COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 It's been a while, a long while, since I wrote or discussed anything related to Major League Baseball, the Mets or the Yankees.  It pains me to even admit that, but considering the Mets waived the virtual white flag at the Trade Deadline on August 1, and the Yankees have been toiling in fourth place since July, the season has felt over for months.  Now it officially ends.  And not a moment too soon.  Pete Alonso breaks a bat over his knee. Getty Images.   Now we can get on with an off-season that is sure to answer as many of our lingering questions as possible. It will be an off-season that could carry the fates of both New York franchises for the rest of the decade. No, I am not being facetious either, it is liteary one of the most important off-seasons in the history of both the Yankees and Mets.  For the Amazin's we know that David Stearns is taking over as President of Baseball Operations, and that General Manager Billy Eppler will remain as his u...

 Brace yourselves Jets fans. Swiftie mania is coming to MetLife Stadium Sunday night when the New York Jets host the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, the only reason she is coming is to show her support behind her new beau, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.  As I cited in my story on such a topic on Fox Sports Radio New Jersey: "Even though she won’t be crooning any of her hit singles, ticket prices to the Sunday night game are skyrocketing on the secondary market according to multiple reports.  Rich Cimini, a Jets beat writer for ESPN reported Vivid Seats saw an 173 percent increase in traffic for tickets to Jets-Chiefs." So we are going to see a whole bunch of "Swiftie" fans flood into MetLife Stadium to see someone who will never touch the field, never sing and, more than likely, will be holed up in a suite.  There was even rumors that the NFL would hand out Swift's signature "friendship" bracelets, a story that was quickly debunked by SNY's Conn...

 If things weren't already wild and crazy in Jets-land, after Joe Namath bashed Zach Wilson and the Jets front office and coaching staff on the Michael Kay Show on Monday, here is a story that also has social media asunder. Former NFL quarterback - turned activist, Colin Kaepernick has written a letter to Jets General Manager Joe Douglas, making an appeal to join the team on the practice squad.  The two-page cover letter, outlines Kaepernick's training regime, and makes the case that he could be an asset to the organization. G ive Kaep credit, it's a well written letter .  That said, the chances of this happening are next to zero. The Jets have had enough media attention this year from Hard Knocks, and the trade for Aaron Rodgers that adding what amounts to a political pariah in Kaepernick would be inviting a whole other world of trouble the Jets don't need.     If the Jets even signed him to the practice squad, every media outlet would descend on the Jets...

 The New York Jets finally brought in a veteran quarterback.  Just not the type of veteran that is going to make Jets fans click their heels, and scream "hallelujah!"  Nope. Not at all. The Jets have re-signed veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian to the practice squad since it will take him time to acclimate to the Jets offense schemes run by offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.  For those who forgot, Siemian was once a member of the Jets back in 2019 -- the first year of the Adam Gase error ... I mean ... era. He started one game, week 2 against the Cleveland Browns and suffered a season ending knee injury in the first quarter of that game when Myle Garret rolled over the back of Siemian's leg.  Siemian was starting because Sam Darnold was out battling mononucleosis. It all comes back to Sam Darnold's mono, doesn't it?  While many have pointed that he can't be any worse than current starter Zach Wilson, Siemian is no great shakes either.  He's been...

 PATRIOTS 15 - JETS 10  It is starting to feel like Groundhog Day when it comes to the New York Jets and their quarterback Zach Wilson.  It has been three years and the results are very much the same. Happy feet in the pocket. Zeroing in on one target downfield. Holding the ball too long. The offensive line breaks down, and either a turnover happens or a dreary incompletion.  The Jets have lost Zach Wilson, and in turn are about to lose their season as a result. The funny thing is, this wasn't supposed to happen. The Jets say they believe in Zach Wilson, but, in fact they never did.  Why else would they bring in Aaron Rodgers into town, other than to hide Wilson on the bench for the foreseeable future as Rodgers wins games with the Jets plethora of young, talented weapons.    With Rodgers now out for the season, it is the Zach Wilson show, and the results are the same.  A 15-10 loss on Sunday afternoon with Tropical Storm Ophelia dropping a misty ...

JETS 22 - BILLS 16 Only the Jets.  Only the Jets could make what turned out to be a joyous come-from-behind victory into an evening of mourning. This is life of a Jets fan. The highs and lows, sometimes both at the same time.  The Jets experienced all of that on Monday night. The night kicked off with great promise as Aaron Rodgers came running out of the tunnel with the American Flag in his hand; a spotlight draped over him as he ran through the conga line of teammates.   The wait. The anticipation. The buildup was all going to come to fruition. Then, as quickly as Rodgers ran onto the field in introductions, was as quickly as the season stopped with a thud.  On the fourth play of the game, Rodgers was sacked by Leonard Floyd who came in and twisted the quarterback around into the ground, a blown assignment by --- guess who -- left tackle Duane Brown who fell on the play. Rodgers got up, then felt the back of his legs, and sat back down. He knew something was b...

 COWBOYS 40 - GIANTS 0 The NFL season kicked off on Sunday, the New York Giants apparently didn’t get that memo. The G-Men had no answer whatsoever for the Dallas Cowboys who won going away 40-0 in one of the most lopsided losses to open a season in Giants history. The previous mark for the most lopsided loss in Big Blue history came against the Cowboys in 1995, that score was 35-0. For a few minutes in the opening of the contest, it appeared the Giants had something cooking. Daniel Jones had two long runs; the Cowboys were flagged for unnecessary roughness on a tackle of Jones at the end of a scramble. Then when rookie center John Michael Schmitz snapped the ball past Jones on third and seven at the Cowboys’ 13-yard line, it was a sign of trouble. On the next play, the Cowboys blocked the field goal, which Noah Igbinoghene scooped up and ran coast-to-coast for a touchdown to give the Boys a 6-0 lead. All the air came out of the Giants’ sails after that. MetLife Stadi...

  One could say that if the original iteration of Yankee Stadium was the "House that Ruth Built," the third iteration of The Stadium is "The House that Jeter Built." Derek Jeter returns to Yankee Stadium. Sept 9, 2023. Getty Images.   The Captain marked his return to the Bronx in Yankee pintstripes for the first time in nine years (NINE YEARS?!?! Where does it go?) as the 1998 New York Yankees were honored at the 75th annual Old Timer's Day in the Bronx.  Of course,the crowd went nuts as Jeter was introduced by play-by-play announcer Michael Kay. Yankees fans were so loud they drowned out Bob Shepherd's always chilling, "Now batting. Number 2. Derek. Jeter. Number 2."  The Yankees former Captain later reflected on celebrating 25 years since the Bronx Bombers famed 1998 squad that won a record 125 games including the World Series, a sweep of the San Diego Padres.  There was even this cool moment when Jeter met Milwaukee Brewers' short stop Willy...

 RUTGERS 24 - NORTHWESTERN 7  Rutgers opened up the 2023 season with a total team effort against Big Ten rival Northwestern, dominating the Wildcats to the tune of 24-7 as the Scarlet Knights racked up close to 300 yards of offense, and held the football for 46 minutes. "It's body blows. Kinda kept hitting them in the gut. They are good up front, and we knew it would be a challenge to run the ball, but we kept doing it," Head Coach Greg Schiano said. Greg Schiano celebrates - photo Michael Cohen Body blows indeed. Rutgers ran the ball 44 times for 122 yards, and it was all via running back by committee on a scorching hot afternoon at SHI Stadium. Kyle Monangai's 15-yard run to paydirt cemented a 24-0 lead for Rutgers, all but icing a contest that had been thoroughly dominated by the guys from Jersey. Of course, a lot of eyes were on quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who made his first start as the undisputed starting quarterback of this Rutgers team.  Poised, and playing mor...