COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

The New York Yankees are on the precipice of seeing their dream second half of 2025 end in bitter disappointment at the hands of their old rivals, the Boston Red Sox.  Boston took out the Yankees 3-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-three wild card series in the Bronx, as Garret Chrochet and Aroldis Champman combined to hold the Bronx Bombers to just a run on seven hits to take a 1-0 series lead.   A lot of the blame is being shifted to Yankees skipper Aaron Boone who made the decision to remove Yanks ace Max Fried from the ballgame in the seventh inning after 102 pitches, as the Yankees leaky bullpen again found a way to blow it.  With the Yankees leading 1-0 in the top of the seventh, Fried had induced a Jarren Duran ground out on just three pitches before Boone popped out of the dugout and made the move to Luke Weaver.  The decision turned out to be a hideous mistake.  Weaver walked Ceddanne Rafaela, and surrendered a double by Nick Sogard to put runners in scor...

 The 2025 New York Mets did it to themselves.   There the Mets were in Game 162 needing to win, while hoping the Milwaukee Brewers would find a way to beat the Cincinnati Reds, just to sneak into the playoffs. Of course, that never came to pass.  As has been commonplace for these Mets all year, they came up small, in a 4-0 loss to the Marlins down in Miami. The Amazin's were punch-less, amassing only five hits all afternoon as they looked like a team resigned to their very fates.  In the top of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, Pete Alonso lined the hardest hit ball of the entire season, a frozen rope at 116 mph to left field that was quickly caught by Marlins left fielder Javier Sanoja. Alonso looked on dejected. The game, the season, for all intents and purposes was over.  And the Mets, as they have since the middle of June in this long, torturous run to infamy, packed up their tents and were ready for vacation. This time for good.   What...

 Give credit to the New York Yankees, they didn't give up on their pursuit of the A.L. East crown.  All weekend the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays were tied atop the division, waiting for the other to blink, but neither team did. The Jays swept the Tampa Bay Rays up in Toronto, while the Yankees took care of the Orioles in the Bronx.  The Jays won the division, but the Yankees enter the playoffs with a head of steam, having won eight in a row, and 25 of their final 33 ball games. That's pretty impressive.  Ben Rice who has been on fire himself this month, continued to rake, cracking two homers on Sunday, including the game winner as the Yankees slid past the Orioles 3-2.  Now the attention turns to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.  The Red Sox won the season series against the Yankees, but are not as hot as they were when these two teams last met in the Bronx back in late August.  Both the Yankees and Sox have the opener to the wild card series lined up e...

It wasn't pretty but it was good enough to get a win, especially on an afternoon where the Giants lost their Pro Bowl wide receiver, Malik Nabers, possibly for the rest of the year with a torn ACL in his right now.  While the Nabers injury has long term implications for Big Blue, the Giants 21-18 victory over the L.A. Chargers on a sun-splashed afternoon at MetLife Stadium proved to be the perfect setting for the debut of heralded rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.  While he wasn't spectacular, and even left this game for a few plays in the third quarter for concussion protocol, and was also battling a hamstring injury, Dart was efficient in running a simplified Giants offense that was dedicated to running the ball down L.A.'s throat. And it worked.  Dart threw for 111 yards and one touchdown, and even ran for a score in the victory.   Dart's opening drive of the day as he guided the Giants on a snappy nine-play 89-yard drive that culminated in Dart's 15-yard scram...

 The hottest team in the American League right now clinched it's spot in the postseason, and now sets its sights on the division, and home field advantage.  Yes, it wasn't that long ago that the New York Yankees were left for dead in this 2025 season. Back in July and early August many were looking in at New York baseball, and the state of affairs at the time weren't good. It looked like both the Yankees and Mets would be lucky to make it to the postseason.  While the Mets are barely holding onto a 1-game lead over Cincinnati for the last wild card, the Yankees have been hot as a firecracker.  Since losing three-straight to Boston between August 21 and 23, the Yankees have posted a record of 20-8, and have cut what was once a seven game deficit in the AL East down to just one game.  Yes, the Yankees have taken advantage of a softer schedule with teams like the Orioles, Twins and White Sox on the docket. But they also took two of three from the fading Houston Ast...

 The New York Mets need a miracle to get into the postseason this year, and on Tuesday they helped themselves with a thrilling 9-7 comeback win over the Cubs in Chicago.  Francisco Alvarez's two-run blast in the eighth inning gave New York the lead for good, as the Mets avoided a huge let down on the road, and took a one-game lead over the Reds for the final wild card slot. Cincinnati lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.    The Mets trailed the Cubs 6-1 heading into the fifth inning, before a spirited comeback turned things around.  A RBI ground out by Francisco Lindor and a RBI single by Pete Alonso brought the Mets to within three-runs at 6-3. Then Brandon Nimmo crushed a three-run bomb to right, tying the game at six.  The Mets eventually took the lead, 7-6, on Lindor's RBI single in the sixth inning.    While the comeback was huge there are still concerns.  David Peterson lasted only 1.1 innings, allowing five runs. He hasn't ...

 It was going to happen sooner rather than later, and with Big Blue sitting at 0-3, Brian Daboll had to do something to rejuvenate his football team.  The Giants announced they benched Russell Wilson, who has struggled to manage the offense all season in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart.  Jaxson Dart in preseason at Buffalo. Getty Images The Giants had to do this. Wilson didn't look good at all. His interceptions were all killers, especially the game-changing pick he tossed in overtime in Dallas two weeks ago. He just isn't the same guy who led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2012 and 2013.   Wilson knew his time in New York was going to be short.   Call it the last gasp of Daboll's career in New York. The Giants head coach was high on Dart when the Giants scouted him, and Big Blue took the gamble to select him over Sheduer Sanders in last April's Draft. In training camp and preseason, Dart looked the part. He threw three touchdowns to zer...

If the New York Mets miss the playoffs in 2025, Washington's Jacob Young is going to enter the pantheon of Mets killers who kept New York from the postseason.  Young, a little known center fielder for the Nats who is hitting .235 on the year with one homer, had two of the biggest defensive plays of the season when he robbed the Mets of extra bases not just once, but twice on Sunday in a 3-2 Washington victory.  The result has put the Mets out of the playoff picture, as the Cincinnati Reds have the hold on the final wild card slot based on head-to-head record vs. the Mets.  Young made an acrobatic catch on a Brett Baty fly ball in the fifth inning that the outfielder caught, then nearly lost as the ball bounced out of his glove. As luck would have it, Young kicked the ball up in the air with his foot, and then caught it again for the out!  Finally in the ninth inning Young brought back what would have been a home run off the bat of Francisco Alvarez.  The Mets n...

 It will be remembered as the Aaron Glenn Dance game.  On a day when the Jets had absolutely no business winning a football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York somehow, someway managed to grab the lead 27-26 with a little under two minutes to go in regulation, AND still managed to squander the lead and lose by two, 29-27.   Trailing 26-13 with a little over six minutes to play, the Jets rallied together a drive where they were the beneficiaries of some truly lucky breaks.  First there was a pass interference penalty on Jamel Dean after he made what appeared to be a drive killing interception near midfield that was nullified by the flag.  Later, Allan Lazard made a rather dubious catch for a touchdown on fourth down near the Buccaneers goal-line where he had to tiptoe while falling down near the back-line. The ball appeared to bobble out of his hands and hit the ground, but officials determined there wasn't enough evidence to overturn it, and the...

 Since joining the Big Ten, Rutgers had never beaten the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Friday night, entering the contest with a record of 3-0, and a record setting crowd of over 55,000 packed into SHI Stadium, offered the best opportunity to get that first ever win against Iowa.  But mistakes both on special teams, and a four quarter collapse did the Scarlet Knights in as Rutgers fell to Iowa 38-28.  "There were so many things. We made too many mistakes against a good football team tonight. Iowa is not going to beat themselves, you gotta go out and beat them," Head Coach Greg Schiano said following the loss in the wee hours of Saturday morning.   Rutgers found themsleves behind the eight-ball just seconds into the game when Iowa's Kaden Wetjen returned the opening kick 100-yards to open the ball game with a 7-0 Hawkeyes lead.  Give Rutgers credit. They didn't let it faze them. The offense was on fire in the first half of this game, and this contest was like a pinba...

 To say that the New York Mets needed that would be a tremendous understatement.  Having lost eight straight games, and seeing their lead for the final wild card dwindle down to just a half game, the Mets finally got back on the winning side when Pete Alonso hit the biggest home run of the season, a three-run bomb in the tenth inning of a tied game against the Texas Rangers to send New York to a 5-2 victory.  The win concluded a lost weekend for the Mets. They watched their old ace dominate them on Friday as Jacob deGrom tossed seven innings for Texas in a 8-3 Rangers victory. That same night Jonah Tong left the game in the first inning having given up six runs.  On Saturday, following all the good feeling from the Alumni Classic, the Mets built a 2-0 lead on Texas, only to see Edwin Diaz implode in the late innings as the Rangers scored three unanswered runs late to win it 3-2.  Sunday was shaping up to be similarly awful. With their ace on their in Nolan McLea...

 COWBOYS 40 - GIANTS 37   Following a listless effort in Washington on Opening Day, the Giants offense finally woke up in Week 2 at Dallas, but it wasn't enough as Big Blue's defense didn't receive the invitation, as the Giants suffered another heartbreaking loss, this time 40-37 in overtime.  Russell Wilson had one of his best games of his post-Seattle career, throwing for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Both Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson both recorded 140+ receiving yard games, and still the Giants lost.  The Giants built a 13-3 second quarter lead, and couldn't hold it. Dallas scored on two straight possessions, including a 30-yard run by Javonte Williams to take a 17-13 lead over Big Blue.  Even when the Giants scratched and crawled their way back into the lead on a Cam Skattebo rushing touchdown to grab a 23-20 lead, the Giants just couldn't help themselves.  They couldn't slow down Dak Prescott and the Cowboys when it mattered most. The Cowb...

This was not the way Aaron Glenn imagined the start of his tenure as New York Jets head coach would begin. Not like this. Not with a listless 30-10 performance in week 2 of the 2025 season, as the Jets were not just out-coached, but totally out-classed by the Buffalo Bills in every facet of the game.  The Buffalo Bills are clearly in a totally different class than the Jets. The Bills are a Super Bowl contender. The Jets are a franchise once again hitting the re-set button.    What else is new?  From the very start, this game was a total nightmare for Gang Green. A roughing the passer penalty was called on defensive end Michael Clemons, who hit Josh Allen late as the League MVP let go of the football. Instead of Jets getting off the field on 3rd and 19, the Bills got a new set of downs, and would eventually score on a James Cook touchdown.    On the Jets next series, quarterback Just fields fumbled. Buffalo recovered. In the blink of an eye it was 10-0, en r...

A week before their Big Ten opener against Iowa, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights dominated the Norfolk State Spartans 60-10 in a game that was pretty much over by halftime.  Rutgers jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead when Jett Elad blocked his second punt of the season by shooting the gap and getting his hand up as punter Marco Perry tried to square up on the ball. The ball bounced around before Dylan Braithwaite scooped up the loose ball and scored the games first touchdown less than a minute into the game.  Later in the quarter,Kaj Sanders blocked the next Norfolk State punt, then, alertly picked up the loose ball and scored to push the Rutgers lead to 13-0.  Antwaan Raymond's two-yard plunge into the end zone with with 8:04 to go in the first half, completed a nine-play 62-yard drive, and all but ended the contest as Rutgers jumped out to a 20-3 advantage.  Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had another strong effort, throwing for 309 yards, including a 37-yard touchdo...

 While the 2025 version of the New York Mets are mired in a ridiculous slump that could knock them out of the playoffs, at least fans were given a treat on Saturday afternoon with the 2025 Alumni Classic as members of the Mets teams over the past 25 years made their return to the field.    From Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, and Rick Reed, to Matt Harvey, Bartolo Colon, and Jose Reyes, a lot of very familiar faces were on hand for the event, including former managers Bobby Valentine, Terry Collins, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel.  Let's just say it was a good time had by all!     

 On the 24th anniversary of the September 11 Terror Attacks, President Donald Trump paid a visit to the Yankees clubhouse before New York's 9-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers to meet and greet with the players.   While standing in the middle of the Yankees clubhouse Trump told the Yanks that they would make the playoffs and "go all the way." "We'll start from tonight, you are going to do well. The Red Sox came to the Oval Office, they wanted to come, and they won, what? 15 in a row? We're changing the luck around here."    Perhaps that was an omen of good things to come for the Yanks. Judge, whom Trump called an "unbelievable player," tied Joe DiMaggio for fourth all time for home runs in Yankees history. Only Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gerhig stand in front of him.     "It's just an important day for all of us to come together, so it's just kind of a surreal moment, surreal day," Judge said. It certainly was a surrea...

The New York Jets have cut fumbling kick returner Xavier Gipson after he cost the Jets a chance at winning their opening day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game the Jets lost 34-32.  Gipson fumbled a kick-off return with the Jets leading 26-24 in the fourth quarter. A couple plays after the fumble, ex-Jet Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass that gave Pittsburgh a 31-26 lead.     The fumble was one of a number of botched moments that cost the Jets the game, but the release of Gipson is a prime example that head coach Aaron Glenn is not fooling around when it comes to holding guys accountable.  Glenn said as much in his post game comments when he stated: "you will not be on the field with this team if you’re going to cause us to lose games, if you’re going to cause issues like that.” Glenn confirmed on Wednesday that the Jets released Gipson and will bring in Isiah Williams, who was on the Bengals practice squad to see if he could be a replacement. Gl...

 The Jets had the Steelers right where they wanted them.  New York was up 26-17 midway through the third quarter after Justin Fields scored on a one-yard plunge to put the Jets in the drivers seat. All New York needed to do was stop the Steelers, and an impressive upset win would be within reach.  But, as has been typical of tough luck Jets losses in the past, they let one slip away. A flag was called on Quincy Williams for a late hit out of bounds on Pittsburgh running back Kenneth Gainwell. It would have been a two-yard loss. Instead the flag gave the Steelers 15-free yards. Rodgers led Pittsburgh to a touchdown soon thereafter to cut the Jets lead to two-points, 26-24.  Moments after that, Xavier Gibson bobbled the kick-off return as the ball bounced out of his hands and back into the hands of the Steelers. A couple plays later Rodgers found Calvin Austin for an 18-yard score to give the Steelers a 31-26 lead.  Had those two moments not happened, we are talki...

 Well Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the Giants, it did right out of the gate to start the 2025 season.  The Giants not only lost, they got dominated by the Washington Commanders 21-6 on Sunday. And the offense looked as listless as ever.  Russell Wilson completed only 17 of 37 passes for 157 yards, and the Giants managed only 231 yards of offense in nine drives. And already the calls for Jaxson Dart are starting on Social Media.  Dating back to 2023, the Giants have now lost their last three openers by a combined score of 89-12. Ouch!  Things don't get any easier next week when Big Blue hits the road for Big D and the Dallas Cowboys (0-1). 

 Rutgers offense continued its explosive start to the 2025 season, as the Scarlet Knights rolled up 45 points, and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis continues to deliver dimes as Rutgers slammed Miami of Ohio 45-17 en route to a 2-0 start.  "He's repeating, it's not like we reinvent our offense everyday. It's cumulative repetitions of doing the same thing everyday," Head Coach Greg Schiano said of his offense's efficiency.  Athan Kaliakmanis puts up a pass for Rutgers. Getty Images.   Rutgers offense rolled up 421 yards of total offense with 31 first downs, and held the football for nearly 40 minutes. Rutgers seemed to do just about whatever it wanted to on the offensive side of the ball.  Kaliakmanis was fantastic; throwing for four touchdowns and 259 yards on 26 completions in 36 attempts. Meanwhile Rutgers utilized four players o rush for a combined 162 yards on the ground with Antwan Raymond leading the way with 82 yards on 13 carries.  Ian Strong put up an...

 Former New York Mets World Series winning manager Davey Johnson passed away on Friday night. He was 82.  Called the greatest manager he ever played for by Darryl Strawberry, Johnson was a larger than life figure of the Mets 80s teams. The man who found a way to get a group of some of the most colorful (both on and off the field) ball players to play as one of the best teams in baseball history: the 1986 New York Mets.   Johnson was hired by the Mets in 1981 to coach in their minor league system. By 1984 he had earned the top job as Mets skipper at the Major League level. He would go on to manage the Amazin's for six-plus years until his firing in the middle of the 1990 season.  His 595 career regular season wins remain the best Mets history among managers.  Current Mets owner Steve Cohen credited Johnson with leading with a quiet confidence and an unwavering belief in his teams.  “Davey Johnson was the greatest manager I ever played for. He let us do...

 It had to be seen to be believed. Mets closer Edwin Diaz sent Mets' fans through one of the wildest ninth inning sequences you will ever see, and still managed to lock down a save, and a 5-4 victory for the New York Mets over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.    On a night where he clearly didn't have his best command, Diaz served up a lead-off single and walked a pair to load 'em up for Noelvi Marte. Diaz came back to strike him out swinging on a 3-2 slider that cut inside.  Then in the middle of his battle with Reds slugger Elly De La Cruz, Diaz stopped the proceedings because the cleat on his shoe broke. The blue shoes were quickly replaced with orange ones, and Diaz got back on the bump, and still found a away to get De La Cruz looking at a fastball down and low for strike three.  Finally, Diaz masterfully got out of trouble by jamming Gavin Lux into a grounder that Diaz fielded at first base on a great stop and throw by second baseman Luisangel Acuna....

 Is it time for Yankees fans to stop panicking and start thinking about what could be?  The Yankees took out the Houston Astros 8-4 on Thursday night, winning two-of-three down in H-Town, and now head home to Yankee Stadium to face the Toronto Blue Jays for a HUGE three-game series. Only three games separate the Yanks and Jays in the A.L. East standings.  A few weeks ago it looked like the Yankees could fall out of the playoff race. Now they are almost assurdly going to make it. The only question at this point is seeding. Will the Yankees be the top wild card? Or will they have to hit the road to Boston or Seattle? Or, can the Yankees catch the Jays and take a mid-week series off til the Division Series?  For a team that relies so heavily on the long-ball, and on Aaron Judge (those two things usually go hand in hand), didn't need Judge on Thursday. He went 0-for-2 with three walks. Instead Ryan McMahon's huge night, and Trent Grishom's three-run bomb late proved to b...

 The New York Mets will bring up rookie Brandon Sproat from Triple-A Syracuse to join a rotation desperately in need of more arms and length. And he will get thrown right into the fire when he toes the rubber against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday afternoon.  Entering the weekend, the Mets hold a five game lead over the Reds, who have been slipping of late, for the final wild card spot. Right now, the San Francisco Giants are the closest contenders for the final spot; they are four back of the Metroplitans.  Things have not been easy for Sproat, who began the year as one of the much ballyhood prospects in the Mets system. As ESPN notes:  Sproat's 2025 season has been a tale of two chapters: The 2023 third-round pick posted a 6.69 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Syracuse through May 20 before rebounding with a 3.19 ERA over his last 17 outings. Remove a seven-run relief appearance Aug. 24 and Sproat has a 2.78 ERA in 16 starts since May 25. Obviously McLean and T...

 The 2025 NFL season is about to kick off in mere hours when the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys square off at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. So what better way to kick-off the season then with some predictions!  Check out our vlogs on the Jets and Giants as they begin their respective seasons on Sunday at 1 p.m.  The Jets kick-off the 2025 campaign at MetLife Stadium against former teammate, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.    The Giants kick-off their season down in D.C. against the Washington Commanders.   

 Coming off a horrible weekend series against the Miami Marlins, the Mets got back in Detroit on Labor Day as Juan Soto powered New York with six RBI and his first grand slam in orange and blue in a 10-8 victory.  Soto who had been searching for his first home run of three-runs or more was finally able to cash in in top of the fourth inning on a Charlie Morton fastball that he deposited over the right-center field wall that gave the Mets a 6-3 lead.  Soto would later drive in a pair on a triple to right, scoring Luis Torrens and Francisco Lindor to give the Mets an 8-6 lead.  Brandon Nimmo and Brett Baty would tack on runs in the sixth and seventh inning respectively as New York took full control in the Motor City.    Not only did the victory snap a two-game skid for the Amazin's, they maintained a four game lead over Cincinnati for the final wild card slot, and gained ground on the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost to Milwaukee. The seperation is now just fi...