COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 A few weeks ago after the Mets splurged themselves of some of their Major League roster talent via the August 3 trade deadline, New York proceeded to call up a flame-throwing lefty named Jerry Yan to take one of the vacated bullpen roles.   Yan is electric. His fastball tops 98-101 mph, and even though he is 29-years old, he has potential to become a solid late inning reliever.    Since coming up he has electrified a certain segment of the Mets fanbase, particularly on social media who sing his praises not only for his pitching acumen but for the one HUGE flaw in his game: celebrations.  After every strikeout Yan leaps into the air, comes down perfectly flat on his feet, pumps his fist and does as shimmy like he's Michael Jackson.    It's quiet a sight to behold, one that is obviously divisive.  I said on X at the time that such behavior was "unacceptable" or a Major Leaguer, and that the Mets should rein him in before he starts a brawl afte...

 Geno Smith marked his return to the New York Jets starting lineup with a perfect drive as the Jets came away with a 17-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday to improve to 1-1 on the preseason.  Smith, who missed the opener against Tampa Bay because of an ankle injury, looked pretty good on Friday night, completing 7-of-7 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.  “It felt good to be out there with the guys,” Smith told reporters. “Obviously we got one drive in, but we scored a touchdown. You always want to start fast, and so that was a good thing. Definitely a lot of room for improvement.”  Smith has had a shaky camp this summer. He looked great at the start of Training Camp, but lately has struggled as he's dealt with the ankle injury according to reports.  For Smith to come out and show some poise is exactly what Aaron Glenn's club needs right now out of the position. Whether you love having Geno Smith back with the Jets or not, he gives them the bes...

 To the surprise of really nobody, the NBA made it official that the New York Knicks will open the 2026-27 season at the Garden against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on October 20.  The announcement was made official on Instagram .     Once James made it be known his intentions to join the Sixers after eight seasons out in L.A. it was pretty obvious where the NBA was going to go with the season opener.  The Knicks will be raising their NBA Championship banner, and what better way to tip things off with a marquee match-up between two bitter Atlantic Division rivals.  Of course, the Knicks had their way with the Sixers in the playoffs, sweeping Philly in four games of the Eastern Conference semi's en route to their historic NBA Finals victory.   James meanwhile had a pretty in depth free agency period, juggling between a number of options with rumors linking him to Golden State, Miami and Cleveland. There were even reports that James ...

 Yankees fans were none-to-happy with the lack of success by Brian Cashman and the front office for the moves they didn't make as the August 3 Trade Deadline came and went on Monday.  The Yankees needed help at catcher, another arm in the bullpen, and potentially another starting pitcher.  For whatever reason, the Yankees couldn't get the job done.  The one catcher they pursued, veteran Adley Rutschman was traded from the Orioles to the Red Sox instead, a move that certainly proved to be a punch to the solar-plexus for many.  George Lombard Jr. Getty Images. Rutschman, who is dealing with a wrist injury, is batting .251 with 8 homers and 47 RBI. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman didn't get into specifics, but the Yankees admitted that they had many "conversations" with Baltimore.  As for a starting pitcher, the Yankees wanted Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, but Detroit's asking price was insane, as it centered around New York's top prospect, and the m...

 The New York Mets fire sale raged on Sunday night into Monday with a flurry of moves as New York tries to desperately to purge itself from the many mistakes President of Baseball Ops David Stearns made during the last off-season. Highlighting the deals was New York's trade of Freddy Peralta t o the Tampa Bay Rays for minor leaguer's Aidan Smith, Emilien Pitre, and pitcher Gary Gill Hill.  Considering the Mets gave up two top five prospects to pry Peralta from Milwuakee Brewers last January, the haul is not exactly stellar, and it completes a dreadful time for the right-hander in Queens.  Peralta went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with the Mets. It just never worked out for a pitcher who before coming to Queens was trending as a five inning starter despite the fact he won 17 games and pitched to a 2.70 ERA for the Brewers last season.  The haul the Mets got for Peralta is exactly what one would expect for a pitcher who has underachieved and is in the walk year of ...

 The New York Yankees got some added pop that they desperately need in their depleted lineup when New York acquired Luis Garcia Jr. from the Washington Nationals on Sunday.  With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger all on the injury list for the forseable future, the Yankees had to get a bat in the lineup that could give them both pop and consistency. Garcia fits the bill. He's hitting .283 on the year with a career highs in home runs with 23 and RBI's (76). His .560 slugging percentage led the National League.  He was one of a few bright spots in the Washington Nationals lineup this season.  The Nats get four Yankees prospects in return including Yovanny Cruz, Ben Grable, Jake Bird, and Jack Cerbert.   The Yankees can now pair Cruz with slugger Ben Rice giving New York two left handed hitting sluggers in the lineup.  Should the Yankees get Judge, Stanton, and Bellinger back by September, they could have -- at least on paper -- a very dan...