VLOG: Yankees Sluggish Play Continues, Mets Getting Healthy

The New York Yankees are in trouble. 

At 29-25, the Yankees are scuttling, having lost six of last seven games, including a 3-1 loss the the first place Rays on Monday. Who are these Yankees really? This is a team that has been so streaky this season, it's hard to get a real gauge on how good this team really is. 

Outside of Aaron Judge (.300, 13 HR, 29 RBI) and Gerrit Cole (6-2 1.87 ERA), no one has been consistently good, especially of late. 

Meanwhile, the Mets are getting healthy. At 25-20, first in the NL East, the Mets are welcoming back Pete Alonso, Seth Lugo and Kevin Pillar to the ballclub. 

Check out the vlog here!! 

 

Knicks, Nets Both Go Down in Respective Game 3

 HAWKS 105 - KNICKS 94

A second quarter implosion proved to be too much to overcome, as the Knicks dropped a 105-94 decision to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of their first round playoff series. The Hawks now lead the best-of-seven 2-1. 

Julius Randle once again came up small for the Knickenbockers, hitting only two of his 15 shots from the floor, including going 0-for-4 in a second quarter where he was completely invisible. 

The only player to even play well in a Knicks uniform was Derrick Rose, who was once again fantastic. Rose scored 30 points for New York, was 13-for-25 from the floor, and even hit on three-of-five shooting from downtown. He was marvelous, but he couldn't carry a team that couldn't hit a shot. 

The Hawks were just too consistent, too often, and the Knicks couldn't slow them down. Trea Young led the way with an 8-for-19 shooting evening with 21 points to lead Atlanta. 

Atlanta can take a strangle hold on the series on Sunday. 

CELTICS 125 - NETS 119 

Meanwhile, things could be getting really interesting for the Nets, who fell 125-119 to Boston in Game 3. Brookyln still leads the series 2-1. However with momentum on their side now, and a crowd of 17,000 expected Sunday afternoon at TD Banks Arena, this series is far from over. 

Yes, Kevin Durant and James Harden had big nights. The former OKC Thunder stars combined to score 80 points in defeat, with Harden leading the way with 41. 

However the third leg of the Big Three was nowhere to be seen. Kyrie Irving may have been their physically, but he couldn't knock down shots, scoring only 16 points. The worse part? Nobody on the bench could contribute for Brookyln. 

Hence the problem with the Nets, they have no depth beyond the Big 3. 

On the other hand, Boston's Jayson Tatum put the Celtics on his back and destroyed the Nets with 50 points of his own on 16-for-30 shooting. He even nailed 5-of-11 three-point attempts. 

Even Boston's Marcus Smart got in on the action, adding 23 points of his own in the victory. 

 

 

Kluber leaves Injured as Yanks Drops Opener vs. Jays

 BLUE JAYS 6 - YANKEES 1 

This wasn't so much about the Toronto Blue Jays walking into Yankee Stadium, and finally showing the kind of power that many thought would be a daily occurrence for them.  

This also wasn't so much about ex-Met Steven Matz making his return to New York City to toss a gem against the Yankees, even though it was a story.

Instead, this was all about Corey Kluber, who left the game after three innings with right shoulder tightness. He will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. 

Kluber threw only 58 pitches, his only blemish was a two-run blast that he served up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. that gave Toronto a 2-0 lead. What is disconcerting is that the injury comes a week after Kluber tossed a no-hitter against Texas. 

Kluber was economical in that start, throwing 101 pitches last week, so there is no telling what caused the injury. The Yankees will learn more on Wednesday. 

Of course any kind of arm injury is a concern, especially with Kluber who just a year ago suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season when he was a member of the Rangers after just one inning. The year before, he suffered a broken forearm after he was hit by a line drive against the Marlins when he was a member of the Cleveland Indians. 

As for the game against Toronto, the Yankees never got anything going against Matz, who struck out 10, and gave up only a run on six hits over 6.2 innings. Since leaving the Mets and joining Toronto, Matz is 6-2 as a Blue Jay. 

The loss snaps the Yankees five-game winning streak, and they remain a game behind Boston, who lost to Atlanta on Tuesday.

Nets Blow Out Celts to Take Commanding 2-0 Lead

 NETS 130 - CELTICS 108 

The Brooklyn Nets left little doubt on the floor Tuesday night that they are pound for pound the better team in their opening round series with Boston with an emphatic 130-108 victory to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Kevin Durant led the way with 26 points and eight boards on 8-for-12 shooting. He was also a perfect 2-for-2 from downtown and 8-for-8 from the free throw line. 

The Nets as a team were much sharper from three-point landing, connecting on 45 percent of their attempts as they used it to power past the Celtics. 

Even Joe Harris got into the action, dropping 25 points on Boston. Harris hit a huge three-pointer in the first quarter that gave Brooklyn a 14-12 lead, and they would never look back. In fact Harris connected on three more three's in the opening quarter as Brooklyn built a 27-13 advantage, en route to a 40-26 lead after the first. 

In short the competitive nature of this game was over early. 

Kyrie Irving (15 points) and James Harden (20 points) had quiet nights by contrast, but they were both deadly from the floor, hitting on 50 percent of their shots combined. Heck the Nets as a team hit on 52 percent of their shots from the floor, compared to Boston's measly 42 percent. 

The Celtics have no answers for Brooklyn. With the series now shifting to the TD Garden in Massachusetts later this week, it appears the Nets are ready to make quick work of the undermanned Celtics. 

100 Percent Capacity Expected at Stadiums as Governor Murphy Makes COVID Gamble

 One week after saying he didn't feel the state of New Jersey was able to move forward with the Center for Disease Control's controversial decision to go "maskless" amid the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy did a complete 180 on Monday, lifting mandates for indoor and outdoor mask use, and lifting social distancing requirements. 

Instead the governor is now putting the onus on businesses and the state's citizens to make reasonable decisions on their own. Murphy said there would be no mechanism to determine a person's vaccination status, and that the mask requirement would be lifted for all people regardless of vaccination status, (a huge gamble. One that could end up blowing up in the Governor's face). 

Murphy's decision comes amid outside pressure to join the growing crowd of states who are ditching COVID restrictions, even though less than 40 percent of the nation has been fully vaccinated. New Jersey, by itself has only vaccinated 47 percent of residents according to Our World in data. 

However, the governor did cite that rate of transmission and hospitalizations are down across the state, a good sign, a major impetus to get this done. He would like to get to 70 percent vaccinated by the end of June -- a lofty goal that might be harder to attain.

Moreover, with Murphy's slipping poll numbers in an election year for the gubernatorial race in New Jersey, one would have to figure that also factors in in this call. 

Why is this important on a sports blog site? Well, due to Murphy's decision, the New York Jets, Giants, New Jersey Devils and New York/New Jersey Red Bulls could now host events at 100 percent capacity. 

The Jets and Giants put out releases celebrating the news. 

 

"MetLife Stadium, the New York Jets and New York Giants are very excited with Governor Murphy's announcement today that will allow events to return to full capacity as of May 28. We extend our gratitude and appreciation toward Governor Murphy and his staff for their leadership and guidance throughout the pandemic. We are currently reviewing stadium policies and protocols as our commitment to health and safety of our guests and staff remain our top priority." 

Upon receiving the news, Jets fans jumped on Twitter in full celebration, some saying they plan on attending without getting vaccinated. 

And hence begins the big problem that Murphy has created. Less than half of the states population has been vaccinated. Many people, in fact a growing number of people have refused to be vaccinated from start, many more have acted like the COVID-19 pandemic is a fabrication and have not followed CDC guidelines for the last year. 

By reopening the state 100% just like this it is creating an aurora of distrust among citizens that will be hard to shake. 

Moreover there is no telling how long COVID vaccine effectiveness lasts. According to FORBES, it's anyone's guess; it could be between six months to 2 years. Nobody really knows. So let's say the effectiveness is six months. That means the majority of fans who were vaccinated the past couple of months would need a booster come September or October, otherwise they would fall victim to a virus potentially carried by those who are not vaccinated. 

See how distrust can sneak in here? 

This is a huge problem! 

Murphy himself said that lifting the COVID mask policy is not a "license to be a knucklehead." Unfortunately, he has too much faith in people's bad judgement. From maskers to never-maskers and all in between, the fear factor from COVID is only going to amp up, especially if numbers go back up as a result. 

MSG Roars, but Knicks Still Lose

 HAWKS 107 - KNICKS 105 

For the first time in about 15 months Madison Square Garden was at full throttle with over 15,000 fans sitting shoulder to shoulder -- even with the pandemic far from over, and less than 45 percent of the state of New York fully vaccinated, mind you -- they sat there hoping that their Knicks would bring the glory days back again to open the 2021 postseason. 

Instead Atlanta's Trea Young had other ideas. With 0.9 left in regulation, Young hit a running jumper to sink the Knicks 107-105, silence the crowd and send the Knicks home for the night down 1-0. 

Young was deadly on Sunday night, netting 32 points, 10 assists and 7 boards. He also accounted for 13 of Atlanta's 36 fourth quarter points, and nailed off his free throws. In fact he was 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. 

The loss is especially disappointing for the Knicks who came back to take a 73-71 lead at the end of the third quarter. But the Knicks never enjoyed a lead larger than 7 points when Taj Gibson sank a free throw to make it 73-66 with 1:12 to go in the third. The Hawks always had an answer for every Knicks shot. 

After Alec Burks hit three consecutive free throws to give the Knicks an 82-76 lead, Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic nailed a three-pointer to cut the Knicks lead to three. Lou  Williams would take over hitting a couple of jump shots that tightened the Knicks lead down to one point, 84-83, before Burks answered with a couple of huge jump shots to keep New York in front. 

 

With 4:13 to go the Hawks took control when Clint Capela's layup that cut the deficit to 93-91, was quickly followed by a three-pointer by Bogdanovic to swing Atlanta in front 94-93. De'Andre Hunter's 26-foot three would give the Hawks their largest lead of the half at 97-93. 

After RJ Barrett hit a douce for New York, Julius Randle nailed a three-pointed from down town to give the Knicks the lead back at 98-97. 

The seasaw action would continue the rest of the way with Derrick Rose's 15 foot jumper tying it for the Knicks at 105 with 10.2 to play before Young won it for the Hawks just seconds later. 

Game two at the Garden is Tuesday, but Atlanta already has stolen home court advantage in this series.

Gee, What a shock! Nets *Yawn* Blow Out Celtics in Playoff Opener

 NETS 104 - CELTICS 93 

To really nobody's surprise the Brooklyn Nets pulled away and easily won their opening game of their first round series against the Boston Celtics 104-93. 

After the Celtics gave us a nice tease, when they lead the Nets 53-47 at the break, the Nets "Big 3" got the memo that it was time to actually try and combined to score 28 of Brooklyn's 31 points in the third quarter as the Nets pulled out in front and never trailed again. 

The turnaround was huge, considering Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden were a combined 0-for-11 from beyond the arch, and a combined 5-for-20 from the floor in the first half. 

But this is the kind of team the Nets have been all year. They are so talented, and All Star heavy that it doesn't take much for them to overcome teams. It's almost like the Nets are bored before the game even tips-off. 

It's their boredom that makes them a boring watch, and also makes them susceptible to getting picked off later in the postseason by a better team than Boston.  

Overall, Durant finished with 32 points on 10-of-25 shooting, and was a stellar 11-of-12 from the free throw line. That more than made up for his dismal 1-for-8 from three. 

Kyrie Irving dropped 29 on Boston, while Harden had only 21 points. 

It was only the ninth game these three NBA superstars have played together as Nets. 

So the Nets are up 1-0 in this series; what a shock (not). It will only be shocking if the Nets lose a game to Boston in this series. 

Corey Kluber Becomes 12th Yankee to toss No-Hitter

 YANKEES 2 - RANGERS 0 

Corey Kluber spent a better part of the past two years rehabbing from injuries. In 2019, he fractured his right arm after he was hit by a line drive as a member of the Cleveland Indians, and never pitched for the Indians again. 

Last season, he tried to comeback as a member of the Texas Rangers, but made only one appearance before he was removed for what would be diagnosed as a torn terse major muscle in his shoulder. 

He didn't pitch again after that.  

Now on his third time in as many seasons, Kluber had a lot to prove in 2021, signing a one-year deal with a Yankees team that was desperate for some veteran pitching. The Yankees were betting that if Kluber could come close to reclaiming the Cy Young candidate he once was in Cleveland, then they would have that perfect number 2 starter behind Gerrit Cole.

On Wednesday night, he returned the favor to the Yankees for believing in him. 

 

On Wednesday night, Kluber became the 12th pitcher in the incredible history of the Yankees to toss a no-hitter when he blanked his former team, the Rangers in a 2-0 victory. 

27 up. 27 down. The only man to reach base was Charlie Culberson on a four-pitch walk in he bottom of the third inning. 

Kluber had the Rangers totally off-balance all night, striking out nine batters, and was incredibly efficient throwing only 101 pitches on the evening. The most pitches he tossed in an inning was 15, and he did that twice, in the fifth and seventh innings. He was that much on point. 

 

For all the legendary performances the Yankees have had by pitchers, the last time the Bombers had a no-hitter was David Cone's perfect game against the then-Montreal Expos in July of 1999, during a time when the Yankees had a quartet of no-hitters over six seasons (Jim Abbott in 1993, Dwight Gooden in 1996, David Wells in 1998 and Cone).  Kluber now becomes the 12th Yankee to toss a no-hitter all time. 

He is also the first Yankees pitcher to toss a no-hitter on the road since Allie Reynolds did it against the Cleveland Indians in 1951. 

No-hitters have become common place of late. 

Detroit's Spencer Turnboll toss a no-hitter on Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners. There are now six hitters this season, one shy of the major league record. With the emphasis on launch angle and home runs in today's game, the likelihood of getting a no hitter has increased as hitters are now more impatient then ever before. 

That said, a no-hitter is still a no-hitter. For Kluber it was a special moment, and validation that after two long years, he finally made his way back.

Mets Continue to Show Guts Winning Series in Atlanta

 The Mets showed tremendous fortitude the past two nights beating back their rivals, the Atlanta Braves, while dealing with a multitude of injuries that have hampered both their rotation and lineup. Check out today's vlog to get the latest hot takes on the Metropolitans. 

Pillar suffered multiple facial fractures

 Kevin Pillar will meet with a facial specialist in Atlanta, according to a Press Release by the New York Mets.

The news comes after last night's hideous moment when Pillar was drilled in the face with a 95 mph fastball from Jacob Webb. Pillar crumpled to the ground after getting hit and had blood gushing out of his nose. 

The incident was so shocking that it appeared to rattle Webb, who was removed from the game and sat on the bench in tears as he was clearly playing the moment back and forth in his head. 

According to the Mets, Pillar suffered multiple facial fractures as a result of the hit by pitch. 

Pillar did Tweet out that he was fine, and thanked everyone for the well wishes. 

Pillar joins a growing list of 13 Mets who find themselves on the Injury List as play begins today.

Cole shelled, Stanton on the Shelf as Yankees Lose to Rangers

 RANGERS 5 - YANKEES 2 

The Bombers dropped their second straight Monday in what was easily the worst performance by Gerrit Cole this season as the Yankees ace gave up five runs in five-plus innings of work to fall to 5-2 and raise his ERA over two. 

After starting strong by striking out the side in the bottom of the first, Cole hit a wall in the second inning. He served up a solo shot to Adolis Garcia, and a RBI double to Isiah Kiner-Falefa to give the Rangers a sudden 2-0 lead. A RBI by single by Jose Trevino capped a three-run Texas rally later in the inning. 

Offensively the Yankees never really got going. Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Clint Fraizer were all hitless in defeat. It didn't help matters that the Yanks were without Giancarlo Stanton who is on the 10-day Injury List, retroactive to May 14 with a left quad strain. 

The Yankees called up reliever Albert Abreu from Triple-A to fill the void. Heck Abreu even got into the game Monday, tossing three shutout innings in relief. 

The Yankees slip into fourth in the log-jammed AL East. 

Pillar and Walker Both Injuried as Mets Top Braves

 METS 3 - BRAVES 1 

The injuries just keep piling up for the New York Mets. 

Taijuan Walker and Kevin Pillar joined the list of the walking wounded that already includes (in no exact order) Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Carrasco, and Seth Lugo.

Yet, somehow the Mets found a way to persevere through it all and get a huge 3-1 win in Atlanta, ending a three game losing streak they suffered in Tampa over the weekend.  

Pillar suffered easily the most gruesome of the injuries Monday when he took a 95 mph fastball from reliever Jacob Webb off of his nose in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded, and the Mets leading 1-0. Pillar fell to the ground with blood gushing from his nose, and was taken out of the game. 

A clearly distraught Webb was also removed, and stayed in the dugout in tears over what had happened. 

The video of the events was quiet disturbing. 

 

Meanwhile, Mets right handed starter Taijuan Walker left the ball game after three shutout innings of work with what was described as left side tightness. Walker becomes the second pitcher to suffer with back discomfort after Jacob deGrom missed a start with right side tightness. 

The Mets are hoping deGrom returns later this week. Walker and Pillar's status' are up in the air at this point. 

Even with the plethora of misfortune, the Mets still found a way to win the ball game. 

Sean-Reid Foley was brilliant in three perfect innings of relief of Walker, keeping the game scoreless until the Mets broke through in the top half of the seventh. 

James McCann's RBI double, scoring Tomas Nido gave New York a 1-0 lead, and was the first time this year that both catchers doubled in a game this season. 

Johneshwy Fargas drove in the final run of the night on a double in the top of the eighth inning to make it 3-0. It was Fargas' first hit of his career after being called up to fill the spot of Conforto. 

The Mets 19-16 retain their hold on first place in the NL East.

Nets & Knicks, Both in Postseason, On Opposite Sides of the Spectrum

 If you told anyone a year ago that the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks would both be in the playoffs in 2021, you would get a cross-eyed look.

Not only were the Nets trying to embark on rebuilding their team with superstars -- one of whom in Kevin Durant, spent the entire 2019-20 campaign on the shelf recovering from an Achilles Tendon tear he suffered in the 2019 Finals with the Warriors.

But, the Knicks were still an utter embarrassment. When COVID-19 postponed the finish to the NBA season, the Knicks were 21-45; a total disaster, a continuous rebuild going on 20 years running since their "glory days" of the the 1990s. They hired Tim Thibodeau in the off-season, a coach with a strong pedigree for success, but nobody expected this so suddenly.  

And let's be honest, the NBA isn't exactly popular these days after the Association put its proverbial foot in its mouth with outspoken left-wing politics that alienated half its fan-base.  With NBA television ratings slip sliding to all time lows on a nightly basis, it was almost like this season went by without much of a whimper. But here stand New York's two pro basketball teams in the thick of the tournament.

 In years past, this would serve as a moment of jubilation and headlines. 

Instead the Nets have been looked upon as the villains of the sport for their lack of team building. They built a team strictly on star power. With Durant healthy, he joined fellow superstar Kyrie Irving in the backcourt, and eventually the team traded the farm and then some for disgruntled star James Harden, reuniting Harden with Durant, whom he played with in Oklahoma City. Ironically, this trio has only played 8 games together all season, and yet they find themselves as the best team in the East in the eyes of many. 

At times it has felt like the Nets just don't care. Kyrie Irving's erratic behavior is no exception. 

But ask anyone how they feel about the Nets being in the playoffs, they would say a Nets championship would be bad for the sport, because of the freakish All-Star talent this team acquired in trades and signings over the last year. 

Should the Nets win the title, it would come as no surprise, especially with the Lakers and Warriors experiencing a down year out west. Should the Nets get knocked out, it is almost certain that GM Sean Marks, who crafted this Frankenstein's monster of a team, will be thrown onto the Hot Seat. 

Meanwhile, across town, the Knicks resurgence is nothing short of a miracle.

The Knicks are locked in as the 4th seed in the playoffs after a spectacular regular season that saw the team grow by leaps and bounds. A record of 41-31-- their best record in a single season in eight years, the Knicks fortunes changed thanks to great coaching and spirited play from the likes of Julius Randall (24.2 ppg) and R.J. Barrett (17.5 ppg), and a renaissance campaign from a Thibodeau favorite, Derrick Rose, who averaged 15 points per game in 34 games this season. 

At one point the Knicks were just trying to get by and slowly improve. On April 7 they stood two games under .500 at 25-27. Maybe they would compete for the 8th seed. Maybe they wouldn't get in, but at least the foundation was getting set. Then all of sudden they ripped off nine straight and finished the season 16-4 in their final 20 games to put themselves in the thick of the postseason race. 

So here we stand, the Nets about to play the seventh seed in the East, while the Knicks are about to play the fifth seed in the East. Should both keep winning, they could eventually find a date with one another in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Maybe then basketball fans will return and start caring again for real.

Jets Open Against Sam Darnold in "Revenge" Game

 The NFL picked a real juicy one to kick-off the season for the New York Jets. 

Gang Green will open its 2021 campaign in Charlotte against Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers on September 12 at 1 p.m. 

It will mark a very quick opportunity for Darnold has to avenge his old team after the Jets traded him to the Panthers a month ago to make room for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. 

You can imagine the subplots already.  Not only will the game be a showdown between Darnold and Wilson, as well as Darnold against Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh, but it will be a revenge game of sorts for ex-Jet Robby Anderson, who is now the Panthers number 1 receiver. Douglas opted not to sign Anderson last off-season, allowing the speedster to head to Carolina. 

In addition to it being the first game of the Robert Saleh era, it will be the first shot Panthers head coach Matt Rhule gets against the team that opted to hire Adam Gase over him. Gase and Rhule were finalists for the Jets job back in 2019, but Rhule was not happy about having no say in personnel and declined the Jets job. 

In addition to the season opener in Charlotte, the Jets will head to London, England in Week 5 to square off against the Atlanta Falcons. The Jets will be designated the "road team." The last time the Jets played in London, in 2015, they beat the Miami Dolphins. The NFL will have two games in London this year, the other being the Dolphins against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

It is interesting the NFL opted to send the Jets to London considering the controversy Jets owner Woody Johnson was embroiled in across the pond while the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Johnson was accused of making several sexist and racist statements, and overworking his staff. In addition he was accused of urging the State Department to withhold his comments from being made public. 

Nothing came of the investigation however.

One would think the NFL would have taken caution to the wind and not sent Johnson's club to England to face even more scrutiny. 

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Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that the Jets could be playing in Indianapolis in Week 9 on a Thursday night.

Giants Expected to Open Season vs. Broncos

 According to Art Stapleton of the Record, and later reported by Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, the Giants will begin their 2021 campaign at home against the Denver Broncos on September 12 at 4:25 on FOX. 

This is an interesting choice considering both the Broncos and Giants are coming off of subpar seasons, and there is no guarantee as of yet that the Broncos will acquire disgruntled Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- although it is rumored that the Broncos are his preferred destination, if Green Bay should acquiesce. 

More importantly the game marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 20 years ago, the Giants opened the 2001 season on Monday Night Football in Denver. That game took place the night prior to the terrorist attacks, and was the last NFL game in our pre-9/11 world. 

This year's contest will take place on the day after the 20th anniversary. 

Will fans be in the ballpark is another question. With states loosening up their COVID restrictions, there is a good chance we could see close to 100 percent capacity at MetLife Stadium for the season opener. 

Of course the Broncos and Giants are no strangers to seeing each other early in the schedule. The last time these two teams met at MetLife Stadium in 2013, it was a Week 2 game that featured Manning Bowl III between Eli and Peyton Manning -- a game Denver won 41-23. 

The Broncos have won three of their last five match-ups against the Giants dating back to 2001.  Their most memorable matchups were Giants victories; of course Super Bowl XXI in 1986, which the G-Men won 39-20, and in 1998 the Giants won a come-from-behind game in Week 13, 20-16 at the Meadowlands. 

Fans hoping to see the Giants face-off with the Eagles will have to wait, the Giants see them in Week 12. The Giants also host the Cowboys in Week 15. The rest of the schedule will be available soon, certainly before the 8 p.m. full schedule release. 

The Giants-Broncos game, could also indicate that the Jets are starting their season on the road. 

Heroics by Mazeika, Pillar and Villar lead Mets from Behind vs. O's

 METS 3 - ORIOLES 2 

This was huge. Sure the Mets were playing the lowly Baltimore Orioles, but after having won five in a row coming into play on Tuesday, the Mets found themselves trailing 2-1 in the late stages, with the prospect of facing ex-Met Matt Harvey tomorrow afternoon with the chance to sweep his old team. 

That would have been a nightmare no Mets fan wanted apart of. 

And neither did the Mets, who staged an amazing ninth inning rally to stun the Orioles 3-2, and capture their sixth straight victory to improve to 17-13. 

The rally started in the bottom of the ninth when Kevin Pillar lifted the first pitch he saw from Ceaser Valdez and narrowly missed a game-tying solo homer. Pillar would hang in their and work what would turn out to be an eight pitch at bat, before singling through the hole at third. 

Jonathan Villar would follow with a single of his own toward second, and suddenly the Mets had the game tying and winning runs aboard with nobody out.  Catcher James McCann was asked to bunt, but failed to put down a proper bunt attempt, forcing manager Luis Rojas to ask his embattled catcher to swing away, and he proceeded to strike out to a loud chorus of boos. 

Dom Smith quickly picked up McCann when he lifted a Valdez pitch into the gap in right-center, scoring Pillar to tie the game at two. Villar would advance to third on a throwing error by Ramon Urias. 

Finally it was up to Patrick Mazeika. Four days earlier, Mazeika was the hero in the Mets 5-4 walk-off win over Arizona that was clouded by the controversial Francisco Lindor-Jeff McNeil dugout spat. 

This time it was all about Mazeika as he found a way to squib a pitch toward first baseman Trey Mancini, who tried to throw out Villar charging toward home. The throw was a tad late as Villar just got underneath the swipe tag by catcher Pedro Severino to win it for the Mets. 

And, yes, of course the jersey came flying off Mazeika for the second time in four days. 

Marcus Stroman got the start for New York, allowing only a run on four hits over 6.1 innings of work. He was bested for a short time by Orioles starter John Means, who held the Mets scoreless on six hits over six innings; a stellar effort for Means who tossed the first Orioles no-hitter since 1969 just a week ago. 

Tomorrow afternoon its Harvey Day at Citi Field, as the Mets look to get even against their former ace.

Montgomery Leads Yanks to Huge Victory in Tampa

YANKEES 3 - RAYS 1 

The Tampa Bay Rays have owned the Yankees of late. That's not exactly earth shattering news, considering the Rays were 5-1 against the Yankees entering play Tuesday, and had won every series they faced against the Bombers dating back to the end of the 2019 season.  

So it was imperative for the Yankees, who have been playing much better baseball the past two weeks to get off to a flying start against their AL East rivals, and who better to lead the charge than Jordan Montgomery. 

Montgomery, who gave up eight runs in 11 innings against Tampa Bay this season, had easily his most impressive outing of the year. He held the Rays to just a single run on two hits over six innings, while striking out nine and walking one. 

The Rays were 0-for-5 with RISP, and didn't have an extra base hit again after a double by Manuel Margot in the fourth inning. Their only run coming on a Mike Zunino homer in the third inning. That is how dominant Montgomery and the Yankees pen was on Tuesday night. 

What was most impressive about Montgomery's start, he dominated with very little run support. Aaron Judge's homer in the first inning gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead. A passed ball would bring home DJ LeMahieu with the second run of the night for the Bombers in the fourth inning. 

Gary Sanchez's homer in the seventh put the game away at 3-1. 

With the win, the Yanks have now won three in a row, and stand at a season best three-games over .500 at 19-16. Heck, the Bombers are only two back of the Red Sox in the AL East. 

Things are definitely looking up in the Bronx.

deGrom Injured Again, but Mets Still Sweep D-Backs

 METS 4 - DIAMONDBACKS 2 

After only two warmup pitches before the top of the sixth inning, Jacob deGrom's day was done. 

The Mets ace, and arguably the best pitcher in the sport, was feeling tightness on his right side again, the same pain that led him to miss his last scheduled start a week ago. 

The Mets indicated that deGrom will have an MRI Monday on his lower back near his right side to make sure there is no serious injury to the pitcher, before diagnosing further. 

The news comes off the heels of five superb innings by deGrom, who held the Arizona Diamondbacks to just a run on one hit in his first start since April 28 against Boston. 

Still, as has been the case lately with the Mets, bad news doesn't seem to stop this team from finding ways to win. The Mets persevered, swept the lowly D-Backs 4-2 on Sunday behind another stellar effort by a suddenly hot Mets bullpen. 

The combination of Miguel Castro, Jacob Barnes and Edwin Diaz combined the hold the D-Backs to just a run over the final four innings. Diaz was especially impressive Sunday. He came into the game with a man on in the eighth inning, and after hitting Josh VanMeter, proceeded to induce the inning ending double-play on David Peralta to get out of the jam. 

In the ninth, Diaz worked around a misjudged dropped popup by third baseman Jonathan Villar to strikeout the side to save the game for deGrom's third win of the year. 

Francisco Lindor continues to show improvement at the pate, collecting an RBI on a sac fly and a base hit. His average is now up to .194, and is hitting .454 since Friday's dugout dustup with Jeff McNeil. 

Michael Conforto also had two hits and an RBI in the win. Friday's walk-off here Patrick Mazeika had his second RBI of the series on a walk. Dom Smith tallied a RBI single in the seventh. 

After a day off, the Mets host the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday and Wednesday, and rumor has it ex-Met Matt Harvey could be in line to start a game in that series. 

Giancarlo a Walk-Off Hero for Bombers

 YANKEES 3 - NATIONALS 2 

It wasn't that long ago Giancarlo Stanton was considered the prime example of Yankee ineptitude over not only the first month of the 2021 season, but of the ineptitude over the past several seasons. Stanton has the second largest contract on the team, and naturally, when a slugger of his ilk is batting .158, as he was on April 21, there is going to be a lot of anger directed from the fan base. 

Well since that time, Stanton has been on fire. He has raised his batting average 140 points, went on a 12-game hitting streak, and is hitting a blistering .375 for the month of May. He even had eight hits and two huge homers this week against the Houston Astros. 

Suddenly, Stanton is now a bloom in the eyes of Yankees fans everywhere. 

On Sunday, Stanton was a hero once again. This time his single to shallow left with two runners aboard, drove home Travis Wade with the game winning run to beat the Nationals 3-2 at the Stadium, capping off a homestand where the Yankees went 7-2, and jumped to a season high two-games over .500 at 18-16. 

A team that once had the worst record in baseball after 15 games, is now 13-6 in their last 19. Stanton is a big reason why. 

In the last 13 games that Stanton has recorded a hit (including Sunday's victory) the Yankees are 9-4.  Yeah, it matters when the big guy delivers, and lately, he has shown why the Yankees traded for him three years ago. 

He has never received the kind of adulation that Aaron Judge or Gleyber Torres get from Yankee fans; even after a postseason where he tore the cover off the ball, hitting .308 with six homers and 23 RBI, Stanton carried his critics into this season; especially after that horrid start. 

Now the critics are quiet. 

On the mound, the usually erratic Domingo German pitched admirably for the Bombers; holding the Nats to just a pair of runs on five hits over 6.1 innings of work, before the bullpen kept Washington at bay until Stanton's late inning heroics. 

After a day off Monday, the Yankees begin a 10-game road trip that will take them to Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Texas.

Even in Victory, Mets Embarrass themselves with Lindor-McNeil Spat

 METS 5 - DIAMONDBACKS 4 

Leave it to the Mets to turn what should be a night to celebrate a huge come-from-behind win into a debate over rats, raccoons and opossums. This is the kind of drama that only the Mets could create, because why not. 

During the seventh inning stretch of Friday's Mets-D-Backs, Michael Conforto notices there is something going on in the tunnel of the Mets dugout and sprints downstairs to see what is happening. Teammates and training staff join him in the tunnel to break up what appears to be a fight. 

Later we see Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil visibly upset in the Mets dugout. In fact, after a flyout by McNeil in the bottom half of the seventh he runs back into the dugout tunnel. Lindor soon follows with his biggest hit in a Mets uniform, a two-run homer that tied the game at four, and quickly runs back into the dugout tunnel himself afterwards. No celebration after the blast. No smiles, at least not until Patrick Mazieka's infield single in the 10th inning gave the Mets a 5-4 win. 

When asked to explain what happened in the dugout between he and McNeil, Lindor made things worse by trying to turn it into a debate between a raccoon and a rat, and laugh it off. The explanation was utterly ridiculous and tone deaf. The laughing was like a player who realized he's out of his element. Welcome to New York.

Does Lindor, who is hitting a whopping .175 on the year, think that the New York media and the fans are that dumb to believe a story about rats and raccoons? In the words of Jerry Seinfield, "really?" 

For his part, McNeil made it even worse by claiming what he thought he saw was a opposum in the dugout and that he and Lindor were "having fun." When did having fun require teammates to sprint down the tunnel? I am sure that they were not running to see a raccoon, rat, or opposum. Clearly there was a fight between the two. 

"They can believe whatever they want," McNeil retorted when told that people may not believe this tall tale. Nice try Jeff, but nobody is buying it. 

McNeil and Lindor should have plead the fifth, and said no comment. That would have been a better answer that what they gave on Friday night. 

Luis Rojas tried to deflect, saying he didn't see anything, only saying when he checked on the tunnel, he saw Lindor running up the tunnel yelling "Let's play ball!"

Obviously not all teammates are going to get along.  There is no requirement that says that players on the same team have to like one another, but for both Lindor and McNeil to pull the "let's play dumb" card is not going to fly. Not for a team that has been hovering around .500 all year. Not for a team that created a fake hitting coach called Donnie Stevenson, only to be shocked when Chilli Davis was promptly fired. 

This is looking like a combustible situation, and it is now on Luis Rojas to get involved and get to the bottom of what is going on in his clubhouse and fix it. If the Mets are going to go anywhere they need to have every player on the same page. They can ill afford petty rifts, and even more so, they call ill afford their players to create bad publicity.

Yankees Pound Astros, as Fans Boo Former Cheaters

YANKEES 7 - ASTROS 3 

There were just under 11,000 people at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night, but it felt like a full house as fans serenaded the visiting Houston Astros with boos and chants of "cheaters" throughout the night. This was the moment Yankees fans have been waiting nearly two full years for. 

Two years since it was revealed that the Astros had been cheating by using garbage cans and wiretaps to steal signs of their opponents, fans across the sport have waited to let the "Cheat-stros" have it. Well thanks to COVID-19, fans had to wait until this season to even have a shot at it, and Yankees fans were no exception. Not after their team had been eliminated in the ALCS twice by the Astros in 2017 and 2019. 

Between the lines the Yankees let the Astros have it in a different form, pounding Houston starter Zach Grienke out of the game after four innings, highlighted by a mammoth two-run homer by Giancarlo Stanton that jump-started a delirious Yankee Stadium crowd. 

Stanton had a huge night for the Bombers, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI, and now finds himself batting .297 on the season. 

 

D.J. LeMahieu also had a big night, notching a pair of hits, while scoring twice. His RBI infield single gave the Yankees a 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Ironically a throwing error by third baseman Alex Bregman allowed Gleyber Torres and Rougned Odor to score to make it 6-3. In fact Odor and catcher Martin Maldonado collided at home plate. 

The Yankees now find themselves over .500 for the first time sine April 6 at 15-14, and winners of four in a row and six of their last seven.

Mets escape Philly after Diaz 9th Inning Implosion

METS 8 - PHILLIES 7 

Only the Mets and Edwin Diaz could turn an exciting 8-4 lead into a nail-bitter as the Mets nearly blew a four-run lead to the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday night. 

Diaz, who had come into the 9th inning in a non-save situation, and hadn't given up an earned run in his last seven-and-a-third innings pitched, imploded big time. He walked Didi Gregorious to open the inning, before giving up an RBI triple to Roman Quinn to make it an 8-5 ball game.  

After Matt Joyce with two out, Diaz served up what appeared to be a three-run homer by Rhys Hoskins that tied the game at eight. 

However replay showed that the ball off Hoskins' bat might have instead hit the railing and bounced back into the the field of play making it a ground rule double, not a homer. The umpires changed the ruling, as close as it was to being a home run. 

The Mets caught a huge break. Instead of being tied at eight and facing Bryce Harper in a game-winning RBI situation, the Mets were still clinging to an 8-7 lead. 

Diaz left the game promptly after the Hoskins double with what was later diagnosed as back tightness.  

Jeurys Familia would come in and lock down the game by striking out Harper swinging and sending the Mets back to into a first place tie with the Washington Nationals at 11-11.

Had the Mets lost this game, it would have spoiled what was a huge night for the Mets offense. New York pounded out 17 hits, a season high, and scored eight runs, also a season high. 

Jeff McNeil had  a huge night with four hits and two runs scored. Michael Conforto also had a pair of hits, including driving in the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk in the eighth that made it a 5-4 game. 

Pete Alonso's bases clearing triple gave New York the 8-4 advantage. 

However, the bigger nights offensively belonged to Jonathan Villar and Kevin Pillar. Pillar had three hits, including a solo home run in the eighth that got the Mets going, cutting the Phillies lead to 4-3. 

Meanwhile, Villar's heads up base running by coming around to score on a mental error by the Phillies tied the game at four in the eighth.

The Mets are 9-5 against the NL East this year, and 2-6 against everyone else. They visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. 

 

Could the Giants be a destination for Aaron Rodgers? It Would be a Mistake

 Leave it to the Internet to start salacious rumors, but this is the world we live in. According to a Giants fan site, called 366 Sports, disgruntled Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has put the Giants on his list of preferred destinations, joining the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders on such a list. 

Rodgers has stated that he is unhappy in Green Bay, and there is a belief he wants to be traded. If the Packers do not meet his demands, he has even threatened retirement. In fact, during the draft there was a call placed by the San Francisco 49ers to Green Bay about Rodgers services, a call that quickly ended. The Packers have stressed they are committed to Rodgers. 

Rodgers feels differently of course. 

When asked about the Rodgers situation, Giants General Manager David Gettelman said it was "none of my business," according to a Tweet from Giants beat writer Art Stapleton. The Giants were not one of the teams that inquired about Rodgers, and they are committed to Daniel Jones -- who is entering a make or break year his third season. The Giants need to know whether Jones is the answer as they -- much like the Jets this year with their decision to trade Sam Darnold -- are facing the dreaded fifth year option at the end of the deal. 

If the Giants were to suddenly about-face and decide to jump into the Rodgers mix, they would be making a similar mistake the Jets made 13 seasons ago (hard to believe!!) with the last disgruntled Packers quarterback, Brett Favre. 

The Jets were coming off a 4-12 year in 2007, and Chad Pennington had been battling injuries for years. The Jets had a team that was close to contending -- (a roster that would eventually get to back to back AFC title games in 2009 and 2010) -- decided in the summer of 2008 to acquire Favre after his bizarre un-retirement from the NFL. 

Ironically, Favre was angry the Packers took Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 draft, much the way Rodgers is angry now at the Packers for taking Jordan Love in the first round of last year's draft. In 2007, Favre took the Packers to the NFC Title Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants, who would beat Tom Brady's 18-0 Patriots in the Super Bowl. 

This year, ironically, Rodgers took the Packers to the NFC Title Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by ... that Tom Brady guy. Wow! 

Favre's maiden voyage with the Jets was met with huge fanfare. 

Who wouldn't get excited about a three-time MVP, Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion at the helm of the Jets of all teams? Seriously. It was amazing. And for 12 weeks the excitement was living up to reality as Favre had the Jets at 8-3 after wins on the road at New England and at Tennessee. 

Could the Jets go to the Super Bowl with Brett Favre? Remember the Giants were also playing well, en route to a 12-4 record that year in their defense of their Super Bowl title. People were actually thinking Subway Super Bowl around here in November of 2008. 

Then, as we all know the wheels came off. Favre got hurt, played through it and the Jets lost four of their final five to finish the season out of the playoffs at 9-7. The team that finally knocked them out of wild card consideration? The Miami Dolphins, led by ... Chad Pennington. 

So as much fun as it was to see Favre come to New York and don another shade of green, it ultimately backfired on the Jets. 

And that Jets team, as I mentioned earlier, was a lot closer to contention that year than this 2021 version of the New York Giants.  

The Giants are trying to build a team that can contend. While Aaron Rodgers would drive a lot of hype and sell jersey's, unless he wins a Super Bowl with a team that isn't ready to do so, it ultimately will not work.  

How is Rodgers, who is a prickly guy when it comes to media coverage anyway, going to handle the media in New York if he were to be under center during a Giants loss to the Eagles? Or a loss to let's say the Cowboys and Rodgers' old coach Mike McCarthy? 

If it is true that the Giants did not call Green Bay, then let it ride. Ride with Daniel Jones in 2021 and see what happens -- there is no harm in being patient and building a team the right way

Jets add Speedsters in Carter and Moore to Offense

After failing Sam Darnold the past two years, it appears Jets General Manager Joe Douglas wants nothing to do with a repeat of that performance, and is doing everything he can to replenish the Jets offense, while giving new "franchise quaterback" Zach Wilson some needed weapons. 

It started Friday when the Jets acquired speedy Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore with the 34th pick in the draft. Moore had a first round grade on many draft boards, but slipped into round 2.

 

The cousin of Titans star receiver, A.J. Brown, Moore is a tad undersized at 5'-9", but he has tremendous speed and is considered the perfect game breaking slot receiver. The Jets could have addressed corner (Asante Samuel Jr.) or added to their O-line here, Teven Jenkins and Landon Dickerson were still out there, but they opted for more speed on the offense. 

In addition, Moore could be a replacement for Jamison Crowder, who is also 5'-9", and will count $10 million against the cap. 

Meanwhile, the Jets got the running back they desperately needed with the selection of Michael Carter out of the University of North Carolina with their fourth round pick. Considered the number two back at UNC behind Javonte Williams, Carter still had a massive impact, rushing for 1245 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He has an extreme burst and is fast. He is a big addition to a running back room that was lacking. 

After the Carter selection, the Jets spent a large chunk of the their late round picks on the secondary, taking three safeties in Michael Carter II, out of Duke; Jamien Sherwood, out of Auburn, and Hamsah Nasirildeen out of Florida State. Perhaps that is a shot across the bow at Marcus Maye who had the franchise tag slapped on him this offseason, and a shot across the bow of Ashtyn Davis, who didn't exactly distinguish himself last season. 

The Jets also used a sixth rounder on Pittsburgh corner Jason Pinnock and Brandin Echols out of Kentucky.

 

David Gettleman adds to Big Blue D with some Big Deals

 A lot of people are praising Giants General Manager David Gettleman this weekend for swinging deals throughout this NFL Draft. It started Thursday when Gettleman traded the number 11 pick to the Bears, who used it to take Justin Fields. 

The Giants selected wide receiver Kardarius Toney with the 20th pick they received from Chicago. The selection of Toney was a downer because it failed to address bigger needs for the Giants on the offensive line with tackles Christian Darrisaw, Liam Eichenberg and Teven Jenkins still on the board. It also came after the Giants watched the Cowboys and Eagles dance around them to take DeVonta Smith, the speedy Heisman winner from Alabama.

The only good part of the deal was the fact the Giants obtained a first rounder from the Bears, a pick they Giants could use next year to potentially get a quarterback should Daniel Jones flame out a la Sam Darnold style in his third season. 

Friday and Saturday, Gettleman kept dealing. He traded down from 42 to 50 to take George edge rusher Azeez Ojulari. Ojulari had a first round grade, but slipped due to arthritis in his knee. He is said to have a high motor, and the Giants desperately needed an impact player on the edge. 

Later, Gettleman traded up with Denver to take cornerback Aaron Robinson out of Central Florida. Robinson, who measures at 6'-0" is slated as a nickle corner. The Giants could use the depth.