Yankees Steal Double-Header Sweep Away from Mets

YANKEES 8 - METS 7 Game 1

YANKEES 5 - METS 2 Game 2

It was the tale of two teams. On one side the New York Yankees, who ended a seven-game losing streak on a walk-off wild pitch on Saturday, twice came from behind, using extra innings to beat back a stubborn Mets squad to get themselves back on track in the American League East. 

On the other side, a golden opportunity slipped through the Mets fingers. They had a chance to win every single game of this Subway Series, and probably, and most certainly should have won at least four of them. 

Instead the Mets limped back to Citi Field four games under .500 rather then being at the .500 mark. A weekend that has been emblematic of their troubled season. 

Game 1 looked like it was going to be all Mets. The Amazin's built a 7-2 lead behind a two-run blast by Robinson Cano in the fourth inning, a two-run double by Michael Conforto an inning later, and a hit by pitch of Pete Alonso with the bases loaded in the sixth. Everything was going the Mets way. 

They had a five-run lead. Rick Porcello pitched well enough to get the victory, and the Yankees beat up and struggling lineup had no answer for the Mets bullpen as had been the case on Friday and Saturday. 

That was until the seventh inning. 

A throwing error by Shortstop Andres Giminez started the Yankee rally, allowing the usually slow footed Mike Ford to reach first base. Two batters later, reliever Jarred Hughes lost complete command, walking Tyler Wade and hitting Thairo Estrada to load the bases. 

Mets skipper Luis Rojas gave Hughes one more opportunity to get the final out of the ball game, but a single by Luke Voit brought home Ford to make it 7-4. It didn't help matters that Giminez dropped what would have been the final out on a relay to third base as Wade slide in safely. 

 Instead the inning continued. Enter Edwin Diaz, and as per usual, it was a calamity for the Mets. A wild pitch brought home Wade to cut the Mets lead to two runs at 7-5. Finally a Diaz fastball hung as Aaron Hicks crushed it over the left field bleachers for a two-run homer, tying the game at seven. 

For the Yankees, it was a miracle. For the Mets, it was their worst collapse of the season.

After the Mets went quietly without advancing the runner in the top of the eighth inning, the Yankees took the game on a Gio Urshela single to plate Mike Tauchman to send the Yankees to a thrilling 8-7 victory. 

Game 2 was equally tense. 

The Yankees held a 1-0 lead for much of the evening behind rookie Deivi Garcia, who tossed six brilliant innings in his first start in the Bronx. However the Mets tied the game at one in the top of the sixth, thanks in major part to an error by Luke Voit at first that allowed Jeff McNeil to reach. McNeil would later score on a single by Dom Smith.

Still tied at one heading into the seventh inning, and the Yankees loaded the bases for Gary Sanchez, who pinch hit for Erik Kratz. 

Turned out to be the right call for Manager Aaron Boone. 

Sanchez destroyed a fastball from Drew Smith, launching deep into the bleachers in left for a grand slam homer to put the Yankees out in front 5-1. 

The Bombers did sweat it out a little bit in the bottom of the seventh when the Mets scored a run and loaded the bases for Wilson Ramos, but Ramos struck out swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end it. 

The Yankees survived the weekend; ending a seven game-skid and beginning a three-game winning streak in the process. The Mets? Their disaster of a season continues.

Mets Sweep Twin Bill From Struggling Yankees

METS 6 - YANKEES 4 Game 1

METS 4 - YANKEES 3 Game 2

The Mets and Yankees right now are two drastically different ball clubs, and it isn't the way you would think. The Mets walked into Yankee Stadium and came back twice to take two games away from the battered, struggling Bronx Bombers 6-4, and 4-3 to sent the Yanks to a seven game losing streak. The skid is the worst Yankee losing streak since 2017. 

The star of day and evening was Mets outfielder/DH Dom Smith who went a combined 3-for-5 in the two games with a home run, double and two RBI.

Smith's solo shot off Chad Green in the top of the sixth inning of Game 1 gave the Mets a 5-4 lead after trailing much of the day by a count of 4-1. The heroics came just two days after Smith cried in front of the press to decry the police involved shooting Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, a shooting that is still under investigation. There are reports Blake had a warrant out of his arrest. 

Still, the Mets rallied behind Smith -- joining the Miami Marlins to protest their game on Thursday. On Friday it was Smith who rallied the Mets. Smith is having a fine season -- he's been their best player all year, batting .333 with seven homers and 24 RBI. Too bad there is no All Star Game this year, because Smith has certainly made the case. 

Meanwhile Pete Alonso finally broke out of what has been a prolonged season slump when he crushed a Green fastball over the center field wall for a three-run homer in Game 1 that tied the game at four, preceding the Smith homer.

Jake Marisnick followed Smith's blast with a solo shot of his own to give the Mets a 6-4 lead. 

In Game 2 the Mets fell behind early when the Yankees rallied for three runs in the top of the third inning against starter David Peterson. Erik Kratz and Aaron Hicks each singled in runs for the Yankees to take a 2-1 lead. Gary Sanchez walked with the bases loaded to give the Yanks a 3-1 advantage. 

However the Yankees bullpen just couldn't hold the lead. The Mets inched closer when Brandon Nimmo lined a double over the head of Michael Tauchman in left to score Luis Guillorme to make a 3-2 ball game. 

Then in the bottom of the seventh with Billy Hamilton aboard, Amed Rosario crushed a Aroldis Chapman fastball into the left field bleachers for a very rare Mets-walk-off homer at Yankee Stadium. (Remember this was a makeup game from the COVID breakout last weekend).   

Give the Mets bullpen some credit. They have been much maligned this year. Over the two games, the bullpen didn't give up a single run to the Yankees in seven innings combined, and the Amazin's even got good outings from Jeryus Familia and Ediwn Diaz.  

The Mets and Yankees continue their extended Subway Series on Saturday with a single game at 7:10. Robert Gsellman pitches for the Mets against JA Happ. The Yankees are trying to avoid an eighth straight loss as they are now tied with the Blue Jays for second place in the AL East.

Steve Cohen Closes in on Buying New York Mets

 According to multiple reports hedge fund manager Steve Cohen is once again close to becoming majority owner of the New York Mets. 

Cohen, whose initial $2.6 billion offer fell through back in February, is said to have won his latest bid after Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez dropped out of the process, leaving Cohen the top bidder. According to reports Mets President and co-owner Saul Katz played a key roll in pushing talks toward Cohen. 

According to the New York Post, Cohen's latest offer is around $2.4 billion, less than $200,000 off his  initial offer. 

It is not clear how the deal will work out this time, as Mets are currently in negotiations with Cohen, but word is Jeff Wilpon, who played a key roll in killing the deal the first time was not part of the negotiations this time. 

When Cohen and Wilpon's last met to negotiate, the Wilpon's wanted to remain part of the power structure and refused to give up control of the Mets television network, SNY. Earlier this summer Cohen made a $4 billion offer to buy not only the Mets but the network. It is not known at this time what influence the Wilpon's will maintain once the sale goes through. It is also not known at this time whether or not the Wilpon's will keep SNY or if Cohen will take control of it as well. 

There was concern earlier this summer about Cohen's past troubles with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but it was not enough to prevent him from winning the bid to buy the ball club. 

The news comes just a day after the Wilpon's and their General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen were engaged in a huge public relations disaster when Van Wagenen was caught on video accusing MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred of forcing the Mets to play a game against the Marlins when the players wanted to sit it out to protest social injustice. 

It later turned out that it was Jeff Wilpon, not Manfred, who suggested that the Mets take the field at 7:10, protest, sit for an hour and play ball at 8:10. Wilpon and his father Fred Wilpon went on to blast Van Wagenen in separate press releases where they even spelled Van Wagenen's first name incorrectly. 

The spat between the Mets owners and Van Wagenen was the latest disaster in a long line of disasters under the Wilpon's ownership. 

 While the Mets went to three World Series under the ownership of Fred Wilpon, winning in 1986 when Wilpon was still a co-owner with Nelson Doubleday, the franchise went off the tracks when the elder Wilpon took sole ownership in 2002.

The Wilpon's were known for pinching pennies on players and free agents, ignoring the team's nearly six decade history, making horrible management decisions, such as approving the 3 a.m. firing of Willie Randolph in 2008, and the ridiculous Bobby Bonilla contract that the franchise is still paying for, and episodes of total buffoonery. Remember the Tony Bernazard shirtless fiasco? Or how about Omar Minaya accusing Adam Rubin of trying to steal his job?  

 Or how about giving the GM job to Van Wagenen, who was a player agent for much of his career, all while passing on more experienced and better equipped candidates.

However, perhaps the most infamous moment in the Wilpon era was their involvement in the Bernie Madoff scam that cost them millions of dollars and put the franchise in financial straits to the point MLB had to step in. 

Yeah, it hasn't been great under the Wilpon's leadership, and the end is finally, mercifully coming to a conclusion. 

Mets Protest Social Injustice While Van Wagenen Stumbles In Blasting Commish

 The New York Mets have thrown themselves right into the midst of the sports-wide protest on social injustice, and in so doing have created their own controversy after a video leaked of General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen criticizing Commissioner Rob Manfred for his supposed handling of the crisis.

 

In a 50-second video leaked online from the Mets press room, that was somehow discovered online by 20-year old Nick Albicocco, features a masked Van Wagenen rocking a chair back and forth while talking to someone in the background about the Mets and Miami Marlins potentially protesting Thursday night’s finale of a four-game series.

 

In the video, Van Wagnenen indicates that Manfred wanted to Mets to take the field at 7:10, protest, and then come off the field for one-hour only to play the game at 8:10. 

 

“At the leadership level he doesn’t get it. He just doesn’t get it,” a frustrated Van Wagenen states. 

 

Turns out that was not the case. The idea to come of the field for one hour and play ball at 8:10 was actually Jeff Wilpon’s idea. In order to do a major mea culpa Van Wagenen issued a statement saying,

 

“Jeff Wilpon called Commissioner Manfred this afternoon to notify him that our players voted not to play. They discussed the challenges of rescheduling the game. Jeff proposed the idea of playing the game an hour later. I misunderstood that this was the Commissioner’s idea. In actually, this was Jeff’s suggestion. The players had already made their decision so I felt the suggestion was not helpful. My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded. I apologize to the Commissioner for my disrespectful comments and poor judgment in inaccurately describing the contents of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon.”

 

Chalk it up as another infamous moment under Van Wagenen’s watch as Mets General Manager. Not only was the criticism a mistake, but the fact that his complaint actually got on video is inexplicable. 

 

 On top of that both Fred and Jeff Wilpon both tossed their General Manager under the bus in a statement that sounded more like a death nail on Van Wagenen's tenure as GM: 

 

Fred Wilpon: " I am very stressed and disapointed to learn tonight that our General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen made disrespectful and inaccurate comments about our Commissioner, a long time close friedn of mine. I hold Rob in the highest regard and in no way are Brodie's remarks reflective of my views or this organizations. Rob continues to be a great leader of Major League Baseball. I apoligize for any harm this incident has caused Rob." 

 

Jeff Wilpon: "To clear up any misunderstanding, it was my suggestion to potentially look into playing the game later because of scheduling issues. Brodie's misunderstanding of a private conversation was and is inexcusable." 

 

Adios Brodie? 

Meanwhile the Mets followed through with their protest in a surreal moment at Citi Field, as both teams took the field as if a game was about to be played. With Michael Wacha on the mound, he didn’t throw a warm-up pitch, as he waited for the remaining Mets and Marlins players to hop out of their dugouts for what would be a 42 second moment of silence.

 

Once the moment of silence ended, both teams left the field not to play a single inning of a game they were dressed to play in.

 

For many it was a moment to not only stand for social injustice, but it was a moment to support outfielder/DH Dominic Smith who was in tears after Wednesday’s game in discussing the issue with the media. Smith was the only player to kneel during the National Anthem Wednesday when word started to get around the sports world about the NBA’s decision to not play at all.

 

The Mets have now joined numerous baseball teams across Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, the WNBA, and the NBA who have decided not play at all after the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times with his back toward officers. Some reports have claimed that Blake had a warrant out for his arrest, and brandished a knife during the attack. Reuters however posted that there is no arrest warrant. The investigation is reportedly ongoing.

 

The NBA and NHL are both expected to resume the playoffs this weekend. The Mets are scheduled to play the Yankees in a double-header on Friday. It is not known if the game against Miami will ever get made up.

NBA Playoffs Put on Hold As Players Protest "Social Injustice"

 The return of the NBA season might be in serious jeopardy after the sport unanimously decided to postpone all of it's playoff games scheduled for Wednesday night in protest of the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. 

The sports world has been turned upside down already this year by COVID-19, but ever since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota in June, racial tensions across the country have been ratcheted up and professional sports jumped right into the frying pan with both feet in, and have not looked back. 

The NBA has led the charge. From the slogan of "Black Lives Matter" plastered across courts in Orlando, to players kneeling in solidarity during the playing of the National Anthem, to having social justice slogans stitched to the backs of their jerseys -- it has been a surreal situation to say the least. Wednesday's events only added to it.

The night's events started when the Milwaukee Bucks opted not to play their Game 5 match-up with the Orlando Magic, a decision that was met with unanimous support throughout the NBA as well as praise from members of the press, numerous fans, and national leaders -- particularly from the Democrat party. (It is an election year you know). Soon all three contests, including the Lakers Game 5 against Portland was shelved. 

There is no telling when or if the NBA season will resume. At one point the Lakers and Clippers voted to boycott the rest of the postseason. LeBron James, who more than anyone in the NBA, has been the face and voice of the social justice movement in the sport reportedly walked out of meeting between the league and its players. The Lakers and Clippers followed his lead. 

 Soon Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the WNBA, followed suit with baseball postponing four games on Wednesday in protest. Soccer and the WNBA also postponed games. The NFL's Detroit Lions canceled practice on Wednesday in protest.

This comes as the NBA's television ratings are down more than 40 percent, and ESPN's ratings down 20 percent according to Slate.com. 

Many people have tried to theorize why the downturn in ratings are happening. The fact that games are being played during the day when people work hasn't helped. The lack of a fan presence during COVID-19 is another. But the one telling argument that has been consistent with a lot of viewers is they are simply tired of seeing politics infused into sports. 

Many fans have also pointed to an apparent double-standard that the NBA is willing to stand against abuses at home, but have said little on human rights abuses in China - a country that has been a huge financial boon for the NBA.

Many fans have taken to social media expressing their lack on interest in watching games as long as political protests continue in sporting events. Many have simply washed their hands of sports, the NBA, NFL or Major League Baseball all together. 

If the NBA does return, Wednesday's events probably won't help bring fans back to the couch. 

Fans hoping for a return to some normalcy and escapism from the harsh political climate that has crippled this country the past six months won't get a reprieve.  And it didn't help matters when players from the Milwaukee Bucks reminded people to "go and vote November 3" during a joint player press conference outside the locker room. 

Clearly politics -- in all it's ugly forms -- has taken a firm hold.

Red Hot Islanders Open Semi's with Shutout of Flyers

 ISLANDERS 4 - FLYERS 0 

NYI Lead Series 1-0 

No team in hockey, let alone sports right now, seems to be hotter than the New York Islanders. The Isles won for the sixth time in their last seven playoff games, earning a 4-0 shutout of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Semi's. It was the second straight 4-0 victory for the Isles who won by that identical score in the series clincher against Washington. 

The Islanders were led in net by Semyon Varlamov, who shut down the Flyers on 29 shots for his second straight shutout. He has not allowed a goal since Game 5 against the Capitals. Overall, Varlamov has posted a record of 7-2 in these playoffs with a 1.67 Goals Against Average, which is almost a whole goal less than what he allowed during the regular season. 

For a while offensively Andy Greene's first period goal was all the scoring in Game 1 as Varlamov made it stand up. By the third period, the Isles finally gave their netminder the support he needed. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau's fifth goal of the playoffs pushed New York in front 2-0, roughly three minutes into the third period. Six minutes later Andres Lee tallied his fourth goal of the playoffs on an assist by Matthew Brazel and Jordan Eberle to make it 3-0. 

Finally Devon Toews nailed the unassisted goal late in the period to cap the scoring off at 4-0. 

After a day off Tuesday, the surging Islanders will play Game 2 against Philadelphia from the Toronto bubble. 

Mets To Return to Action Tuesday, Subway Series DH Set For Weekend

 The New York Mets will be back in action tonight when they welcome the visiting Miami Marlins to Citi Field for four game series that will include a make-up doubleheader on Tuesday. The DH makes up the game that was canceled in South Beach last week when two Mets (a player and employee) tested positive for Coronavirus. 

Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported Monday both the player and employee are feeling better. Major League Baseball meanwhile confirmed that the Mets had tested negative for the virus on Monday, allowing the team to resume play after taking four days off. 

As for the Subway Series that was whipped away this past weekend because of the virus scare, the Mets and New York Yankees will play two double-headers this weekend, one on Friday, the other on Sunday. 

Both teams share a common off day on September 3 to make up the final game of the lost series at Citi Field. 

The Mets will play nine games in six days as a result, but they are not the only team to deal with the virus, as the Phillies, Yankees, Orioles, Nationals, Pirates, Marlins, Cardinals, and Reds are just a few of the teams that have had to move games around because of the virus this season.

COVID-19 Hits Mets Clubhouse, Finale in Miami and Subway Series Opener Postponed

 The New York Mets are now the latest baseball team to contract the Coronavirus, and as a result they will see the postponement of games for at least a couple of days. 

Two members of the organization, one player and one staffer are  believed to have tested positive according to Jeff Passon of ESPN. 

 The Mets game against the Miami Marlins in South Florida was postponed; New York had won the first three games of the series. In a corresponding move, the opener of the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees at Citi Field, scheduled for Friday, August 21 has also been postponed. 

The Mets were expected to fly back to New York, although the two members who have the virus, and anyone who was in close contact with them would stay in Miami. 

For now the Yankees-Mets series is expected to resume Saturday, but considering the rash of delays and postponements that have taken place in Major League Baseball this year due to COVID-19, it would not surprise in the least if the entire Subway Series was pushed off to a later date. 

To date, 34 games have been postponed by Major League Baeball because of the virus. The Marlins, whom the Mets played this week, were the initial victims of the virus last month, and had eight games pushed back as a result. 

The St. Louis Cardinals were shutdown for nearly two weeks and will have to play as many as 12 double-headers the rest of the way just to catch up with everyone else. 

The Cincinnati Reds also had three games postponed due to the virus. 

The Yankees, ironically have seen their schedule shift around a lot this year due to the virus. Earlier this season they were forced to postpone games against the Phillies after Philadelphia played  the same Marlins team that had as many as 17 players contract the virus. Now the Bombers have to move things around again.  The Yankees could use the break after getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays this week and falling out of first in the AL East. 

The news comes at a bad time for the Mets who were starting to roll, riding a three-game winning streak into their final game of a four-game series in Miami. The Mets have been one of the more buttoned up operations in the sport while handling the virus, and played the most games of any team, 26, up until tonight.

Islanders A Win Away From Sweeping Capitals

 ISLANDERS 2 - CAPITALS 1 

NYI lead series 3 - 0 

Barry Trotz's New York Islanders are not fooling around in this postseason bubble. The Isles took a commanding 3-0 series lead agianst Trotz's former team, the Washington Capitals, beating them 2-1 in Game 3. 

The Islanders were led by goalie Semyon Varlanov, who recorded 22 saves Sunday, and is registering a .921 goals against average the last five games in net for the Isles. 

It didn't take long for New York to get on the board as Anders Lee scored on an assist by Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock to take a 1-0 lead. After Washington tied it mid-way through the second period, the Isles won it in OT on a goal by Matthew Brazal. 

The Islanders can wrap up the series as soon as Tuesday night. 

Yankees WIn Streak Hits Six

 Who needs three All Star players when you got players like Mike Ford? 

Ok, let's be fair, the Yankees really could use D.J. LeMahieu, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton back soon, but until then they are doing just fine. The Bombers won their sixth in a row behind a huge night from Mike Ford in a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox. 

Ford, playing first base Sunday night, was 2-for-4 with a homer and 3 RBI in the victory. His RBI single in the first inning that scored Gio Urshela gave New York a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, Ford was at in again, blasting a two-run shot to right to give the Yanks a 4-1 advantage. 

Aaron Hicks also added an RBI on a double in the second inning. 

On the mound JA Happ had a rare good outing for the Bombers. He held the Sox to a run on three hits over five and two-thirds innings of work to get his first win of the season. The bullpen, as per usual was on point, including Zach Britton who struck out the side in the ninth to earn his eighth save. 

And speaking of saves the Yankees could be activating Aroldis Chapman from the COVID-list as soon as Monday. Chapman tested positive for COVID-19 before the season began. Chapman is said to be felling good, topping 99 miles per hour on his fastball. 

The Yankees could use him, especially with Tommy Kahnle out for the year with Tommy John Surgery. Having another lethal arm, especially one of the best closers in the sport back in the fold. The Yankees wrap up their series with the Red Sox on Monday night.

Pressue About to Mount on Last Place Mets

Nearly 40 percent of the season is in the books, and the Mets (9-14) sit in last place in the National League East.

 

The pain for fans was only exasperated Sunday when former Met hurler Zach Wheeler tossed seven quality innings to defeat his old team 6-2 as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep at Citizen’s Bank Park of the lowly, struggling Metropolitans. What makes matters worse the Mets were a dismal 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position over the final two games of the series, and left nine men on base.

 

Sure there were moments during the series like home runs by Dom Smith and Robby Cano on Friday, but as has been the case all year, those moments have been fleeting.

 

The facts are the Mets haven’t been good at all this year. Pete Alonso has been pressing, hitting .214 on the year --- a shell of his Rookie of the Year self. Wilson Ramos, Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario have all struggled at the plate, while J.D. Davis has struggled defensively.

 

The pitching has been equally dismal. While Jacob deGrom has been solid in four starts, the rest of the staff hasn’t lived up to snuff. Rick Porcello has been inconsistent, reflected in his 5.79 ERA. Steven Matz has been awful; and Michael Wacha is hurt, and when he was healthy, he was ineffective.

 

The bullpen? Don’t even get started.

 

With the 2020 season seemingly spiraling out of control it is becoming painfully obvious that this season is a mandate of General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen.  For a team that is on the precipice of a sale to new ownership, the events of the 2020 season are not going to bode well for Van Wagenen, and perhaps the Mets coaching staff to keep their jobs beyond this season.

 

The opt out of Yoenis Cespedes, a former client of Van Wagenen’s, seemed to catch the franchise by total surprise when he failed to notify the team about his decision until he was long gone from the team hotel in Atlanta.

 

That opt out was quickly followed by the stunning decision by Marcus Stroman, who decided against playing in 2020 citing the Coronavirus. Stroman had been nursing a calf injury, but his decision was surprising considering he spent a great amount of time preparing for the season down in Florida at the Mets facility.

 

If anything the opt outs of both Cespedes and Stroman were more about money and playing time. Cespedes was apparently unhappy with his lack of playing time and the inability to earn incentives in his contract.

 

 Stroman’s power play appeared to have more to do with preserving his value on the open market in 2021 when he is a free agent. Why play for a bad baseball team and hurt one’s value, right?

 

The opt outs made the Mets look bad; there is no other way to slice it.  Add the poor play of the baseball team, particularly by the pitching staff, and one has to wonder how much credence Van Wagenen has left in building a baseball team.

 

Van Wagnen struck out on allowing Wheeler to walk to Philly; struck out on one-year deals with Wacha and Porcello; rolled the dice by giving the pitching coach duties to a rather inexperienced Jeremy Hefner, and let us not forget the whopper of them all with the trade of Jared Kelenic to Seattle for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano.

 

As we all know Diaz is no longer viewed as the closer of this baseball team.

 

As we sit on August 17 with the Mets on their way to Miami to play the first place Marlins, they are a mess, a team playing far below expectations. Even with a 60-game season there will be no excuse when new ownership presumably comes into power later this year. If the 2020 Mets season ends in abject mediocrity, a major house cleaning is definitely in order.

LeMahieu joins Judge and Stanton on Yankees Injury List

Give the Yankees depth credit once again, they keep getting battered with injuries but just keep on compiling wins. 

In the last two days, the Bronx Bombers have seen its 2018 and 2019 team MVPs, Aaron Judge and D.J. LeMahieu go down with injuries, yet they keep on clicking - riding a four game winning streak into a Sunday night showdown with the Red Sox.  In fact the Bombers have scored 21 runs and bashed four homers in the last two games combined against Boston. 

Of course it helps to play arguably the worst team in the American League right now in the Boston Red Sox. 

Notwithstanding the injuries are of concern. LeMahieu suffered what is being diagnosed as a strained right thumb, an injury he incurred during an awkward swing on Saturday night. Manager Aaron Boone revealed there was no break and that LeMahieu would undergo an MRI. 

As for Judge he was placed on the IL earlier this week with a Grade 1 mild calf strain. Boone and the Yankees are hopeful that it will be a short stint for Judge on the injury list. There always seems to be reason for concern when it comes to Judge. Last year he missed 60 games with an oblique strain, and was limited in baseball activities in Spring Training back in February and March due to a punctured lung and stress fracture in his right rib. 

It goes without saying the Yankees can ill afford to be without Judge and LeMahieu for too long. LeMahieu leads all of baseball in batting average at  .411, and has a .456 on base percentage. A clutch hitter, LeMahieu is a rally starter for the Yankees and easily the best and most consistent hitter in their already potent lineup. 

Judge was making a case for AL MVP honors this year with nine homers and 20 RBI and a .290 batting average in 17 games. Not a bad way to start a short 60-game season. 

The injuries of course get magnified when Giancarlo Stanton is also out with a hamstring injury that could keep him on the self for three to four weeks. With such a short season, that could mean we may not see Stanton again until mid to late September when the Yankees are likely going for playoff seeding. 

The Yankees currently sit atop the AL East at 14-6, which just so happens to be tied with the Oakland A's for the best record in the American League. Until those guys get back the Yankees will need the likes of Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela and Clint Fraizer to continue producing in big spots -- as they have been when called upon.

State Department Seeks Further Review of Woody Johnson Allegations

 The State Department Office of the Inspector General is recommending further investigation take place into allegations about New York Jets owner Robert "Woody" Johnson, who is the Ambassador to the United Kingdom. 

Last month, allegations surfaced that Johnson had made inappropriate remarks to staffers about race and  women. Earlier this week, the State Department Office of the Inspector General released a 43-page dossier that both "downplays" the allegations, and also criticizes the Jets owner for creating a work environment where staffers were "impacted by the Ambassadors demanding, hard driving work style and it had a negative impact on morale." To read the full report click here!!  

 The report also notes that Johnson grew "frustrated with what he interpreted to be excessive caution and resistance to suggestions about which he felt strongly," and questioned the intentions of those involved, hinting at replacing people. CNN reported that things "improved" when a new Deputy Chief of Mission arrived. CNN story.

 Bottom line is the OIG recommended that further research into the issues continue, but the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs disagreed. In fact of the 12 recommendations, this was the only disagreement. The BEEA said that Johnson had reviewed the Office Civil Rights on workplace harassment and do not believe a formal assessment was needed, although they recommended steps be taken to assure a "heightened awareness of issues."

The watchdog, or OIG, considers the matter unresolved. As has been pointed out by both CNN and Rich Cimini of ESPN NY it is unclear how long it will take resolve this issue. Johnson is scheduled to leave the post by the end of the year, even if President Trump should win or lose the November General Election. 

Johnson has denied the allegations, saying he "regrets" if he has offended anyone, but, "I do not accept that I treated employees with disrespect or discrimination in any way." 

Johnson was accused last month of questioning the purpose of Black History Month, and questioned the impact black fathers have on their families. He also allegedly made remarks about the appearance of women at the embassy and public events, and allegedly said he rather work with women because they are cheaper. 

Johnson also got into a battle with the OIG, Michael Horowitz, over pursuing a move of the British Open to Trump's UK golf course upon the Presidents bequest, a move that was decried by the OIG. 

Horowitz has been the State Department Inspector General since 2015 when he was appointed by then President Barack Obama. Horowitz also led the investigation into wrongdoing by the FBI and James Comey back in 2017. 

Big 10 and Pac-12 Cancel Football for the Fall

 There will be no college football this fall out of the Big 10 and Pac-12, a decision made by both conferences that is sure to reverberate like an earthquake on many levels through the sport of football, throughout college athletics, and throughout the ways in which institutions finance themselves. 

As many have pointed out, no college football this year could mean a loss of some $4 billion in business. College Towns as they are called like Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the Michigan Wolverines, and Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes make boatloads of cash during football season. 

Business is a booming during the fall from last August through early December for college towns across America. 

Not to mention, the institutions themselves use football as a way to garner strong revenue for their other programs. Women's soccer, volleyball, Men's soccer. Their success and failure in many cases hinges on how much revenue football brings in from sponsorships, ticket sales, and media packages.  And in the Power 5 schools, they bring in a lot of dough. 

As Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes is quoted as saying in a FOX News article, "Anywhere from 75 up to almost 85 percent of all revenue to our departments are derived directly or indirectly from football." 

So as the BIG 10 and Pac-12 cancel their football seasons, potentially moving them to the Spring of 2021, it leaves nothing but questions and little answers. 

Players are not happy. Nebraska and its head coach Scott Frost have stated over and over again that it will stop at nothing to play football even though the BIG 10 pulled the plug. Those ideas may have been squashed after BIG 10 Commissioner Kevin Warren said that Nebraska would not be allowed to pursue football elsewhere, according to Yahoo and CBS Sports. It also seems highly unlikely that the school will jeopordize its chances to keep playing BIG 10 sports in future years just to play football amid a global pandemic. 

Meanwhile the ACC, SEC and BIG XII all seem poised to play football this fall, even though 2/5 of the Power 5 have backed out along with the Mountain West, Ivy League and Mid-Atlantic Conference. The BIG XII already released a schedule Wednesday where their season begins in late September. 

Clearly the divide in the United States over what to do with the virus, and seriousness by which people have taken it has take geographic and political boundaries. The Southern part of the country was very slow, almost in denial about the impact of the Coronavirus until numbers in Texas, Arizona and Florida started to spike, while the Northeastern United States saw its numbers go down. 

Masks have become a political hot button, with some people refusing to wear them for any number of reasons, while others continue to comply with CDC recommendations. (FYI, if you can talk through your mask, you haven't been gagged).

The fact the SEC, ACC and BIG XII are willing to put the health and safety of its student athletes, students, faculty, and coaches on the line while the virus spreads is a bad look. If they need evidence, they can look at schools in Georgia that opened up this month. Remember the photo of kids piling into a hallway? Yeah, well nine people got sick at that school. 

While it is easy to condemn some of the southern conferences for not taking the virus seriously enough, the fact that this is such a disorganized mess in college is the fault of the NCAA  which should have set parameters from the start. 

Right now College Football is looking at the BIG XII, SEC, ACC, Sun Belt, Conference USA and independents such as Army, BYU, Libery and New Mexico all intent on playing this year. Notre Dame is part of the ACC this season. That is at least half the FBS playing in 2020, and half the FBS will not be playing. This will create a slew of problems.

If there is a spring football for other conferences, what will that do to the draft status of those students for the NFL? What will it mean for those schools next year? Will they be playing two football seasons in a single calendar year with the 2020 make-up season going from February to May of 2021, and the 2021 season from September to December? It's insane!! 

The NCAA should have stepped in and made a decision one way or the other for all FBS schools. Leaving it in the hands of the conferences has proven to be nothing more than a mess that will hurt the sport, the industry and economy for years to come.

Paxton Implodes as Yankees Drop Fifth in last Seven

 RAYS 4 - YANKEES 3 

As great a start to the 2020 season the Yankees had, there has to be concern now as the Bronx Bombers still can't get good quality starts from people not named Gerrit Cole. 

Today's example: James Paxton. 

And to think at around 3:00 Sunday, the storyline was going to be much different. Through six innings Paxton had silenced the critics, allowing one a single hit while striking out 11 Tampa hitters as the Yankees held a 3-0 lead. 

After struggling so much his first two starts against Washington and Boston, Paxton gave the Yankees the kind of start they were hoping from the tall lefty. 

Then things fell apart in the seventh. A double by Jose Martinez got the ball rolling for the Rays, and it was all downhill for Paxton from there. With an runner on second and one out, Michael Brosseau took the third fasteball he saw in sequence from Paxton and deposited it over the left field wall for a two-run homer to cut the Yanks lead to 3-2. 

That wasn't all though, Brandon Lowe followed that up with a homer to right tying the game at three, and chasing Paxton from the game. After such a beautiful start, it was a nightmarish finish for the lefty, one that even Aaron Boone couldn't have imagined. 

The Yankees bats fell completely silent after that, going down in order in the eighth and ninth innings against Ryan Thompson and John Curtiss respectfully. 

That set the stage for a Tampa Bay rally in the bottom of the ninth as Brosseau led-off with a double and moved to third on a ground out by Lowe.  After Zach Britton walked Manuel Margot, little known Michael Perez slapped a single to right, scoring Brosseau with the winning run. 

The Yankees drop to 10-6 on the season, holding a slender two game lead on the Orioles (7-7) and Rays (8-8). The Orioles had a 5-2 lead on Washington before play was suspended due to heavy rain. If they were to hold on and beat the Nats, the Orioles would only be a game and a half out of first place. The Bombers have dropped five of their last seven, with a team ERA that is well over five in that span. 

The Yankees have a major problem. They must get more out of the likes of Paxton, Jordan Montgomery and JA Happ if they are going to make serious noise later this year. This team has enough to make the playoffs. They have enough offense to slug their way to a title. They just need better starting pitching.

 

Mets Endure Shaky deGrom, Hold Off Marlins

 METS 4 - MARLINS 2 

Jacob deGrom looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. The two-time Cy Young Award winner who has dazzled as the Mets ace for the better part of three years was having a rare off day. He was missing with his fastball. His change-up didn't have the typical bite, and his slider was just good enough. 

In the top of the second inning, deGrom found himself in a precarious situation. He walked the first two batters to face him before giving up an infield single to Jesus Alvarez. At that point the concern on deGrom's face was too much to bare. Manager Luis Rojas, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and the Mets training staff had to make their way out to the mound to check on deGrom. He was favoring the middle and index fingers on his throwing hand. 

Not a good look. With the bases loaded and one out it looked like deGrom would not be long for this day. But that is why deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball. 

After falling behind 2-0 to Monte Harrison, deGrom struck him out swinging for the second out. Then he got Jonathan Villar to bounce out to second to get of the inning clean. No runs, one hit, three left on base. If there was any turning point in the game, it was that moment. deGrom could have easily given up one or two runs and the Mets would be well on their way to their 10th loss in 16 games. Not the case today. 

deGrom would go five innings for the Mets on Sunday, scattering seven hits, yielding two runs, while striking out six. It's starts like this that make the great pitchers. When they have their worst stuff, they find a way; that was the case for deGrom. 

Offensively the Mets chipped away at Marlins starter Pablo Lopez. Jeff McNeil reached on a fielder's choice in the third to score Andres Gimenez to make it 1-0. Tomas Nido later scored on a throwing error by Miami to take a 2-0 lead. 

Brandon Nimmo tacked onto the lead with a RBI single in the fourth to score Gimenez to make it 3-0. 

 Give a lot of credit to the Mets bullpen on Sunday. Jared Hughes and Dellin Betances pitched shutout innings in relief in the sixth and seventh innings respectively. Then in the eighth, Edwin Diaz withstood two Marlins hits to strikeout the side and get out of huge trouble to preserve the lead for Seth Lugo who nailed down the save. 

The Mets (7-9) welcome the struggling Washington Nationals to Citi Field on Monday for the first of four. The Mets will play every day until a scheduled off day on August 24, and have played a little better after starting the year at 3-7.

Yankees Lose Giancarlo Stanton to Hamstring Injury

So far this season the Yankees have been rolling right along. With fears of COVID-19 hovering over the sport, the re-scheduling of a series against the Phillies and Orioles due to COVID concerns, and a recent slump where the club has lost four of its last five, the Bronx Bombers still find themselves in great position -- first place in the AL East at 10-5. 

Now the Yanks have another obstacle in front of them: Giancarlo Stanton's hamstring. Stanton suffered the injury while running the bases against the Tampa Bay Rays during a double-header on Saturday. 

"He hasn't had an MRI yet," Boone told the press on Sunday. "He will get that on Monday." 

Stanton who was hitting well in the early season, .293 with three home runs and seven RBI in 14 starts will spend the next 10 days on the Injury List. 

The Yankees recalled Thairo Estrada from the Alternate Site to take Stanton's place on the roster. 

Obviously Stanton's injury history is something to be worried about. Last season he played in only 18 games after suffering a biceps strain and a knee injury. The Yankees can only hope that Stanton's hamstring injury can heal up quick and the outfielder can return to the lineup in short order. 

The Yankees could defiantly use him, especially in a short season where games are at a premium due to the virus. 

 On Sunday, the Yankees inserted Mike Ford into the DH role. Expect Boone to mix and match with guys, like Ford, Mike Tauchman, or even Aaron Judge in the DH spot until Stanton returns. It's not like the Yankees don't have enough fire power. They have more than enough to withstand the loss of Stanton in the lineup. However losing a valuable guy like Stanton who looked like he was having a renaissance season is a tough loss. 

What Happened to Yoenis Cespedes? He Opted Out of the Season

The gripping mystery of what happened to Yoenis Cespedes now has a fitting conclusion. According to General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets outfielder/DH decided to opt out of the 2020 season citing Coronavirus concerns.

The announcement came as a bit of a surprise after the Mets issued a statement earlier in the day Sunday stating that they had no idea concerning the whereabouts of Cespedes, and any communication with the outfielder failed.

Cespedes never showed up to the ballpark - a game the Mets would lose to the Atlanta Braves 4-0 to drop to 3-7 on the season.

During the Mets post game press conference, Van Wagenen told reporters that he had finally made contact with Cespedes and found out mid-game that the left fielder decided to opt out of the season. The Mets GM added that the team sent hotel security to his room and found it empty, all of Cespedes stuff was packed up. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Cespedes got up and left and through his agent informed the team of his decision.

Cespedes joins a long list of players in Major League Baseball who have opted out due to COVID-19. However he took the most bizarre and inconsiderate route to do so.  While COVID-19 is a huge concern for Major League Baseball, and there is a real possibility that the season will be canceled at a moments notice due to the high number of positive cases around the sport, Cespedes handled this poorly.

He should have notified the Mets about his decision sooner. He forced the Mets hand, made them panic unnecessarily and put his team in a position to fail. While the Mets did a horrible job trying to report what happened - their press release, pre-game, made it sound like something had happened to Cespedes.

Still all the blame lies with Cespedes here. While everyone respects his decision to opt out for health reasons, getting up and leaving in a lurch feels like a sour grapes from a player who is tired of playing on a losing team more than anything else.

Where in the world is Yoenis Cespedes?

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is M.I.A., and the Mets do not know where he is.

Talk about a bad look and a scary moment all wrapped into one. In a moment that is so fitting for 2020, Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen issued a statement that Cespedes did not reach out to management with any explanation for his absence, and any attempt to contact Cespedes has completely and totally failed.

There is no telling where Cespedes is, nor is there a reason why he left the team, and if he is anywhere in the Atlanta area. The Mets Designated Hitter was hitting .161 with two homers and four RBI in 31-at bats this season. The Mets are mired in last place in the NL East at 3-6, having lost four games where they have had a lead into the seventh inning.

The news comes as MLB is struggling with COVID-19 as three teams have had positive cases, namely the Marlins with a total of 21 players and coaches combined last week. The St. Louis Cardinals have had about a half dozen cases this weekend, which led to postponements of their games against Milwaukee. There is no telling whether Cespedes' disappearance is COVID related, but it proves once again that the lack of a bubble and lack of safety protocol enforcement is a huge issue in MLB.

Jets' CJ Mosely Latest NFL Player to Opt Out of 2020 Season

Jets linebacker C.J. Mosely is opting out of playing football this season due to concerns over COVID-19.

Mosely joins a growing list of NFL players that includes six New England Patriots and Giants left tackle Nate Solder to opt out for health reasons.

Jets C.J. Mosley opted out of the 2020 season.

The hit is a huge one to the Jets, who would have loved to have had a healthy Mosley back this season to along with a healthy Avery Williamson to anchor the middle of the Jets defense. Last season both players were lost for the season with injuries.

Mosley was due to make $16 million this season, and already received $10 million in a roster bonus in March. He will not lose anything financially by opting out and the Jets won't be on the hook for this season because of the opt out.

The news also comes just a few days after the Jets traded away safety Jamal Adams to the Seattle Seahawks for draft picks, including two first rounders, and safety Bradley McDougald. While the Jets are considered deep at linebacker, losing a guy who had such a huge impact in a short period of time as Mosley did is going to hurt.

As mentioned above, Mosely joined a growing list of players to opt out, which is now over 30 players to be more specific. While the NFL has much more stringent policies when it comes to managing the Coronavirus as compared to Major League Baseball, players know full well that football is the highest contact sport to play in, and a health risk during a global pandemic.

Who knows at this point if we will have a season, and if we do would it look like the bastardized version of baseball that we have seen the past two weeks? Time will tell.

Nate Solder is one of those others to opt out. The Giants left tackle bowed out of the season citing concerns about his son's battle with cancer, and the fact he had his own battle with cancer as sole reasons to skip 2020.

With Solder now out, it will undoubtedly mean that rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas will get every opportunity to take and keep the starting left tackle spot.

Ironically both Mosely and Solder were signed to huge contracts by the Jets and Giants, in hopes they would be major contributors.

Mosely was on his way to doing that when he dominated one half of football at linebacker against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 last season. Unfortunately he was injured in the same game and missed the entire year.

Solder has struggled at times at left tackle, and never really recaptured the once dominant form he had in New England.

Speaking of New England, the Patriots have lost the most players to opt out including linebacker Dont'a Hightower, and safety Patrick Chung.

MLB Commish Manfred Threatens to Cancel Season if COVID Spikes Continue

What is Commissioner Rob Manfred waiting for?

With the sport struggling to deal with the Coronavirus, Manfred has informed Players Union President Tony Clark that he would cancel the season as soon as Monday. The news comes as the Miami Marlins have 20 people who have tested positive for the virus, two visiting clubhouse guys from the Phillies tested positive just days after Miami left Philly, and just Friday afternoon, two players from the St. Louis Cardinals test positive for the virus.

As a result the Marlins, Nationals, Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Brewers, and Phillies have all seen their games get postponed becuase of growing COVID concerns due in major part to the fact that the Phillies and Marlins play a majority of those schedules affected.

Baseball has bent over backwards to legitimize a season that should never have taken place. The latest gimmick by baseball is to pull another idea out of the nether-regions of Indy ball by having seven-inning double-headers to make up the games that get postponed.

There is no telling when these games will get made up and how many more games will get shelved as a result.

To date baseball has been as effective as the rest of the United States in combating the Coronaviurs: ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist and look the other way.

Manfred said if another outbreak happens he would consider wielding his power to cancel the season. Why wait? How many more players have to test positive? Keep in mind it isn't just ball players who are at risk. Hotel staff, flight crews, bus drivers, clubhouse staffs, team personnel are all at risk to catch and spread the virus.

The longer baseball waits on a decision, the worse the prospects are that, 1), we will even finish the season, and 2) that baseball will be highly responsible for manifesting the spread of the deadly virus.

Baseball had the opportunity to avoid this. They could have taken steps like the NHL and NBA and quarantine the sport in a bubble, but both the owners and palyers decided against it. Instead baseball and Manfred were engaged in a three month standoff over player salaries for a shortened, and, now utterly pointless season.

As much as Manfred and the owners are to blame, the players' haven't helped. Many are not wearing masks. Players are spitting, high five-ing and acting like the virus doesn't exist.

If baseball keeps canceling games and forcing teams to not play for extended periods of time, how can it continue to legitimize this season?  How can one sport allow seven-inning double-headers, the international rule in extra innings, and total chaos and no sound plan with regard to controlling the virus and still play ball?

It's ridiculous. Don't wait for someone to die, commissioner Manfred. Do the right thing and end the season - NOW!