COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

 The hot seat is starting to boil over for Yankees manager Aaron Boone.  After watching his team get swept by the Boston Red Sox for the second time this season, the Yankees embattled manager dropped a missive Monday afternoon with reporters that the Yankees 2021 season "was on the line."  "Too many ups and too many downs. We are in too good a division to have those ups and downs continue. We can't afford to play great for two weeks and struggle for a week. Not if we are going to make up ground. We've dug ourselves a little bit of a hole in the division obviously."  A little bit of a hole, eh? Ya think?  The Yankees entered play 6.5 games out of first place in the AL East. By the time New York's series opener vs. Anaheim ended, they were 7.5 out, and 6 back of the last wild card slot. It is getting late early for the Yankees.  They looked listless and lifeless against the Angels, who are two games back of New York for 6th place in the wild card standings...

 RED SOX 5 - YANKEES 3 The Boston Red Sox honored Dustin Pedroia Friday night before a sellout crowd at Fenway Park -- the first sellout in Beantown since pre-COVID-19. And to cap off the party, the Red Sox held off the Yankees 5-3 to push their lead over them for second place in the AL East to 3.5 games.  For the Yankees it was another frustrating night -- something that has become all too commonplace for them. Not only are they now 0-4 against their arch rivals this year, but they watched chances to win this game slip away.  The Yankees erased an early 3-0 deficit in the second inning on a bases loaded walk to Clint Fraizer and a two-run single by DJ LeMahieu to tie it. The Yankees would never score again.  The only time they came close to scoring, Gio Urshela was thrown out at the plate in the fourth inning on a controversial decision by third base coach Phil Nevin to send him.  Domingo German was bad again on the mound for New York. He gave up four runs, thr...

METS 2 - PHILLIES 1 - GAME 1  PHILLIES 2 - METS 1 - GAME 2  The Mets split a double-header by identical scores of 2-1, as both games were practically mire images of one another.  1) Both teams have very good solid pitcher.  2) Neither the Mets nor the Phillies can buy a hit when they need it, especially the Mets.  3) The Phillies bullpen is horrendous.  Those three factoids played out throughout the day Friday. Game 1 was scoreless as Taijuan Walker and Aaron Nola traded zeros. Nola in fact set a Phillies record by striking out 10 consecutive batters, which also tied a Major League record set by Tom Seaver back in 1970.  The Phillies grabbed the lead thanks to a RBI double by Nola himself, but the Phillies pen imploded late. A RBI single by Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the seventh tied the game at one. That set up Dom Smith to be the hero an inning later when his single to center brought home Lindor with the winning run to send the Mets a 2-1 vict...

 LIGHTNING 1 - ISLANDERS 0; Tampa wins series 4-3 There was a lot of excitement in the New York metro area the past 48 hours after the Islanders staged a late comeback in Game 6, winning 3-2 and forcing a Game 7 in Tampa Bay on Friday night. For the first time all season, seemingly in years, the New York Islanders, New York's forgotten team was forgotten no more.  Could the Isles head to the Cup for the first time since 1984? Could they win it all for the first time since 1983? Against the Canadianes, normally a fellow Eastern Conference foe, who got stuck playing Las Vegas in this bizarre COVID season? Could it be?  The answer was a resounding no.  The Islanders never got their offense going in Game 7 , attempting only 18 shots on goal the entire game. Tampa controlled the puck, the pace of the game, and found a way to make one goal -- a shorthanded shot by Yanni Gourde -- stand up. The Lightning attempted 31 shots on goal. Give Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov cre...

 BUCKS 115 - NETS 111  The Brooklyn Nets were supposed to be an unstoppable juggernaut, a team built and destined to win the NBA title based solely on the fact that they loaded up on the All Star talents of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and even Blake Griffin.  Instead Sean Marks' gamble turned up snake eyes, as the Nets proved - even in a valiant effort, especially by Durant - that nothing is ever guaranteed.  And that takes us to Game 7. Even though the game was a back-and-forth classic for most of the night, the Nets did have a 10-point lead late in the second quarter after Harden hit a floater, drew a foul, and connected on a free throw. The Nets would never enjoy such a lead again.  The Bucks chipped away, played solid defense, and flustered the Nets offensive rhythm. At one point it looked like Milwaukee would sneak out of Barclays Center with a win in regulation after the Nets five point lead with 4:00 to play evaporated thanks...

 METS 6 - CUBS 1  Yes, the Mets beat the Cubs for the third consecutive night. And, yes, the Mets are a season best 10-games over .500.  But there is concern in Metville after ace Jacob deGrom left Wednesday night's ballgame after three perfect innings with an apparent shore right shoulder. The injury is just five days after deGrom left his previous start against San Diego with right flexor tendonitis.  However both deGrom and manager Luis Rojas said they hope the injury is nothing major (the same refrain we heard last week).  deGrom said he was frustrated by the latest setback. He was on the IL earlier this year after tightness in his back set him back a start.  "Felt really good warming up. Felt really good in the first and second inning, and then there in the third my shoulder was sore. This is getting old. I want to be out there competing and coming out of these games -- with these little --- hopefully this turns out to be nothing."  "I'm pretty co...

 METS 5 - CUBS 2  For second year starting pitcher David Peterson it has been a roller-coaster ride thus far in 2021. At 1-5, and with an ERA well over 5, it was easy to see why Monday night's start against the Chicago Cubs would be a big one for the 25-year old lefty.  After getting knocked out early in each of his previous two starts, Peterson had to show the Mets that he can be mainstay in this rotation. The Mets need him to be, especially with Carlos Carrasco and Noah Syndergaard still sidelined for a couple more months.  Had Peterson put up another stinker on Monday, the Mets would have almost certainly been in the tough spot of weighing whether to keep him at the Major League level, or sending him down and getting someone else up here. Instead Peterson gave the Mets his best outing of the year, a six-inning, one-hit shutout against the red hot Chicago Cubs. In fact the only hit Peterson gave up Monday was on an infield single in the top of the third inning off ...