OK, looks like this deal is done pending Stanton’s physical.  Yankees only had to give up Castro and a couple of lower level prospects.  They get a $31 million break on the rest of the $295 million contract.  Great comments from the SU intergalactic subscriber base – both pro and con.  SU likes to see the analytics making their way into the comments to support your arguments.

On the face of it, this is similar to signing a big time free agent.  You give up Castro but he is easily replaced by Gleybar Torres who now has a position going into spring training.  SU asks this question: “If you had this roster with Stanton playing Houston this past October, do you win that series?”  SU says no – you still lose.  You just have a different guy swinging and missing at low and outside sliders and curve balls in the DH spot.  Your pitching is still not good enough and you are still not able to manufacture runs.

With Stanton, you win 95 – 100 regular season games in 2018 and feast on the bad teams’ pitching.  But Cleveland and Houston still have the horses in their rotation and the Yankees still do not.  And now you do not have the payroll to acquire that talent as Hal is intent on getting below $200 million next season.  You will instead rely on the young arms in Chance Adams and Sheffield.  And SU is fine with that.  But Stanton does not win you extra games in the post-season in 2018.

SU agrees with B. Rosano’s comment that this feels like the 2004 A-Rod signing.  Do you remember that team?  Gary Sheffield, A-Rod, Jeter, Posada – they scored a ton or runs.  Same in 2005.  But come playoff time, you had John Lieber, a scotch-taped Kevin Brown and then in 2005 an aging and pissed off Randy Johnson starting and losing games.  For SU, this feels very similar.  They already had plenty of offense.  But Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber are still going to be there in October and the Yankees will still be swinging and missing.

Twitter is alive this morning with reports of the Yankees finalizing a trade deal for Giancarlo Stanton that would feature Starlin Castro going to the Marlins with some prospects.  Stanton is owed $295 million over 10 years with an opt out in 2020.  SU says this is a mistake by the Yankees.  Consider:

• The Yankees have some talent in the minor leagues ready to make an impact.  They are young, fast, get on base, can cover the outfield.  Most importantly, they will make contact.
• Gleybar Torres can slide into 2nd base with Castro gone which is fine.  However, you will still need to find a 3rd baseman at some point or maybe Chase Headley will get his own 10-year deal.  But this is minor in the overall scheme of things.
• Most importantly, the addition of Stanton makes the line up a series of power hitting, swing and miss batters.  SU says how much power do you need?  It’s enough with Judge, Sanchez, Bird, Didi.  This is overkill and quite honestly, will make watching games more boring.  Fans sitting around waiting for a home run or a strikeout.  Seriously: not entertaining, not enjoyable, not inspiring.  What’s fun about this Yankee roster is that many are minor leaguers who spent time in the Yankee system.  Stanton is a great talent but he is another all or nothing, home run or bust hitter.
• Taking on another $300 million contract will hurt their ability to get some more pitching.  That is the need right now – starting pitching.
• All long-term contracts end badly.  It’s a fact.

SU is unhappy.  Trading for Stanton is an over-reaction to not getting Ohtani.  SU says Cashman and Hal should take a deep breadth and do some meditation.  This is the wrong move for this franchise.  And by the way, if you have a line up of only home run power hitters, you don’t need Aaron Boone and any analytics.

So, what do you all think?

Alabama is in as the #4 seed joining Clemson, Georgia and Oklahoma and freezing out Ohio State.  SU says that aside from the fact that I hate Ohio State, this was the right choice.  Alabama had been the #1 team for most of the season and had just one loss.  While their strength of schedule was not what it usually is, Ohio State had 2 losses including a thumping at home by Oklahoma and then a blowout loss at Iowa.  The Big Ten was mediocre this year and the goal of the FCS Committee is not to have conference champions in each of the 4 slots.  Rather, they are supposed to put the best teams into the playoffs and this is just what they did.  SU is fine with these selections and these will be great bowl games.

Clearly, the Ohio State fans will not be happy but why put a 2-loss team in there just because they won their conference?  The PAC 12 is also left out.

Thoughts?

Ownership and Brian Cashman have spoken and the winner of the Yankee managerial sweepstakes is Aaron Boone.  SU can live with that.  OK, he has zero managerial experience and as far as I know, does not speak Spanish or Japanese.  But clearly Cashman values having a younger manager who has been around the game his whole life.  It’s his choice, the team is ready to win now and the pressure and spotlight will all be on Boone in 2018.  Welcome to New York.

So, who will be the bench coach?  Interesting quote here from Brian Cashman regarding his interactions with A-Rod:  “I reached out to Alex a number of times, ‘Hey, what do you got?’ I looked for a lot of guidance from a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for, and Alex knows baseball as well as anybody” Cashman said. “He never expressed interest in any way, shape or form in it. I engaged him, but — I don’t want to speak for him — but I don’t think he has any interest in that position.”

He has no interest in managing but what about being the bench coach?  SU says he would be the ideal choice.  Lives and breathes baseball, is very analytical and just enjoys the game.  It would certainly make it more entertaining!  But having him as the #2 guy would probably not work – he would be too forthcoming and compete for the spotlight.  Maybe David Cone?  Larry Rothschild is coming back as the pitching coach and Rob Thomson has already accepted the bench coach role with the Phillies.  SU hopes Boone picks someone younger or maybe this is where the Spanish/Japanese speaking part comes in.  Tony Pena could do it although he is the 1st base coach.

If Cashman really wants to be gound breaking, why not put the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball analyst in there – Jessica Mendoza?  If you watched any of the broadcasts, she was much more insightful than Boone, and her predictions of what would happen were much more accurate than his.  SU says push the envelope and really shake things up.  Btw, that is the one thing SU is a bit leery about.  I never thought Boone had much to say of interest on those broadcasts.  I actually do not think he is especially analytical.  His strength had better be in the clubhouse talking to the players and giving out those big hugs.

Did you see that Derek Jeter fired one of the Marlins’ scouts while the guy was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery?

https://nypost.com/2017/12/01/derek-jeter-fires-marlins-scout-who-has-cancer-and-needs-kidney/

The question is why do you think Jeter is qualified for this job?  A-Rod is better suited to be a manager than Jeter is to be the quasi-team president/GM.  Not sure this ends well for Jeter.

Let’s be clear: the decision by the Giants to remove Eli as the starting QB for the remainder of the season is not necessarily wrong.  The team is going nowhere, all of the receivers and their back-ups are injured and the offensive line is just not good – even when fully healthy.  SU has no issue with a decision to see what you have on the roster at the QB position.

The issue is that they should be playing Davis Webb and no-one else.  He is (potentially) the future and since you drafted him and believed he has some skills, let’s find out if he is any good.  You know what you have in Geno Smith: a mediocre quarterback of questionable character.  He will be gone next season and there is a body of work to analyze if you are curious about his abilities.  SU says playing him makes no sense.

As for Eli, the reality is that this is professional sports.  He has had a great run in NY, is a borderline Hall of Famer and has stayed healthy in a sport where that is almost impossible to do.  You could certainly start Eli for the remainder of the season and then release him but you would be passing up a golden opportunity to see what Webb can do.  Wins and losses are meaningless now – in fact, it’s better to lose and get a higher draft pick (see NBA for multiple references).  It would be great for Eli to be treated with more respect from that standpoint but hey, he gets paid a lot of money and the Giants are now all about the future.  Former players need to get over that and cease with the respect references in their tweets.  SU says play Webb and Geno only gets in if Webb is injured.

Carlos Beltran is next up in the interview box for the Yankees’ managerial position. Let’s see why he is qualified: he does speak Spanish and he did play baseball.  Oh, and he’s a good friend of Brian Cashman.  By the way, SU is being interviewed on Friday.  I do follow the Yankees closely, I can speak a little French and even some Hebrew in case the Yankees hire an Israeli player and I will tell Gary Sanchez to take his mask off for plays at the plate.  I will even play Chris Carter as instructed.

If nothing else, Cashman is keeping the Yankees in the news on a weekly basis during the off-season and he can take his time as all other managerial slots have been filled for 2018.  You just hope he picks someone who is qualified.  SU gets the emphasis today on being able to communicate and relate to players of all types and backgrounds and the emphasis on analytics.  But Beltran is on record as not looking at the analytics or even video until recently.  How is he your choice?  If you want, make him the bench coach and the manager in waiting.

The Knicks have proven that they need a full and healthy roster to compete.  The absence of Enos Kanter has hurt them the last few games.  Trey Burke went off for 29 points and 9 assists on Monday night.  He should be given a shot.

OK, it’s time for you to weigh in.  Should Eli be benched?

The Yankees are quietly moving some minor league players in order to raise more money for the Ohtani sweepstakes.  SU just saw that they traded Garrett Cooper and pitcher Caleb Smith to the Marlins to get some additional cash.  SU liked Smith – threw hard and was a lefty who could have contributed in the bullpen in 2018 but clearly Cashman is looking to the future.  He also has to move guys on and off the 40-man roster or risk losing them in the future in that Rule 5 draft.  SU trusts him to do the right thing roster wise and keep the top prospects in the pipeline.  You do get the impression that they really want Ohtani.

SU sees that the Mets are in talks to acquire Ian Kinsler from the Tigers to play 2nd base.  That would be a good move – he is a solid professional with a proven track record.  He has been around a long time and is on the downside of his career but plays hard and would seem to be a natural fit in New York.

Giancarlo Stanton is clearly on the move.  Teams rumored to be on the list include the Giants, Dodgers and Red Sox.  His contract is ridiculous although I suppose it may pale compared to what the next round of free agents get in a year or so like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.  Boston would be an interesting destination for him – a lot of home runs in Fenway for this guy.  But as we all know, these long term, $300 million type deals all end badly and the Red Sox are still paying for Sandoval and David Price.  Buyer beware.

SU caught a few minutes of the UConn women last night and on Sunday.  While they are playing their usual team oriented style, SU believes that this year their roster is almost too good.  They really seem stacked up and down the line up more so than in past years and at some point, who can even compete with them?  Geno Auriemma has already signed the top player in the country for next season.  Great to watch and they play all the best teams in the regular season.  But not sure who will be able to stay with them once they fully hit their stride later in the season.

SU has gotten hold of the Brian Cashman interview guide using back channels.  As we know, they have placed a priority on being able to communicate with younger players and in effectively dealing with the media.  Here are some of the questions he is asking of the managerial candidates:

Gary Sanchez has just allowed his 23rd passed ball of the season and it’s only late April.  What do you say to him? (Select from below):

• “That’s ok, as long as you hit home runs, no worries.”
• “That’s ok, the Yankees now feature and emphasize a kinder and gentler place to work.  Let’s go out for a beer and I will give you a big hug to feel better.”
• “Please see me in my office.  And bring your interpreter as I don’t speak Spanish.”

Dellin Betances has just walked the first 3 batters of the inning in a save situation with a 1-run lead.  Do you leave him in? (Select from below):

• “Yes, he needs to build his confidence and it’s a long season.”
• “What?  Are you kidding?  I have a 2-year contract and every game is important.  In fact, I take him out after the first walk of the inning.”
• “You walk to the mound and give him a big hug.  Of course, you can only reach his waist but it’s the thought that counts.  It’s not only about winning at the Yankees.”

Chris Carter has just struck out for 12th time in a row.  While you had nothing to do with us bringing him back again in 2018, we have shown you the sabremetrics on Carter and how you need to give him his at bats (unlike what Joe Girardi did in 2017).  What do you do? (Select from below):

• “I keep him in the line up as I just know he will get hot and hit back to back meaningless home runs at some point during the season and because the GM told me to do so.”
• “I keep him in the line up as I only have a 2-year contract and I work at the pleasure of the GM.”
• “I give Chris a big hug and show him on tape how the entire defense is playing on the left side of the diamond including the first baseman.  Then I do a 2-minute tutorial on bunting.  Then we hug again.”

You are facing the media after a tough loss vs. the Red Sox.  You left Chapman in the game even though it was clear he didn’t have it but you were worried that taking him out would hurt his confidence, self-esteem and the number of his Twitter followers.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post second guesses the move in the post-game new conference.  What do you say?  (Select from below):

• “Chappie is my guy.  He is the closer.  He has been there before.”
• “What?  Did you want me to bring in Betances and have him walk the entire stadium?”
• “It’s a long season and I have been studying the analytics on Chapman.  We are committed to this approach.  And I serve at the pleasure of the GM.”

SU is still waiting for the A-Rod interview.  There is still time!

After watching the LA Clippers last night, it is abundantly clear to SU that nepotism is not a good thing in the NBA (or the White House as we all know but we won’t go there).  Austin Rivers plays the point for Coach Doc Rivers and it’s awful.  Meanwhile, Trey Burke is tearing it up for the Westchester Knicks and surely, and I mean surely, is a better point guard than some of the guys playing around the NBA today.  SU stumbled across this site on the Westchester Knicks web site for Trey Burke highlights from every game.  I mean – this is great!  He had 27 points, 9 assists last night but that is pretty much his average game.  Note to Doc: check this out.

http://gleague.nba.com/player/trey-burke/

Michigan – Ohio State this Saturday.  Michigan is down to its 3rd string QB.  Could be ugly.  But I am moving into college hoops mode now so this will speed the transition.

No doubt Ben McAdoo is brushing up his resume this morning.  While the Giants’ ownership has historically been patient with its GMs and coaches over the years, the team’s performance this year has become an embarrassment.  It’s one thing to lose a lot of games but quite another to stop trying, have players suspended week to week and then hear the anonymous quotes from disgruntled players.  The Giants must have hit bottom now – they allowed the SF 49ers to amass almost 500 yards of offense and a rookie QB slice threw them for big plays.  You have to figure the owners will pull the plug this week and put anyone in for the rest of the season.  Actually they could pull a Dolan and have Jerry Reese be the coach a la what the Knicks did with Isiah Thomas back in the day.  But think about it: McAdoo made the playoffs in his first season and now is on the verge of getting fired.  The reality is that if the team played hard through injuries, they would probably give him one more season.  But this is a disaster and very unusual for a Giants’ team.

It’s been an interesting NFL season.  Really no great teams – a few solid ones in the Eagles, Saints, Vikings, Pats – and a few teams that may hit their stride late with momentum going into the playoffs.  The Steelers win ugly every week but have some veterans – they should be better as the season progresses.  The Cowboys, despite all the hype, are 5-4.  The NFL has had a ton of negative press this season with the kneeling, ratings drop, empty seats showing on tv and the Ezekiel Elliott saga.  However, SU says that an exciting finish and a good playoff run will change all that.

The Yankee managerial interviews march on.  Now even David Cone and John Flaherty have thrown their hats into the ring.  I think once they saw Aaron Boone being interviewed who has zero managerial or coaching experience, they figured why not?  SU thinks Cone would be a great pitching coach – he is very insightful on tv.  I am not a Flaherty fan at least on the broadcasts.  But let me say this again: winning and losing comes down to what happens on the field and the moves you make late in the game in many cases.  You can be a great communicator and great with the media but in New York, bottom line matters.  Girardi was the right man for the job.  The 2018 version of the Yankees is built to win.  Do you really want to test drive a rookie manager with no experience?  SU say Rob Thompson is the natural choice.  Make the move and let’s go.

Knicks – Cavs on tonight.  SU continues to worry about Porzingis with injuries.  Teams are putting much shorter defenders on him who are trying to get into his body when he shoots.  That also means he will often land on their feet on the follow-through on his shots (as many on the SU subscriber list know from playing pick-up games over the years).  A sprained ankle or worse waiting to happen.  The refs need to protect him more.

Random observation: Sloane Stephens, who won the women’s US Open this year, has not won a match since.  Just when you think her career is ready to take off, she is taking a big step back.

So, with the World Series behind us, Brian Cashman was finally allowed to speak publicly about the reasoning for the Girardi firing as manager of the Yankees.  I must say given that SU is a veteran of the George Steinbrenner ownership era, some of these comments are a bit shocking.  According to the report on espn.com, Cashman “decided the New York Yankees should part ways with Joe Girardi because he felt that the manager’s “connectivity” with the clubhouse was not good enough.  That’s the primary position.”

Clearly, we live in a new era in professional sports.  In the past, it was all about winning.  Pat Riley was not beloved in the locker-room.  Billy Martin was a lunatic and was brought back about 17 times by Steinbrenner.  As long as the record was good and you were winning post-season games, owners and GMs would pretty much put up with anything.  Girardi over-achieved this year record-wise given the roster.  He didn’t complain having to play Chase Headley at 3rd base for 3 seasons (because he has SU there to do that on a daily basis) and was a good soldier and penciled in Todd Frazier every day once he was acquired.  True – the Yankees’ run differential should have predicted more wins this season but you can trace virtually all of those losses to the bullpen.  Apparently, Cashman didn’t like the way Girardi related to Chapman who he took out of the closer’s role for a while or to Betances.  Wally Matthews criticized Griardi  last week for not allowing Betances to stay in the game after walking the first two batters against Houston with a big lead to work out his problems with control in an ALCS game.  Girardi has been criticized for getting on Sanchez for allowing so many wild pitches and passed balls.

SU says I get that we live in a different time and that we need to relate better to Millennials.  Certainly this is true in the work place.  But in professional sports, that has really not been the case as much – certainly not in baseball which when you come down to it, is very individualized.  It’s a results business and while you get a longer leash as there are so many games, at some point you need to produce.  SU had no problem pulling Betances in those games – it was hard to watch.  When Chapman was terrible in July and August, no problem moving him out of the closer’s role.  And every Yankee fan was screaming at the TV about Sanchez defensively.

They will now embark on a search for a more touchy/feeley manager who can relate to the players.  Will that now be seen as more important than managing the bullpen and knowing when to take out your starters?  If CC returns, will he intimidate the new manager about not wanting to come out of the game?

SU’s take: Cashman was not happy all season with how Girardi was using some of the great assets that he had acquired for this season.  Cashman has done a great, great job over the past year and a half restocking the farm system.  They are set up for success now for a long time.  But please – this team has been unwatchable for the three years before that because of the steady stream of boring, older veteran players that Cashman brought in.  Headley, Chris Carter, Travis Hafner, the list goes on and on.  Girardi never said a word publicly and actually in SU’s view over-archieved.  I was surprised that he was not a finalist this year for Manager of the Year.

I am not saying you don’t make a change at times but SU would have allowed Girardi to have 3 more years.  He earned it.  Expectations will be high in 2018.  SU can’t wait.  Good luck to the new manager.

Random note: SU stumbled across the Westchester Knicks game last night on the MSG+ Network.  Trey Burke went off for 43 points.  How some NBA team cannot see that he is a good player is beyond me.

SU had the chance to take in some college football yesterday.  How great were those games?  Michigan State’s walk off field goal win over Penn State.  Iowa demolishing Ohio State and then the end of the Oklahoma – Oklahoma State “Bedlam” game with 115 points scored and Oklahoma racking up 798 yard of offense.  I am telling you: when you watch the NFL, 3rd and 9 feels like 3rd and 49 with passes traveling 6 yards most of the time.  At the college level, many games are up and down the field – very exciting.  The players are great but not as great as professionals so there are more mistakes, missed assignments, etc.  And it feels like no lead is ever safe – even late in the game.

All quiet on the Yankee front as they look for a new manager.  Joe Espada, the 3rd base coach and a supposed contender, took the bench coach job with the Astros so he’s out.    Jerry Hairston Jr.’s name is out there but SU does not understand that one.  Has he ever managed anywhere?  Still no A-Rod rumors – it would be the great PR move for the Yankees and ensure all kinds of distractions next season.  I actually think Hal Steinbrenner would go for it but no way Cashman goes there.  SU has its money on Rob Thompson, the current bench coach.  He is no doubt a numbers guy and being a bench coach is the next best thing.

All of the Yankee coaches have been given permission to find a new job.  How about David Cone for pitching coach?  He is very smart, studies the stats and SU suspects is itching for the chance.  Bring back Kevin Long as hitting coach – he did a good job here.

Tanaka did not opt out as expected.  Wants to play here and knows no-one is offering big dollars for a pitcher with a small tear in his elbow.  SU feels he is due for a monster season in 2018 and combined with an improving Severino, gives the Yankees two legitimate top of the rotation pitchers.  You have to keep Betances and get him back to normal with a new manager and pitching coach.

The Knicks continue to impress.  Porzingis, right now, has to be seen as must see TV or must see for fans in other cities.  He pretty much can do anything and is only in his 3rd season.  Plus this is his first season where he is allowed to not have to stand in one place while Carmelo jab steps.  So, he is making up for lost time and when it comes to movement is more like a rookie.  SU notes that Noah is returning shortly.  What do they do with him?  SU says buy him out of his contract.  He will only clog the middle for Porzingis.  Or only play him with the 2nd unit for 10 minutes a game.

Yankee manager predictions?