SU is back in action after a well-deserved vacation in northern California.  Of course, our crack research staff is always working and SU was able to keep up with the latest developments.  A few observations:

• I still maintain that college football is more exciting than the NFL.  I know most people are all in on pro football but I still find the college games to be more unpredictable and more action-packed.  Having said that, when did college games become 3:30 – 3:45 affairs?  Between replays and endless commercials, they take forever and you can’t really plan around them anymore as being a 3-hour time slot.  And when it comes to reviewing plays, can we just make the call more quickly?
• Loved seeing Ohio State lose at home.  Oklahoma looked really good.  No doubt Urban Meyer will have a very good explanation as to why they lost.  SU says this puts him one step closer to moving to the NFL if it looks like Ohio State can’t win a national championship this season.
• SU did catch the Giant game last night.  Eli’s streak of consecutive starts will be tested this year with this offensive line.  Whoa.  I know the preseason games are meaningless but it sure didn’t look like they were ready for opening night.  The defense is good and will be a force but in the absence of any running game, they need to give Eli a bit more time.  And maybe, just maybe, throw to Marshall once in a while?  On the positive side, the game took under 3 hours so there is that.
• Credit to Rafa Nadal for his US Open championship but man, he didn’t play anyone other than Del Potro to get it.  Men’s tennis is decimated by injury and I know you only play who is in your part of the draw.  You have to wonder if men’s tennis has become too “physical” the way the game is being played with long, grinding points and no-one venturing up to the net to shorten points.  Players like Djokovic and Murray need to adapt their games to find a way to win more easily.  It’s something to watch.  It was great to see 4 American women make it to the semi-finals; this was a real break-through for the USA.
• The Yankees are grinding away and now finish the season with 17 out of 20 games in New York.  The Betances blown save last Wednesday night was a killer.  SU asks this question: when your starters go only 5-6 innings, and you bring in a reliever who is lights out for his one inning of work, should you then have him pitch a 2nd inning as he is clearly “on” for that game?  Stating it another way, are you rolling the dice that all four of your relievers each night will be effective?  If nothing else, Betances has made it easy for Girardi to put Chapman back in the closer’s role.  He is the best option.  The bullpen has allowed Boston to maintain a comfortable lead down the stretch.  But let’s face it: the Red Sox are not world beaters at all.
• On the cheating side, SU finds it interesting that now two Boston teams (Patriots, Red Sox) have been caught cheating.  Of course, the Red Sox now are claiming that the Yankees and the YES Network were also cheating with their camera angles.  SU  says check out the Yankees’ average with RISP all season; surely they are not cheating in stealing signs.  Otherwise, they would not be last in the league in getting men home.

SU is not ready to panic about the Giants or its fantasy football team.  Week 1 is week 1.  History shows that it’s a long season and things will evolve.  Of course, in the NFL, it always comes down to injuries and you need to see how that plays out.  But last night was not enjoyable.