COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

Breece Hall waited a long time for this day.  The Jets running back who had been pinning for a contract extension for a couple of years now finally got his wish on Friday afternoon when the New York Jets agreed to terms with Hall's representatives on a new three-year, $45.75 million deal . The deal will make Hall the third highest paid running back in the NFL in Average Annual Salary (AAV) at $15.25 million. Only Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffery make more with the Eagles and 49ers respectively.  This is a huge get for the Jets. They get to keep one of its most productive players over the past four seasons for the long term, all while ending ongoing speculation that a trade would be in the offing.  Hall has been the Jets bell-cow the past four years, averaging 978 yards rushing. In some respects he was both underutilized and underappreciated these past few seasons. He has the talent to be a top flight back in this league. Last season, Hall ran for 1,065 yards and fou...

 KNICKS 108 - SIXERS 102  After winning their past two games by a combined 90 points, the Knicks had to settle for only a six-point victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 108-102 over the 76ers.  Either way the Knicks lead this best-of-seven series 2-0 as the scene shifts to Philadelphia over the weekend.  Trailing 90-89 through three quarters in a back-and-forth affair that saw an exchange off 22-lead changes, the Knicks finally took control on a 9-0 run with less than four minutes to go in the ball game. Jalen Brunson's 16-foot jumper gave New York its largest lead at 103-99 with 3:46 to go. Seconds later, Mikal Bridges nailed a 20-footer to make it 105-99.  Meanwhile Philadelphia went completely ice cold offensively.     Following Kelly Obrue Jr's. three pointer that gave Philly a 99-96 lead with 6:52 to go, the Sixers went 0-6 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from downtown over a span of five minutes. By the time Tyrese Maxey...

 KNICKS 137 - SIXERS 98   New series, same result. The New York Knicks continue to dominate in this postseason, racking up a second consecutive victory by more than 35 points, as they blasted the 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  After a back-and-forth opening quarter, the Knicks caught fire in the second quarter, knocking down 15 of their 22 shots in the frame, five of which were from downtown, en route to a 41-point quarter as New York carried a 74-51 lead into the half.  They would never look back.   According to ESPN and Sportradar, the Knicks historic run is mighty impressive. The Knicks have won four in a row by a combined 135 points, and have led in three straight playoff games by at least 30 point in each of those games, a first since detailed play-by-play stat-keeping began during the 1996-97 season.  Leading the way this time was Jalen Brunson, who dominated the floor with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting, and ...

 The New York Yankees remembered the life and legacy of longtime radio voice John Sterling, who passed away Sunday at the age of 87.  Sterling had the call of over 5,400 regular season Yankees games, and 211 postseason games during his illustrious Yankees' career that began in 1989 and carried him through his retirement at age 85 in 2024. The voice of five Yankees championships and the Hall of Fame careers of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, Sterling will forever be synonymous withe New York Yankees baseball.  The Yankees put together a touching tribute before the club's 12-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at the Stadium.  Fellow broadcasters Michael Kay and Susan Waldman, who both worked alongside Sterling throughout his Yankees career honored their broadcast partner with flowers at home plate and a moment of silence.   

For more than three decades New York Yankees fans had grown accustomed to hearing the baritone pipes of long time radio broadcaster John Sterling, who turned the phrase "Yankees Win! DAAAAAAA Yankees Win!" into one of the most recognized calls around the world.   Sterling, who stepped away from the microphone in April of 2024, passed away Sunday night. He was 87.  Sterling had the call of 5,420 regular season and 211 postseason games as Yankees broadcaster, and even called 5,600 consecutive games from September 1989 through July of 2019. He was the voice of an entire generation of Yankees fans, who grew accustomed to both his wild sense of humor and keen professionalism.   Whether it be coining catching home run calls for various players like Bernie Williams and Hideki Matsui, to sometimes, even misjudging plays in hilarious fashion, or capturing the essence of total victory in October, Sterling had a front row seat to some of the greatest Yankees' teams of a...

 Well, unless David Stearns and Steve Cohen have a trick up their sleeves, there won't be any 3 a.m. firings of the Mets manager in Anaheim over the weekend.  That's because Stearns gave Manager Carlos Mendoza the dreaded vote of confidence on Friday night before the Mets opened up a three-game weekend series in Anaheim against the Angels.  The Mets (10-21) are currently the worst team in Major League Baseball, and it's not even close.  While most of the fan base has been forgiving of Mendoza for the poor start, putting most of the blame on Stearns and Cohen for building a flawed roster, the media has been on Mendoza Watch.  It hasn't helped matters that both the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies fired their managers, Alex Cora and Rob Thompson respectively in the last week.   It is ironic in a way that the Mets are in Anaheim this weekend, because about 18-years ago the Amazin's found themselves in a similar predicament, w hen then manager Wil...