COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 In shocking news the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that Head Coach Bruce Arians has resigned as head coach and will take on a front office role. In three seasons as head coach, Arians led the Bucs to a 31-18 record with a victory in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs. Last season the Bucs went 13-4, but dealt with plenty of drama — namely the bizarre Antonio Brown meltdown on sideline during a game against the New York Jets. The Bucs were knocked out of the playoffs in the divisional round by the eventual Super Bowl champion LA Rams. According to Peter King of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports, Arians will be a senior consultant. That means the new head coach will be none-other than ex-New York Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles. Bowles has served as defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers the past three seasons. His work with Tampa’s defense drew high praise from around the sport, as the Bucs went on to win the Super Bowl two years ago.  In four seasons in ...

  NORTH CAROLINA 69 - St. PETER'S 49 St. Peter's miraculous run through the NCAA Tournament came to a halt Sunday night against the North Carolina Tar Heels, who grabbed an early lead and never looked back, winning going away 69-49. It was a rough shooting night for the Peacocks, who at one point were 7-of-37 from the field, and finished hitting on 30 percent of their shots (18-of-60). Against a team like North Carolina who terrific players like Armando Bacot and Brady Manek, missing on makable shots cannot happen. And that is exactly what happened to St. Peter's. The Peacocks missed on their first six shots, four of them from downtown, as the Tar Heels methodically built an early 9-0 lead. St. Peter's finally responded with 15:52 to go in the first half when Hassan Drame connected on a three-pointer and a layup to make it 9-5. That was as close as St. Peter's would get again for the rest of the night. North Carolina would later go on a 12-2 run, coupled with a pair...

 ST. PETER'S 67 - PURDUE 64 Cinderella has put that pumpkin on hold. St. Peter's men's basketball pulled out another miracle finish, storming back to beat third ranked Purdue 67-64 to advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. The Peacocks are the first ever 15 seed to get to an Elite 8 match-up. The last time a men's college basketball team got this far in the NCAA tournament, you'd have to go back to the 1991 Seton Hall Pirates. In a see-saw affair that saw both Purdue and St. Peter's go on several extended hot and cold streaks throughout the game, the turning point for the Peacocks really began late in the second half with the Boilermakers holding a 56-52 lead with 4:23 to go. Purdue's Trevion Williams tried to go up for a jump shot, but his shot was blocked by Clarence Rupert. Purdue came down with the board, but Jaden Ivey couldn't hold on the ball, turning it back over to St. Peter's. On the return down the court, Doug Edert ...

New Yorkers are mad as hell at New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and some aren't going to take it anymore.  On Thursday Adams did a complete about-face from his staunch stance that professional athletes would not be exempt from the employee vaccination mandate, flip-flopping on the position by doing a partial lifting of the order.  Now Brookyln Nets star Kyrie Irving, as well as any unvaccinated Mets and Yankees player can play home games. Irving had been barred from playing in New York City all season; he has played in only 20 games this year, all on the road.  The Nets had tried all season to get Adams to budge, but he never relented on the mandate. When it came to the Mets and Yankees, the pressure became too much, and he gave in.  At Citi Field, Thursday, Adams stood with Yankees President Randy Levine and Mets President Sandy Alderson to announce that professional athletes and performers would be exempt from the mandate. However no such change is coming for worker...

 Today is a big day for the Brooklyn Nets, New York Mets and Yankees.  After stating earlier this week that he would not budge on the private sector vaccine mandate that has locked Nets superstar Kyrie Irving from playing in games in New York this season, and would have prevented a number of un-vaccinated Mets and Yankees from playing on Opening Day in New York, Mayor Eric Adams has changed his tune .  The mandate is expected to be lifted on Thursday. About damn time too.  This is not to say that the vaccine isn't important. It is. Without it, we wouldn't have come out of the pandemic they way we have two years removed from when it took over our lives.   The private sector mandate, which was instituted by Bill deBlasio, would require that employees must be vaccinated in order to work in New York City. That also includes professional athletes. The problem is players like Iriving, and reportedly, a number of Yankees and Mets were not vaccinated against COVID-...

 For at least one hour on Wednesday it looked like the New York Jets were on the precipice of a huge trade for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.  Imagine Hill using his speed to run past defenders in the AFC East this year after catching passes from Zach Wilson. After a solid free agency run for Joe Douglas, nabbing Hill would be a huge boon to the Jets playoff hopes in 2022.  Instead Hill will indeed catch passes in the AFC East, only it will be for the Miami Dolphins. And it was his call to make.  The Jets and Dolphins reportedly had equal value trade offers on the table, and the Chiefs liked both deals, but Hill chose the warm weather, no taxes and party life of Miami over the cold, dingy, media scrutiny of New York/New Jersey.  Hill signed a $120 million extension, with $72 million guaranteed.    As bad as it will be for the Jets to see Hill twice a year burning their secondary in Dolphins aqua and orange, the...

 As I wrote on Fox Sports New Jersey.  New York City Mayor Eric Adams remains steadfast on his position that athletes who play on the various professional sports teams in New York can not play in town unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19. For a better part of the past three months since Adams took over the mayoral seat in New York City from Bill DeBlasio, he has been in a battle over the vaccination status of Nets star guard Kyrie Irving. Iriving has refused to get vaccinated against the virus, and as a result has not played in a game in New York this season. Now there is speculation that a number of Yankees and Mets are also un-vaccinated. To date no player on either baseball team has officially be named as un-vaccinated. Many have jumped to conclusions that players like Aaron Judge are not vaccinated due to his evasive comments on the subject. “Right now, we’re going to take some complaints,” Adams said during a Tuesday morning news conference, “But when ...

 As I wrote on Fox Sports New Jersey! ST. PETER'S 70 - MURRAY STATE 60 The magic will continue for at least another week! In a year where Rutgers and Seton Hall dominated the headlines in the college basketball world here in New Jersey, it is St. Peter's University, a private Jesuit college in the heart of Jersey City, off JFK Boulevard, and blocks away from Journal Square that has the entire state, if not the entire country buzzing. The Peacocks did it again on Saturday. They upset another heavy favorite, this time in seventh ranked Murray State, who had won 21 straight games, and hadn't lost a game since December 22 at Auburn. The Peacocks did it with grit, determination and an undeniable commitment to one another. Because, let's be real -- nobody gave them a chance against Kentucky and Murray State, except for themselves. Now they head to Philly and the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever! St. Peter's is also the third 15th seed to ever make it to the regional ...

 As if the quarterback movement that had taken place prior to Friday blockbuster trade wasn’t enough to leave ones head spinning, this certainly did it. After an entire week of rumors that controversial Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was going to choose between the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, or Cleveland Browns as a possible trade destination, it was the Browns who end up winning the Watson sweepstakes. According to reports the Texans are to receive three first round picks, a third round pick and a fourth round pick, while a fifth rounder heads back to Cleveland along with Watson.  In addition, Watson agreed to a new five-year $230 million, with $184 million in the first four years of the contract, from the Browns. All the money is fully guaranteed, making him the highest paid quarterback in the league as far as guaranteed money is concerned. Amazing considering that Watson, who, while he was cleared of criminal charges, i...

 The New York Jets have been busy on the first day of free agency in the NFL, re-signing one of their more popular players from last season, and bringing in much needed help for the offensive line. The Jets announced the signing of wide receiver/special teams ace Braxton Berrios to a two-year deal, worth $12 million, with $7 million guaranteed.    In addition, the team inked former San Francisco 49ers guard Laken Tomlinson to a three-year $41 million deal, with $27 million guaranteed. The Jets also signed former Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah to a three-year deal, $24 million deal.  Running back Tevin Coleman also re-upped with Gang Green. Signing Tomlinson is a huge move for the Jets, who are in need of adding to their offensive line. The Jets like what they have in Alijah-Vera Tucker at left guard, so Tomlinson fits perfectly at right guard.  The Jets, who re-signed guard/tackle Connor McDermmott to a one-year deal as well, may not be done adding to ...

 New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said he is “lucky to be alive” a fter being involved in a hideous car accident near the Mets spring training home in Port St. Lucie in which his vehicle flipped over “several times.” Alonso spoke openly about the subject in front of his locker before practice on Monday. The first baseman claimed a driver ran a red light and crashed into his vehicle. Alonso’s wife, Haley, was not in the car, but in the car behind Alonso, following him when it happened. Alonso said the couple was driving across the state from Tampa Bay to Port St. Lucie to get ready for spring training. Alonso credited his wife with jumping into action to call authorities and get him removed from the vehicle. “It’s amazing I am here. I am fortunate that everyone is ok,” Alonso said. “I am ok, I wanted you to hear from me first. The other people in the other cars were ok.”    

  There is a different feel right now around the two  New York baseball teams. Typically the Yankees are the ones spending big money at free agents, while the Mets are counting their pennies. This year has been the complete opposite so far. In the post-lockout era, the Mets have been busy, picking up right where they left of in December, trading a pair of minor league players to the Oakland A's for right-handed starter Chris Bassitt, and inking free agent reliever Adam Ottavino to a one-year deal. In Bassitt the Mets get a middle-of-the-rotation starter, who was 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA last year in Oakland. In 2020 Bassitt came in eighth in the AL Cy Young vote after posting a 2.29 ERA in 11 starts. He has a good mid-90s fastball that has a lot of movement, and a killer curve ball that comes in between 73 to 75 mph. If he continues to pitch at the rate he has the past two seasons, he is going to be a welcome addition. It is interesting to note, Bassitt is a free-agent after the 2...

 To nobody’s surprise Major League Baseball and the Players Union could not come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and as a result games are now canceled through April 14. That means if you are a Mets or Yankees fan, the season won’t begin until April 15 – at the earliest. This time the International Draft played a major role in destroying any momentum either side had to a potential deal. The International Draft wasn’t even a discussion point until Tuesday when the League tried to tie it to the removal of direct draft-pick compensation, in which teams are penalized draft picks for signing top free agents. The players, obviously, wanted no part of it. “A large contingent of the rank-and-file from Latin America opposes it, and player leadership, sources said, bristled at what it felt was the late introduction of it as a key issue to the league,” (Jeff Passan, ESPN). According to Jeff Passan, the Players Union threatened to remove playoff expansion from...

 And just like that MLB Opening Day is canceled. The first two series in fact are now scrapped. After nine days of intense negotiations that included a 16-hour marathon on Monday into Tuesday, where it looked like there was a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, the Players Union decided Tuesday afternoon to reject the owners final offer. The lockout remains steadfast. The chances of opening the season March 31, or even within the first week of April are likely doomed.  Both sides will reportedly “head home” to determine next steps. MLB’s final proposal featured an increase of $5 million in pre-arbitration bonus money from $25 million to $30 million, which would subsequently increase by $5 million in each year of the new CBA. The union wanted to begin at an $85 million pool and increase it every year by $5 million.  On the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) the League was steadfast, holding at $220 million for three years, before an incremental increase to $...