COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 It took a New Jersey Devil to get gold for Team USA. Devils forward Jack Hughes netted the game winning goal 1:40 into overtime as Team USA defeated Team Canada in the Gold Medal Game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.   Hughes who missed a month this year for the Devils, netted the game winner despite having one tooth knocked out. His effervescent smile with a bloody and broken tooth with the stars and stripes draped over his shoulders is going to be a photo that will live on for decades to come.  Don't believe me? Think about it.  Whenever a seminal moment happens and the U.S. flag is involved it is guaranteed to be part of immortality. Think of the images from Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iowa Jima to the planting of the flag on the surface of the moon. The artwork of Washington's crossing of the Delaware; the raising of Old Glory by firefighters on 9/11, and even the moment President Trump raised his fist in the air after a bullet grazed his ear....

 Baseball is back baby!  And what a way to open the season than to have one of the game's biggest free agent signings from this past winter have an immediate impact.    In his first game in Baltimore Orioles attire, former Mets slugger Pete Alonso cracked a two-run homer in Baltimore's 2-0 spring training victory over the New York Yankees.    The homer was Alonso's only hit of the day in three trips to the plate. But the impact of the slugger in the Cresent City is already being felt. Meanwhile the Mets are running with basically a platoon at first between Jorge Palonco, Mark Vientos and Brett Baty. This should be a storyline we will follow all year.  Heck even social media was having a field day!   As for the Yankees they were held to three hits on the afternoon. Jazz Chisholm (1-for-1) and Austin Wells (0-for-3) were the only notable Bombers in action on Friday afternoon.   

 MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark is expected to resign from his position amid a federal investigation that was opened last year by the Eastern District of New York regarding using licensing money or equity to enrich themselves, according to the New York Times and The Athletic .  The Department of Justice opened an additional investigation in October, according to the Times.  Clark who played from the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets and Yankees in his career has been the head of the players union since 2013.    This news comes at a wild time for baseball as the league is starring down the prospect of a work stoppage in 2027.  The Time cites a statement from MLBPA executive subcommittee member Brent Suter (a pitcher of the L.A. Angels of Anaheim) that bargining sessions were expected to start this summer, and hopes to keep things stable toward that end.  It is not known who will serve officially as Interim Executive Director, b...

 Mets owner Steve Cohen was prickly in his opening press conference of the year, sounding more like George Steinbrenner in his prime as he sounded off on the Mets 2025/26 off-season, losing out on top flight talents, the financial rivalry with the Dodgers, missing the playoffs, and naming a captain. Let's just say the Mets boss left plenty of missives that feel he's calling on his team to figure things out and get back to the playoffs this year.  "We haven't won. I really want to win," Cohen said emphatically. "Each year that goes by I get more annoyed.  "It's hard to know when to make those changes, but the other side is we have a sharp management and they were prepared and had alternatives. Saying good bye is tough, but saying hello is kinda fun. "I get frustrated. I am committed to this team. I know how much the fans care. I know we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1986, but that is far too long. I want to put myself in a positio...

As green and blue confetti spewed into the air at Levi's Stadium to celebrate the Seattle Seahawks 29-13 victory over the punchless New England Patriots in one of the worst Super Bowl game's ever played, the night belonged seemingly, and inexplicably to one man: Sam Darnold.  Sam Darnold with the Lombardi. Getty Images.  The former quarterback of the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings, had done the unthinkable. He won it all.   In one of the most bizarre seasons we have ever seen, it was fitting in a way that it had one of the most bizarre endings we've ever seen. And unironically, of the four former employers Darnold once played for, one in particular has drawn the ire of the national media and fans alike: the New York Jets.  If 2025 can be summed up succinctly it is this: "LOL Jets!"   Because ever since Seattle's 38-37 overtime victory over the L.A. Rams on a Thursday night in late December, it became more a...

 The New York Jets got their man. Gang Green officially hired former Colts and Panthers Head Coach Frank Reich as their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday.  Reich, a former back-up quarterback with the Jets and Buffalo Bills in the early to mid-90s was teammates with Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn back in 1996, the year the Jets infamously went 1-15. Reich returns to the Jets 30-years later with Glenn firmly on the same hot seat Rich Kotite was on. Despite that infamous dose of irony, Reich brings plenty of experience with him. He was the offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-2017, including the year Philadelphia beat New England in the Super Bowl. Still Reich didn't call plays on those teams, that was in the hands of head coach Doug Pederson.  Reich parlayed his short stay in Philly into a head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts. For the most part, Reich was doing ok. His offenses were consistently in the top 10 in his early years with the C...

 The New York Giants finally have a offensive coordinator in place with the hiring of former Kansas City Chiefs O.C. Matt Nagy. A surprising hire to some, Nagy does have connections to Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh through Andy Reid. Harbaugh served as Reid's special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2007, before Harbaugh took the head coaching job with Ravens.  Nagy has been a long time assistant for Reid at both the Eagles and Chiefs. There was a four year run where Nagy was the Head Coach of the Chicago Bears from 2018-21 that produced mixed results. While Nagy got the Bears to the playoffs twice, his offenses were consistently poor in Chicago. It didn't help matters that his quarterbacks were Mitchell Trubisky and Justin Fields.  Still just the fact that the Giants get Nagy can be viewed as a positive, considering his work with Patrick Mahomes in recent years.  Mahomes skill set is very similar to that of Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. The hop...

 The New York Jets have narrowed down their wish list for offensive coordinator down to three names: Greg Roman, Darrel Bevell and Frank Reich, with Reich presumed to be the favorite for the job according to reports.  All three coaches should be familiar to NFL fans; they are all retreads, meaning they have been around the league with various teams.  Roman, who is known more for ultra-conservative game plans and running the ball has been around a long time. He's most commonly associated with the Baltimore Ravens, but also spent time with the 49ers, Chargers, Bills, Texans and Panthers. He's been doing this since 1995.  Bevell, who runs a little more of a friendly quarterback system, has been an O.C. with the Vikings, Seahawks, Lions, and Jaguars. He also served as interim head coach with both the Lions and Jaguars. The past four years he was the passing game coordinator with the Miami Dolphins.  Then there is Reich, who was supposedly retired before taking the ...

The Giants are opening a wide net in their search for an offensive coordinator under new head coach John Harbaugh.  Big Blue was said to have interviewed Shane Day for the position on Saturday. He is an intriguing candidate considering he was the quarterbacks coach under John's brother, Jim Harbaugh with the L.A. Chargers. According to Jordan Schultz, Day is considered one of the top quarterback coaches in the NFL; credited with jumpstarting Justin Herbert's career.  Meanwhile former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury i s "expected to be in the mix" according to Bleacher Report .  Former Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan is a candidate as is Colts passing game coordinator Alex Tanney, and Broncos passing game coordinator Davis Webb.    If you ask me of the candidates mentioned, Day and Kingsbury to me have to be up there on this list. Day is a strong candidate because of his familiarity within the Harbaugh circle of trust, and he is going to be in...

 Giants Co-Owner Steve Tisch has been linked to the Jeffery Epstein files according to explosive report issued by the Athletic and New York Times on Friday afternoon.  He was named 440 times in the documents.  The news comes off the heels of the Justice Department's release of over three million Epstein-related documents. And correspondence between Tisch and Epstein over 'multiple women' was documented in email conversations between the two.   " The report includes a back-and-forth thread between Epstein and Tisch in which Epstein says, “I can invite the (Russian) ... to meet if you’d like?” “Is she fun?” Tisch responded." ( NJ.com quoting the Athletic ).  Tisch, a Hollywood film producer has been involved with the Giants since 1991 as a co-owner to the Mara family.  He has denied any wrongdoing and said he has not been to the island.  Tisch has been a producer or executive producer of some of the biggest titles in cinema including: For...

Former NFL Head Coach and Super Bowl winner, Jon Gruden is no fan of the print media that's for sure. Especially when it comes to rumors.  After the Athletic of the New York Times reported that the New York Jets had reached out to Gruden about joining Aaron Glenn's staff, a offer he reportedly rejected, Gruden sounded off saying the rumors are totally false.  "There's a lot of stupid rumors out there; some of these reports are ridiculous. Let's just say there was never anything from the Jets, and I wish them well in their search for a new offensive coordinator," Gruden told radio host Tom Krasniqi on WDAE 93.5 FM in Tampa, Florida.  While Gruden is likely telling the truth, it has not stopped talk radio and social media from running with the rumor.  On WFAN in New York, host Craig Carton clarified the rumors saying that Aaron Glenn did "reach out" to Gruden about the possibility about returning to the NFL, and if he would consider the Jets.  "...

 Nothing seems to get by the New York Jets when it comes to buffoonery, and the past several days have been a prime example.  In short, the Jets fired seven assistant coaches, including parting ways with offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, all while hiring an inexperienced coach in Brian Duker, to become defensive coordinator in a series of bizarre events that have left many people scratching their heads.   How did this happen? How did this get so incredibly bizarre?   One has to go back to the firing of Steve Wilkes to begin to understand how messy things have gotten in Florham Park. The Jets fired Wilks as Defensive Coordinator back in early December, and it was not until just recently that they started to really dive into finding his replacement.   From Jim Leonard to Wink Martindale, and seven other candidates in between the Jets made things very difficult for themselves. Early in the process it was r eported by SNY's Connor Hughes th at t...

 Now all of a sudden that Mets off-season looks a little bit better than it did as recently as 24 hours ago. A day after swinging a deal with the Chicago White Sox for Luis Robert, the Mets got busy on Wednesday, first signing veteran reliever Luis Garcia to a one-year deal, then working out a blockbuster deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that brings starting pitcher Freddy Peralta t o Queens.  Peralta, along with reliever Tobia Myers will come to New York in a package deal that required the Mets give up two of their top five prospects in pitcher Brandon Sprout, and outfielder Jett Williams. It's a tough pill to swallow of course, but the Mets are very deep in the minors; they were ranked No. 1 according to ESPN last summer for the best minor league system baseball has going right now.  They Mets didn't have to give up Jonah Tong. They didn't have to give up Noah McLean or Carson Benge, or Ryan Clifford. No, they kept the vast majority of their prospects. But in order to ge...

 After months of speculation, starts and stops, Cody Bellinger is back with the New York Yankees.  On Wednesday Bellinger signed a five year, $162.5 million deal to stay in the Bronx for the long term, although there are opt outs after the second and third years of the deal.  It's been a quiet off-season in the Bronx this year, deftly quiet. While the Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays have made a lot of noise this winter, the Yankees have been very much under the radar. We have waited seemingly four months for the Yankees and Bellinger to get a deal done. Now with weeks to go before pitchers and catchers, both sides have agreed.  It makes the most sense for both sides to stick together.  Bellinger enjoyed a renaissance year in the Bronx in 2025, hitting .279 with 29 homers and 98 RBI. At times he was the Yankees most consistent hitter at the plate last year. His glove in right field was huge as well.  With Bellinger back in the fold, the heart of the Yankees orde...

 Well we have finally hit that point in the off-season where we have the one trade that has Mets fans fighting with one another.  New York acquired Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox for infielder Luisangel Acuna and righty Truman Pauley in a polarizing move that has Mets fans either loving or hating the move.  Here are the facts: the Mets are taking a huge swing on a right-handed hitter who has a gold glove in center field, but has been madly inconsistent at the plate and consistently dealing with injuries. Those are the facts. Robert Jr. is also to make $20 million this season, with a club option for $20 million in 2027.  While some have praised the move as "low risk" and "high reward," to make such a claim is a bit of a stretch.   Yes, Robert is very good in the outfield; his range is exceptional, and his speed both in the field and on the base paths are noted.  In fact, of all the offensive numbers Robert has posted in his career, stolen ba...

 New York Mets legend Carlos Beltran has been elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame after receiving 84.2 percent of the vote from the baseball writers, as he will make his much deserved trip to Cooperstown this summer.  Beltran spent seven years in a Mets uniform after he signed with New York following a huge postseason with the Houston Astros in 2004.  From 2005 to 2011 Beltran solidified himself as one of the games all time great five-tool players.  He hit .280 for the Mets with 149 career home runs. His highlights include scaling the hill at Houston's Minute Maid Park to rob extra bases in an extra inning victory over the Stros in 2007.  He also hit huge game winning home runs agianst the Phillies and Cardinals during the Mets magical 2006 season.  Many cold-hearted fans have ripped Beltran for years over the fact he struck out against Adam Wainwright in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, but let's be fair it was a breaking ball by a fellow Hall of Fam...

John Harbaugh made his debut in Giants blue, Tuesday before a crowd of dignitaries, media and players both, former and current, as he lay out the groundwork to "attack each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind." It's a Harbaughism that has become a signature of the Harbaugh family for years, started by John and Jim's father Jack many years ago when the brothers were children, and their dad a football coach. If you have followed the NFL for many years, you probably are familiar with the story, and the many euphemisms that Jack Harbaugh lives by to this day; as do his sons.   John Harbaugh brought out those Harbaughism out in full force during an energetic introductory press conference. It's clear that a new era o f Giants football is finally here.  "Mom and dad taught us to attack each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. That's what we are going to do every single day," Harbaugh said.  "One of the most iconic franchises in all of sp...

 What a wild 16 hours or so it has been for the New York Mets.  On Thursday night the Mets lost out on signing outfield free agent Kyle Tucker, who opted to take the Dodgers four-year $240 million deal which will pay him a record $60 million a year. The Mets had come in at a ridiculous $50 million, which was a lot for a guy who is a natural right fielder (the Mets already have a right fielder in Juan Soto). Tucker was also coming off of back-to-back injury plagued seasons.  It didn't help matters last night when owner Steve Cohen issued a cryptic tweet toward Mets fans asking them to let him know when they see "smoke" in reference to a Tucker signing. That Tweet didn't sit well with anyone.  Then on Friday morning the Mets finally struck some gold. Hey even a squirrel finds a nut. The Amazin's signed free agent infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year $126 million deal with opt outs after the first and second year's of the deal.  The deal sounds eerily similar to...

 It took until midnight on Wednesday night, but the New York Giants have their new head coach in future Hall of Famer John Harbaugh.  After leaving New Jersey without a deal in place on Wednesday night, Harbaugh's representatives continued to hammer out details with Giants brass, as the former Ravens coach accepted the job.  It was expected that Harbaugh would return to his Baltimore home to meet with the Titans, but that meeting was canceled.  The Giants, who have a long storied history of developing head coaches have once been in the position to hire an established and great head coach from outside the organization. That of course was Dan Reeves in 1993. Reeves who had no prior connections to Big Blue had led the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s, struggled with the Giants in the mid-90s.  The Giants hope for much better results this time with Harbaugh who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012.   Harbaugh brings instant c...

Free agent head coach John Harbaugh left the New York Giants on Wednesday without a formal contract complete, as the Giants couldn't keep the Super Bowl winning coach from "not leaving the building" as he headed back home to Baltimore to regroup and meet with the Tennessee Titans reps on Thursday.  Still reports are that both sides are still talking.   While a deal wasn't reached, it doesn't mean the Giants aren't viewed as the favorite to ultimately land the head coach. The Giants pulled out all the stops for Harbaugh leading up to their face-to-face meeting on Wednesday, and the all day affair included the coach meeting quarterback Jaxson Dart among others.   Again a formal deal was not complete, but reports throughout the day indicated that the Giants tried to get something finished as soon as last night.  Ian O'Connor of the New York Times reported Wednesday that Big Blue was willing to meet Harbaugh's demands, even if it means hitting close to th...

Depending on which Jets fan you ask, either today's announcement by Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to return to Eugene for the 2026 season will be met with anger or a huge sigh of relief.  Moore, who was considered by many to be the second best quarterback entering the 2026 NFL draft behind Fernando Mendoza, decided to return to school for his junior year. He will not enter the draft, and all the talk about the Jets "ruining" another first round quarterback can go to rest at least for now.  Thank goodness.  No doubt Moore is a talented thrower of the football. But his performances in the last two playoff games for Oregon were not good. He looked overmatched against Texas Tech, despite Oregon winning 23-0. Then against Indiana in the semifinals, Moore was a total disaster. He threw a pick-six on his first pass of the game, and later fumbled the ball deep in Oregon's own territory. The Ducks lost 56-22.  His performance was so bad that Jets fans were clamoring for the ...

 This has been a weird off-season to say the least for the New York Mets.  Highlighted by the gutting of its roster as fan favorites Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso signed free agent deals in Baltimore and L.A. respectively, while Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil were both dealt before Christmas, things have not been looking up for the Mets.  Sure they have been more active than let's say the Yankees, who are still playing trivial pursuit with Cody Bellinger .  The Amazin's signed away two for Yankees relievers in failed closer Devin Williams and set up man Luke Weaver, but the team right now has little thump in the lineup outside of Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.  Then this Kyle Tucker story that came out of virtually nowhere.  A team that seemed destined to not spend much at all this off-season, is suddenly willing to spend $50 million a year on a short term deal with an outfielder who has only hit exactly 30 home runs in a season twice in his career, and who h...

 The New York Giants are hosting former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the Quest Diagnostics Center in East Rutherford today w ith many reports indicating that Big Blue intends to make sure the Super Bowl winning head coach doesn't leave the building.  It is believed that the Giants are one of three teams in the mix for Harbaugh; the Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans are also in pursuit.    Give the Giants a tone of credit. No matter how things go today, they have turned over every stone to make sure that Harbaugh feels comfortable with them. From extensive phone calls with John Mara and Joe Schoen, to a lunch last Sunday with Chris Mara, and phone calls from the likes of Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and even Brian Daboll to give the former Ravens coach an insight into the goings on inside the organization.  Just the fact that Daboll was willing and able to speak to his potential successor about the job he once held only three months ago, speaks v...

 The patience of Jets fans has sure been tested over the many years and decades, and it is being tested again right now as New York prepares to move foward with Head Coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey into the 2026 season.  The Jets (3-14) were awful this year. An undisciplined, over matched, horribly constructed mess. The Jets need a total overhaul in 2026 on both sides of the ball, but a lot of attention will be spent on quarterback.  The Jets never ending pursuit of a "franchise" QB has taken them from Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields in recent years, and you can sprinkle in Tyrod Taylor, Joe Flacco, and Brady Cook in between.  Even as Darnold and Rodgers find renewed life elsewhere, and are both in the postseason with Seattle and Pittsburgh respectively, they didn't succeed here in New York with the Jets.    As Gang Green now holds the number 2 overall pick, the speculation is already starting. Will the Jets draft Dante Moore o...

 The 2025 season is over; thank goodness, and with it the New York Giants can turn their attention to more pressing matters ... like finding a new head coach!!  After a miserable 4-13 campaign that saw Brian Daboll get the ax as HC of the NYG back in mid-November, the Giants have plotted along toward the new year, and now they can officially begin the business of moving into the new year.   General Manager Joe Schoen will be back to lead the search, which has to leave Giants fans nervous. If you are hoping for Big Blue to land a top flight Head Coach like Mike McCarthy (who will be interviewed) or, potentially, Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, it's hard to imagine right now either wanting to work with Schoen, whom they may not know well directly.  Outside of the big names, c andidates include:  Former Giants linebacker and Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce.  Green Bay Packers Defenisve Coordinator Jeff Hafley.  Indianapolis Colts Defensi...

 Well au revoir 2025! Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!  Let's be honest the past year was not a good one for many us for many reasons. And if you are a New York sports fan, it really wasn't good at all.  We had the Knicks get bounced by Indiana in the playoffs; Tom Thibodeau got fired; the Giants and Jets both stank up the joint, and the Yankees and Mets both failed miserably to meet expectations. It wasn't fun. But with 2026 on the horizon hope springs eternal, or at least we hope.  So here are some wild, wacky and even funny predictions for the year ahead!!!  1) San Francisco 49ers upend the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl LX.   The Niners are as hot as any team in the NFL right now having won six in a row, and are getting healthy at the right time. Plus San Fran is due after so many close loses in the recent past. They get a chance to be the third team this decade to play in and win the Super Bowl in their home stadium joining the 2020 Bucs a...