As previously mentioned, SU was totally into the US women’s team’s World Cup Soccer run.  They seemed to play better with each successive round and capped it off last night with their best effort.  For SU, what was most striking was how much of a team these women are.  It’s refreshing after watching months of NBA basketball which as we all know is a player’s league and baseball which is as individual as you can get in a team type sport.  Abby Wambach, arguably the best to ever play the sport, doesn’t even start and only gets in for a cameo at the end.  Doesn’t complain, supports her teammates.  Carli Lloyd gets all the acclaim for the hat trick but even non-fans like SU can appreciate how good the defense was for the US in this whole tournament.  As a fan, it makes you appreciate the best of sports which is about team effort, chemistry and selflessness.  We do not see it very often and you have to enjoy the moment.

There will be much talk about how this will boost women’s soccer in the US at the professional level and there will be buzz for a couple of weeks but as in 1999, it’s very hard to get people interested for a sustained period.  That day may come but we are years and years away from it.  SU will enjoy this for the moment.

As the MLB trade deadline approaches, you have to think that Brian Cashman will finally pull the plug on Stephen Drew.  SU cannot listen anymore to Joe Girardi say how much tough luck he is hitting in with all his line drives being caught.  I have watched enough at bats.  .180 is .180.  And going back to last year, it’s probably .165 for that time period.  SU would definitely not give up any top prospects to get an established player for this year.  Just bring up your top studs and slot them into the line up.

Stephen Matz had his 2nd strong start for the Mets.  Now for them, they likely need to move one of the young starters for an established bat.  Their fan base needs a pennant or playoff run this year.  Time to increase the payroll.  You can raise the price of beer and hot dogs to cover it.

SU is perplexed why DeAndre Jordan would leave the Clippers just because he doesn’t get along with Chris Paul.  That was a great situation for him with a good, players’ coach and teammates in their prime.  Surely the money would have been close.  Of course, no one has ever accused NBA free agents of making the right decisions (see Melo in NY).  Jeremy LIn is now heavily rumored to be coming to Dallas.  That will be a great spot for him and he could start there.  That will be SU’s team to follow for 2015-16.  I will save you all seats on the bandwagon.

The dust has pretty much settled for many of the NBA bigger name free agents.  D’andre Jordon is going to Dallas and apparently that triggers a move where the Knicks will sign Robin Lopez for something like $12 million a year for 4 years.  Say what??  That is the big name free agent signing?  The Knicks are apparently looking to beef up their defense but the way SU sees it, they are going to be average 72 points a game next season.  This is embarrassing.  SU officially gives the ok for Melo to average 35 shots a game next season.  I mean, who else can even score on this roster?

Other names finding a home.  Corey Brewer returns to Houston as does Patrick Beverley.  Richard Jefferson returning to Dallas (SU fave – I know no one else cares).  The most amusing signing of the day has Rajon Rondo going to Sacramento to play with Demarcus Cousins.  It proves that any of us can be an NBA GM.  How do you put a guard who can barely keep it together with a center who is in the same boat?  Unreal.

Clearly, Phil Jackson is not able to attract anyone to the Knicks.  It’s one thing if you are the coach – another if you are the President.  SU says they are striving to get back to the point where they had Amare playing with a bunch of youngsters just before the Melo trade.  Jeremy Lin is still out there and where he lands will be a big factor in who I root for next season.  The Knicks are on the unwatchable list – it’s official now.  OK – enough.  I’ll stop.

Looks like CC has been taken partially out of the rotation.  He will be starting 1 time in the next 15 games it appears.  Girardi is a tough guy.  Except for Jeter, he has not been afraid to do what is best for the team at the expense of some of his former stars’ egos.  The Mets are running on fumes offensively.  It will be interesting to see if ownership decides to move one of the young pitchers to get a bat for this year.

SU just saw this on the ESPN web site:

Arron Afflalo, Knicks agree on 2-year, $16M deal

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/13186096/arron-afflalo-new-york-knicks-agree-2-year-16-million-deal

Really?  This is the best they can do?  Clearly trying to follow the Yankees’ model of building a boring team.  As Mark Jackson would say, “Come on Phil.  You can do better than that!”

So, Kevin Love decided to go all in and is signing a long-term deal to stay with Cleveland.  He had his pow-wow with LeBron who no doubt translated his tweet this year when he wrote that Love shouldn’t worry about fitting in but should “fit out.”  Hmmm, seems perfectly clear to me.  So, why is that good for the Knicks?

Carmelo is already dying.  None of the top free agents want to come to NY to play with him.  Love will find that he still doesn’t “fit out” after this season and his agent and others will be whispering in his ear that he needs to be the man and not a complimentary piece.  That will enable Phil Jackson to swap Melo for Love at the end of next season.  LeBron will want his buddy Melo playing with him who at age 32 will finally be aching for that championship ring.  Love is younger and can be a major piece to win in NY.  Equal salary more or less.  SU says it’s a perfect fit.  One year from now you can congratulate SU as being right – yet again.

Note that no-one wants to play with Kobe in LA either.

David West who has been rumored coming to the Knicks put that one to bed as we read this comment on Twitter: “West said the rumors about him going to the Knicks are ridiculous; he wants to be with a contender; the Knicks don’t qualify.”  On to Plan B.  SU says the perfect storm is that Monta Ellis is still out there.  He puts the “hog” in “ball hog.”  How smart was Golden State trading Eliis and keeping Curry when they had both of them a few years ago?  Championships are won and lost on those types of decisions.  The most fun scenario would be that the Knicks sign Ellis in a desperation move to appease Melo, Jackson leaves and Isiah Thomas becomes President.  Then it’s 7 years of famine in the waste land.

SU also saw that Nik Stauskus was traded by Sacramento to the Sixers.  I would like to see a study of how undergraduates have fared in the NBA in terms of longevity, career earnings, productivity.  I know many of them come from nothing and want the money because the risk of major injury is out there in college.  But so many guys get their $1 million rookie deal and then just flounder and drift.  Adam Silver and the NBA are considering a 2-year minimum out of high school now before kids can play in the NBA.  That would be a good thing.

SU is all in on the Women’s World Cup for Team USA.  Last night’s game was quite exciting as they finally played a more offensive style.  They dominated the first half and although half-time was 0-0, they had several scoring chances.  In a single elimination tournament, there is a lot of drama and this game had true end-to-end action.  SU says it’s a worthwhile couple of hours.

We contrast that with watching the Yankees on the West Coast right afterwards.  Apparently, YES Network ratings are down again this year as is road attendance which SU believes is a real indicator of just how boring this year’s team is.  In addition, the Yankees will likely not have an All-star Game starter for the first time in many years.  You can say they are battling for 1st place and are second in the league in runs scored but SU speaks the truth: this is a vanilla, dull, unimaginative team.  Whether they make the playoffs or not is not important.  Brian Cashman needs to get younger and start playing the kids for the future.  If they continue this way, get to the playoffs and lose in the first round, this is not a successful season as you haven’t gotten the younger players into the mix.

The Mets cannot hit but they continue to bring up the young, stud starters which is interesting.  Plus this kid Matz can hit to boot.

Finally, SU has been following some of the NBA free agent rumors and signings.  SU fave Jeremy Lin has made it to the Knick rumor list.  How good would that be?  Melo can tell him that his new contract, whatever it is, is “ridiculous” and of course will show him which corner he should park himself in on offense.  But maybe, just maybe, Derek Fisher would design some plays to have Lin do his pick and roll thing and create some excitement back at MSG.  Why not take a flyer here?  The fans would love it as well.  OK, haters: feel free to hate.

SU is troubled by the Greg Monroe rumors.  I just cannot see this guy as a difference maker.  Same with David West.  If you really want to plan for the future, then go younger and go all in.  But even with sizable cap room, you do not see any of the big name free agents flocking to NY.  And why is that?

Relatively new SU subscriber and frequent commenter Mark N weighs in this morning: “The Knicks have always been planning on rebuilding through free agents anyway so I don’t know what Melo was all cranky about in the first place. If they didn’t take Porzingis who reportedly has the most potential upside which may or may not ever be realized – what was the sure thing he suggest they take in his place? Towns, Russell, and Okafor were already gone and he was reportedly whining about not wanting to play with a rookie PG anyway. Phil is going to be successful based on who he gets to sign in the off season and how they operate in the triangle. Your point on Phil likely telling Melo to dial it back on projecting an air of hopelessness is probably dead on.”

SU has to chuckle on how Melo has apparently done a 180 on his opinion of the Knicks’ 1st round pick.  On Friday, we had Stephen A. Smith, the owner of many inside sources who are right about 23% of the time, say that Melo was outraged – outraged I say!  Then yesterday, Carmelo took to Instragram or some other social media avenue to say the Porzingis pick was a “steal.”

SU interpretation: someone in the Knicks’ brass, maybe Phil, gave him a call to say, “Melo, we are trying to sign free agents to come here and play for the team.  If you describe the situation as hopeless, no-one will come here to play.”  What a concept!  SU believes Melo is furious and frustrated but will toe the party line in order to attract others who might want to play here this coming season.

SU fearless prediction: Melo will tolerate this one more year (and Phil will tolerate it one more year), and then you will see a trade of max players for one another once Durant makes it clear there is no way he is coming here.  Maybe Melo for Blake Griffin?  Something along those lines.

For the record, SU has decided that I am all in on the pick.  He’s young and it’s something different.  The fun as a fan is to watch your young guys develop over time.  We had that happening before the trade with Denver.  SU will tune in to watch this kid and Grant from Notre Dame.  Not the other free agents who will be signed in July and injured by October.

Wimbledon starts tomorrow.  Once again, the draw on the men’s side is so uneven.  Nadal, Federer and Murray are all on one half of the draw.  SU will be rooting for a Djokovic win – figure it will be over Murray in the finals.  Men’s tennis continues to be at the top of my viewing choices these days.

SU has also been watching the women’s World Cup for the US.  It’s great having a former women’s team coach do the color commentary criticizing the current coach.  And according to the other analyst, one of the former women’s team’s players (Foudy?), no US player has committed a foul in the entire tournament.  SU says be a little more objective – please.

Finally, watch out for Tanaka on the Yankees.  He is not throwing his 4-seam fastball.  The end is near.  You can sense something is going on there.  No one will admit it but he just does not look comfortable out there.

Arrrggghhhhh!!!  The Knick fans are dying tonight.  But let’s be honest: no one knows enough about this Latvian kid to know if this will be a major bust or the foundation of the franchise for the next 10 years.  SU has been looking for Carmelo’s tweet to welcome Porzingis to the Knicks.  Instead, he no doubt tweeted in Latvian: “Stand over here while I am jab stepping.”  SU would have liked to see Justice Winslow who dropped to 10th to Miami.  He is a player.  Many on the radio wanted Cauley-Stein from Kentucky.  Say what??  SU was surprised how high Kaminsky went – intereseting.

The Knicks are trading Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks for Jerian Grant from Notre Dame.  Feels like a wash to SU on that deal.  But we know Hardaway Jr. and Melo did not like each other so no surprise there.  Also, rumor is out that the Knicks will sign David West of the Pacers.  34 years old, past his prime, tough guy.  Figure he’ll be healthy for 30 games this season.

Phil Jackson is one of those “smartest guys in the room” type people.  He could have gone safer but at his age and his salary, what the heck!  Apparently lots of NBA GMs like this kid from Latvia.  But SU says this: your franchise player is Carmelo Anthony and is he really going to embrace a 19-year old from Latvia who weighs 109 pounds?  Knick fans do not fret: you are only a couple years away before Isiah Thomas assumes Phil Jackson’s job.

SU has begun the search for a new team to root for next year.  Too many of my Michigan faves are on the move – Hardaway, Trey Burke will supposedly be moved soon.  And where will Jeremy Lin land?  The only certainty for SU is that I will once again need to purchase the NBA Season Pass so I can watch players and teams that I respect and enjoy.  Alas, the Knicks still do not make the cut.

OK Knick fans: what do ya think??????

SU always looks forward to the NBA draft.  This year features a relatively weak field with reports of most teams looking to move down in the draft vs. trying to secure a better pick.  The Knicks have a rare first round pick as Isiah Thomas hasn’t been able to amass enough power as of yet to move it for Eddie Curry’s expiring contract.

I just stumbled across this article on Bleacherreport.com which features an interview with Phil Jackson:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2488958-phil-jackson-nbas-lord-of-the-rings-faces-ultimate-test-saving-the-knicks

It’s a long read but there were a few striking quotes from Jackson here:

• “What Jackson did talk about at length was his belief in “a structure” or “a format” that involves all five players and emphasizes ball and player movement, whether it’s the triangle or another system. He cited the Spurs and Warriors and Hawks as teams that exemplified the ideal.”
• “When I watch some of these playoff games, and I look at what’s being run out there, as what people call an offense, it’s really quite remarkable to see how far our game has fallen from a team game,” Jackson said. “Four guys stand around watching one guy dribble a basketball.”
• “The game actually has some beauty to it, and we’ve kind of taken some of that out of it to make it individualized,” Jackson said. “It’s a lot of who we are as a country, individualized stuff.”

All fine and right in line with SU’s view of team basketball.  But here is where I am perplexed: Carmelo Anthony, one of the great one-on-one scorers in NBA history, is clearly the opposite of this type of thinking.  Clearly.  Opposite.  As in 180 degrees in the other direction.  Phil Jackson came in before Melo opted out of his contract.  WHY WOULD YOU RE-SIGN HIM IF THIS IS WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN?  As long-time SU subscriber B. Levine would say, “it makes on sense.”  You sign him to a long-term deal at max money and now you are stuck.  This is not how he plays the game.  And after 12 years in the NBA, it’s hard to see how he would do that now.

If you believe in a system, you need to put players together who want to play in that system.  And by that, I mean skilled players – not the guys currently on the Knicks’ roster.  As stated before, SU is not on the Knicks’ band wagon but even the most passionate fan must be very frustrated by the inconsistency here between philosophy and personnel.

Relatively new SU subscriber Mark N. weighed in this morning: ” …sadly it is really probably Dolan who is the cause of my recent distaste for rooting for the Knicks. I can root for teams when they are down. I just can’t root for teams that are morally bankrupt.”  Lots of frustration out there in Knick Land.

SU caught the end of the US Open last night.  You have to feel for Dustin Johnson.  That was a stunning last 3 minutes.  Hard to think he will be able to mentally ever recover from that.

Happy Father’s Day to the SU intergalactic subscriber base.  Best day of the year and certainly one where it’s harder (but of course not impossible) for men to be wrong.  A few thoughts from SU this morning:

• Impressive performance by Jason Day gutting out 18 holes in the 3rd round of the US Open.  He will be the people’s choice today to win his 1st major.  He is definitely one of the top players to yet bag his first major championship.  SU asks this question about professional athletes playing with vertigo: is there any other sport other than golf where this could even happen?  Football, baseball, basketball, hockey – nope.  Tennis, soccer, auto racing, boxing, ping pong – don’t think so.  Pool?  Yes, you could play with vertigo at the highest level.  SU cannot think of any others.  Just thought that was interesting.
• The Yankees are back to winning as their maddening inconsistent season continues.  Win 5 in a row, lose 5 in a row.  They even won on Old Timers’ Day which never happens.  A-Rod is hot and playing very relaxed after notching his 3,000th hit.  Interesting that none of the Tiger players in the dugout applauded the hit – they didn’t even move.  Their manager said after the game that if it was a single, he was sure that they would have done a polite “golf clap.”  SU understands the reaction of other teams in that A-Rod cheated to gain advantage against them over the years.  Of course, the hypocrisy is that players on every team cheated and no doubt there were players in the Tigers’ dugout who were PED users.  As a fan, the contrast with Jeter’s 3,000th hit and A-Rod’s is very striking.
• Nova is coming off the DL and you will have to put Adam Warren in the bullpen despite his recent success as a starter.  The reality is that the Yankees desperately need another consistent arm in the bullpen and he has done it before.  Cashman’s pick-ups of Martin and Carpenter were both busts but not his fault – relievers year-to-year effectiveness is uneven except for Mariano which makes his greatness that much more incredible.
• Finally, it’s NBA Draft week and the rumors about the Knicks’ pick are flying   Trade it to the Suns for Eric Bledsoe?  That one is interesting as he is a solid player.  SU’s rooting interest for the Knicks will depend on what they do this off-season.  Unlike other NY sports teams, I do not root for the laundry ever since the Isiah Thomas era.  I need to be wooed to get back on the band wagon.

SU is on record that for this year’s Yankee team, the only and I mean only excitement and interest for me comes from A-Rod’s at bats.  I am a life-long, diehard fan and I no longer watch games all the way through.  Brian Cashman has worked hard and he has finally put together a collection of players that can put me to sleep.  He did some pilots the last couple of years –  Andruw Jones; Travis Hafner, Vernon Wells – to see just what a Yankee fan could truly tolerate.  And now he has doubled down to give us Stephen Drew and Chase Headley.  Admit it: when you watch this team, who do you wait to see come to the plate?  For SU, it’s only A-Rod.

I must say the boos this year are much less hateful than what we have seen in past years for him and much less than what I would have expected (except for the Red Sox fans who are hypocritical when it comes to PED users (see your DH)).  A-Rod has done and said all the right things this year.  His approach, behavior and mindset are 180 degrees different from the last few years.  And the fans have forgiven him in New York.  SU says it shows how fans are willing to forgive and forget especially for their own and especially if they produce.  They do it in every sport time and time again.  It’s also why athletes like Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Pete Rose, etc. would all have been better served to just come clean and admit the truth in the beginning.  SU would even put Roger Clemens in that category although not for me – he is the worst of the worst in that regard.

The American fan wants to forgive – plain and simple.  SU says it is also why all MLB players who used PEDs should declare a day of amnesty and as a group, admit what they did once and for all.  There would be an uproar for a few days in the media and then we all move on as we always do.

SU will tune in tonight to hopefully see A-Rod’s hit #3,000 and will be happy for him.  He is a cheater, a knucklhead, vain and makes the worst decisions, but he also has a great swing and brings some excitement to a very vanilla team (and I do mean vanilla).

Your thoughts?