COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

The Jets were once considered the NFL's version of the Marx Brothers when it came to Draft Day. However after what the Giants did on Thursday night by drafting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones, Big Blue has become the newest foil for NFL Draft Day. I talk to rick Laughland about the first round selections for the New York Jets and Giants.

YANKEES 7 - ANGELS 5  Who said that the Yankees had to stop winning games because they had 13 players on the injured list? With stars like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, the Yankees just keep winning games. New York won it's fifth straight with a 7-5 win over the LA Angels in Anaheim last night, as Luke Voit and Brett Gardner led the way for the Bronx Bombers. Voit was 2-for-4 with two homers and a pair of RBIs in the win, while Gardner collected four hits. Even little known Mike Ford contributed with his first ever Major League home run in the top of the fifth as the Yankees built a 7-1 lead through eight innings of play. On the hill Domingo German was excellent. He held the Angles to just an unearned run on four hits over six and two-thirds innings, as he improves to 4-1 with a 1.75 ERA. And Yankees fans feared life without Luis Severino? While German isn't as good as Sevy, he certainly has been tremendous. Give Aar...

METS 9 - PHILLIES 0  It was only two games, and in the long scheme of a 162-game season - it won't be  THE  reason why the  New York Mets  make the playoffs,  IF  they even get there. But for a few hours anyway the Mets sent a direct message to both the  Philadelphia Phillies  and the  National League  with their 5-1 and 9-0 victories over the Phillies the past two nights. That message read: the Mets (correction) the first place New York Mets are ready to play. And if you don't like it, deal with it.  For a better part of the first month of the season, the Mets have been one of the most inconsistent to downright poor pitching staffs in all of Major League Baseball. After a weekend series in St. Louis that saw the New Yorkers lose two of three to the Cardinals, the Mets had the 25th ranked team ERA in baseball at 5.66, surrendering 4.15 walks per nine innings, ranked 24th, and had allowed about two homers per nine ...

The Yankees 2019 season may be on the precipice of getting a lot worse. For a team that has endured so many injuries this year to key pieces, the one guy the Yankees could ill afford to lose was Aaron Judge. Well, guess what? The Yankees are going to be without Aaron Judge -- at least for the foreseeable future. A future that will be better determined by an MRI. In the bottom of the sixth, after slicing a single to right, Judge winced in pain as he completed his swing and stood on first base in pain. Trainer Steven Donohue and manager Aaron Boone came out to check on the Yankee slugger, and without much discussion or debate, Judge was removed from the game and taken into the locker room. As he moved down the dugout, Judge starred at the ground and dropped an audible F-bomb as he made his way toward the tunnel. It suddenly didn't matter that the Yankees were up 6-1 on the Royals at that time. It also didn't matter that the Yankees won 9-2 and pulled to within .500 for the ...

76ERS 112 - NETS 108  PHI Leads 3-1  It just wasn't meant to be. There is no explanation for what happened to the Nets Saturday night, except the fact that they just flat out choked. Choked on a lead that was as many as 10 points with 10:35 to go in the third quarter. Choked on a lead that was as seven points, 101-94 with 5:20 to play in the game after Caris LeVert converted on his first of two free throws. It was supposed to be a night where Nets fans from the borough of Brooklyn, and those fans still left from the Garden State could celebrate; their Nets would tie up this best-of-seven with the Philadelphia 76ers at two a piece. But like I said, it just wasn't mean to be. Joel Embiid who missed Game 3 due to knee soreness, showed why he is an MVP candidate, knocking down two layups under a minute to pull the Sixers to within in three at 101-98. About a minute later with 3:28 to go in regulation, Ebmiid took a feed from Ben Simmons and nailed home the slam dunk sil...

METS 5 - CARDINALS 4 On a night when they found out they would be without their ace Jacob deGrom for the foreseeable future as he goes for tests on his elbow, the Mets desperately needed their pitching staff to pick things up in St. Louis. And did they ever. Led by a spirited effort by Jason Vargas, and continuing right through the rest of the bullpen, the Mets found a way to hold of the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 at Busch Stadium on Friday. It wasn't pretty, but when is it ever for these Mets? The game opened up with the Mets tattooing their old nemesis Adam Wainwright, who just didn't have it for St. Louis.  Robinson Cano, who entered the game hitting .192, got the party started for the Mets with a 2-out double, and later scored on a Wilson Ramos infield single to make it 1-0. Later in the inning, the surprising J.D. Davis lined a double to right-center scoring Michael Conforto to put the Mets up by a douce. In the top of the second inning, Cano kept the good vibes g...

YANKEES 6 - ROYALS 2  After failing to cash in Thursday on the momentum they earned in a two-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox during the week, the Yankees responded with a 6-2 victory over the young Kansas City Royals at the Stadium. The Yankees rode the left arm of CC Sabathia, who for the second straight start looked real good in his return from heart and knee surgery. Sabathia held the Royals to just an unearned run over five innings. While he did walk four batters, Sabathia struck out five, including the first two batters of the game. It was another positive step in the right direction for the 38-year old lefty. Meanwhile, Brett Gardner -- the same Brett Gardner a lot of Yankees fans want out -- once again came up big with another home run. This time Gardy hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the third inning to put the Bombers on top. They would never look back. Rookie outfielder Mike Tauchman added his second homer of the week in the fifth to put New York up 3-1. The ...

As if things couldn't get any worse for the  New York Mets  beleaguered pitching staff, staff ace and reigning Cy Young Champion  Jacob deGrom  is heading back to New York to have an MRI on his right elbow, which was apparently "barking" after a throwing session on Thursday.  “We’re not sure exactly what it is so we wanted to get it checked out,” Mets Manager  Mickey Callaway  said in St. Louis. “Just a little tender in the elbow. We don’t know if it’s from general fatigue, so we’re just being overly cautious at this point and making sure we take care of him.” The Mets are going to be cautiously optimistic. deGrom was already pushed back a day on this  road trip due to strep throat, and was to pitch Saturday in St. Louis. Instead he won't pitch at all.  The Mets say they are not seriously concerned at this point, and there was no report of a potential IL stint.  Still, just the idea of the staff ace heading to New York to check on...

76ers 131 - Nets 115  Phi leads series 2-1  Big nights from DeAngelo Russell and Caris LeVert were not enough as the Nets couldn't overcome an 18-point deficit, falling to the Sixers 131-115 in Game 3 of their first round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With 8:39 to go in the third quarter Brooklyn found themselves right in the thick of things, down only  five points with almost an entire second half in front of them. But it was JJ Redick's 25-foot three-pointer with 8:19 to go to push the Philly lead to 75-67 that seemed to jumpstart the Sixers. Philadelphia would outscore the Nets 22-14 over the next eight minutes, with Reddick connecting on two more huge three-pointers as the Sixers jumped out to a 97-81 advantage with 1:11 to go in the third quarter. The Nets were able to close the gap a bit on a 9-0 run with Spencer Dinwiddie's 23-foot step-back jumper and layup helping to pull the Nets to within 97-90. But it just wasn't enough. A slam dunk...

The New York Giants 2019 schedule has also leaked six hours before it is to be "officially" revealed to the public on ESPN 2. And once again the Giants open up a season against the Dallas Cowboys ... in Dallas. Death, Taxes and the Giants open a season in Dallas. What else is new. As if the tv executives can't get enough of a match-up that has been pretty dull the past several seasons in this part of the schedule. It will be the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Giants and Cowboys have hooked up in Week 1, and the fifth time in the last six that the game takes place in Dallas. From 2015 through 2017 the Giants opened three consecutive seasons in Dallas. Last year, Big Blue opened up at home against Jacksonville. But of course, the Cowboys game was the following week. Early takeaways: The Giants home opener will be against the Bills this season. This is intriguing because the Bills will play in the Meadowlands two straight weeks to open the season. ...

According to multiple legitimate sources, the   New York Post  and the  New York Daily News , the  New York Jets  will open their 2019 season against the  Buffalo Bills  at  MetLife Stadium  on Sunday September 8. Not the  Cleveland Browns  as many assumed based off a series of Tweets from  Odell Beckham Jr.  Oh, Odell, you are such a prankster! Early takeaways: While some fans may be bummed the Jets won't open the season on Monday Night Football, but opening up against the Bills still carries plenty of intrigue. For starters it is a divisional game, which is always important. The match-up will also pit  Sam Darnold  against  Josh Allen  for the second time. Late last season Darnold led a spirited comeback against the Bills in New York's final victory of the season in late December. And if the Jets do indeed draft  Kentucky's Josh Allen , we could get to see Josh Allen (of the Bills) get sa...

WHITE SOX 9 - YANKEES 6 The heavy rain that soaked Yankee Stadium late Friday night proved to be a microcosm of the first two-plus weeks of the 2019 baseball season for the Yankees. No matter how hard they try, the rain just keeps on pouring. And it is for the Yankees, who earlier Friday put their catcher Gary Sanchez on the disable listed. Eight hours later they watched the Chicago White Sox come into the Bronx and beat up JA Happ en route to a 9-6 thumping before rains canceled the final three innings of the contest.  Since it was the seventh inning when the rains came, the game was official. Even that can't go right for the Yanks right now. The sad part is things were actually looking up for the Yankees early on. New York built a 4-1 lead on RBIs by DJ LeMahieu, Austin Romine and Aaron Judge. But by the fourth inning, the clock struck midnight on the aging Happ,who just couldn't get anyone out. He walked James McCann and Adam Engel, before serving up a meatball to ...

METS 6 - BRAVES 2  Zach Wheeler gave the Mets his best outing of the season, and the bats were red hot once again as the Mets toppled the Braves 6-2 on Friday, extending their win streak to three games, as the Amazin's maintain a half game lead over the Phillies for first place at 9-4. However, the most impressive and important numbers is this: the Mets are 8-3 in the division - the best among the competition in the NL East. On Friday manager Mickey Callaway shook up the line-up just a little bit, moving Jeff McNeil into the lead-off spot and dropping Brandon Nimmo down in the order, and the change worked perfectly. On a night where he went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs score, Nimmo ripped a a two-run homer to straight-away center field in the top of the second inning to open up the scoring for New York. Two innings later, it was McNeil's turn to shine. The third baseman ripped a double to right, driving in both Keon Broxton and Nimmo to push the Mets lead up to 4...

As if things couldn't get harder for the Yankees in the early season, the Bombers have placed catcher Gary Sanchez on the injury list with a strained calf. Sanchez is now th e 12th Yankee to spend time of the IL already this season. The injury comes after manager Aaron Boone played it cautious with Sanchez the past couple of days, slotting him to the designated hitter spot on Tuesday and benching him on Wednesday. Injuries are nothing new for Sanchez, who suffered a groin injury last season which cost him a large chunk of the season. After hitting .186 last season in 89 games with many questioning his commitment, this was an important year for Sanchez, and he got off to a good start. Through 11 games, Sanchez was hitting .268 with six homers and 11 RBI. Without his powerful bat in lineup the Yankees will be down to only Aaron Judge in the middle of the order with Giancarlo Stanton still on the shelf with a left biceps strain. Of course the news could be worse. The Yankee...

It's that time of the year again when the NFL schedule starts to slowly trickle out, leading up to the big reveal in mid-April. Yes, baseball is in full bloom, March Madness just ended, but there is always something mystical and interesting when the NFL schedule comes out in April. While we still have to wait at least another week before the regular season schedule comes out, the preseason slate is finalized. Here is what we got for the two local teams in New York City. GIANTS Preseason Schedule  August 8 - 11 NY JETS ........ NBC August 15 - 18 CHICAGO ... NBC August 22 - 25 @ Cincinnati ... NBC August 29 @ New England ... NBC JETS Preseason Schedule  August 8-11 @ NY Giants ....... NBC August 15 - 18 @ Atlanta ........ CBS August 22 - 25 NEW ORLEANS ... CBS August 29 PHILADELPHIA .... CBS  Right off the bat the highlight is the fact the Jets and Giants face one another in Week 1 of the preseason. It is only the third time in the pre-season rivalry that...

24 hours after the uniforms leaked online through a fuzzy photo that sent social media ablaze with fans debating whether they were fake, the Jets confirmed that the uniform was indeed the real deal at a special event in New York City on Thursday.  And to be honest, it was underwhelming.  The new uniform is sleek, and a drastically new look that hints at the Jets uniform from the 1980s and 1990s. But it fails to conger up the feeling of history and tradition that its predecessor did. The old uniform was the classic Jets look, reinvented by Bill Parcells because it represented success.  And success the Jets had in that uniform. Seven playoff appearances, seven playoff victories, two division titles, three trips to the AFC title game. Well before the Buttfumble, Tim Tebow, and Todd Bowles's expressionless face, the Jets were a winning team with a great uniform.  Even when they lost, the uniform was still the best part of the franchise.  Yet, th...

YANKEES 8 - ORIOLES 4  It was only a week, but it felt like a month of bad baseball. At 2-5 the Yankees needed a win in the worst way, and were able to get that 'W' thanks in major part to a huge afternoon by Gleybor Torres. Torres went 4-for-4 including a mammoth 3-run homer to put the Yankees in front 5-4 in the sixth inning en route to an 8-4 victory. Manager Aaron Boone even told the press after the game that Torres home run lifted the dugout, and you can certainly understand why. Not only have the Yankees lost games, their offense has been stagnant. Entering Thursday game in Baltimore, the Bombers scored only 13 runs in their last five games combined. Add the offensive ineptitude to the plethora of injuries that continue to grow, and the slow start to 2019 was becoming an epidemic. And you couldn't fault Boone for feeling even more frustration today when he watched James Paxton give up three-first inning runs as the Orioles built a 3-0 lead that they would ...

Here is the latest podcast from the Open Mike Program. On this edition I welcome back John Pielli of the Passed Ball Show to discuss the Mets 5-1 start to the season. In addition we talk about the controversy surrounding Ron Darling's recollection of comments made by Lenny Dykstra in the 1986 World Series.

Well, here they are folks. One day before the team officially reveals them to the world, the New York Jets new uniforms have allegedly been leaked. While it isn't 100 percent certain, it appears very likely that these are the new uni's. Check it out. While nothing will top the classic look the Jets have worn the previous 20-years, an homage to their lone Super Bowl season of 1968, these new uniforms are not bad. Certainly for Nike standards anyway. The first thing that stands out is the green is indeed a lighter shade compared to its predecessor, and it does harken back slightly to the look of the 1980s and 1990s. The logo seems to be more divisive. A lot of people hate it, but it is a slight update of their current logo. The NY is no longer behind the word mark Jets, instead New York is spelled out across the top, and the football is pushed up into the E and T in Jets. It's an update, not too dramatic, but still familiar. We like it. On the helmet just the w...

The anticipation is palpable. The guessing by fans all over social media has reached a crescendo that teeters on the brink of insanity, and with it all we are just two days away from officially finding out what new uniform the Jets will adorn in 2019.  On Tuesday night, the  New York Jets  revealed another short clip teasing the upcoming reveal, this time with comedian and " Curb Your Enthusiasm " star  JB Smoove  on center stage.  Like the previous video that featured only a silhouette of  Leonard Williams  in the new uniform, the clip opens in a dark, smoke-filled room with Smoove sitting on a stool. We then hear Smoove say "Everybody's got a story to tell," before the lights turn on showing Smoove in a slick grey/silver suit with a kelly green tie, white shirt, and dark grey fedora.  Is this a hint at the potential uniform color combination?  Many people on Twitter think so, and the guessing has been pretty insane....

METS 7 - MARLINS 3 Pete Alonso is an absolute beast. The New York Mets rookie first baseman continues to amaze in the early season, launching a 3-run bomb in the top of the ninth inning that propelled the Mets to a thrilling 7-3 victory in Miami, Monday night. The victory continued an early trend where the Mets’ offense has found new ways to bail out a struggling pitching staff. For his part, Alonso is now hitting .429 on the season with a slugging percentage of .747. While it is only four games, Alonso is turning into a serious weapon in the middle of the Mets batting order, and he has shown no signs of stopping. Before the ninth inning heroics, twice New York had to storm back just to tie the game as Monday’s starter Steven Matz had an uneven performance in his first effort of the season. The Marlins took a 2-0 lead on Matz when the lefty served up a two-run shot to Starlin Castro in the bottom of the first. But give Matz credit, he settled down after the gaff,...

The news on Miguel Andujar could be worse than expected. The Yankees infielder and 2018 Rookie of The Year candidate, reportedly has a torn labrum in his shoulder and the Yankees are considering season ending surgery. Prior to MOnday's game against the Detroit Tigers, Andujar was placed on the IL along with Giancarlo Stanton for what was termed as a shoulder strain. A torn Labrum is serious. The news continues a disturbing trend for the Bronx Bombers who have a laundry list of players who are out nursing injuries. Including Andujar and Stanton, the Yankees are missing: CC Sabathia, Didi Gregorius, Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Aaron Hicks, Jordan Montgomery, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Things are not looking good for the Yankees right now. Not only did the team lose a series to the dreadful Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, but Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar have been placed on the 10-day injured list.   At least it is April 1.  Stanton is on the shelf with a strained left bicep and will be shut down completely for the next 10 days before beginning rehab. As for Andujar, he is dealing with a right shoulder strain and will miss the next 10 days as well.  Outfielder Clint Fraizer and infielder Tyler Wade have been called up from Triple-A Scranton to take the place of Stanton and Andujar.  Losing both Andujar and Stanton is a major blow to an offense that managed only 15 runs in three against the Orioles in the Opening Series. Stanton hit .333 with two RBI in the series, while Andujar batted .231 with a RBI. Still big picture, these are two huge bats out of the lineup. When healthy Stanton is a RBI machine, and MVP candidate. An...

Mickey Callaway’s in-game decision making isn’t the only thing leaving Mets’ fans heads spinning. Apparently a war of words could land two former Mets in court, as controversial outfielder Lenny Dykstra said he would sue former Mets pitcher and current broadcaster Ron Darling for slander. In a new book authored by Darling, titled: “ 108 Stitches : Loose Threads, Ripping Yarns, and the Darndest Characters from My Time in the Game,” Darling claims that in Game 3 of the 1986 World Series Dykstra was cursing out Red Sox starter Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd with a barrage of racial epithets that Darling called, “the ugliest piece of vitriol I ever heard.” Darling calls Dykstra a “thug” and an “a-hole,” and labeled the barrage as one of the “most shameful moments I ever experienced in the game,” adding he regrets not doing anything about it. Darling writes: “I don’t want to commemorate this dark, low moment in Mets history in that way, but I will say that it was the worst collec...