Sports this 'n' that

 Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made some "legend" picks for this year's All-Star Game, taking place July 14 in Philadelphia. We reported that the Phillies' Bryce Harper was granted legend status, which is a little bit ridiculous when you think about it.

Now comes word that the AL "legend"-designate is Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander, who used the opportunity Wednesday to announce that he will retire after the season. Verlander has also pitched for Houston, the Mets, and San Francisco. He'll hang 'em up after the season so he & wife Kate can start a family.

Thanks for the memories.

The injury bug continues to plague the Mets.

Infielder-designated hitter Mark Vientos, mired in a season long malaise, was removed from today's matinee vs. Kansas City after getting hit by a pitch, which fractured his hand. The Mets won't say just yet how long Vientos will be out, other than "weeks".

And a lot of fair weather "fans" wanted him gone by the trade deadline. Sure, kick the guy when he's down.

Reddit is the only form of social media I use. Good thing, too.

Three days after the US was eliminated from the World Cup, a member of the Trump administration is trying to justify President Pampers persuading FIFA President Gianni Infantino to rescind the red card issued to a US player a week ago. Not that it did the US any good, but the annoying orange's meddling was the kiss of death.

Try telling that to this moron.

Proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree of stupid.

Andrew Giuliani heads up a "World Cup task force", and said it has to do with the amount of money the US spent to help host the tournament, which wraps in 10 days. Sorry, Goofiani, Jr., but Trump was wrong, and you know it.

Shouldn't you be getting a prescription for Ginkoba for your father, anyway, Andrew?

2026 All-Star rosters revealed

 When fans vote for the annual All-Star Game, this year's edition taking place July 14 in Philadelphia, they ignore current events like idiots. When I've cast a ballot over the years, I've taken injuries into account. The majority of people voting don't because they have a singular purpose.

Blind loyalty also means blind stupidity in some cases.

Let's take a look at the starters voted by Idiots Anonymous.

American League:

Catcher-Shea Langeliers, Sacramento.

First base: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Toronto, who may have set the record for fastest opt-out in All Star history, as he dropped out within an hour of the rosters being announced on Fox, due to a back issue.

Second base: Ernie Clement, Toronto.

Third base: Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay.

Shortstop: Bobby Witt, Jr., Kansas City.

Outfield: Byron Buxton, Minnesota; Mike Trout, Los Angeles; Aaron Judge, Yankees. Of these, Judge may not make it due to injury.

Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez, Houston.

National League:

Catcher: Drake Baldwin, Atlanta. Baldwin's been struggling since coming off the IL, and had the night off last night vs. the Mets.

First base: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles.

Second base: Ozzie Albies, Atlanta.

Third base: Max Muncy, Los Angeles.

Shortstop: CJ Abrams, Washington.

Outfield: Juan Soto, Mets; Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia; Andy Pages, Los Angeles.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles (who else?).

It's already been reported that Sacramento's 2nd year star, Nick Kurtz, will replace Guerrero. Judge likely will be replaced as well unless he returns this week. The Mets' lousy season is punctuated with Soto being the only one on the roster at this point, though if any pitchers opt out, relievers Luke Weaver and/or Devin Williams may be added.

Philadelphia's Bryce Harper was designated as a "legend pick" by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Legend? Harper? It is to laugh. Scott Boras Badenov must've slipped a few extra bucks Manfred's way to get that "honor".

Just pray the world's oldest wet blanket doesn't show up in Philadelphia. If you don't know who I mean, you haven't been paying attention.

Carlos Mendoza fired by the Mets. Which direction does the team take, post-firing?

 You could see it coming a mile away. Six errors in the nightcap of a Wednesday doubleheader seemed to be the last straw, but the Mets allowed 3rd year manager Carlos Mendoza one more game, the front office equivalent of having a reliever in the bullpen after the starter gets a mound visit, and it's assumed he has one more batter to face.

The Mets were swept by the Chicago Cubs, extending their current losing streak to six games, or half the size of their longest dry spell of the season. Today, the cut the cord on Mendoza, a move many fans saw as long overdue.

Green, a former manager with San Diego, has been in the player development department with the Mets, so he knows some of the current players, and GM David Stearns, himself on the hot seat in the eyes of fans, and owner Steve Cohen, felt a change was needed. In all honesty, maybe that change should've been made after the Mets dropped two of three to the hated Phillies, who roll into Citi Field tonight off a rough series vs. Washington.

After falling out of playoff contention at the end of last season, the Mets were expected to turn things around, but slugger Pete Alonso (Baltimore), closer Edwin Diaz (Dodgers, currently on the IL), and utility ace Jeff McNeil (Sacramento) all chased the money, and Brandon Nimmo was shipped off to Texas for an underachieving Marcus Semien, who's started to turn it around on offense before going to the IL earlier this week with a hip injury. Fans on reddit rebelled, believing the team had reverted to the pre-Cohen era method of rebuilding on the cheap, choosing to stupidly convert Jorge Polanco to a first baseman (currently on the IL). Mark Vientos has been hot & cold, as has Jared Young. The experiment of making Brett Baty into another McNeil (that is, a utilityman who can play anywhere) has been met with indifference.

It's almost as if someone was really, really unhappy after the popular Alonso was allowed to walk, and hexed the team, but there's no proof that ever happened, of course. It isn't helping that the Mets' current malaise has dampened the momentum generated by the Knicks' NBA title victory earlier this month.

Fans on reddit already have given up on 2026, but is it premature? Philadelphia offers a case that it might be. They were the last team to change managers, swapping out Rob Thomson for Don Mattingly several weeks back, and they're back in the thick of the pennant race. Boston dumped Alex Cora, but Chad Tracy has not been the answer so far, leaving the Red Sox in the same position as the Mets, and it's not pretty. At the same time, the fans are not paying much attention to the usual spate of injuries, preventing the 2026 team from actually coming together as a unit, and looking for someone to blame. If you want to do that, whine on talk radio, kids.

Time will tell if Green, a veteran manager like Mattingly, can turn the ship around before it does hit a season ending iceberg. And the clock starts ticking tonight.

Is "Patrick Star" this year's Grimace for the Mets?

Last month, prior to a home game vs. Cincinnati, the Mets thought they could replicate the magic of 2024, when McDonald's mascot Grimace threw out the first pitch. This time, actor Bill Fagerbakke (ex-Coach), now better known as the voice of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick's self-titled spinoff series, joined Farmers Insurance pitchman JK Simmons, whom most of you know as J. Jonah Jameson from some of the Spider-Man movies, at Citi Field. The Mets gave the two actors microphones.

Yes, Simmons is also the voice of M & M's mascot Peanut, in case your kids don't know. Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough to turn the Mets' fortunes around. 

Paging Danhausen?

Could another title drought come to an end? The Knicks are on the verge

 53 years.

That's how long it's been since the Knicks were last NBA champions. Back then, you had Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, and Phil Jackson, who'd later win a bunch of titles as a coach. 

Today, the Knicks have the likes of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns, and they're a game away from their 3rd NBA title.

Wednesday night, the Knicks erased a 29 point 2nd half deficit to beat San Antonio, and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, with Game 5 set for Saturday night in San Antonio.

Remember when they'd hype the Muscular Dystrophy telethons back in the day? "Stay up with Jerry (Lewis), and watch the stars come out!", Ed McMahon would intone in the voiceover.

The Knicks had the stars at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night....

Missing from the picture: Michael J. Fox and rapper Fat Joe.

Knicks radio co-host Monica McNutt, however, threw cold water on Taylor Swift's appearance, not realizing that the singer is, in fact, a Knicks fan. And you thought they were done with the buzzkill......!

Two years ago, the Mets rode a wave of momentum after a promotional appearance by McDonald's mascot Grimace became a meme. The Knicks are riding a similar wave, thanks in large part to WWE star Danhausen, who "uncursed" the team, leading to their current status, having won 12 of 13.

The Mets should be paying attention. They might need Danhausen's services next.

Sports this 'n' that

 Open Channel D. 

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

The connections of Preakness winner Napoleon Solo had to be fans of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., even if it was the box office bomb, and not the 1964-8 series that aired on-----wait for it----NBC, which carried Saturday's Preakness......

No truth to the rumor that there was anyone named Waverly among the owners. 

I'll move on.

When part 1 of the 2026 Subway Series began Friday, fans figured that the Yankees, despite a slump of their own, would lord it over the Mets, what with the injuries that have plagued the Amazin's. Friday's Yankee win came at a price for the Mets, who lost starter Clay Holmes, the ex-Yank, to a broken leg.

But, if there is a word that describes the Mets now, after a horrid start to the season, it's resilience.

The Mets came back and won Saturday. Today, after Freddy Peralta fell into a hole with 6 walks in 5 innings, the Mets fought back. Tyrone Taylor smacked a 3-run homer off Yankee closer David Bednar to tie it in the 9th. In the 10th, Yankee manager Aaron Boone gave his detractors some fuel by moving one of his outfielders into the infield to cut off the winning run. Rookie Carson Benge hits a chopper that causes a collision between two infielders, and the Mets win the game, 7-6. Devin Williams, last year's Yankee closer, picked up the win.

The teams will meet again in September.

It was 10 years ago today

 On a hot August night in San Diego, the Mets were in the midst of a weekend series vs. the Padres.

Top of the 2nd. Mets already up, 2-0, with a runner on for pitcher Bartolo Colon.......

Padres starter James Shields was already on the back nine of his career after this. MLB decided to take the bats out of the hands of pitchers for good, unless you're Shohei Ohtani, a few years later.

Sports this 'n' that

 Maybe the Mets could learn something from what happened in Philadelphia earlier this week.

Rob Thomson was fired, the 2nd manager in 4 days (Alex Cora), replaced by bench coach Don Mattingly, who had come over from Toronto in the offseason. Philadelphia has since opened some distance between themselves and the last place Mets, amid speculation that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza may be the next to go, at least if you follow the drama on reddit.

Mattingly previously managed Miami and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is the kind of experienced voice the Phillies needed.

The Mets, meanwhile, continue to be plagued by injuries. Luis Robert, Jr., one of their off-season acquisitions (Chicago White Sox) went down earlier in the week, and after Saturday's loss to the Angels, infielder Ronny Mauricio went to the IL with a thumb injury. Redditors are blaming David Stearns for some of the off-season moves, including letting professional leech Scott Boras Badenov con Pete Alonso into chasing the money to Baltimore. Alonso has been struggling, and someone suggested a trade to bring him back to Flushing.

Alonso is back in New York this weekend, but, aside from a home run on Friday, the Yankees have held him in check. The Mets will see Alonso later this season.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani mistakenly assumed Trae Young was still with the Atlanta Hawks ahead of the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. Young was traded earlier this season.

So, the Knicks blew the Hawks out of the playoffs on Thursday, winning game 6 by 57 points. The game was actually over in the 1st quarter. In Atlanta!!!

Bank on this. Braves fans will pick up the gauntlet for the Hawks when Los Bravos play the Mets later this season.

The PGA tour is at the Doral Country Club, owned by president Trump, this weekend, and, how's this for a surprise? When the players reached holes 16-18, there were no fans in sight! Meidas Touch explains:

Welp, if Trump didn't initiate the current conflict with Iran, and actually learned how to comport himself as president instead of being an elderly man on his 4th or 5th childhood, that wouldn't happen. People see the Trump name on the building, and turn away. Why should the world's worst golfer own a course? At least grand-daughter Kai (Don, Jr.'s daughter) learned the game the right way.......!

We're reading that the Saudis are pulling their financial backing from the LIV golf tour, in its 4th season, and 2nd with broadcasts on Fox (moving over from CW) after this season. Hmmmmm. People were speculating that the Saudis might not renew their contract with WWE when that runs out later this year. And speaking of WWE......

NXT fans were jumping for joy upon learning earlier this week that the PLE's for the Tuesday brand will begin airing on CW this summer. Since the network is looking for some weekend programming to complement the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts series, and fill the void created by LIV golf's departure last year, this is great news. Last month's Stand & Deliver streamed on YouTube, but this is even better. Apparently, the new deal starts with the Great American Bash in July, after the former WCW event had been set up as a 2 part episode of the weekly NXT series the last couple of years.

The once prestigious National Wrestling Alliance is back on television, as NWA Powerr began airing on Comet (check listings) this weekend. Broadcasts will mostly air Saturday afternoons at 4 pm (ET), though a special episode aired Friday night. Unfortunately, the quality of wrestling, while it seeks to revive the studio wrestling aesthetic from the territory era, has suffered under Billy Corgan's ownership. The former Smashing Pumpkins frontman should be happy with the new deal, though, as that should bring more eyeballs to the NWA & Comet.

Sports this 'n' that

 We're in the final week of April, and there's already been a manager firing in Major League Baseball.

No, it's not Carlos Mendoza. Yet.

Instead, Boston's Alex Cora, whose Red Sox are, like the Mets, struggling, was cut even after Boston blew away Baltimore, 17-1, on Saturday afternoon. Chad Tracy, who had been managing Boston's top farm club in Worcester, was promoted as interim manager ahead of today's matinee in Baltimore.

Mendoza's Mets have dropped 14 of their last 16, including the first game of today's doubleheader at home against Colorado. The annual Citi Field injury plague has contributed to the team's offensive funk, with Francisco Lindor going on the IL earlier this week, just as Juan Soto had been activated the same day.

I just don't think Mendoza will last too much longer.

Sports fans in Boston are grateful that the Bruins & Celtics are still playing, given the Red Sox's poor start, but it doesn't overshadow the latest scandal involving the New England Patriots.

Two months after the Patriots were blown out in the Super Bowl, coach Mike Vrabel has taken a leave of absence during the draft after it came out that he'd been having an affair with NFL insider Diana Russini, who is also married, and that this allegedly has been going on since Vrabel was coaching Tennessee a few years ago.

Owner Robert Kraft's political influence within the league ensured that Vrabel would not be investigated. The last thing Kraft wants to have happen is change coaches yet again, after Vrabel took the Pats to the "Big Game" following Jerod Mayo's one year flop.

I've a feeling a change will come anyway.

ESPN's bloviator general, Stephen A. Smith, landed his first endorsement deal since his 2 year stint for Oberto beef jerky a few years back.

CarShield may want a refund.

It's one thing when players past & present are doing ads for CarShield, which sponsors baseball across the majors, including Eric Byrnes and his Hulk Hogan wannabe act. But a marble-brained goof like Smith, who talks like he knows about sports other than basketball, but is often exposed as a poser.

I mean, would you want to buy a car from Smith, or from Ice-T?

What is wrong with the Mets?

 I'm a firm believer that if something isn't broken, you don't fix it.

After an epic collapse at the end of the 2025 season the Mets' front office decided to fix the roster when it didn't need to be fixed.

Star 1st baseman Pete Alonso chased the money to Baltimore. He's barely hitting .200 after going 1-4 in a loss to Cleveland on Sunday. A period of adjustment to a new team? Sure.

Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and 1st base coach Antoan Richardson, who was the genius behind the Mets' running game last year, are in Atlanta, and the Braves are back in 1st place in the NL East, while the Mets, with 1st year pitching coach Justin Willard (Who? Exactly!) are in last.

Closer Edwin Diaz, like Alonso, chose to chase the money, and joined the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Diaz has struggled recently, and there are concerns that the knee issues that torpedoed his season in 2023 after the World Baseball Classic have cropped up again. Media reports have suggested a rift between Diaz and Mets management. Diaz and Dodger teammate Enrique "Kike" Hernandez co-produced a documentary about their native land, Puerto Rico, which aired on MLB Network right before this year's WBC. Like, whodathunk?

Utility ace Jeff McNeil has settled in at 2nd base with the Sacramento A's, and tortured both the Mets & Yankees when the A's were in NYC 2 weeks ago.

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has been raking of late with Texas.

On Sunday, another ex-Met, outfielder Michael Conforto, with his 3rd team since leaving NY, haunted his ex-mates yet again, this time with the Chicago Cubs. His pinch-hit double helped the Cubs come back to sweep the Mets, sending Carlos Mendoza's club to its 11th straight loss.

Fair weather "fans" on reddit, a mostly whiny bunch, are blaming Mendoza because they need a fall guy right now. They're ignoring the obvious signs that it's not entirely Mendoza's fault.

Star slugger Juan Soto is out with a calf injury, and has started rehab. Utility man Jared Young and infielder-DH Jorge Polanco, one of the team's free agent signings in the offseason, joined Soto on the shelf in the last week. As Mets announcers Gary Cohen & Ron Darling pointed out during one of the games against Chicago, the Mets had been a patient group at the plate, but ever since Soto went down, the patience has given way to impatience and nervous energy, and hitters are pressing, as often happens in long losing streaks like this.

One redditor said that some jobroni from Baseball Prospectus, who happens to be a fan of both the Mets & the Jests from New Jersey, claimed that the Mets needed to get out from under Nimmo's contract, which was negotiated by then-GM Billy Eppler. Not buying that at all. Current owner Steve Cohen has enough cheddar to counter-balance that contract, but when you're dealing with a fan base that tends to act like a bunch of entitled children during dark periods like this, there's no reasoning with them. Factor in Scott Boras Badenov giving guys like Alonso bad advice, and, well, there ya go.

The Mets will pull out of this crash dive soon, but not soon enough to satisfy the artificially entitled "fans". I remember saying at the end of last season that Mendoza might not finish out his contract, which is in its 3rd year. Ya know, kids, I hate it when I'm right sometimes.

Sports this 'n' that

 What is wrong with the Mets?

The team has dropped 8 in a row, having been swept by the A's and Dodgers over the last six days, and the offense has all but vanished, scoring just 3 runs in the Dodger series.

Part of it, of course, is psychological in the absence of star slugger Juan Soto, on the IL with calf issues. Then, utility man Jared Young tore a meniscus, and he went on the IL on Wednesday. Pitcher Clay Holmes made his start on Wednesday after experiencing hamstring tightness on Friday vs. the A's.

Unsurprisingly, Mets fans on reddit are predicting manager Carlos Mendoza, in his 3rd season, may be gone before the season is over. You can't predict injuries, however, and there are those fair weather types who will hold the front office accountable for letting Pete Alonso (Baltimore), Jeff McNeil (A's), and Brandon Nimmo (Texas) leave after last season, taking away a large chunk of the offense before Soto went down.

Proof that fans in NYC are a finicky bunch.

Is this the final season for the LIV golf tour?

MSN reporters seem to think so, as players are leaving the tour, bit by bit.

The Saudi-backed tour changed networks last year from CW to Fox, hoping the wider reach of the latter might help, but it hasn't helped player morale, it seems.

Stay tuned.

If it was theatre NYC fans wanted the last three nights, they got it at Yankee Stadium.

The Bronx Bombers walked off the LA Angels twice, but the highlight of the series was an epic duel between sluggers Aaron Judge & Mike Trout, who combined for 7 home runs in the 3 games. 4 for Trout, 3 for Judge.

I'd say Mike Trout is finally healthy.

The two outfielders, with 6 MVP awards between them (3 each), and their teams will meet again in Anaheim later this season. If you thought this series was wack, wait for the sequel.

And you know Hollywood loves sequels.

Wide World of Sports signed off ABC years ago, but the way smaller, niche sports are starting leagues, and getting TV deals with ESPN, you'd think Disney would want to revive Wide World.

Like, major league table tennis, anyone? You do know pickleball is a hybrid of table tennis, aka ping pong, and regular tennis, right?

A little of this & a little of that

 If you were planning on seeing Barry Manilow on his farewell tour, I've got some bad news.

Manilow has postponed a series of dates, including a stop in Albany at the MVP Arena on April 20, due to health concerns. Hold on to your tickets, as they'll be honored when the concerts are rescheduled.

The farewell tour is on hold.

ESPN is taking a ton of heat for its Masters coverage on Thursday.

There were already issues with Jason Kelce (Monday Night Countdown) as an on course reporter. Then, the network doubled down by having WWE superstar Michael "The Miz" Mizanin in a broadcast booth with Laura Rutledge. Give Miz credit, though, for dressing for the occasion, as dapper as usual, in a white & green ensemble. Mizanin was there to promote not only Wrestlemania next weekend, portions of which will air on ESPN, but also his new side gig as host of the Amazon Prime revival of American Gladiators.

 And this was after ESPN was turned down when it requested that Pat McAfee and his crew could set up shop at Augusta, after McAfee had gotten in hot water with WWE fans a week ago for being inserted in a main event storyline at the Show of Shows between Randy Orton & Cody Rhodes, at the request of TKO CEO Ari Emanuel.

Like, if it ain't broken, ya don't fix it, but ESPN & WWE are both guilty of that. Then again, it could've been worse at the Masters.

Stephen A. Smith could've been in Miz's seat.

It's been a happy homecoming so far this week for former Mets utility ace Jeff McNeil.

Back in New York with the A's for series vs. the Yankees & Mets this week, McNeil went 4-8 with an RBI and a run scored as the A's took two of three from the Yanks. Tonight, McNeil returns to Citi Field for a series vs. his former team, for whom he played the first seven seasons of his career. Former Mets prospect JT Ginn gets the start for the A's.

Later this month, Liberty Mutual insurance is retiring the Safeco brand of personal insurance (i.e. homeowners, auto), as all of their insurance products will be under the Liberty Mutual umbrella. You might remember when Liberty Mutual sponsored outdoors programming in the 70's. I caution, however, when you visit the website, you might find mascots Limu Emu & Doug pictured on the site. The commercials are in heavy rotation, but do ya really need a reminder when online? Judge for yourself.

Sports this 'n' that

 Once again, Donald Trump is meddling where he doesn't belong.

This time, it's college sports, particularly football.

On April 3, Trump signed an executive order, directing the government to improve collegiate rules as it relates to eligibility, pay-for-play, and, most importantly, the transfer portal. At the same time, the oldest bully in America is threatening schools with loss of federal funding if they do not comply.

The order is set to take effect August 1, right before the start of football season. Included in the order:

Restoring the transfer system to its original model. Apparently, Trump, like a lot of fans, is sick of the transfer portal being used after football & basketball seasons.

"Five for five eligibility". Translated, athletes would have no more than 5 years to fulfill their eligibility requirements.

In other words, Trump wants to force the NCAA to go back to its outdated system. The current system, it seems, confuses Trump. Then again, he's easily confused for a man his age. Progress of any kind, whether it's in sports or in society, offends him.

Well, we've got two words for you, Dumb Donald.

Pound sand.

At the end of the week, the Mets will see an old friend in a visiting uniform for the first time this season.

Jeff McNeil is already in town with the Sacramento A's, as they're playing the Yankees before going across town to Citi Field on Friday. McNeil went 2-3 with a walk & a run scored in a 5-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are mourning the passing of one of their icons of the 70's.

Davey Lopes was part of the fabled Dodger infield during the 70's and early 80's. Lopes spent the last few years as a coach with the Dodgers & Washington before passing away Tuesday at 80.

Once the Dodgers get back from their road trip, if it hasn't happened already, they'll likely add a patch with Lopes' #15 to honor him.

I don't think it surprises anyone that CarShield's national ad campaign with former major leaguer and MLB Network analyst Eric Byrnes is turning off a lot of people, due to Byrnes' over the top delivery.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair, on his 2nd tour of duty with CarShield, appears at the end of a couple of the ads in a broadcast booth, headset and all. We prefer rapper-actor Ice T (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) over Byrnes any day of the week.

MLB teams are using either active players, like the Yankees' JC Escarra & Oswaldo Cabrera, or retired stars, like Howard Johnson, representing the Mets, in localized ads.

Baseball this 'n' that

 After the hype, such as that was, Netflix got caught flat-footed in their initial MLB broadcast Wednesday night.

The Yankees' Jose Caballero initiated the first regular season ABS ball-strike challenge, and lost. However, Netflix's attention was on first year San Francisco manager Tony Vitello, formerly of the university of Tennessee, and the cameras missed the challenge!!

Like, you can't predict live TV, but......!

Anyway, the Yanks spoiled Vitello's MLB debut with a 7-0 win. The series resumes tomorrow night.

Today, though, brought a number of firsts, all of them for rookies.

Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox hit his first American homer, but the game was already decided in the 9th inning, with Milwaukee blowing away Chicago, 14-2.

The Mets' Carson Benge put New York's home opener vs. Pittsburgh out of reach, or so we thought......

The Mets' Francisco Alvarez followed with a moonshot of his own, and the Mets had to sweat out the 9th inning to win their opener, 11-7.

Meanwhile, JJ Wederholt (St. Louis) & Joey Wiemer (Washington) also went deep in their debuts.

Back to the Mets, who knocked out reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes with a 5 run first inning. Skenes, presumably still feeling the effects of Team USA losing the World Baseball Classic a week ago, just didn't have it. No one saw this coming.

Yankees announcer Michael Kay was not a happy camper in San Francisco on Wednesday.

With the game on Netflix, thanks to MLB's new deal, meaning more greed for MLB, Kay was in the bleachers at Oracle Park, and will call Friday's Yankees-Giants game. He didn't like the idea of the game being on Netflix in the first place, and we'd guess because he wasn't asked to call the game. Salty much?

Sports this 'n' that

 The Mets welcomed back shortstop Francisco Lindor today, as he made his preseason debut vs. Toronto.

Lindor reached on an error, and scored in the midst of a 5 run 2nd inning, as the Mets thumped the AL champs, 8-1. The game was stopped after 6 innings due to rain.

There will be a new champion in the World Baseball Classic after Venezuela upended Japan Saturday night in Miami, 8-7. 

Atlanta's Ronald Acuna, Jr. opened the game with a solo home run off the Dodgers' Yoshinobi Yamamoto. In the bottom half of the 1st, Shohei Ohtani answered for Japan to tie the game. 

However, in the 6th, with Japan up, 5-2, going into the inning, Venezuela took back the lead, thanks to Boston's Wilyer Abreu, after trimming the lead to 5-4.

Venezuela will play Italy tomorrow night, while Team USA plays the Dominican Republic tonight, with the winners meeting on Tuesday to end the tournament.

An even worse downside for Japan was outfielder Seiya Suzuki going down with an injury after being thrown out trying to steal 2nd to end the 1st inning. That's the last thing the Cubs needed, but, if it's not serious, Suzuki should be ready for the Cubs' opener next week.

Chalk up another endorsement deal for Caitlin Clark.

The Indiana Fever star is appearing in a new Capital One ad with Charles Barkley & Samuel L. Jackson that will play from now until the end of the NCAA tournaments April 6-7. Barkley's also given the rub to the "Capital One Bank Guy", as has Jackson. Now, all we need is for the dude to be in an ad with Jennifer Garner......!

Most amusing ad of the week comes from WWE, which has LA Knight, Penta, & Stephanie Vaquer appearing in a commercial for TurboTax. Ms. Vaquer is from Chile, while Penta, of course, is from Mexico. I guess tax returns do come with work visas......!

With the NCAA's right around the corner, CBS' Ian Eagle & Bill Raftery are doing a spot for Spectrum Cable. Keep in mind, though, that this is a national ad, not a localized one.

MLB 2026 preview, part 1: The Mets

 In two weeks, it all begins for reals.

Now, it really isn't fair to take a look at any baseball forecasts with a week remaining in the World Baseball Classic, but it is time to begin looking ahead, and we'll start with the Mets.

After a 2nd half fade-out in 2025, GM David Stearns began overhauling the team. Popular utilityman Jeff McNeil was shipped off to Sacramento, and Brandon Nimmo was reunited with Jacob deGrom in Texas. Scott Boras Badenov leveraged Pete Alonso out of town, and the "Polar Bear" is sure to haunt the Mets when they meet Baltimore this season. Closer Edwin Diaz chased the money, and went back west to the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who just weren't satisfied that Roki Sasaki, as a temporary closer, was a key component to their World Series win over Toronto. They'd prefer Sasaki to be a starter, hence the need for someone like Diaz. Thus, "Narco", Diaz's theme song, will no longer play at Citi Field.

The Mets got bad news to start the pre-season when shortstop Francisco Lindor went down with a broken hand. However, it appears he is on track to return for the opener vs. Pittsburgh in 2 weeks. The Nimmo trade netted the Mets veteran infielder Marcus Semien, and Vidal Brujan, who finished last season in Atlanta, was brought in for infield insurance. The plan seems to be to find someone to play first until Ryan Clifford is major league ready, and while Mark Vientos has experience at the position, he's also rumored to be trade bait. The Mets signed Jorge Polanco (Seattle), and he's learning how to play first base, as he, like Vientos, is mostly a third baseman. Bo Bichette (Toronto) is being groomed at third, while Brett Baty will continue to shuttle between second & third.

In the outfield, the Mets picked up MJ Melendez (Kansas City) and Luis Robert, Jr. (Chicago White Sox). Robert will be the regular center fielder, with Juan Soto moving to left, where he'd played in Washington & San Diego, and Tyrone Taylor is likely platooning with Melendez in right. Behind the plate, the Mets are 4 deep at the moment, though non-roster invite Austin Barnes (Dodgers) makes it five deep, with returnees Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens, and Hayden Senger now joined by ex-Yankee Ben Rortvedt (Dodgers), who's been passed around waiver wires like a collection plate at church. Depending on how many catchers Carlos Mendoza wants to bring with him to Pittsburgh in 2 weeks, either Rortvedt or Barnes, or both, could be gone-ski, and Senger could start the season in Syracuse.

And, then, there's the pitching.

Clay Holmes & Nolan McLean are pitching for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. McLean was roughed up by Italy on Tuesday, after Holmes pitched three solid innings on Sunday. Stearns brought in a couple of old friends from Milwaukee in Freddy Peralta, who will be the opening day starter vs. the Pirates, and Tobias Myers, who will help the revamped bullpen. The Mets heisted two more pitchers from the Yankees in closer Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. 

The rotation figures to be Peralta, followed by any combination of Holmes, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, & McLean, provided McLean doesn't get sent to Syracuse. Christian Scott didn't pitch last year due to Tommy John surgery, and could wind up in the rotation.

After a lot of criticism, Eric Chavez was sacked as batting coach, so the Mets brought in Troy Snitker (Houston), son of former Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, with Jeff Albert as his assistant. How much of a difference that makes will remain to be seen in the long term.

While some of the bigger stars (i.e. Soto) are in the WBC, the minor leaguers are doing their part to help during Grapefruit League play. What that says is that the Mets will have plenty of depth to work with in case of injury. What I'm more concerned with is the mix & match infield. Will that work? I have my doubts.

Prediction: 2nd place again.

Sports this 'n' that

 It used to be that it was the Yankees that would scoop up as many free agents as possible in an effort "buy" themselves another World Series under the late George Steinbrenner.

Now, however, it is the Los Angeles Dodgers and their current ownership group, which includes NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who are trying to corner the free agent market.

Earlier this week, there'd been reports that outfielder Kyle Tucker would return to the American League, this time with Toronto, or stay in the National League, albeit with the Mets. Nope. On both counts.

Instead, it was the Dodgers who gave Tucker a deal, with opt outs after years 2 and 3. Yeah, that smells like Scott Boras Badenov, the king of the opt-outs, did it again. 

As a consolation prize, the Mets signed 2nd generation player Bo Bichette (Toronto) to a 3 year deal on Friday. A shortstop by trade, Bichette will instead play 3rd base, which would signal that Mark Vientos is the likely heir to Pete Alonso at 1st, with Alonso now in Baltimore, thanks for Boras. The deal also leaves Ronny Mauricio & Brett Baty without positions, other than DH, and likely, trade bait. Remember, the Mets' signing of Marcus Semien (Texas) made Jeff McNeil expendable, and while Baty has played some second base, he's still not polished enough to warrant a starting spot.

With the exception of Vientos, at least the Mets can boast an all-star infield (Bichette, Semien, Francisco Lindor) this season.

While it's winter here in the US, it's summer in Australia. As the Australian Open begins play this week, an unexpected hero emerged, but not for her play on the court.

Qualifier Zeynep Sonmoz of Turkey was in her first round match vs. 11th seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the latter about to serve, when Sonmoz noticed on of the ball kids had collapsed. She called time, and, aided by the ball judge and other officials, helped the lad to the side of the court, where they collapsed again, due likely to the heat.

If tennis doesn't pan out, she could be a nurse.

Sonmoz ended up winning the match, upsetting Alexandrova.

Saturday's AFC divisonal playoff between Buffalo & Denver went to overtime before the Broncos, the top seed, defeated the Bills, 33-30.

However, that wasn't the headline this morning.

On one side, the Broncos lost starting QB Bo Nix for the season due to a broken ankle. On the other, Bills fans were complaining about their team getting screwed late when Denver's Ja'Quan McMillian intercepted Josh Allen. Or did he?

At the very least, it could've been ruled a contested catch, which, by rule, would favor the offense. Not so in this case, as McMillian literally picked the receiver's pocket after a tackle. Yes, you can say the refs botched it, which is nothing unusual, but to read of CBS' Gene Steratore declaring that, yes, it was a pick, will have conspiracy theorists crying foul.

The winner of today's game between New England and Houston almost certainly will advance to the Big Game in three weeks, with ex-Patriot Jarret Stidham at QB for Denver.

Around here, the Tri-City Valleycats will employ a junior PA announcer for an inning during each game.

The NHL's Buffalo Sabres took it a step further on Saturday during a matinee vs. Minnesota.

A Kids' Day promotion enabled pre-teens to handle PA announcements, including goals & penalties, during the 2nd period of a game that the Wild ultimately won, 5-4, in overtime.

Would that other teams would follow the example, and, well, maybe they will.......

Sports this 'n' that

 An era ended in WWE Saturday night, as John Cena, after 23 years on the main roster, retired following a loss to former World & Intercontinental Champion Gunther (Walter Stark). Fans were upset because it appeared as though Cena had smiled a little before tapping out.

Earlier in the night, a jealous Miz disrupted the proceedings, upset that he wasn't scheduled to appear on Saturday Night's Main Event, so he hijacked the show for a few minutes. Ignorant of the fact his main event win over Cena 14 years ago was tainted, Miz demanded respect.

R-Truth and a special guest had other ideas......

Yeah, Miz acts like Daffy Duck, who also never got a standing ovation. At least we know who Joe Hendry, newly signed with WWE, will feud with once he's officially on the main roster around the Royal Rumble......!

Across the Potomac in Baltimore, site of this year's Army-Navy game, president Trump was brought out for the ceremonial coin toss. Suffice to say, it didn't go well........

One reporter opined that Trump looked like a space alien who didn't know what he was doing. Reminds me of this guy.......

Flipping a coin ain't the same as tossing an egg, but, well, Mork was the first one I thought of.

Trump's poor attempt at a coin flip was, ultimately, the kiss of death for Army, as Navy escaped with a 17-16 victory, achieving back-to-back 10 win seasons.

In New York, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the 1st Hoosier to win the prestigious award. ESPN moved the ceremony up to 7 pm (ET), in addition to being simulcast on ABC.

Mets fans are even saltier this weekend after first baseman and 2-time Home Run Derby champ Pete Alonso signed with Baltimore. 5 years, $155 million, absent the commission for his parasitic leech, Scott Boras Badenov. Just days after closer Edwin Diaz fled west to the Dodgers, another piece of the Mets' 2024 NLCS team has been removed. Signing infielder Jorge Polanco (Seattle) ain't going to salve the wounds right away, but it does indicate that the team plans to move Mark Vientos across the diamond to play first base to replace Alonso. Many fans on reddit have turned on owner Steve Cohen and GM David Stearns for letting Diaz, Alonso, & Brandon Nimmo leave in the last month. Boras represents Nimmo & Alonso, while Diaz is repped by another, lesser known agency.

The Rangers celebrated their 100th anniversary Saturday at Madison Square Garden, honoring some 2 dozen former players in a pre-game ceremony hosted by former announcer Sam Rosen. Then, the current team rallied from a 3 goal deficit in the first period to beat Montreal in overtime, 5-4. Current color analyst Dave Maloney was on the ice for the ceremony, then called the game with Kenny Albert. For Ranger fans, Christmas came early.

Sports this 'n' that

 Is there a changing of the guard in the NFL?

Last season's Super Bowl teams, Kansas City & Philadelphia, are reeling.

The Chiefs' loss to Houston Sunday night ensures there'll be a new division champion in the AFC West, as Kansas City slips back below .500 at 6-7 with the loss on national television.

Philadelphia, the defending champions, have lost three straight, as the Los Angeles Chargers defeated them in overtime on Monday. Even though Dallas lost on Thursday, they're the only team with a realistic chance of catching the Eagles in the NFC East.

In the AFC East, Mike Vrabel has succeeded where former teammate Jerod Mayo failed last year, bringing the New England Patriots back into a position to win the division title.

Assuming Denver wins the West, everything old will be new again in the AFC. Cycles, you know?

"Narco", Edwin Diaz's theme, won't be blaring out of the loudspeakers at Citi Field anymore.

Diaz signed a 3 year deal with the World champion Los Angeles Dodgers earlier today at the winter meetings after an on-again, off-again run in New York. 

File photo courtesy Yahoo!.

This makes the signing of Devin Williams away from the crosstown Yankees last week even more daunting. Williams was even more erratic than Diaz last season, so the Mets will need bullpen insurance in case he gets off to a bad start as he did in the Bronx.

As for Diaz, Mets fans have turned on him on reddit already. The fickle ones always do. You'd think that after being a lights out closer during the post-season, Roki Sasaki would've been set as the Dodger closer next season, but team management still sees him as a starter. I don't need to watch MLB Network or ESPN to learn that. As more & more fans resent the Dodgers because of their ability to sign Japanese players (i.e. Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani), and the deep pockets of team management, it's easy to assume that the Dodgers could be in position to three-peat.

But, there's a caveat emptor with Diaz. He's blown his share of games during tenures in Seattle & New York. Devin Williams is not the answer for the Mets. He's just a band-aid 'til David Stearns can find someone else to complement Williams.

Sports this 'n' that

 This season, Jersey Mike's subs hired former Giants QB Eli Manning to do a series of commercials with their primary pitchman, Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), where the paranoid DeVito thinks Eli's been hired to take his job. Shouldn't worry, though, as Eli has the personality of dead wood, which is why Toyota dumped him and his X-Men wannabe ad campaign a few years back.

While the ads are getting sillier and sillier, and DeVito is channeling his Taxi character of Louie DiPalma, DeVito was invited to join Eli and brother Peyton on ESPN2 last night during Monday Night Football, as the Giants took another loss, this time to New England. Now, we'll see if either Manning shows up on Sunny at some point.

TNA Wrestling is leaving corporate sibling AXS TV (both owned by Anthem) in January, and moving to, of all places, AMC.

The change takes effect January 15 with a live show in Dallas that will also stream on AMC+. One clout chasing "reporter" falsely claimed that the shift in networks also spells the end of the talent sharing with WWE's NXT division, but TNA president Carlos Silva said that's not true.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio earlier today, Silva affirmed that the WWE-TNA agreement remains in place into 2026. They initiated a new invasion storyline last month at Bound For Glory and on Impact the night prior, and there's no way that arc dies stillborn.

First, it was Juan Soto & Clay Holmes. Now, it's Devin Williams.

Williams, the erratic closer, left the Yankees after 1 season, like Soto, and signed a 3 year deal with the Mets on Monday. Reports say Williams is open to being a set-up man, assuming the Mets can convince Edwin Diaz to stay in Flushing, after another erratic reliever, Ryan Helsley, signed with Baltimore over the weekend.

Stay tuned.