COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 Both the New York Giants and New York Jets addressed some big needs in the opening night of the NFL Draft out in Pittsburgh, and none bigger than adding a some edge rushers to the mix.  JETS PASS ON REESE, DRAFT DAVID BAILEY INSTEAD This was one of the most controversial picks of the night. Should the Jets select Bailey, a player by most accounts was one of the most dominate pass rushers in college football last season, or do they take the versatile Arvell Reese, who many believe could be an even better player than Bailey in the long term? Well, the Jets decided to go with Bailey who recorded 14.5 sacks last season at Texas Tech, and had an impressive 4.50 -40-yard dash at the combine. While he is considered "pro ready" to take the leap into the NFL, many scouts also feel his ceiling is not as high, and there are concerns about his ability against the run.  Many Jets fans were not pleased with the pick, some even going as far as to claim that the Jets drafting of Bailey ...

 HAWKS 109 - KNICKS 108 (ATL Leads 2-1)  Oh, boy Knicks fans!! This is definitely not what the doctor ordered. For the second consecutive game, the Knicks fell to the Atlanta Hawks by only one-point, this time 109-108 as they fall behind this best-of-seven opening round series two-games-to-one.  Can the Knicks actually choke this series away? A series they were heavily favored in, especially against an Atlanta team that doesn't feature Knick-killer Trae Young anymore?  Well, there is a new Knicks-Killer in the ATL, and his name CJ McCollum, who hit a fade-away jumper with 12.5 seconds to go in regulation to humiliate the Knicks for the second straight night.  McCollum didn't lead the Hawks in scoring on Thursday, he finished one point shy of the leader, Jalen Johnson, who had 24. Heck he didn't even have a double-double. But he hit the biggest shot that mattered.  With the Knicks holding on to a 108-107 lead, and after Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart both misse...

 Just like Manager Lou Brown said in "Major League" after his goofball Cleveland Indians won two straight games, "That's what we call a winning streak... It has happened before."  Well congratulations New York Mets, you have won two in a row. And yes, it has happened before. Even this season in fact.   A day after staging a late rally to stun the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Wednesday night, the Mets once again had to pull a rabbit out of their hats against Minnesota on Thursday, this time winning 10-8.  Ironically the Mets had built a 6-1 lead, but watched as the Twins slowly crept back into the game, pounding the Mets bullpen.  When Ryan Jeffers launched a grand slam homer off of Hoscar Brazoban to tie the game at seven in the eighth inning, you would be forgiven if you thought the Mets were destined to lose.  Instead Minnesota's bullpen of Andrew Morris and Anthony Banda chose a bad time to have a bad night for the Twins. The Mets loaded the bases before ...

 I guess it's fair to say that Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler just owns the Red Sox.  After shutting down Boston last October, the Yankees number 2 ace stymied the Bo-Sox over eight brilliant innings, as the Yankees swept the series with a 4-2 win on Thursday.  Schlittler was amazing, holding Boston to just four hits, with five K's, and all while keeping a very economical pitch count at 96 pitches. At 3-1, Schlittler's ERA is now at 1.77, and one can argue he is indeed the ace of this staff at the moment.  Offensively the Yankees scratched out enough runs for him in the later stages. With New York down 2-1, Cody Bellinger delivered a two-run single to left, scoring Jazz Chisholm and Trent Grisham to give New York a 3-2 lead.  A few batters later, a fielding error on Boston following an Aaron Judge single, allowed Jose Caballero to score to push the Yankees lead to two.  New York is red hot right now having won six straight to take a commanding three game le...

 The Yankees are one of the few franchises that refuse to tinker with tradition.   While most teams are willing to change the look and feel of their uniforms in order to bring it up to "modern" times, the Yankees have been steadfast, and rightfully so, in remaining keen on tradition. Pinstripe whites at home, and greys on the road.  Really outside of the while pipping that used to exist on the Yankees road jersey's there have been few changes to a uniform that has stood the test of time for over 100 years. Winning 27 World Championships can do that.  But it appears that the Yankees players want to make a change. According to reports there is a popular thought around the clubhouse about switching things up a bit and throwing in the Yankees navy blue spring training jersey's in as a regular alternate with the road greys.  Basically the jersey is the inverse of the normal threads, with a navy top with New York written in grey lettering.  It's not the wor...

 Former Giants defensive end Dexter Lawrence got his wish on Sunday when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick in this week's NFL draft.  The move ends a stunning frayed relationship between the G-men and arguably it's best defensive player, creating a huge hole in the middle of John Harbaugh's defense. Now Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen must use every opportunity before them, whether it be with the fifth overall pick, and, now, the 10th overall pick to address this issue.    In a way it was surprising to see Lawrence take it this far.  With a new head coach in place who carried a resume of Super Bowl success with the Baltimore Ravens, one would think that Lawrence would want to be a part of it.  But according to reports Lawrence wanted either a new contract or a trade. He had grown frustrated with years of losing in  New York, and wanted to cash in.  As ESPN reported, the Giants felt that Lawrence was coming off his worst...

 The 2026 New York Mets are an abject disaster and it is only April 20.  We are 22-games into the season, and the Mets are tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in all of baseball at 7-15. That's right the team with the highest payroll in baseball of $381 millions, $30.25 million of which is due to players no longer on the roster, is dead last in the National League East, and dead last in the National League.  And they play and look like dead team walking.  And we got 140 games still to go.   You can blame manager Carlos Mendoza all you want, but the facts remain that all the blame shouldn't be shouldered by one man. In fact, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, and owner Steve Cohen should shoulder plenty of responsibility as well.  Those two men built this mess of a team. They allowed former stars like Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, and Jeff McNeil either leave via free agency, or pushed them out via trade. Stearns...

 Speaking of five game losing streaks, we present you the New York Mets.  The Amazin's lost their fifth in a row in a 1-0 loss to the Sacramento/Las Vegas A's on Sunday afternoon at Citi FIeld, as New York suffered its first ever sweep at the hands of the Athletics.  Not to mention former Met Jeff McNeil feasted on the Mets all weekend, going 6-of-13 with an RBI, and some great work at second base defensively.  But hey, the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo (also scorching right now) to Texas for McNeil's replacement last off-season in Marcus Semien who is hitting a wondrous .190 on the year.   The Mets were nonexistent on Sunday against the A's . They managed only four hits, all of them singles, and were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. It's as if they didn't even care.  When Bo Bichette grounded out on the first pitch he saw in the ninth inning, boos reigned down from the stands at Citi Field as if the season had collapsed, and it's only April....

 So much for that 8-2 start to the season.  The New York Yankees are in the midst of an early season slump after taking their fifth straight loss in a 5-4 decision to the Rays in Tampa on Sunday. The loss obviously completed a three-game sweep for Tampa Bay, who suddenly swings into a three-way tie for first place in the AL East.  It's been that kind of week for the Yankees. Every single loss has been close, with four of the five consecutive losses decided by one run.  Despite Aaron Judge's two-run bomb in the ninth inning that cut the Rays lead to 5-4 it was not enough for a Yankees squad that managed five hits prior to the ninth inning, and were a measly 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.  The Yankees offense has really been a problem of late. They are hitting .170 over their last seven games with only Ben Rice and Amed Rosario providing any consistent offense of late.  So even with a vaunted top of the rotation led by Max Fried and Cam Schlittler,...

 On Thursday night amid the Mets 7-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants, someone in the stands yelled that the Mets were New York's B-Team. While there is no disrespect on our part to the New York Yankees, who look every bit the part of baseball's best team 9 days into the 2026 season, the Mets flexed some serious muscle out in the Bay this weekend.   Check out the vlog!     

 DUKE 80 - ST. JOHN'S 75  Rick Pitino said it best in his post game press conference about his St. John's Red Storm following a heart-breaking finish to its NCAA title hopes at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16.  "They were just the greatest kids in the world. They wanted to win so badly. They were willing to do anything to try and win. I'll never have a team like this again with that type of attitude." And that's what makes Friday's 80-75 loss so painful , and so tough to digest. Because the Johnnies were that good. They were more than capable of beating the Blue Devils, and with the way the field was shaping up with Houston and Florida out of the way, and a date with Big East rival UCONN looming, there was a legitimate chance for St. John's to not only make it to the Final Four, but possibly the NCAA Championship game.  And for different moments in this game, it looked like the dream could indeed come true. When Rube Prey connected o...

 METS 11 - PIRATES 7  This was the kind of debut Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns had to be dreaming about when he put Mets fans through the ringer this off-season. After an off-season purge of past stars was followed by a late January surge in trades and signings, the Mets opened the 2026 season on fire!  New York pounded NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, knocking the righty out of the first inning of the season opener at Citi Field, and kept pounding the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 runs in an 11-7 victory.  While Brett Baty's three-run triple on a ball that sailed over the head of center fielder O'Neil Cruz, cleared the bases to give the Mets a 4-2 lead, the afternoon really belonged to a number of new members of the Mets, namely rookie Carson Benge.  Benge, who made the roster out of Spring Training after only one full season in the minors, had his signature moment when he launched his first major league home run into the bullpens in right-cent...

 YANKEES 7 - GIANTS 0  It wasn't exactly the most picture perfect Opening Day ever, but the Yankees will surely take it, as they pounded the San Francisco Giants 7-0 as the Bombers used small ball to stymie the G-men by the Bay.  Trent Grishom, fresh off signing a one-year deal in the off-season to return to New York, picked up right where he left off in 2025, cashing in on a pair of hits, including a two-run triple that gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead in the second inning.  Grishom's key note was preceded by RBI singles by Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon as the Yankees got to Giants ace Logan Webb early. Webb would leave the contest after five innings, charged with seven runs, six earned.  Meanwhile Max Fried did just enough in his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Yankees. Fried held the Giants scoreless through 6.2 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk.  What was most impressive about the Yankees opening night victory? The fact New York pound...

I am not a fan of the World Baseball Classic. Never have been.   I never understood the fascination of starting spring training, then suddenly asking players to leave their respective teams in order to turn up the intensity to MAX for two weeks to go "all in" for God and Country in a tournament Major League Baseball devised.  Heck the W.B.C. isn't even part of the Olympics! If you told me that finally baseball and the Olympic committee agreed to make the W.B.C. a part of the festivities, my feelings on the event would be a lot different.   That's just me.    But as the throws of the W.B.C. in 2026 are about to come to a conclusion with Team USA taking on Venezuela in the W.B.C. Final later tonight, it's hard to ignore the facts that it continues to increase in popularity.  According to reports, FOX Sports slayed in the ratings:  "3.17 million viewers watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FO...

One team that everyone is going to want to keep an eye on as the NCAA Tournament begins is St. John's.  Rick Pitino's club has been one of the best basketball teams in the country this year, posting a record of 28-6, and capturing a second consecutive Big East title.  The Johnnies even beat UCONN twice this season, including dominating the Huskies 72-52 in the Big East Title game this past Saturday.  Yet, as the tournament bracket was laid out, it was hard to look at from the St. John's perspective.  Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, Michigan State, Louisville, UCLA, UCF, and UCONN are all in the same East regional bracket as St. John's.  Not to mention, St. John's has to open against Northern Iowa, a program that owns five NCAA tournament victories, and is no stranger to upsets.  In short this won't be easy. Even if St. John's outlasts Northern Iowa on Friday night, they'll have to get through most likely Kansas for a shot at (most likely) Duke in the Sweet 16....

 Give some credit to Jets General Manager Darren Mougey, he found a way to dump quarterback Justin Fields and get something in return.  The Jets traded Fields after just one season with the team to the Kansas City Chiefs for a sixth round pick. It's a win-win for both teams.  The Jets get a sixth round pick for 2027 and rid themselves of a player who just didn't work out. The Jets had hoped that Fields could build off a brief stint as a starter with Pittsburgh in 2024 and parlay that into the starting gig with Gang Green a year later.  Fields went 2-7 as a starter with the Jets, and New York eventually benched him in November for good.  As for the Chiefs the trade is unique. Fields -- as poor as he has played in two of his previous three stops -- is still a player with plenty of talent. His scrambling ability, plus live arm makes him attractive, especially to a Chiefs team that is uncertain about the availability of Patrick Mahomes comes week 1.  Mahomes ...

 Embattled Giants Co-Owner Steve Tish has moved his stake in the franchise into a trust that will allow his siblings to transfer co-ownership to their children without facing backlash from fellow NFL owners. The move essentially ends his ownership stake in the franchise.  Currently Tisch and his family own 23.1 percent of team. If the transfer is approved by the League, they would own no portion of the Giants, according to Pro Football Talk.   According to the New York Post:  The Tisches had already put most of their 45 percent ownership share into the trust, and only hold about 10% of the team directly. The move would leave the elder Tisch siblings with no direct ownership of the team if the NFL’s finance committee approved the move, first reported by ESPN .  Oddly enough Tisch will still remain a power on the Giants, holding a seat as chairman of the Giants board, while siblings Laura and Jonathan will hold seats as director and treasurer.  Tisch i...

 The Jets are still looking to find a veteran to be the back-up quarterback to Geno Smith.  It was believed that Carson Wentz would be the odds on favorite, but The Athletic's Zach Rosenblatt reported Wednesday that Wentz is "unlikely" to join the Jets . He should have plenty of suitors since he's probably one of the best back-up's left on the market.  Rosenblatt and co-host Connor Hughes on their SNY podcast discussed the situation, and speculated that the Jets could go back to Tyrod Taylor, or perhaps swing a deal with the Carolina Panthers for veteran Andy Dalton. So Stay tuned.  Check out our vlog on the latest from the Jets off-season!  

 The Jets have their newest starting quarterback in tow, and it is a very familiar face: Geno Smith.  Imagine telling a Jets fan in September their team would reunite with one of its former quarterbacks. I can almost guarantee nobody would have guessed Geno Smith. But here we are.  The Jets reacquired Smith via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, sending over a sixth rounder for the quarterback, who was going to be released anyway on Wednesday.    Why didn't the Jets wait? Well, there was a sense that Smith could have other bidders for his services, perhaps, and ironically enough the Minnesota Vikings, who are also looking for a veteran journeyman quarterback to take the reins.   The Raiders will take on the majority of Smith's remaining contract by taking on $18.5 million in dead cap. The Jets will only need to pay Smith the veteran's minimum of $1.3 million.  It is expected that Smith will be the Jets starter heading into the season, but of course...

 Free agency begins Monday and the Jets search for a short-term answer at quarterback is starting to take some kind of shape.  On Friday Connor Hughes reported  that the Jets could target free agent Carson Wentz as their quarterback because Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich coached Wentz when the journeyman enjoyed his best years of his career in Philadelphia about a decade ago.  "Wentz, two sources told SNY, is believed to be Reich’s preferred option. ... Wentz’s best season came under Reich in Year 2, when he went 11-2 and threw for 3,296 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. An MVP frontrunner, Wentz tore his ACL against the Rams in Week 13. "Reich brought Wentz to Indianapolis in 2021. There, the quarterback went 9-8 as a starter, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. There was a belief the relationship between the two soured during that season, with the Colts deciding to move on fro...

 Darren Mougy is wasting no time putting his plan into action to rebuild the New York Jets in his image.  The Jets shipped edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. The move relieves more than $13.4 million in cap space for the Jets, while reuniting the once popular Johnson with former Jets coach Robert Saleh who is now the Titans Head-man.  Tell me we won't get Jets-Titans in Week 1? It's just feels like we are going to get it.    Johnson was drafted by Saleh's Jets in the first round of the famed 2022 NFL Draft. Taken 26th overall, Johnson was supposed to join fellow '22 classmates Sauce Garder, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall in turning the Jets around.  That never happened because the Jets quarterback situation was such an outright mess.  Johnson did some good in New York. He was a team player and leader. He wanted to be here, and spoke candidly last season about wanting to be part of the solution, but...

 It was a night of sports, politics and patriotism at the Prudential Center on Wednesday night as the New Jersey Devils welcomed back Jack Hughes following his game-winning goal for Team USA at the 2026 Olympics.  “I’m so proud and so happy that the men’s and women’s hockey teams brought the gold medal back to America,” Hughes told the crowd. “And I’m so proud to represent the New Jersey Devils organization and to represent the great state of New Jersey.” Hughes and Team USA have enjoyed a huge and well deserved showing of support from fans, including basking in their success with trips to the White House and the State of the Union.  Oddly, amid these divisive political times we have been living in for the better part of the last decade, a number of Democrats sat on their hands when President Donald Trump introduced Team USA at the State of the Union address.  How is celebrating Team USA such a divisive issue? All because a President that they vehemently dislik...

 A year ago Aaron Glenn said of the task before him and the New York Jets heading into the 2025 season, "We're built for this shit."  We all know how that quote boomeranged back at him last season.  Well on Tuesday, Glenn offered a new hot quote when asked about taking over play-calling duties after a wild hiring cycle where the Jets were once believed to be all in on hiring Wink Martindale, before a sudden change in strategy.  "To me play-calling is my super-power."  OH BOY!! Put a pin in that one.   If Glenn's history as Defensive Coordinator and play-caller with the Detroit Lions is any indication, it could be another long year for Gang Green.  Under Glenn, the Lions were ranked as follows: 29th, 32nd, 19th and 20th in overall defense during his four years in the Motor City.   Not to mention, his Lions defense was shredded by the Washington Commanders in the divisional playoffs in 2024.  "There are things I have to improve on," G...

Former Mets legend Darryl Strawberry sounded off on Pete Alonso's departure from the New York Mets this off-season, saying Monday that the slugger would one day "wake up just like I did and regret you didn’t stick where you’re at.” Oddly enough on Tuesday, Strawberry tried to walk back t hose comments, stating:   “I was talking about the mistakes that I made of leaving,” Strawberry said Tuesday from Clover Park, where he is serving this week as a guest instructor. “This is not about me and Pete. I love Pete. And I always had hope that he would stick around and be the guy to break all the numbers." The comments are interesting, mainly because Alonso and Strawberry share the distinction of being the franchise-leading home run leader. Alonso passed Strawberry last summer.  In Strawberry's case, he left the Mets in 1990 he did so with a strained relationship with the front office, and wound up signing a five-year deal with the Dodgers after rejecting a lesser deal fro...

 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...