COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

Terry Collins is no Rex Ryan. He has built a reputation as one not to speak his mind too often in public, and certainly would never try to write blank checks his team can't sign. However earlier this week, Collins was not afraid to speak his mind declaring that now is the time for his New York Mets to finish what they started in 2015, and win the World Series. “We can do this. We talked last spring about the postseason and we did win. Now what are we going to do to get the ultimate win, to finish this thing off? "You create your own expectations. How are we going to go about doing that? I’ll tell you exactly how: We’re not changing it up much, but we’ve got to run the bases this much better, we have to strike out this much less, play a little more defense in the World Series. "You got to have those expectations. If you are afraid of it, you are in the wrong sport. You talk about goals in baseball, there is no bigger goal, and until you get to the World Serie...

The Mets are on a roll. Not only did the franchise do the right thing and come to terms on a contract with Yoenis Cespedes, but they finally decided to retire Mike Piazza's 31. Piazza who was elected to the Hall of Fame earlier this month will become only the second Mets player to have his number retired by the franchise, the other being Tom Seaver. The Mets will officially do the honors on the night of July 30 before a game between the Mets and Colorado Rockies; some four weeks after his official enshrinement. Having Piazza's number retired is long overdue. While the Mets inducted Piazza into their own Hall of Fame three years ago, at the end of the 2013 season, they never retired his number at the same time. It was a matter of time before the Mets finally pulled the trigger and electing to do so on the heals of Piazza's HOF induction makes perfect sense. Keep in mind the Mets have taken a lot of public backlashing when it comes to honoring its past. Too many times...

We are 24 hours away from Championship Sunday in the National Football League. In one corner we have the 17th battle between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. In the other we have the first championship battle between two former Heisman Trophy winners in Carson Palmer and Cam Newton. The Patriots, Broncos, Cardinals, and Panthers have been the four most consistent teams all season in the NFL, and in this crazy season it is fitting that all four find themselves on this stage with the Super Bowl at stake. What can we expect? Let's delve in. Patriots @ Broncos - 3:05 p.m. ET/ 1:05 p.m. MT - TV: CBS, Jim Nantz/Phil Simms.  This is a legacy game, pure and simple. If the Patriots win, they head to the Super Bowl for the seventh time in the Brady/Belichick era, the most by any coach/quarterback duo in history. The Patriots succeed by spreading people out with multiple looks on offense, predicated on finding either Danny Amendola or Julian Edelman open ...

Yoenis Cespedes will return to the Mets after all. After reports leaked early this morning that Cespedes was weighing his options between taking a 5-year $100 million deal from the Nationals, or remain with the Mets on a three year, $75 million deal with a one-year opt out, the left-fielder decided the grass at Citi Field was much greener. Cespedes chose New York not because the Mets front office was savvy in a contract negotiation, but rather he chose New York because he was most comfortable with his current surroundings, and with the opt out, he could be the highest paid outfielder in a weak outfield market next off-season. Of course the Mets hope he decides to opt in for 2017 and remains with the team through the 2018 season. If Cespedes stays long term, this is a tremendous boost to the Mets chances not only in 2016 but for years to come. This was a no-brainer. With the market not budging on Cespedes' demands for a six-year deal of roughly $22 million per, the Mets had to...

Amid all the talk of Yeonis Cespedes, the New York Mets made a move Friday night that will do very little to quiet a desperate fanbase. The Mets signed reliever Antonio Bastardo to a two-year deal worth $12 million.  While most fans will scuff at this deal because his name is not Cespedes, the signing of Bastardo is a significant one as it gives the Mets a reliever they so desperately needed for the later inning in front of closer Jeruys Familia.  Bastardo, has spent time with both the Phillies and Pirates in his career, most recently with Pittsburgh where he went 4-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 66 games. With the Phillies, Bastardo struck out 80-plus batters twice, and had his best year in 2011 when he pitched to a 2.64 ERA.  Last season the Mets struggled for eighth inning help, jockeying between Addison Reed and Tyler Clippard. Perhaps Bastardo gives them much needed stability.  As solid as this move is, it didn't draw much fanfare on Twitter.  ...

Here is an article I wrote for Amazin Clubhouse on Scout.com covering the Mets proposed 3-year deal with an opt out clause for Yoenis Cespedes. The Nationals have offered the Mets outfielder a five year deal worth $100 million. My take! Yoenis Cespedes is still a free agent and the Mets have shown no rush to sign him to a long-term deal, leading Mets fans to flood the airwaves and Twitter-verse with pure anger directed at embattled owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon.   As of Friday Cespedes is mulling two offers: one, a lucrative deal from the Washington Nationals that would pay the outfielder $100 million over five years. The other, a three-year deal with an opt-out clause after just one season from the Mets.  As most know, Cespedes’ people have expressed that he would like to stay in New York, but the Mets reluctance to get a deal done and offer the outfielder a legitimate contract is not only befuddling, it gives fans an uneasy feeling that the team’s financial ...

CARDINALS 26 PACKERS 20 - OT  In what will easily go down as an instant classic and one of the most incredible playoff games in NFL history, the Arizona Cardinals outlasted the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in overtime, after two future Hall of Famers flexed their muscles in the final minutes of this slugfest.  Where to begin? I have no idea. How about this, the Packers blew a 13-10 third quarter lead, while the Cardinals perpetually tired their best not to take to full control of this one. With the fourth quarter just getting underway quarterback Carson Palmer was picked-off by Damarious Randall on a first and goal at the Packers 10 with 14:18 to go in regulation.  It looked like Green Bay would take control after the turnover, but they never did. Palmer and the Cardinals were given another chance, and yes, they almost blew that too. With 4:40 to go in the game, and the Cardinals again driving deep into Packers territory, Palmer almost had another...