This Week on the Blog

Okay, the Yanks will play a single elimination Wild Card Game on Tuesday, the Giants face a win or die game tomorrow, the Rangers start their regular season and the Knicks will start their pre-season games.  Big enough week for you?

Yanks: The Yanks must beat the Twins Tuesday behind Luis Severino.  Severino is an absolute ACE, but the Twins jumped on him early two starts ago.  That said, Boston jumped on him once.  But just once.  I think he will be hard to beat on Tuesday, and it will be all hands on deck.  The Yanks will be facing Ervin Santana and his poor ERA, and one thing this Yankee team have been a little allergic to this year has been mediocre pitching.  But it's a new season and they are ahead of schedule, let's go on a magic run.

Giants: The Giants got reffed last week, and a rule was misapplied to deny them of victory.  That said, they still must win tomorrow and in the second half of last week's game, they showed us why they might finally be ready to.  Only three teams that started 0-3 have made the playoffs, but they're pretty recent.  And like the 4 minute mile, once one person did it, it will be done repeatedly.  So why not the Giants?  Getting Goodson back tomorrow.

Rangers: the Rangers start their real games Thursday and it will be interesting to see how AV deploys Buch and Fil.  He's always had ridiculous standards for kids while allowing vets all the leeway in the world to screw up.  So best of luck to the whole team, but especially the kids.

Knicks: the Knicks will start playing preseason games this week but might be without KP who has a knee bruise.  It should give us the first chance to see Frank, who missed summer league with a knee bruise.  Euros and their knees.  Btw, I just realized both Frank and the Rangers' Sean Day were born in Belgium.  What are the odds?

Big week coming right up, and I pray it's a great week for all of us!

Yanks Losing Denbo to Jeter

You always hurt the ones you love.  And we're seeing it again today, as Gary Denbo will leave the Yankee organization  to become the new GM of the Florida Marlins.  This is a tough loss for the Yanks.  Denbo, who was going to need a new deal, anyway, had taken over the key spot when the Yanks reshaped their minor league development works a few years ago. At the time, Denbo, who had a been a batting guru, minor league manager, and I believe a scout, was a surprising choice.  But he's done a great job with lots of things, including the annual Captain's Camp that he got his pal Jeter involved in a few years ago.  I begrudgingly wish him well.  Having said all of that, the Yanks system hasn't rebounded because of one man, and the Yanks currently employ a bunch of talented execs, so they shouldn't have to look too far for Denbo's replacement.  It will be interesting to see if they do choose from their own exec/coaching/scout ranks, and if they do, might they take one of their younger candidates.  We'll see. And we better hope Denbo does not start hiring everyone to come with him.

Rangers Stuff

In cutting down, the Rangers loaned Lias Andersson back to Frolunda in Sweden and and so far they are keeping Filip Chytil, who was playing #2 C in practice today.  Seems like the Rangers were expecting it to work out the other way around when they took Lias at 7 and Chyti with their natural pick. It's early and I'm hoping it's not a Jagielo/Judge thing, but it does seem like they took a flyer on upside, like the Yanks did with Judge, and it could be ready to pay off.  Buch was skating with the 1's.  DeAngelo was third pair with Staal.

Yanks Will Host the Wild Card Game

Jordan Mongomery pitched the Yanks to the homefield advantage in the wild card, with a massive assist by a phenomenal, grand-slam denying catch by Aaron Hicks, where he managed not to re-injure himself.  He also walked there times as leadoff hitter and set the tone for the whole night.  That's what we love to see from him.  David Roberston has been deadly again as a Yankee, which is the only thing he was meant to be.  Castro, meanwhile, who will always be streaky because he never learned the strikezone, might be heating up again, and we'll take it.  Clint Frazier, who, at 22, is still too much of a guess hitter probably won't make the post season roster, but should take this time to commit to learning the strikezone.  He doesn't need to be 27 and K'ing on pitches in the opposite batter's box. Sanchez needs to tighten that up, too, but he will because he wants to be great.   Big win.

Knicks Open Camp

Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson are all gone.  So, no ball hogs and no ideological pressure to execute an offense that the ball hogs were unwilling to execute.  The ball is finally in Coach Jeff Hornacek's court. And now, he will rise or fall over what he can do as a coach, because last year he seemed like just some guy. Of course when the Knicks hired him, Horny was about to join the Golden State Warriors as a key assistant, so maybe there is some there there as a coach.  We haven't seen it, but in Arizona,  Hornacek was credited with running a D'Antoni-lite ball movement, quick shot, O with a heavy dose of transition. He talks a good D, but we didn't see it last year. Though, basketball defense is best when everyone plays it, and the Knicks had a couple of guys who wouldn't.

Right now, the Knicks do have a bunch of guys who can shoot and score, so that part could really improve, even though they just traded an historically significant scorer.  It'll be interesting to see what kind of run Frank Ntilikina can get in his rookie year.  He is a guy who can sting it as well as being an eager defender with freakishly long arms.  And this is a chance to start teaching the rest of them some defensive principles.  I think they'll have to play zone like a box and one with the current roster.

Now about that roster.  They currently have too many 4/5's, and too many 2's and 3's, not to mention one too many old PG's.  So moves are coming.  We'll have to see what they bring.

50!!!!!

Aaron Judge hates suspense.  Speculation that he would tie or surpass Mark McGwire's rookie record started to rise once he hit 45.  He woke up yesterday with 46, and now has 50.  Not  only is he the new record holder, but he's just one of a trio of young sluggers.  In fact, today was the first time that Judge, Sanchez and Greg Bird have all homered in a single game.  I said before the season that that trio would break 100.  And that was before Gary missed a month, and Bird missed more than two months.  But the homegrown trio of Judge, Sanchez and Brett Gardner have combined for more than 100 homers and still have some games to play. But what we've seen this year from Judge is so incredible, that it's overshadowed the historic start to El Gary's career.  Let's hope these three "baby bombers" continue to bring it throughout the postseason.  Wow!

Yanks Clinch a Wild Card!

The Yanks are officially ahead of schedule.  Greg Bird slugged a 3 run jack, and that was pretty much that, though the Yanks added two more runs late.  Sonny Gray gave up a jack, but precious little else in his 6 inning start.  Then it was Green, DRob and Chapman and that was that.  They could not have done it without Judge, Sanchez, Severino and the other kids.  And that what's made them so fun to watch so often this season.  And they're only going to get better.  But what the hell?  Let's win it this year and start the new Dynasty, now.

The Kristaps Porzingis Era is Here

With the trade of Melo to OKC, the Knicks have fully commited to a KP era. And this will be a breath of fresh air at the Garden.  Not only is KP the best player on the team, who still has massive upside, but he is coachable.  That fact alone will make anyone who wants to stay a Knick, coachable. That wasn't the case when it was Melo's or Starbury's team.  Last year, when Kristaps tried to take more leadership and spoke up for the Triangle, Melo dressed him down.   That's no way to lead. It's also good that Willy Hernangomez will be his sergeant at arms, and Jarret Jack will be his locker room consigliere.

I think both Courtney Lee and KOQ could still be on the move in the next few days, so we could get a better look at what KP''s first team will look like when that dust clears.

Knicks Trade Melo to OKC

Scott Perry has done the impossible.  He got Carmelo Anthony off the Knicks!  Not that Melo is not a great player and a sure fire Hall of Famer, but it just never worked, the parts he needed were traded for him, and we were screwed.  Okay, so the Knicks get back Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and the Bulls' second round pick.  Kanter gives us a third big Euro, while McDermott gives us another three for a mix with Kuz.  Both players are just 25.  The Knicks have their firsts going forward but were short of seconds and now they have one.

I think there could be another trade or two the pare down the roster over this weekend, but the impossible has been done!

This Week on the Blog

Alright, Yanks didn't get it done last night, but their magic number is now 1 and they will get it done. The Giants are a disaster.  The Knicks might make some trades and the Rangers have ringers.  So let's see what we can expect from this week.

Knicks: The Knicks will probably trade Carmelo Anthony to OKC, Houston or Cleveland as those seem to be the confirmed memebers of the list, with Portland no longer being mentioned.  I happen to believe that they are only holding onto Courtney Lee in the event that they needed him in a Melo trade. If they don't, expect him to be traded elsewhere, because they just have too many 2's, and it makes no sense to have THjr and Lee making good money at that position, especially with Damyeon Dotson looking so promising.  We'll see.

Yanks:  The Yanks can clinch any day now and the only interest left before the play-in game, is what numbers Judge, Sanchez and Severino will end up with.  I'd like to see Judge finish at over 1.000 OPS,  Sanchez over .900 and Severino with an ERA back under 3. But health is the most importatnt thing, and the Yanks will need all three of them and Bird to make any noise in the post season.

Giants: the Giants are disgrace.  We've spent years focusing on the OL around here, and the Giants have still not fixed it.  Thus, they can't run their O. The D can only do so much if they are getting over exposed every game.  Also, there's no excuse for celebration penalties, kicking out of bounds and giving up big returns on specials.  If you can't play specials, the next stop should be arena ball.

Rangers: The Rangers are going to have to make some tough decisions as camp and the preseason roll on.  Three young players: Chytil, Andersson, and Pionk have been the best players on the team so far.  It will be interesting to see if they are allowed to win spots, or whether we have to wait another year for them. I still don't think this is the right coach for a team with so much young talent.

So there we have it.  The Knicks might finally free themselves, the Yanks will punch their ticket, the less we think about the Giants, the better, and the Rangers have great options.  Have a great week.

Breaking: Carmelo Anthony Has Expanded His List

In what is definitely a stroke of great fortune for Knicks fans, but really be a show of solid skill from the new management team, Woj is reporting that Melo has expanded his list and one of the new teams is Cleveland.  For the past day and a half, it was rumored the Melo would accept a trade to Portland if nothing could be worked out with Houston, now it looks like there is at least one more acceptable team or maybe a few.  We'll see.

The Rangers Have Two Ringers

Holy smokes, is Filip Chytil good at hockey.  By now you must know this kid, who just turned 18 a couple of weeks ago, scored the game winning goal for the Rangers in OT last night.  That made sense because he had been the been the best player on the ice last night.  Lias Andersson was probably the second best, though Kreider, Zucc, and Shattenkirk were also really good.  Shatty had three assists. Anyway, our scouts did not lose anything during those years where they had no first round picks, and once no second round picks, either.  Anyway, while enjoying his OT goal, I could not help but wonder what AV will do with him. He made Buch sit most nights last year and banished the Duke. So as good as Chytil and Andersson seem to be at hockey, there's no guarantee we'll see much of them this year. So savor these preseason games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUGJAT5UDxQ

This Week on the Blog

Alright, the Yanks are starting to play a bit better, the Giants disgraced themselves, the Rangers have started camp, and the Knicks must be getting close to starting their camp.  Let's take a look.

Yankees: Scranton lost last night, so now all of the Yankee minor leaguers are done.  The Yanks have re-called Holder and Miguel Andujar. Miguel's doesn't walk, but must have a hip BABIP, and has been raking since he went back down last time.  He has the kind of bat that can elevate the offense.  Let's hope he gets to play some. All of Judge, Sanchez and Bird are showing signs of life and Sevy has become an ace.  If the Yanks can hit for Gray, keep hitting for Tanaka and get good CC, they will be a very tough out, but it's a bit of a tall order.

Giants: The Giants don't play game 2 till MNF.  To make matters worse, they are honoring the SB 42 winners at halftime, and I can't remember them ever winning a game where they've honored someone. Looks like Odell might play, and that could help, but they still need to find ways to be productive even with the bad line.  Fassel could do it.

Rangers: The Rangers have started camp - almost undercover.  And they play their first preseason game on Monday.  The big questions are around who the C's will be, will Lias Andersson make the team?  Will any of the other kids?  And who will be the defensive pairings.  We'll see if anyone else, like Sean Day pops up.

Knicks: the Knicks, almost inexplicably, signed the remains of  Jarret Jack.  They now have all together too many ones and twos and still haven't traded Melo or Courtney Lee. Some of the pundits were saying this could drat on into camp and now it looks like it's going to.

So, there it is.  Yanks and Giants on the front burner and needing wins, and the Rangers starting back.  Knicks still hard to read.

Be well!

History is Made Some Nights

Tonight Gary Sanchez hit his 31st homerun, setting a new Yankee record for single season homers by a Yankee Catcher. That's a big deal, considering the list of great Yankee catchers includes, Dickey, Berra, Howard, Munson and Posada (with a few homering Nokes and Stanley seasons wrapped in, hell Cliff Johnson had crazy power) So it was a very big deal, and it's his first whole season, minus a month for injury and 3 days for punching.  If he gains more walks, he could be the greatest C ever, or at least in the conversation.

Meanwhile Judge with his two bombs, joined more lists of guys that only include Ruth, Gehrigh, Mantle and DiMaggio - in other words the non-catching greats.

And Tanaka was much better. Oh and though Trenton was eliminated, Florial got his first AA hit.

This Week on the Blog

Alright, nutty week for the Yanks, full of highs and lows and ending with another Severino Gem.  Giants will play their firs tomorrow, and the Ranger kids have already played two at Traverse City.  Oh, and Melo is still a Knick. Let's see what this week can offer.

Giants: The Giants have the makings of a great season - if - and only if - they can get the offense back to 2015 levels or greater.  Theyhave a great D and will need to be able to run and possess the ball to keep that D fresh.  And we don't yet know if the Giants will have their #1 weapon tomorrow.  OBJ looks like a game time decision, but unlike last year, the Giants have Brandon Marshall, Evan Engram and a year two Sterling Shepard to rely on if he can't go.  Also, the backs can catch.  As can the other three TE's. So the Giants should be okay passing it as long as the OL can keep Eli upright.  And of course the Cowboys get to play their girlfriend beater, because...????  Sickening,

Yanks: Tyler Austin had a big hit today, and Luis Severino continued to dazzle.  The Yanks need a bit more for Judge, Sanchez and Bird if they have any dreams about this season.  That said, it's probably too much to put on the young guys, especially, when they have a manager who is challenged by the  art of proper pitcher deployment.

Also, they did finally sign Ronny Rojas today, which adds another potential high upside switch-hitting SS to the mix.

Rangers: The Ranger Kids blew a two goal lead last night and were down 1-0 late today.  So they realy are future Rangers. But it is good to get them some experience, and camp should open rigtht after this tourney.  Still no trade for a C.

Knicks: Krisptaps is hanging 27 or 28 against every country he plays.  Meanwhile, Melo still hasn't been trade and their camp isn't too far off.  Do they really want Melo at camp?  We'll see.

Go Giants, and have a great week everyone!

Sadness in Yankeeland

Woke to the news that Gene Michael had died and I've been processing it all day, even during the big Yankee win in Baltimore.  Do you realize that Aaron Judge has already scored 104 runs? I think that's been lost during his long slump, but that's a big number for a non-leadoff guy on September 7th.  But of course the bigger issue is Stick.  The Yanks lost one of their three greatest front office guys, three greatest scouts and three greatest GM's, today, and they were all Gene Michael.

I think a lot of people consider Michael "the brain behind the brains" and that may of may not be pretty accurate. He was Cashman's trusted mentor, and also the guy who picked Cash as his longterm successor over Brian Sabean when he was first ducking out of the Boss's direct line of fire.  He also elevated Buck Showalter to manager, and protected Bernie and the other's upon the Boss's return from suspension.

When I was little, he was the shortstop.  And he was everything since.  Today, the Yanks have lost a big part of their history and their longterm competitive advantage.  Just a brilliant guy, whose work benefitted all of us.

Florial Promoted to AA

After Tampa was eliminated tonight, 19 year old CF Estevan Florial was promoted to Trenton where they are still competing in the playoffs.  I believe Florial homered in his last at bat, after thoroughly taming High A during the second half of the regular season.  Finish at AA, and probably starting there next year gets him very close, and also makes him a three level guy this year and many of the best players have been able to do that in their minor league careers.  He's just done it himself, even if it's just for a cameo on the playoffs.

Red Sox Cheat

During this past series, I though it looked like the Red Sox were getting catcher postions to their hitters. Turns out it was a little worse.  An MLB investigation has shown that the were using an Apple Watch to steal signs for the Yanks and other teams. This could be pretty huge.  They've always been thought to be stealing signs from their scoreboard in Fenway, but now they've taken that show on the road. It will be interesting to see what, if any, the consequences are.

This Week on the Blog

This past week showed us again why the Yanks should have kept their powder dry at the deadline, it also showed some Giants progress, the Rangers naming their roster for Traverse City, and KP with a spectacular performance for Latvia in the FIBA Worlds.  Bad but not awful.  Let's hope this week is better.

Giants:  The Giants are making their cumpulsory cuts to 53 today, and they already cut camp standout, Tyler Rudolph. There shouldn't be too many more surprises, though they could grab someone or ones off of waivers, as well as pursue a trade or two. Tomorrow, they can start putting together their first practice squad. We'll see how fluid things are over the next few days.

Yanks: The Yanks continually forget how to hit, and now they have a power outage that is seeing other teams hit homers in the friendly confines but not the Yanks.  Garcia was a mistake. Gray was a clock thing and they have him for awhile, but he's shown himself to be a David Cone type guy, where you wonder how he can be so unhittable in one moment and so careless in the next,  he's got become that conisistent ace or ace-lite he can be when he's right.

Knicks: KP had 27 and 6 last night, with two big putbacks, one of which has scorched the internet this morning. Willy and Kuz also have games coming up. And they still haven't moved Melo, who's been working out in NYC with Frank and THjr. So there they are.  Horny, who may have been the source of KP's early bail out last year, is supposed to go over to watch him soon.  We'll see if that happens. This is a situation that could get nasty, and you know the FO loves David Blatt.

Rangers: The Rangers still haven't added a C, but their motoring along as they always do.  Travers is a week or two away, and then camp.  I'm a little surprised we didn't see more turnover, but this could still be, very much a transition year.

So there it is,  Giants are forming, Yanks are collapsing, KP is good, and the Rangers are fine. Have a great week!