Sports this 'n' that

Apparently, the Mets think part of the problem with pitching injuries comes from playing in the thin air in Las Vegas.

It's just been reported that the Mets will acquire the community-owned Syracuse Chiefs, currently affiliated with the NL East champion Washington Nationals. The current affiliations (Mets-Vegas, Nats-Chiefs) will remain for next year, so the Mets will move their AAA team to Syracuse, returning to Western NY, in 2019. The Mets previously had their AAA farm in Buffalo until 2013, when they moved to Las Vegas. I may be wrong, but the Chiefs may have also previously been affiliated with the Yankees way back when before aligning first with Toronto, then Washington.
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No one expected the NY Giants to start 0-5, but to lose 4 receivers in the same game on Sunday, before losing late to the LA Chargers, was a killer. Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris, and Odell Beckham, Jr. were all knocked out of the game. It's just gotten out that Beckham is gone for the year, and I think Harris may be, too, as I think he broke his foot.

No one expected the Jets to start 3-2, either, and be in a 3-way knot atop the AFC East with Buffalo & New England, but that will change next week, as the Jets & Patriots will meet for the first time this season, while the Bills have a bye. With Miami starting 2-2, it won't be long before the Jets fall into the cellar, as was expected.

The one common thread between the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots and the Giants, though, is that both teams have offensive line issues. Tom Brady isn't quite as safe behind his offensive line as he usually is, and Eli Manning was sacked 5 times in the loss to the Chargers. Stranger things have happened with the Jets, of course, so who knows?
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Hypocrisy, thy name is Jerry Jones.

Two weeks ago, the Dallas Cowboys' owner/president/GM knelt with his team before the National Anthem was played, then the team stood as one as the "Star Spangled Banner" played. Now, Jones has come out saying that any of his players who decide to kneel during the anthem will be immediately placed on the inactive list. Sounds like a certain spoiled brat in Washington got to Jones, doesn't it?

Meanwhile, after ESPN's Jemele Hill took to Twitter to suggest that advertisers boycott the Cowboys, ESPN placed her on suspension, taking her off SportsCenter for the duration. Oh, that's going to create even more controversy, since fellow ESPN yakker Stephen A. Smith has put his foot in his mouth more often than Hill has, and yet they keep him on the air, save for a brief suspension a few months back, because he pulls in the ratings. Maybe he can loan Hill some beef jerky.........
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The dominoes are starting to fall in the baseball playoffs.

Houston just eliminated the Boston Red Sox, 3 games to 1, with a come-from-behind 5-4 win at soggy Fenway Park. Bad enough they had to deal with the elements, but you'd think that would spur them to speed the game along. Instead, it clocked in a nearly 4 hours for 9 innings.

Boston manager John Farrell was ejected early for arguing balls & strikes, leaving bench coach Gary DiSarcina to make a difficult decision in the 8th inning. Ace Chris Sale came out of the bullpen in the 4th inning, but after 4 shutout innings, DiSarcina left Sale in the game too long, and, for the 2nd time in the series, Houston's Alex Bregman took Sale deep with a game-tying home run. Houston added another run in the inning, plus an insurance run in the 9th against closer Craig Kimbrel. Houston now awaits either the Yankees or Cleveland, as their game 4 begins later tonight.

Also tonight, the Dodgers could close out Arizona in the NLDS, but nothing is certain. Visiting teams, counting today's Houston win, have won just 2 games so far in the Division Series (The Cubs won game 1 vs. Washington).

Add Yankees-Indians. Greg Bird, the forgotten Baby Bomber after Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, had the only run Sunday night with a 7th inning homer. The Yanks are waiting for Judge to get it back in gear after he carried them into the ALDS. Maybe tonight is the night.