Anunoby who had his Willis Reed moment in making his first 2 shots but then just did not have the mobility from his hamstring to go any further.

This was a great playoff run against two high quality opponents in Philadelphia and Indiana. The Pacers shot close to 70% for much of the game yesterday and that was the difference. Of course, Brunson breaking his shooting hand in the 2nd half sealed the deal. But they were playing with 4 guards on the court most of the time and took this series to 7 games. As always, SU has a few observations and thoughts:

1. SU is rarely bothered by any sports announcers. I mean I can no longer listen to Dick Vitale, who, although a great guy, is just all schtick now. John Sterling had the same affect on me for the last 10 years. But for the NBA playoffs, Doris Burke finally got to me. SU has always liked her in past years but enough of Tyrese Halliburton “playing with such joy.” This guy is a top tier trash talker – that’s what he is. Great shooter – at least in this series – but does not stop talking out there. I like JJ Reddick and would prefer to hear much more from him and Mike Breen.
2. TJ McConnell is a veteran NBA player – 32 years old. He is the kind of guy you want on your team. Apparently, he is a free agent. Perfect fit for the Knicks and their style of play and MSG fans would take to him big time.
3. SU will be curious if the refs allow the Pacer guards to be all “handsy” and overly physical with the Celtic guards in this next series. Their physical treatment of Brunson was a joke. SU cannot remember any other NBA top tier player being manhandled like that. Can you imagine anyone putting their hands on LeBron? LeBron would dislocate his shoulder flailing his arms for foul calls on every possession. The constant bumping of Brunson as he started to move towards the basket should be called a foul every time. The Pacer guards dare the refs to do just that and once you see that is will be allowed, well why stop? Something to watch this next series.
4. Older Knick fans like SU will recall the 1968 – 69 Knicks’ team that pushed the Celtics in the playoffs until Walt Frazier pulled his hamstring muscle and played heavily taped in the deciding game 6 in Boston. But that season was a major step forward that set them up for their championship run in 1969-70. Sometimes you need to fail in order to be ready to go to the next level. This year does feel like that for the Knicks.
5. A lot of respect for Myles Turner. He had so many blocked shots against the undersized Knicks at the rim in this series. For SU, he plays the game the right way. SU is not a fan of the trash talkers – it’s why Brunson is so likable. I know the NBA is a trash talking League now (oh sorry, players “playing with such joy”) and that is why players who are different really stand out.
6. No more replays on foul calls. Just stop. And how about technical fouls for players that wildly gesticulate over every non-call? Just stop and get back on defense.

Bottom line for Knick fans: great season, gritty team and you can’t wait for next season. Now, the reality in the NBA is that it’s hard to keep teams together and there will be changes. But the core will be back in Brunson, Hart and DiVincenzo, and it’s up to management now to not screw it up. You have to sign Anunoby – he is a difference maker on defense and plays with a quiet confidence. Siakam was a killer once OG went out with his hamstring injury for the last 5 games. The Knicks had no one to match up with him.

For SU, it’s on to baseball and the Yankees are quietly having a great year. Of course, no injuries so far so there is that but the starting pitching has far exceeded what you would expect. Are they really 33 – 15?

Anyway, your thoughts on the Knicks?

Veteran sports fans who follow multiple professional or even college sports teams have to appreciate what the Knicks are doing this season. You won’t necessarily see it again – it’s just the nature of team sports and how people play the game. For example, the Yankees showed so little passion and fire in 2023 that SU finally stopped watching games the last 2 months of the season. Unheard of. It took so much disinterest from players not hustling, not running hard to 1st base and mindlessly hitting balls into the defense to get me to that point. Actually never happened before for me.

The Knicks this year just play hard every minute, every game. They don’t hang their heads when there are injuries or they’re not shooting well for stretches of the game. The defensive effort is still there. Sure, it’s coaching and Thibodeau has done a masterful job with these players. But it’s really about the players and collectively caring about one another and playing the game the right way all the time. You watch Josh Hart get close to 20 rebounds in a game – amazing for a guard.

Last night, Brunson was basically playing on one leg and just had no lift on his shots. Most of his misses were short. But he was out there playing major minutes and they came close down the stretch. They are just so undersized now with Robinson and OG Anunoby both out, and not being able to get defensive rebounds down the stretch did them in. It’s unclear if Anunoby can even come back this series as hamstring injuries tend to linger.

For SU, I will enjoy the passion and the effort from this team as it feels like it’s just so rare these days. SU refuses to be pissed off by the refs who have a tough job in the NBA. The pace of play is so fast and the players are so athletic. I will say that the challenge system is basically annoying. If you want to review plays in the last 2 minutes, that’s fine but during the flow of the game, just move on. The calls will even out in the end. Pace of play matters and some of the overturns on foul calls are just ridiculous. The one on Brunson last night where he was fouled twice at mid-court (not called) and then maybe lost the ball out of bounds where the defender had his elbow in his side. The Pacers’ guards are basically saying we will play you physically and dare the refs to call fouls on every possession. Of course, they won’t and then you set the tone for the game. Brunson takes his share of bumps, grabs and holds – no doubt. Unclear to SU why that is allowed.

Sooooo, enjoy the rest of this series and what will be will be. DiVincenzo took a big hit on his back, and he was not the same down the stretch. With game 4 on Sunday afternoon, we will have to see how mobile he is. The Knicks may want to consider a “load maintenance” game and rest several guys Sunday. I am sure they will not but when you play 7 players, you really need them to be close to top form.

Tyrese Maxey did his best Reggie Miller imitation against the Knicks last night in the last 25 seconds. Long-time (suffering) Knick fans will remember that playoff game where Miller pushed Greg Anthony to the ground on an in-bounds pass to hit a killer 3-pointer in a playoff game. Last night has to rank right up there with that one.

Full transparency: SU is only recently back on the Knicks’ bandwagon going back to last season. Too many years of Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury and Carmelo pushed me away for a long, long time. And as a NY sports fan, the Yankees’ collapses in the 2004 ALCS against the Red Sox after being up 3-0 has hardened me against tragedies like last night. That was the all-time low point, and emotionally, just can’t go there again.

ESPN reports that “before these playoffs, there had been only three games in the past 25 years that had seen a team recover from a deficit of at least five points inside the final 30 seconds and win the game.” And now it has happened twice in the same series – and there are still potentially 2 games to go.

Look: of course, Mitchell Robinson cannot foul on a 3-point attempt there. Just can’t do it. And then on the game tying logo 3-pointers, he actually pulled back. The Knicks are the all-time gritty team – they play so hard and fight until the end. But SU has these observations:

1. Thibodeau is playing only 7 players now in his rotation. SU says that is crazy – especially with the load that Brunson has to carry. His shots were definitely getting shorter and shorter in the 2nd half. You have to give him a blow in each half. Precious Achiuwa played some quality minutes on Sunday but was MIA last night on the bench. Sometimes a bench player can change the flow of a game. If you don’t sub, much harder to make that happen.
2. Game 6 may be the first blowout of the series. It is hard to recover in just 48 hours when you are playing your starters so many minutes. Bogdanovic is done for the season. Maybe Alec Burks can give them a lift in game 6? Dust him off for a bit of scoring?
3. Embiid is hurting – he has no lift on his shot at all. You can’t expect Maxey to provide those types of heroics every game but the reality is that the Sixers are a deeper team. These teams are so evenly matched – I believe the Sixers have scored 1 more point than the Knicks in the series so far.
4. For Knick fans, you stole game 2 at home, and now the Sixers stole game 5. That is sports for you. Crazy.
5. Watch out for Dante DiVincenzo in game 6. He is due for a breakout game. It could be the difference.

Apparently, game 6 is 9 pm Thursday night (???) and then game 7 is Saturday. Quick turnaround now as we get late into the series. All the more reason to play another player in the rotation for the Knicks. Brunson is amazing but the offense has become stagnant with him dribbling around the top of the key for much of the shot clock. The Knicks are much better in transition and converting off their tough defense.

Bottom line: for Knick fans, this one hurts – a lot. Game 6 will test the resilience and grit of the team going back to Philly although a lot of Knick fans seem to make the trip down the Turnpike. If game 6 is close at the end, memories of game 5 will be fresh. Gotta love the NBA playoffs. SU still says the Knicks win the series but it may take 7 games. You know the NBA is hoping for 7 games given how some of these series have been no shows so far.

SU has to comment on the Yankees before leaving you today. Seasons are not lost in April/May but there have to be concerns about the offense against the better teams with good pitching. The Orioles are making a statement and they are really good of course. Maybe the tide turns tonight but very disappointing. Verdugo is away for a few days on parental leave and it immediately exposes the bench. Really lacking.

OK, we all knew what was coming in game 3 of the Knicks vs. Sixers playoff series. Philadelphia was outraged (outraged I say)! by the physical play of the Knicks in games 1 and 2, and the NBA League Office determined that the refs missed a few calls at the end of the game. Game 3? Well, it’s the make-up game. Refs will call any foul on Embiid, and he can flail, complains, etc. and will get every call. This has been going on in the NBA for last 600 years in the playoffs. It usually lasts just the one game though, and SU expects a return to the normal chaos on Sunday in game 4. The refs check the box on the even-up game and we all move on.

What was troubling for SU in game 3 was the dirty play of Embiid. Sure, he gets hit a lot and he gets frustrated and will lash out. But in this game, there were multiple plays – knees to the groin, tripping and shoving Mitchell Robinson while he was on the ground under the basket, and a hip check on Anunoby late in the game in the backcourt literally right in front of the ref. We already know in women’s college basketball, that is a foul – certainly in the last 10 seconds of a game between UConn and Iowa. In the NBA with Embiid? It’s a play on – nothing to see here. It was an obvious hip check and deliberate.

Look, it’s a tiring argument to complain about the refs and SU does not go there. Win the game in other parts of the game – don’t put yourself in that position and be at the mercy of the refs late. But the reality last night is that Embiid should have been ejected earlier in the game for a Flagrant 2 foul, and his attempts to be “physical” quickly translated into being “dirty.” SU does not even think the Knicks mind the physical play or even the occasional dirty play. It’s just that there were several in one game. Sure, it’s the playoffs and everything is ramped up now but the refs need to determine the “line” for these actions. Watch for a new line to be determined in game 4.

It is an entertaining series between 2 teams that don’t like each other. Nothing better than that. Mitchell Robinson’s status going forward will be a huge issue for the Knicks.

The Yankees continue to waste great starting pitching from a staff that is not great. The offense is masked by the greatness of Soto. Gleyber Torres has 2 rbis on the season. Plays every day. Stanton still can’t hit in the clutch but the fact that he is slimmed down quite a bit makes fans feel better about it. At least Yankee fans are used to it and if he ever gets a hit, you are surprised and excited as you certainly never expect it. I still say the record is deceptive and much better than how they are playing. Also, SU cannot recall a Yankee team – ever – with a weaker bench. Boone does not even play them and most of the subs don’t have a batting average this year. Very odd.

Fun NFL draft last night. The Giants are all in on Daniel Jones and passed on JJ McCarthy in order to get Jones a top flight wide receiver. Can Jones stay healthy? Will he be running for his life most of the season as the O-line provides no protection?

It is interesting how many quarterbacks went high this year in the first round. It speaks to how few quality quarterbacks are in the NFL right now. SU hopes this class really emerges – the League needs it for sure.

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.