COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 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...