COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 In need of a move, any kind of move, the Mets acquired former Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams for minor league outfielder Pete Crow Armstrong.  While the Mets didn't have to give up much for the free agent to be in Baez, it creates a very intriguing dynamic for the Mets, who now have two of the best shortstops in the sport on their  roster in Baez and Francisco Lindor.    Of course, Lindor, who is currently on the IL, is here for the long term; having signed a 12-year $340 million deal over the winter. Baez is a free agent to be.  When Lindor returns to the Mets lineup in mid-to-late August, it will most likely mean that Baez will have to move to second or third base for the remainder of the season. That will have a direct affect on the playing time for Jeff McNeil, JD Davis and Jonathan Villar. Davis and McNeil might be forced into the outfield to platoon with Dom Smith in left or Michael Conforto in right.  While the d...

 The Yankees are not messing around. The Bronx Bombers acquired Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo for minor leaguers Alexander Vizcaino and outfielder Kevin Alcantra. Both Vizcaino and Alcantra were among top 12 prospects int he Yankees farm system.  Rizzo is having a down year this year, hitting .248 with 14 homers and 40 RBI. The good news for the Yankees, the Cubs will pick up the reamining $5.5 million on the deal. It's a move that leaves the Yankees with about $4 million in space from the $210 million luxury tax threshold.  In that regard it's a steal. Yes, the Yankees lose two top prospects. But they get a legit power threat, and a consistent left handed bat for the middle of the order in Rizzo.  This is a clear message by Brian Cashman that despite the team's inconsistent play this season, they are going for it. The Yankees are only 2.5 out of the second wild card as Oakland continues to struggle.  With Rizzo and Joey Gallo now part of the Yankees ...

 So much for all the drama and hand-wringing, Zach Wilson has singed his rookie contract after missing the first two days of practice.  The deal which is for four years at $35 million with a $22 million signing bonus was held up over technical language in the contract regarding off-set language and deferments of the signing bonus.Wilson wanted his singing bonus up front, and the Jets initially wanted to defer the payments. Eventually the Jets agreed to pay the money within 15 days.  On the flip side, Wilson agreed to the Jets terms on off-set language which protects the franchise should Wilson be cut after his third year and signs with another team. The off-sets prevent that player form potentially double-dipping.  So all the worry and stress is over, the focus now turns to football and football alone. Now is the time to see how Zach Wilson develops into the Jets starting quarterback.    If anything, this ordeal did expose the fact that the Jets desperately...

 The Yankees are in dire straits. They are falling farther and farther back of the AL East and wild card race and need to make moves if they are serious about competing for a playoff spot this season.    What to do? Do what the Yankees always do. Give up a ton of prospects for a top flight All-Star.  This time the All-Star is in the form of outfielder Joey Gallo, formally of the Texas Rangers. Going back to Texas are six minor league prospects including pitchers Glenn Otto and Randy Vasquez, second baseman Eziequiel Duran, short stop Josh Smith, infielder/outfielder Trevor Hauver and outfielder Everson Pereira.  Otto is a big chip going back. He was ranked 27th among the Yankees top 30 prospects this season, and was lights out for the Somerset Patriots this season in Double-A.  Getting Gallo gives the Yankees the left-hander power bat that they do not have, but it also gives them another hitter who is struggling to hit above .200. Gallo is hitting only .223...

 If things couldn't get any worse for the New York Jets, it just did.  Zach Wilson is still not in camp. He and his representatives are haggling over off-set language in his rookie contract. Off-set language is very common in rookie contracts nowadays where money and years are pretty much set by the CBA of four-years, $35 million.  This is not the Jets first rodeo in this department. It took them several days into camp back in 2018 to get Sam Darnold to sign on the dotted line.  Eventually he got there, but if Jets fans wants to look at that as a sign of things to come, they are probably getting queasy.   Right now the Jets quarterbacks are Mike White and James Morgan. Neither has played a down in the NFL. White in fact was taking first team reps this morning.  In the interim, the Jets are going to work out veteran journeymen Josh Johnson and Sean Mannion.  Johnson has been around forever. In fact he has been on 19 different teams, 17 of those are...

 The New York Giants haven't had a winning season since 2016, and when you really think about it they've had losing records in seven of their last eight seasons.  Yet this year, the G-Men enter training camp with higher expectations. With the additions of Kenny Galloday, Adoree' Jackson, and Azeez Ojulari the Giants are expecting to take the next step in a mediocre NFC East. And why not. This is a team that has plenty of talent; they were pretty solid on the defensive side of the ball. And if they can get their act together offensively, the sky could be the limit.  At least one would think in this horrible division.  Of course all of this pressure is on the shoulders of quarterback Daniel Jones, who finds himself in a similar situation that Sam Darnold was in last year. With a year remaining on his deal before the Giants have to pick up the fifth year option, Jones must showcase that he is ready to take his game to the next level, or risk the same fate Darnold had ac...

 Here we go again!  The latest highly touted Jets rookie quarterback is unsigned as training camp begins across the NFL. How does one NFL team consistently find itself here? Oh wait, it's the Jets.  According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, while it is unclear what the hold up might be, the guess is the fight is over contract language. Due to NFL rules, the contract that Wilson will sign is set at $35.1 million with $22.9 million in signing bonus money over four years. Wilson is one of three rookie players in the NFL whom are unsigned, the others being San Francisco's Trey Lance and the Chargers' Rashawn Slater.  As we all know this is not the first time for the Jets to be down this road. They were four seasons ago with Sam Darnold when there was a dispute over the fine print in the contract. Eventually the deal got done and Darnold returned to practice.  The difference back in 2018 was that the Jets had a veteran quarterbacks in Josh McCown and Teddy Br...

 The most bizarre story of the NFL off-season has taken another turn for the bizarre with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers planning to end his months long protest against Green Bay's front office, particularly President Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst, and return to Packers camp when it opens up this week.  According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the two sides have been negotiating over the weekend to create a pathway to bring Rodgers back, including: voiding the 2023 season from his contract, creating a review of his situation after the season, and adjusting Rodgers' current contract so there is no loss income, at the same time creating cap room for the team to sign others (presumably wide receiver Davante Adams).  Rodgers has made no bones he wanted nothing to do with the Packers this off-season.  He questioned the culture established by the front office, routinely ripped the team's drafting of quarterback Jordan Love in the 2020 draft, and even threatene...

 RED SOX 6 - YANKEES 2  To say this weekend series in Boston is huge for the Yankees is an understatement. After Thursday's heartbreaking 5-4 loss, the Yankees needed a win with Gerrit Cole on the hill, and instead they put up another stinker as Rafael Devers powered the Red Sox with a pair of home runs and five RBI. Boston is now 9-2 against the Yankees this season, and hold a 9.5 game lead on the Yankees in the AL East. In fact Boston has 10 more wins than the Yankees do.  While the Yankees are still very much alive for a wild card as the A's, Mariners, Angels, Blue Jays, and Guardians are all battling with New York for the final wild card slot, it's getting late early.  The Yankees have to make a decision whether to be buyers or sellers by next week. Knowing the Yankee pedigree they will not give up that easily, and it is not that easy for them to offer up players in a sell-off at this point.  It's not easy when the Yankees best players like Gleyber Torres an...

 METS 3 - BLUE JAYS 0  If it wasn't clear already, it is now that Pete Alonso is falling into a post-Home Run Derby funk. The Mets All Star first baseman hit a pair of home runs and drove in all three Mets runs Friday night in a 3-0 victory over the Blue Jays.  Alonso has been red hot lately. He is riding a seven game hitting streak, and his batting average has jumped 12 points since last week to .262. He has also hit four home runs since his incredible performance in the Home Run Derby two weeks ago.  The Mets need Alonso to catch fire. With the trade deadline fast approaching, he is easily New York's most dangerous hitter, especially with Francisco Lindor on the shelf until late August.  Meanwhile Tyler Megill out-dueled former Met Steve Matz on the hill. Megill who was just a fill in when he joined the rotation several weeks ago, is now a mainstay. He shutout the Blue Jays dominating lineup, holding them to only a pair of singles. MeGill's ERA is now 2.10. A ...

 What's in a name? In the current culture of hyper political correctness, or "wokeness," where any kind of name or phrase that is deemed inappropriate by today's standards is destined to be replaced, the team formally known as the Cleveland Indians have now chosen their new identity as the "Guardians." A new name so polarizing, it has gotten ripped by fans across the country for its blandness. And it is bland, and boring.    Not that the name Guardians is a bad name.  It isn't.  It would be great for say a professional football team. But for a baseball team? It feels kinda off.  And Cleveland owner Paul Dolan said that the India...errr...Guardians chose their new name over more popular choices like "Spiders" because they wanted to pay homage to the two monolithic, Greco-Roman-like statues that adorn the Hope Memorial Bridge just outside the stadium. These statues are known as the Guardians of Traffic.  That's right the Cleveland baseball te...

 Jets Assistant Coach and Passing Game Coordinator Greg Knapp had worked with a lot of the league's top quarterbacks throughout his 25-year career. From Steve Young to Peyton Manning. Matt Ryan, Matt Schuabb and Michael Vick. He's coached a lot of them.  And he was going to coach the Jets new rookie quarterback Zach Wilson this season.   Unfortunately, after Knapp sustained life threatening injuries in a horrible bicycle accident in which a car swerved into the bike lane, Knapp lost his battle . He passed away Thursday afternoon according to reports.  He is survived by his wife, three daughters, brother and mother.  The shocking news sent shock-waves throughout the league as teams and coworkers with whom Knapp worked with poured in throughout the day.  "He was a tremendous football coach who achieved at the highest level of our game, but more importantly he was a wonderful person who had the love, admiration and respect of those who were blessed to work wit...

 The New York Jets put pen to paper on one of their top draft picks from April's draft, signing left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to a four-year deal worth $15.885 million, with a $8.9 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option according to ESPN's Rich Cimini .  With Vera-Tucker signed, sealed and delivered the attention now goes toward quarterback Zach Wilson and wide receiver Elijah Moore, both of whom have yet to sign their rookie deals. Of course with rookie contracts the way they are now, there is not much a player can do to negotiate years and dollars, since those figures are generally set. However contract language usually plays a role here.  Three years ago the Jets went through a similar thing with Sam Darnold, not signing him until a few days into training camp his rookie year. We'll see if both players get deals done in the coming days are rookies are reporting to camp around the NFL.

 New York Jets passing game coordinator Greg Knapp is said to be "battling life threatening" injuries he sustained in a bicycling accident.  According to reports, Knapp was on his bike when he was struck by a motorist. The driver of the car is reportedly cooperating with police.  The Jets, Head Coach Robert Saleh and the Knapp family put out statements throughout the day offering prayers and encouragement.  Knapp was brought in by Saleh and GM Joe Douglas to work with the Jets young quarterbacks, especially presumed starter, rookie Zach Wilson.  Knapp has a long history of working with quarterbacks in West Coast systems like Steve Young, Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning in Manning's final season in Denver.  See full story ...

 YANKEES 3 - RED SOX 1  The Yankees finally have a crooked number in the "win" column against the Boston Red Sox this season.  Behind a pair of solo homers by Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres, the Yankees finally beat the Sox 3-1 at a rain-soaked Yankee Stadium on Saturday night.  The game was called after six innings due to the heavy rains and strong thunderstorms in the area. At least the Yankees learned something from the last time they waited out a rainstorm with a lead (i.e. their implosion against the Angels a few weeks ago).  Gerrit Cole was magnificent for the Yankees. He held the Red Sox to a single run on five hits over six innings of work, while stirking out 11. After a rough June, Cole has given up only one earned run in his last two starts, or 15 innings of work.  The headline however coming out of Saturday's game had to be the incident that occurred in left field when a fan tried to drill Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo with one of the home run...

 PIRATES 9 - METS 7  Who knew that the kryptonite of the 2021 Mets would be the worst team in the National League. The WORST TEAM!!  The Mets held a 6-0 lead on the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, and looked well on their way to notching an important victory that would maintain their three game lead in the NL East. Instead the bullpen imploded, specifically the combination of Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz, and the Mets lost 9-7.  Lugo didn't have it at all, and it was a question as to why manager Luis Rojas waited so long before removing him, especially if he was planning to bring in Aaron Loup to finish the inning as he would have to later.  Lugo gave up five runs in 2/3 of inning pitched in the eighth inning, highlighted by Wilmer Difo's grand slam homer that widdled the Mets lead down to 6-5.  Once Lugo gave up the three-run bomb, you could feel the air come out of the Mets sails. The Pirates meanwhile had renewed life, and all they had to do was stage one more...

 This isn't the kind of news the Mets wanted to hear when the reconvened in Pittsburgh to start the second half of the season.  Both Francisco Lindor and Jacob deGrom are on the injury list. deGrom who was scheduled to pitch Monday in Cincinnati was diagnosed Saturday with right forearm tightness. An MRI revealed no structural damage. There is no consideration of when deGrom will be available next.  The forearm injury is the latest in a string of injuries that have bothered the two-time Cy Young Award winner this season. He already missed an outing in early May when he was dealing with a right lat muscle, and didn't pitch again until May 25. He also spent time on the IL with tightness in his side.  In June he left a start against San Diego because of flexor tendonitis in his right arm, and later came out of a game against the Cubs after three inning after experiencing similar arm issues.  This is not a good situation the Mets find themselves in with deGrom....

 Just when you thought it was safe to be in a crowd, COVID-19 has reared its ugly head again, this time leading to the postponement of the opener of a four-game series between the Yankees and Red Sox. The rest of the series at this point is still up in the air.  According to multiple reports, three Yankees have tested positive. Those players according to ESPN are Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta.  Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka and Gio Urshela are under COVID-19 protocols as tests are awaiting those three.  GM Brian Cashman says that the three players who did test positive got the virus despite being vaccinated.  "We'll wait now for the lab tests to come back, which I am assuming is going to be positive, as well," Cashman said. If that is the case it would increase the number of positive cases to six.  Judge was at the All Star Game this week, so now the entire sport sits on the edge of its collective seat to see what his test reveals. ...

 ASTROS 8 - YANKEES 7  Just when it looked like the Yankees were on their way to start digging out of the hole they spent the better part of 3-1/2 months buried themselves in, the Astros decided to throw the dirt right back on them. And of course, the hero at the end of the day for Houston was none other than Jose Altuve.    The Yankees had a 7-2 lead. They were on their way to an impressive sweep of the first place Astros in Houston, after impressive 4-0 and 1-0 victories on Friday and Saturday nights. The Yankees appeared heading into the All Star Break on a head full of steam.  Until they weren't.  You can get on the Yankees all you want for hitting 3-for-16 with RISP and stranding 14 men on base, but the facts are they carried a 7-2 lead into the ninth inning and couldn't get the job done.  With Aroldis Chapman basically relegated to mop up duty because the team lost faith in his abilities after he watched his ERA skyrocket the last month whenever ...

 PIRATES 6 - METS 5  This is not the way the Mets wanted to go into the All Star Break. When the Mets saw they had the Pittsburgh Pirates for four games at Citi Field to precede the halfway point of the season, one could only help but think the Mets had a chance to roll into the break.  Three wins? Maybe a four-game sweep? 2-2? To the lowly Pirates? Now that is inexcusable. And the way the Mets lost on Sunday was equally inexcusable.  A five-run lead, thanks to home runs by Fransisco Lindor and Michael Conforto in the bottom of the first inning was not enough. Not enough when the Mets decided instead of pitching Jacob deGrom on short rest, opting to go with a bullpen game. As a result, the already overworked pen got lit up like a Christmas tree against Pittsburgh's young stars.  Rodolfo Castro and Michael Perez both went yard off of Jared Eickhoff in the top of the fifth. Then Castro decided to do it again, this time crushing a pitch from Jeyrus Familia the oppo...

 Check out Michael Cohen's take on the Mets Subway Series victory over the Yankees this past weekend. It was a huge series win for the Amazin's who maintain their lead in the NL East, while the Yankees continue their descent into the baseball abyss -- ten games out of first place in the AL East, and with an uncertain future for the manager and all involved. 

METS 10 - YANKEES 5 - Game 1  YANKEES 4 - METS 2 - Game 2  For the Mets it was easily one of the best victories of the season. For the Yankees it was one of their worst; heck one could argue the Yanks suffered two of the worst losses of their season in the same week on the same home-stand.  In what was a wild opening game of the day-night double-header, the Mets stormed back twice, once from 4-1 down, and again from 5-4 to stun the Yankees and drop them to an even .500 at 41-41, as once again Aroldis Chapman imploded on the hill for the Bombers.  There was so much to take away from the first game.  For starters, the Mets had numerous opportunities early in the ball game to knock Gerrit Cole out, but failed to do so. In the top of the 2nd, with the Mets leading 1-0, the umpires initially ruled that Jeff McNeil was out at first, but replay proved that he was indeed safe. The call was reversed, but the Mets could't move him as Billy McKinney struck out and Tomas Ni...

 METS 8 - YANKEES 3 Brandon Nimmo hadn't played in a Major League game in 60 days after suffering what turned out to be a small ligament tear in his left index finger. While the Mets have certainly held their own since Nimmo last played in a game May 2, they were more than happy to have him back in the lineup on Saturday against the Yankees in the first game of the Subway Series.   Nimmo had three hits and scored two runs as the Mets pounded the Yankees 8-3.  Nimmo's infield single in the top of the fifth helped jump start a three-run rally for the Amazin's. After Nimmo's single, Francisco Lindor singled to shallow center as the ball dropped in front of Brett Gardner who played too deep on the ball. A batter later, Dom Smith singled to center, driving in Nimmo with the game's first run.  After a Pete Alonso walk chased Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery from the game, James McCann slashed a base hit to center to keep the conga line moving; Lindor scored. The Mets...

For a better part of the past five months the New York Jets have been the media darlings of the off-season. For a franchise that never seems to get anything right, this off-season has been nothing but successful (at least on paper).  - They hired a new head coach that players can't wait to play for.  - They drafted a new quarterback in BYU standout Zach Wilson after jettisoning Sam Darnold to Carolina.   - They revamped the offensive line with the drafting of Alijah-Vera Tucker to anchor left guard and the recent signing of ex-Washington lineman Morgan Moses to anchor right tackle.  - Joe Douglas added speed and depth to the wide receiver room with the signing of Corey Davis, drafting of Elijah Moore, and return of Jamison Crowder.  - They had a mini-camp, both voluntary and mandatory that had max attendance.  - They even put out a YouTube direct mini-series called "FLIGHT 2021" that documented this past off-season to huge critical acclaim. It almost f...