Tell the truth.  On draft night, did anyone really feel like Porzingis would turn into a franchise, stud player?  He has made the Knicks relevant again.  SU didn’t see the game Saturday night but in addition to the 7 blocked shots, did you catch the running hook shot?  Let’s compare this to most of the big men coming out of college today who have no jump shot and at most some type of jump hook.  After all their years of playing, all they can do is dunk and throw up some type of jump hook.  Porzingis can shoot the three, has a mid-range jumper and can put the ball on the floor.  And he plays defense.

Of course, now you need him to stay healthy and you need Derek Fisher to keep him on the floor in the 4th quarter.  Carmelo Anthony is being the good teammate so far and is saying all the right things.  But SU predicts the day is coming when he will not be so happy allowing Porzingis to have the spotlight at MSG.  Luckily, the team cleared out some of the knuckleheads like JR Smith who would only have made that situation worse.  This roster has mostly good guys who will put team first over ego.  SU is tuning in again to the Knicks just to see Porzingis.  Build around him and keep going younger.

SU loved the Ohio State meltdown by some key players after their loss to Michigan State.  Always good to see how players and coaches deal with losing.  SU will be interested to see how Urban Meyer deals with his star running back, Elliott, who openly questioned the play calling after the game.  Unfortunately for Meyer, he was right – the play calling was ultra-conservative and Ohio State was basically playing not to lose against an under-manned Michigan State team in bad weather conditions.  Michigan State is not good but they now have a path to the final 4 playoff.

SU prediction: Urban Meyer is going to be heavily wooed by the NFL in the off-season to take one of several open head coaching slots.  You wonder how much he will be tempted if this episode leaves a bad taste in his mouth?  I say he goes.

No doubt, few of you watched Novak Djokovic complete one of the most dominant seasons ever in men’s tennis history by winning the ATP Championship season ending event.  Consider these stats:

• record of 82 – 6 for the season
• reached the finals of every tournament he played since early January
• won 3 majors and lost in the finals of the French
• won 11 tournaments in total
• $20 million in prize money
• something like 33 – 5 vs. the top 10 players

He gets SU’s vote for SI Athlete of the Year and if they give it to Serena, that is just wrong.

Finally, lots of Brett Gardner trade rumors with the latest being Gardner to the Cubs for Starling Castro to play 2nd base.  Say what?  Give Refsnyder a chance or platoon him with Ackley and save some money.  If you are going to move Gardner, at least get a starting pitcher out of it.  Hopefully, this is just a New York Post inspired rumor with no legs.

SU caught a little college hoops action last night as Michigan opened its season against Elon College on ESPN3 (just watching ESPN3 was a major development for SU).  John Beilein’s teams always play a team first style with lots of passing and cutting – must see tv after watching too many NBA games.  But what caught my attention was the 30-second shot clock for the men’s game being introduced this year.  What a positive development!  More possessions and no more walking the ball up the court (SU pet peeve).  Push the ball and run your offense.  Why limit yourself to fewer seconds to try and score?

No doubt the 30-second clock will make it harder for lesser teams to slow the game down try and to limit possessions.  We have known for a long time that 35 seconds was way too long for mens’ teams.  Long overdue.

While the Giants came up short against the Pats on Sunday, SU was impressed how Tom Coughlin gets his teams to compete despite all the injuries.  Over the years, he has never used injuries as an excuse.  It’s always “next man up” with him.  If not for his safety’s inability to pretty much fair catch a duck thrown by Brady in the last 2 minutes, the Giants win that game.  Edelman’s injury will be huge for New England coming on top of the Lewis injury last week.  They are still the best team out there but everyone else just got a lot closer.  The Giants have a million holes but Eli is having his best year and no one will want to play them should they make the playoffs.  They have lost some killer games this year but appear to be very resilient.

The college football season is coming down the home stretch and the one thing we know is that there is no sure fire, dominant team this year.  It should be a fun playoff and bowl season with any number of teams in the mix.  Right now, it would be hard to bet against Alabama but a lot of football to be played.

Finally, for those Tennis Channel viewers out there (we are having a meeting in a phone booth next week), check out the ATP Men’s end of year tournament in London this week.  Some great match-ups.  SU says if Djokovic wins out, he should be in the conversation for SI Athlete of the Year.  His record against the top 10 players this year is something like 27-4, 3 grand slam titles and lost in the finals of the French.  He is deserving.

Brian Cashman has wasted little time as he starts to tinker with the Yankees roster.  If I were him, I would focus on the following:

• The 2015 team was historically boring.  Really.  The Stadium was dead, the team was dead and the ratings were way down.
• The Chase Headley signing was a big mistake.  The Ellsbury signing was a bigger mistake.  Headley can be moved.  Surely there is some GM that admires Cashman and thinks there was some gold in Headley based on his one big season when he clearly spent extra time in the weight room to hit 30 homeruns.  But Ellsbury is going to be a Yankee for life.  He will show some flashes of greatness during his hot streaks which will be followed by the freak injury and then the long ramp-up period to get back to some level of normalcy.  110 games a year, .280 batting average and low power numbers.  Not bad for $22 million a year.
• SU liked John Ryan Murphy.  They needed a right-handed bat and he had some pop.  McCann is the kind of player that will wear down over time now and he was running on fumes in September.  But some say this guy Hicks from Minnesota can hit and is starting to figure things out.  SU likes to root for the youngsters and is ok with this move.  Plus, we can now find out if Gary Sanchez, their top catching prospect who has maturity issues, is the real deal.  SU says worth the risk – good move and let’s see.
• Is Brett Gardner the next to go?  SU has never been a huge fan although he is a gritty player, shows up every day and gives his all.  Another guy who runs hot and cold.  If you can use him to get a younger pitcher, probably worth exploring the trade market.
• The Yankees have 2 more years of CC and A-Rod (or is it 17 for A-Rod?) and Tex is finally down to his last year.  SU will be very upset if Greg Byrd starts the year in the minor leagues.  But that may very well happen.

Bottom line: we are probably 1 year away from a major revamp of the roster.  Look for more zzzzzz in the Bronx in 2016.

SU was pumped by Jeremy Lin’s performance last night.  He played the last quarter and a half of the game (what a concept! Go with the hot hand instead of conforming to the typical player rotations.  Coaching creativity!) and played great at both ends of the court.  It’s why Charlotte is SU’s team for 2015-16.  Of course, I was rooting hard for Porzingis and he was oh, so close on that last shot.  By the way, that was a very quick NBA officiating replay over-rule.  That was not obvious at all and to me, it was too hard to over-rule.  But the refs had given the Knicks a break the night before and there was no way they were going to double-down.

SU anti-moral compass Stephen A. Smith (right up there with the New York Times’ William Rhoden) went on a rant the other day that the Knicks should absolutely not trade Carmelo.  This reinforces my thinking that they should do it.  Tell the truth: wouldn’t it be so much more fun to see them featuring Porzingis down the stretch of a close game (and paging Derek Fisher: can you please put him on the court?) than watching Melo do his jab stab thing?  If you are going to be a .500 team at best, play the youngsters and showcase something new.

Jets – Bills tonight.  The NFL should do away with Thursday night football.  The teams are ill-prepared to play these games – especially on defense.  We don’t need NFL games 7 days a week.  Time to reset on that.

SU was actually going to say that the Knicks were “once again” watchable but I couldn’t remember when that was so I changed it (I feel like the NY Post now).  I like the kid Porzingis – he has skills, put on a lot of weight just since July (no doubt hanging with Jason Giambi) and can play both ends.  Of course, he has a lot to learn but much better than I thought he would be.  I also like watching the 2nd unit – they play hard, push the ball and run the court.

Now would be the PERFECT time to move Melo’s contract for an expiring contract.  Get young and push the ball.  Have you watched Golden State and the Clippers?  It’s like a whole new game out there.  Be athletic and take advantage of your speed.  The reason the Knicks do not run is because Melo is slow and doesn’t want to run.  It’s been that way for years.  No reason the Knicks can’t be like those West coast teams and must see tv.  The 2nd unit has that capability and they get after it.  Let them play 25 minutes a game.

There is hope!  But Phil needs to make the brave move.

Mets’ manager Terry Collins will have all off-season to ponder his late game pitching moves for the World Series.  Like most managers, it comes down to who do you trust out of your bullpen.  For Collins, it was Familia and his starters who weren’t starting in this series (Colon, Niese) and Reed who melted down last night.  Joe Torre was always very clear about his go to guys but truth be told, he had many more options than Collins.

Surely, Grady Little is smiling somewhere this morning.  He had to deal with Pedro in 2003 in the ALCS 7th game vs. the Yankees just as Collins had to deal with Harvey last night.  SU says you can’t fault him for putting Harvey out there for the 9th inning given Familia’s track record in the series thus far.  But after the lead-off walk, that was the time to make the move.  In the end, that was his mistake and as mistakes go, not the worst of all time.  He kept him in one batter too long.

SU read on Twitter this morning that the Royals advance scouting report said Duda should be challenged on his throwing, and that Murphy’s fielding would come into play at some point.  Good scouting.

When you play close, low scoring games, it’s going to come down to 1 or 2 plays late.  If you have Mariano Rivera in your bullpen, life is easy.  If you have no bridge to the closer, every game is stressful and unscripted.

The Royals were the better team.  After watching the Yankees all season, it was refreshing to see hitters move runners along with ground outs.  What a concept!  They are not a dynasty but it’s fun to watch a bunch of younger players play as a team with a lot of passion.  Free agency will break them up as it does all teams these days.  Enjoy them for the moment.

Met fans should be ecstatic for their success this season and strong 2nd half.  They will now have some interesting moves and decisions to make with the payroll – as do the Yankees of course.  We look forward to the hot stove season to come.

Sure, coming back from being 3-1 down in any professional sports playoff format is hard to do and is rarely seen.  But the Mets do have their three young stud pitchers lined up for the next 3 games.  The problem is that Tyler Clippard is also lined up to pitch the 8th inning and there are no obvious replacements for him.  Much is being made of Daniel Murphy’s error on the slow ground ball last night but it was Clippard’s 2 walks that set up the inning.  Every outing for him is a high wire act and at this level, you just can’t afford it.  If Collins is committed to having Famillia make 1+ inning saves, then he might as well let him start the 8th inning and roll the dice.  He wasn’t hit hard last night except for the Perez single but they all count in the end.

SU would expect the Mets to force a game 6 and then we will see if they have a miracle finish.  I don’t believe the Mets are the better team in this series but they have had late leads in games 1 and 4 and could very easily be in the lead.

SU was glad to finally see Carmelo Anthony with a strong stat line this season.  While he obviously shot better, it seems like his offensive efficiency was much higher (a lot of points on fewer shots) and that makes for a more pleasing style to watch.  You really have to wait for Afflalo to start playing before you can evaluate what they have this season.  SU is still not sold and will continue to watch its fave players on the NBA Season Pass channels.

Exciting finish to the Michigan game last night vs. Minnesota as the Gophers’ coach totally mismanaged the clock at the end of the game.  I think it negates the end of the Michigan State game the week before.  Should have won that one; should have lost last night.  But as SU has said many a time, it’s what makes college football so much more exciting at the end than the NFL.  Just look at the kick-off return at the end of the Miami – Duke game.  Great stuff.

SU has been overdue in providing commentary on this year’s World Series.  Working way too hard but hey, it’s a living.  Actually had a chance today to see the island where Derek Jeter built his multi-million dollar house in Tampa.  I must admit that I only lasted until the bottom of the 11th inning on Tuesday night but I think this series is becoming pretty clear at this point.

• The Royals have no true superstar or a guy that carries the team.  But what they do have is what Michael Kay would call a “circular line-up.”  There is no real beginning or end to this line up.  They all hit, they all make contact and they seem to have an idea when they come to the plate.
• You also have to admire the way KC comes from behind late in games.  There is no panic in this team.  They did it to Houston in game 4 of that series when they trailed by 4 runs late, and they are doing it again tonight to the Mets.
• The Mets are gritty but you can see their young stud starters are struggling the 3rd time through the line up.  And the real advantage and mis-match in this series is the KC bullpen vs. the Mets relievers.  Outside of Famillia, it’s not even close and that tends to shorten the games for the Mets to 6 or 7 innings.  A lot of pressure to score off of their starters who are not as good as the Mets’ starting pitchers.
• Finally, SU believes last year’s World Series 7-game loss to the Giants is a huge edge for the Royals who have been there before as they say.

SU still expects this series to go 6 games.  It’s been a lot of fun so far and I continue to find myself rooting for the Mets which is not normal for SU.  But KC is very very tough and the Mets are going to have to dig deep in the 3 NY games.

SU is stranded down in Florida for the moment and thus cannot tune in to tonight’s Knicks game.  But I am very excited to see them up on Milwaukee with little in the way of contribution from Melo.  Balance is the key for them.  SU tends not to over-react to opening night games of any teams so let’s let the season unfold a bit.  Jeremy Lin had 17 in a losing effort but most of SU’s other faves have been DNPs (McGary, Stauskus).  What is up with that?

Once again, good pitching beats good hitting in a post-season series.  We have certainly seen it before.  The Cubs hit .163 for the series and never led in any game.  Total domination.  Even though many Met fans were calling into NY talk sports radio shows concerned about blowing a 3-0 lead, this was a beatdown from start to finish.  There were few dramatic points in any of the games.

The Mets were dead in the water in early July with no offense and no buzz.  And now?  They rule the City and the Yankees now realize that they are the 2nd team in NY – likely for years to come.  Of course, the Mets will be hard-pressed to keep this team together salary-wise as soon as next season.  Cespedes is a goner for some long-term, ridiculous contract and even Daniel Murphy will now get more than he is worth in a long-term deal.  Timing is everything and let’s face it: not everyone excels in the walk years of their contracts (see Stephen Drew who did parley his .160 season with the Yankees into another 1-year deal.  But not every GM is Brian Cashman).  The betting is that they will lock up a couple of the young stud pitchers ahead of free agency and perhaps trade Matt Harvey for a bat during the off-season.  But with a rotation that throws 95 mph+ every night of the week, that is exciting.

SU would not normally root for the Mets but this team is likeable and fun to watch.  I will likely revert to form next season but having a World Series in NY is always exciting and it helps to bridge the days until the NBA season starts.  Once the Knicks are mathematically eliminated by Thanksgiving, we turn to the next spring training.  Or you can focus on the Giants who may also be eliminated by Thanksgiving.

You wonder if Toronto can keep winning these elimination games.  A game 7 would be exciting.  SU does not like the Blue Jays – their act is tiresome and the unusual power surge does make you wonder.  Kansas City is a team of gamers and while they lack a stud pitcher, they are very solid.  Either way, should be a good World Series.  The Mets must guard against the 5-days layoff now til the Series starts.  Best to keep Daniel Murphy toasty.

SU notes the irony.  Kevin Long was let go by the Yankees last year, signs with the Mets, and their offense is terrible for the first half of the year.  Sandy Alderson engineers a few moves and all of a sudden, they are a juggernaut.  Clearly, Kevin Long is a miracle worker!

Well, today the Yankees jettisoned one of their two hitting coaches:

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2015/10/19/yankees-back-market-hitting-coach-easy-point-fingers/

Pentland must have been the one that worked with Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Chase Headley.  No doubt he focused all of his efforts on Drew and never got the credit for helping him to raise his average from .160 to .190.  SU has always felt that the impact of the hitting coach was overrated (in the Yankees’ case, the hitting “coaches” is overrated) but they do seem to get their share of the blame for lack of productivity.  Anyway, if anyone in the SU intergalactic subscriber base has some tidbits to offer, there is a job opening.

The Mets are making it look easy so far but you have to figure the Cubs are due for a breakout game back at home.  This series is not over yet but with DeGrom pitching, that is a huge advantage for the Mets.

SU has purchased the NBA League Pass for this season in order to be able to watch my favorite players: Jeremy Lin on Charlotte; Nik Stauskus on the Sixers; Tim Hardaway Jr on the Hawks; Mitch McGary on OKC; and Trey Burke on the Jazz.  The thought of being limited to the Knicks and the national broadcasts was just too painful.  Worth the $199 investment.

SU took in the Michigan – Michigan State football game yesterday – all 4 hours plus worth.  Big Ten officials, who are challenged on most days, reached new lows in this game – especially the replay booth official who was truly clueless.  Confirmation of targeting calls that were clearly not, overrule of the on field referees with views that were inconclusive, the list goes on and on.  That contributed to the 4-hour length of the game.

Of course, it was the game’s last play that was just totally unexpected, really never-before-seen except perhaps at the grade school level or by Joe Pisarzick and the NY Giants back in the 1970s.  Even when the punter fumbled a good snap, all he had to do was fall on the ball and get ready for Michigan State’s Hail Mary attempt on one last play.  But his inner Garo Yepremian took over (for you younger readers, he was the Miami Dolphins kicker who attempted a pass that was intercepted and run back for a TD in the Super Bowl) and he tried to kick it.  The next thing you know, the ball is run back for a TD, there is a wild celebration and the player who ran it back is carted off the field with a broken hip.

Emotionally, before that play it was game, set and match.  You just never see this happen.  But for SU, it’s why college football is more fun to watch than the pros.  This was a body blow for sure but the positive news is that Michigan football is back and is no longer a walkover.  The reality is that if they had even an average QB this year, they could challenge some of the best teams.  But the defense is better than they could have hoped for and they have Harbaugh – SU will take that.  At my age, I don’t live and die with sports.  Still a big fan and love to watch but my teams don’t define me and I can bounce back.  I understand that the Michigan punter was abused and threatened on Twitter last night which is sad.  These aren’t professionals and the 5th year graduate student from Australia blew the play but it’s still just football.  Feel badly, be pissed off but move on.

Question of the Day: Which MLB team is going to over-pay for Daniel Murphy after his post-season performance?  He is playing his best at the right time but the career numbers are more Chase Headley like.