COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 Fair or not, Game 1 of the 2026 American League Division Series will forever be known as the Austin Wells Game.  That is because Wells got caught trying to turn a big play into a monumental play when he thought his double down the right field line took an extra hop and committed himself toward going to third.  Turned out to be a big mistake. As Luis Rojas' had his hands up in the air motioning Wells to stop at second, he admitted in postgame, that by the time he saw Rojas he was committed.  "I tried to make something happen in being aggressive.  After I was passing second I picked his hands up, but I was committed," Wells said, adding in the moment he was trying to be aggressive.  His answer was understandable, but it was a mistake nevertheless.  Had Wells stopped many assume that manager Aaron Boone would have pinched hit Ryan McMahon for Giancarlo Stanton, who hadn't batted in a live Major League Game since April 24. The very thought of Stanton, who...

Oh, how I miss the days when Red Sox - Yankees used to mean something.  The days when the series was an intense border war with games that had a razor thin margin for error, combined with an intense, boiling hatred that filtered through the clubhouses and the fan bases alike.  Oh, how I miss the days of Pedro Martinez head hunting Yankees and dropping quote like "Who is Kareem Garcia?" and "Whose you Daddy?"  The days when A-Rod got booed; when A-Rod and Jason Varitek fought one another at home plate. The time when the Yankees stormed back to beat the Sox in the '03 ALCS. Aaron Boone's home run. Then the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees choked on a 3-0 series lead.  Those were the days, my friend.  Because this iteration of the Yankees-Red Sox war has as much enthusiasm as a Yankees-A's game in mid-May.  It's sad.  And that sadness was on display for two consecutive nights in the Big Apple as the Yankees dismantled the Red Sox by a combined score of 18-2....

 The New York Giants have swung a very intriguing deal with the acquisition of former first round pick, J.J. McCarthy to back-up Jamies Winston, who struggled in Big Blue's 12-7 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.  McCarthy, once drafted 10th overall in the 2024 draft, was supposed to be the apple of the eye of Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, but failed to live up to expectations.  McCarthy lost the starting job last season when it was given to him, despite going 6-4 in 10 games as the Vikings starter in 2025.  This summer McCarthy became the odd man out, as the Vikings brought in two veteran quarterbacks in Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, both of whom have helped lead Minnesota to a 3-0 start the season.  Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh is certainly familiar with McCarthy since his brother, Jim, coached the quarterback at Michigan over three seasons, winning a National Championship in 2024.  The Giants gave up a fifth round pick to th...

 Not only did the Giants battle the elements on Sunday, they found a way to hold off a stubborn Tennessee Titans team 12-7 in an ugly rain-drenched affair at the Meadowlands.  The Giants managed only 238 yards of offense, and could only score four field goals, but it was more than enough this time.  The biggest play of the game of course came in the final seconds with the Titans in position to take the lead for good. Tennessee had 24 seconds and two timeouts in their back pocket at the Giants' own seven yard line, but Cam Ward couldn't handle the prosperity.  The second year signal caller threw up a duck on the run that was picked off in the end zone by Giants safety Jevon Holland to seal the deal and get the banged up Giants back over .500 at 2-1.     

 At what point should we get tired of hearing about moral victories? Following the Jets heartbreaking 31-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Aaron Glenn stressed to reporters that his players are closing the gap.  " We're right here. It's this gap that we have to close. We're fighting to close that gap and we will. We'll be on the other side of these games. I truly believe that." Even if the Jets "closed the gap" the same problems still persisted for the Jets and Glenn on Sunday, that helped contribute to a disheartening loss. Whether it be time management at the end of halfs, the use of timeouts and challenges, or even the inability to adjust the game plan, the Jets failed in many respects to cover themselves, and as a result played right into the hands of the Lions.  Call it a young team, or a moral victory if you want, but the facts are 20-games in, Aaron Glenn is 4-16 as a head coach. Not that anyone expected them to win on Sunday in Detroit....

 The 2026 season isn't even over, and moves are already being made for 2027.  The New York Mets have removed the interim label from Andy Green, naming him the full time manager of the club with a brand new three-year contract extension.  Green who took over a brutal situation in late June with the Mets all but out of contention following the firing of Carlos Mendoza, settled things down to the best of his ability. He got the team to play better, got the most out of many of the young players like AJ Ewing and Carson Benge, and as a result the Mets went 37-38 in the 75 games since June 26.  "I think Andy brings to us an ability to connect the organization in ways that very few people could," Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns told the media in Texas on Tuesday.  Green was serving as the Mets VP of Player Development with a specific focus on the Mets farm system, when he was asked to step into the managerial role in late June to take over for Men...