SU thoroughly enjoyed the men’s finals last night in Flushing Meadow.  It was like a Davis Cup environment with about 97% of the crowd enthusiastically behind Federer to the point that they were cheering service faults by Djokovic.  I must admit I have never seen that before in any tournament other than Davis Cup ties.  To Djokovic’s credit, he just dealt with it.  Even in the post-match press conference, he didn’t make the crowd into an issue.  He basically said that Federer deserved to have the crowd behind him for his long career and behavior on and off the court, and that Djokovic could only hope to work on getting that type of support later on his career.  SU loves that no excuses mentality.  And the truth is, when he is 34 and competing with the next generation players, the crowd will give him his due.  This guy is just a class act.

Federer is still performing at an incredibly high level at 34 years of age and clearly keeps himself in great shape.  Quite a contrast to someone like Andy Roddick who retired at a relatively early age.  As I have said before, for men’s tennis, this is a golden age with a stable of so many top, top players that we won’t ever see again.

SU read that Djokovic watched the movie “300” the night before the finals which stars Gerard Butler.  Butler was in Djokovic’s friends’ box for the match and they had this brief reaction after the match.  Djokovic is not your robot player and has a lot of personality.  SU got a kick out of this:

http://thebiglead.com/2015/09/14/novak-djokovic-and-gerard-butler-shouted-this-is-sparta-after-the-us-open/

Meanwhile, the Giants tortured its fans with questionable end-of-game clock management and gave new meaning to the term “prevent defense” in the last 90 seconds.  Eli of all people who is always credited with being cerebral just made a dumb play by not taking the sack on 3rd down.  The reality is that it won’t matter long term as their defense is not good but you have to be smarter than that.

SU wishes a happy and healthy new year to all of its Jewish subscribers in the intergalactic base.  Before we get to our NFL predictions for the season, a couple of comments:

• Painful weekend for the Yankee fans although no surprise to SU.  The loss of Teixeria is huge but Eovaldi being shut down is equally painful.  They are running on fumes now and are closer to not making the playoffs than they are to being in first place.  As Joe Girardi likes to say, “it’s not what you want.”
• How bad is Jacoby Ellsbury?  For $22 million a year, he has been terrible and not able to stay on the field (which was his MO even on the Red Sox).
• SU is looking forward to today’s US Open finals.  Very even match up but SU believes somewhat cooler temperatures come this evening will greatly benefit Djokovic who is not as good in the hot weather.  I will stick with my pre-tournament prediction (of course) of Djokovic coming away with the trophy.

OK, here is what will happen in this year’s NFL season.  SU is feeling Green Bay in the NFC.  Even though they have lost Jordy Nelson for the year, Aaron Rodgers is one of those system type QBs and he can slot in other receivers and be just as effective.  He is not reliant on the superstar receiver.  They were that close to beating Seattle last year in the playoffs and SU sees them making it to the Super Bowl this year from the NFC.  Dallas will win the East, and will have a strong playoff run.  But ultimately beating Green Bay in Green Bay in January will be too much to overcome.

In the AFC, New England will be very motivated to repeat given all the Brady nonsense.  But history says it’s very hard to do it again in this day and age, and SU will look elsewhere.  Sports Illustrated is predicting the Baltimore Ravens will win it all but that seems like a long shot to me.  SU will go with Denver as Peyton Manning manages to keep his arm strong enough to be effective in the cold weather in the playoffs.  Green Bay over Denver in the Super Bowl.

Do you agree?  Disagree?  Not care?  Can’t be bothered?  That’s cool.  But weigh in with a prediction if you’d like to and of course, SU will give props to you come February if you are right.

And there it is.  It was not to be.  The only people more unhappy than Serena Williams are the announcers on ESPN.  It’s like someone just died.  SU caught the Serena press conference.  It was what you would expect: she dictated which questions she would take and she cut it short when she wanted to.  SU admires the athletes who win with grace and lose with grace.  She ain’t one of them.

Some of you may be wondering what SU predicted here?  Glad you asked.  See the post from August 31st:

“On the women’s side, SU is not a Serena fan.  It’s always all about her and she has never been gracious to her opponents when she loses.  She also berated that lineswoman here in NY several years back and never fully apologized for that either.  While I can’t actually identify any player who can beat her, I will take the rest of the field and say she will come up short of winning the Grand Slam.  I actually think she will go out before the semi-finals as the pressure gets to her.  It’s hard to actually identify any player who can beat her but I think it will be someone not in the top 10.”

Once again, SU with its finger on the pulse of major sports.

So, for Yankee fans, it’s come down to this.  The Mets are going to win the NL East – it’s now a foregone conclusion.  In fact, the 2nd Subway Series coming up in a couple of weeks will be much more important to the Yankees than the Mets by that point.  Last night’s rainout really hurts the Yankees as they will be limited tomorrow on how much Betances and Miller can pitch.  We already know their starters can’t go much more than 6 innings and then it’s a crapshoot with the youngsters pitching key late innings.

RA Dickey, the Yankees’ kryptonite, is pitching on Sunday vs. Tanaka.  The Yankees cannot touch his knuckleball.  SU’s prediction for the series: Toronto wins 3 of 4.  Of course, SU has been accused of being too much gloom and doom when it comes to anything Yankees and they always seem to rise to the occasion.  No doubt Stephen Drew will go 12 for 18 with 3 homeruns.  But the ship is taking on water now.

Big men’s tennis day at the Open.  Federer gets an advantage playing at night – no shadows and cooler weather.  He seems to be the experts’ choice now to win it all.  SU still has confidence in Djokovic who has not played particularly well so far but has a way of raising his game as he nears the finish line.  Part of my theory is that he plays it safer against guys he is supposed to beat and will take chances against the better players, i.e., go for more lines.  Warwinka plays well in the majors now and that will be a great match tonight.

NFL season is upon us and SU will come out with its fearless predictions later in this weekend.  Too funny last night that the Steelers coaches were picking up the Patriots’ home radio broadcast of the game on their headsets.  Of course, it’s just a coincidence.  Of course it is.

Finally, there is a story out there that the Knicks will entertain Melo trade offers.  Given that he has a veto over any trades, you wonder if that is a good use of anyone’s time.  And they couldn’t have figured this out a year ago before re-signing him?

SU caught the end of the Mets’ game with the Nationals last night.  Their 6-run rally to tie the game with 2 outs and 1 man on was impressive.  As long-time SU subscriber A. Grossman likes to say, they have the “karma” this year.  Their dugout is alive, guys are coming through over and over again, and they are just a likeable bunch.  Even the 4 days of Scott Boras and Matt Harvey were not enough to put a damper on their drive for the division title.  SU says they will be selling out Citifield come the next homestand.

Contrast that with the Yankees who are in the middle of a tight division race with the Blue Jays but are only drawing around 30,000 now on this homestand.  The reason is that it’s not an exciting team and the fans are just not 100% invested.  As the pitching staff breaks down in September, it’s becoming more likely that CC Sabathia might end up pitching a playoff game (perish the thought).  SU has been predicting that the Mets will become the focal point in NY and it’s happening.  Good for them.

Don’t know if you caught any of the ESPN story on Spygate with the Patriots and just what went on there.  New England is denying it all but consider this from the ESPN story:

“According to ESPN, the Patriots secretly filmed 40 games between 2001 and 2007 and built a library of their opponents’ signals. They then stole those signals during games and called plays to take advantage of what was coming. The program was carried out in secret, with the employees disguising themselves as NFL or “Kraft Production” cameramen to film opposing coaches.

Here are the most damning allegations:

• The Patriots would send an employee into the visiting locker room to steal their play sheets during pre-game warmups.
• They would have someone “rummage through the visiting team hotel for playbooks or scouting reports.”
• They made their employees wear disguises, like shirts that said Kraft Productions, while they secretly filmed opposing coaches. They were also “provided with excuses for what to tell NFL security if asked what they were doing.”
• Sources with three different teams that lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl (the Eagles, Panthers, and Rams) think they spied on them and knew what plays were coming during the Super Bowl.
• Former Rams coach Mike Martz claims a Pats assistant coach told him he knew which plays St. Louis were going to run in the red zone in the 2001 Super Bowl, and that, “A little birdie told us.”
• The Patriots had “a library of scouting material containing videotapes” in a secret room that only Bill Belichick could access.
• They had a practice of “scrambling and jamming” their opponents’ radio equipment so the coaches couldn’t communicate with the quarterbacks.
• A former Patriots assistant coach told ESPN, “It got out of control.”

According to Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham, the feeling around the league is that the Patriots got off easy on Spygate, with the NFL brushing the details of the scandal under the rug. The league’s recent attempt to hammer the Pats for Deflategate, many believe, was a direct response to the impression from other teams that New England got away with a robust cheating program in 2007.”

Clearly, this was a much more serious situation than deflating some footballs.  It’s also why former Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula call Bellichek “Belli-cheat.”

We approach the best time of the sports year: baseball’s pennant races reach their peak; the US Open is in full swing (although players are dropping left and right); and of course, both the college football and NFL seasons are upon us.  SU was pumped for the debut of Jim Harbaugh last night and Michigan out west against a good Utah team.  It certainly seemed like deja vu with the defense wearing down as it tried to keep Michigan in the game.  Combined with a QB that turns the ball over, I can’t say I feel very different from last year.  But as SU ages, I have become a more patient fan and will ride it out in this transition year.  I expect Harbaugh’s team to get better each week and while the overall record may not impress, there may be a surprise or two come November.

Speaking of patience, you have to chuckle about how all the sports writers are saying now that the Yankees are being rewarded for sticking with Stephen Drew who has had a couple of hot weeks.  So, just to be clear, it’s ok to hit .160 last year and .190 for most of this year, and if you throw in 2 hot weeks and hit a couple of homeruns, all is forgiven and hey, why don’t we give you a Robinson Cano like, 10-year contract to boot?  As a Yankee fan, I am thrilled to see him finally hit a little but let’s face the facts: he has been miserable and if he reverts back to form the rest of the way, it’s not acceptable.  We will see now if the Yankees have what it takes without Texeiria.  SU is done making predictions with this team as every time I bury this group, they go out and win 4 in a row (as SU subscriber M. Levine has pointed out).

It was interesting to follow the Yankee-Red Sox game on Wednesday afternoon on Twitter.  The writers and announcers were killing Girardi for bringing in Betances and Miller with a 6-run lead late in the game as Boston was rallying.  I don’t know what game they were watching but the Yankee rookie relievers were walking the ballpark and giving up doubles off the wall.  Betances came in with the bases loaded and a 13-7 score.  Who cares if it’s a save or a hold statistically?  You are trying to win the game.  It’s also interesting to see how Michael Kay is following Twitter during his broadcasts and picks up on comments from various people.  SU is a Kay fan but he was wrong to criticize Girardi in that game.  If they lost that game with a 12-1 lead, that would have been a killer.

Tom Brady has been saved by Judge Berman.  The ruling doesn’t address his guilt or innocence but rather it’s more procedural and about due process.  SU doesn’t really care.  We know he did it but as I have said from the beginning, it’s just not a big deal.  Enough of the integrity of the game talk.  Let’s move on and play football and making sure that the players’ socks are the proper height and no skin is showing between their socks and their pants.  Now there is integrity!  To me, ball inflation is like pine tar on a bat (see George Brett and Goose Gossage in 1983).

I know – most of you don’t really follow tennis and if truth be told, you would prefer more golf chatter.  But that is one of the advantages of being the blogger vs. the bloggee.  SU is a big Djokovic fan and although he has only won the US Open one time, I think he will add #2 in two weeks time.  He has a potential quarterfinal match up with Nadal which would be entertaining and of course, Federer and Murray are both playing great this year.  It often comes down to the weather.  Djokovic seems to not like playing in the extreme heat even though he’s in great shape.  I do think the 3 out of 5 set format helps him against both Murray and Federer and he will make it through to collect another grand slam.

On the women’s side, SU is not a Serena fan.  It’s always all about her and she has never been gracious to her opponents when she loses.  She also berated that lineswoman here in NY several years back and never fully apologized for that either.  While I can’t actually identify any player who can beat her, I will take the rest of the field and say she will come up short of winning the Grand Slam.  I actually think she will go out before the semi-finals as the pressure gets to her.  It’s hard to actually identify any player who can beat her but I think it will be someone not in the top 10.

Stephen Drew is torturing SU.  Just when you think the Yankees will finally look at someone else to play 2nd base, he comes through with a 4 for 4 day to get his average over .200.  I actually called the homerun yesterday although I was watching by myself.  You just knew he was going to do it and guarantee himself 4 more weeks of starting at 2nd base.  But when he talks about his performance, there is no apology for the .200 average.  He talks like it’s just fine and he deserves to be starting.  Man, the Atlanta Braves are a bad, bad team.  SU will be interested to see how the Yankees hit over the next week against the Red Sox and Rays.  The 20-run games cover up statistics-wise for all of the 1- and 2-run efforts by the offense.

The Mets came back down to earth for a couple of games but that’s baseball.  You don’t win all of the close games.  They are still right where they need to be.  The line up is so much more complete and balanced now.  You have to give Alderson props for the moves he’s made this year at the trade deadline.

At SU, we pride ourselves on thoughtful perspectives, an experienced if not over-worked crack research staff and reminding the intergalactic subscriber base when we are right.  Well, despite a season’s worth of people telling SU that I was wrong about the Yankees, I would say now that all signs are pointing to what I have been saying all along.  This is a mediocre, boring team that is headed toward a win total in the mid-80s for the season.  And, the Mets are now peaking and if you have been paying attention, are starting to dominate the back page.

Jacoby Ellsbury now has a sore hip (the guy must get hurt getting out of bed) and may miss the next several games.  Brett Gardner is hitting .194 for August and A-Rod has finally hit the wall.  Combine that with Teixeira’s sore shin and you have a total stoppage with the offense.  Surely this must be the time to get Refsnyder back up here to help spark the offense.  And if he comes up and Girardi acutally plays him, will all the sports writers once again say what a genius Cashman is?  Or will one brave sole actually wonder why he was sent back down so that Stephen Drew can continue to hit like a pitcher?  It’s fine to stay the course in baseball as it’s a long season but A-Rod has over-achieved and this team really needs to sacrifice some defense for some offense.  Otherwise, the Yankees will end up battling for the 2nd Wild Card spot of which they have about a 4.5 game lead at the moment.

The Mets, meanwhile, suddenly look like the Toronto Blue Jays and have been flexing their muscles night after night.  They are winning again tonight and the Nationals are losing again.  They may actually run away and hide at this rate.  I still think the Nationals have one last gasp in them but the Mets seem to have other ideas.  They are must see tv.

CC Sabathia finally gave in to the pain in his knee and asked out of yesterday’s start.  SU says he is a gamer but he is a big dude and that’s a lot of weight to keep putting on his knee on his follow throughs.  He will likely head to the DL and if the Yankees are smart, they will keep him there the rest of the season.  He likely would not have made the post-season roster and this way it’s less of a blow to his ego and pride.  I suppose it remains to be seen if he can come back next year.  SU says put him in the bullpen: fewer innings, fewer pitches and maybe more MPH on the fastball.  Andrew Marchand of espn.com had a good take in his column this afternoon:

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/88796/despite-his-championship-pedigree-loss-of-cc-sabathia-is-a-gain-for-yankees

Meanwhile the Yankees have slipped back again into 2nd place behind Toronto.  Richard Neer on WFAN said over the weekend that the Yankees’ problems are with their pitching.  This is totally wrong.  Their problems are offensive and the inability to manufacture runs without the homerun.  They continue to lose their share of low scoring, 1-run games and that is now costing them for the Division lead.  SU believes it’s the curse of Stephen Drew.  If somehow he could stub his toe and they brought up Refsnyder, it would really help with the line-up.  The Yankees need to reverse the curse.

The Mets have petitioned MLB to add some games in September against Colorado who they own this year.  Like the Yankees, they are trying out the 6-man rotation to preserve the young arms and they got a nice start yesterday.  Playoff tickets are being printed as we speak.  SU believes no-one will want to play the Mets in the playoffs with their pitching.

SU is back from the road out in Boulder, CO and Dallas.  As always, we have our finger on the pulse of the sports world and have been following developments closely.  Thoughts for the day:

• The Yankees completed an impressive sweep of the Twins trailing in all 3 games.  Greg Bird has given them a nice offensive shot in the arm.  As SU has been saying all year, isn’t it more fun to watch these youngsters play vs. some of the veterans?  Time to bring up Refsnyder and put Drew on the bench.  How a guy can hit .190 or lower for 2 straight seasons and not see his playing time diminish is beyond me.  I know he’s a good fielder but hey, it’s 2nd base.  How bad can that be unless you are Chuck Knoblouch and you are trying to throw to 1st base?  The lead is still under 2 games and a long way to go.  But the Yankees are putting themselves in good position for a wild card at a minimum.
• The Mets are hanging tough with their 4-game lead on the Nationals but you feel like they should be expanding that more as Washington has been terrible.  SU believes that race is going to tighten up considerably down the stretch.  The Yankees-Mets series in mid-September should be important for both teams.  Fun viewing for the NY fans.
• SU has been enjoying some of the men’s tennis in Montreal and now Cincinnati.  The top players are in both events and there have been some great match-ups the last week or so.  As stated many times, SU is a big Djokovic fan.  Did you know that he paid for the Serbian special olympics team to travel to LA recently to compete in those events?  $30,000 of his own money.  Even Andy Roddick, who has had issues with him from several years ago and is a big promoter and supporter of the event, gave him special props.  Djokovic is a great ambassador for the men’s game and is always respectful of his opponent.
• It was fun to see the trash talking that went on in last week’s men’s tournament where the youngster from Australia, Kyrgios, told Stan Warwinka during a changeover that another Australian player was sleeping with his new girlfriend.  He ended up being fined $10,000 and may be suspended.  It’s funny to compare that to the trash talking that goes on in the NFL and NBA where this type of remark would be totally ignored unless it was made about Melo’s wife.
• FInally, we are slogging our way through the NFL preseason where most teams just want to avoid injury.  It’s silly that they play 4 games.  Strictly a money grab by the owners.  SU says 2 games is plenty in a sports where guys get hurt so frequently.