Good morning, all and happy Tuesday!

It is a busy week in sports coming up. So why is the NFL the dominant subject? I break it down in the above video/podcast.

Here’s my five cents worth on some other subjects:

* The Athletic has a superb story about the splitter, the pitch of the 1980s that is making a comeback. The piece - behind a paywall - also explains why very few left handed pitchers throw the splitter. I can speak from first hand experience that more pitchers in the minor leagues are now throwing the splitter. Who can blame them? It is a nasty pitch that baffles the hitter, as the pitch dives at the last instant, just as it reaches the plate.

* The Preakness Stakes will be this Saturday, and as previously announced, Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not compete. There has been talk the Preakness should be held three weeks after the Derby and not two. This is a good idea. More and more, Kentucky Derby winners are not racing in the Preakness because it is so soon after the Derby. I’m in favor of a three-week interval to increase the chances of having a Triple Crown winner. Here’s hoping it happens.

* There was always the prevailing thought one of the reasons Joe Girardi was let go as Yankees manager after the 2017 season, was he looked as if he was about to have a root canal, when dealing with the media. That is a no-no in media-centric New York. So why is he so good as an analyst on Yankees telecasts? It amazes me the number of athletes, managers, etc. - Yes, Michael Strahan, I’m looking at you too - who want nothing to do with the media, until they come over to the other side and collect big money as members of the media. It’s the world in which we live, I guess.

* It would not surprise me if the New York Yankees engineer a trade for a closer and a catcher. David Begnar is not the answer, when the game is on the line, and defensively, catcher Austin Wells is suspect, while his offense has disappeared faster than someone avoiding a bill collector.

* It’s not hyperbole to say this week’s four-game series in Los Angeles between the rival Giants and Dodgers is huge for San Francisco. If the Dodgers sweep or take three-of-four, the Giants could blow the entire thing up early and start trading away what stars they have. Stay tuned.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. I have a week of baseball broadcasts coming up, so I may not be as consistant with the newsletter this week. I will try to pump out as much content as time permits. Thank you for your understanding and for being a subscriber!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Friday!

We have become used to walk-up songs for baseball players, whether you are talking at major league or minor league games. When did this practice start? I give my guess in the video/podcast. Here is the link to that May 8, 1966 game:

Here’s my five cents worth - remember pennies are going away - on some other topics:

* You knew it was going to happen. The powers-that-be have rendered their decision and to no one’s surprise they are expanding the field for March Madness for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, starting this upcoming season. Why? Well, as we speculated, it’s money, namely $50 million. Cha-Ching!

* The hits keep coming for the floundering Red Sox. Roman Anthony, built up as the second Ted Williams by the fawning Boston sports media, is going on the IL with a wrist injury. Anthony is off to a horrible start, just like his team, who lost the first game of an important four-game series at Fenway last night, 8-4, to the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays.

* Poor Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees, who seemed to be hitting his stride. He was placed on the IL yesterday with a sprained shoulder, after slamming into the fence in left field at Yankee Stadium, making a spectacular catch. He had to be carted off the field. Manager Aaron Boone admitted Dominguez could be on the IL for a while

* This is why I always say things will work out. Yankees fans have been screaming for left hand hitting power hitter Spencer Jones to be called up. Now they will get their wish. Jones was promoted to the big team yesterday. He is a left hand hitting Aaron Judge, who Jones told me, when he played against the Hartford Yard Goats the last two seasons, has had a big influence on him, during spring training.

* Making schedules is not the easiest thing in the world, even with computers. That stated, could someone please tell me how MLB could permit a schedule that has both the Yankees and Mets on the road, during a May weekend? Neither New York club is home this Mother’s Day weekend. The Yankees are at Milwaukee and the Mets at Arizona. That makes no sense.

* I’m beginning to think Mike Vrabel might not be the coach of the New England Patriots, come the kick-off to the 2026 NFL season.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and enjoy your Friday!

DAN

Good morning, all! Happy Thursday!

This might be the weirdest I have ever seen the MLB standings at this stage of the season. I explain in the video/podcast and also look into the possibility the Yankees might entertain trade talk for Anthony Volpe.

Here are some other thoughts on this first Thursday in May:

* Current New York Yankees fans believe their favorite team always plays in the postseason, in a clean, beautiful stadium and never has a losing record. Such was not the case on this date sixty years ago. The once, proud Yankees, whose home games were being played in a dilapidated Yankee Stadium, fired manager Johnny Keane on May 7, 1966 and replaced him with GM Ralph Houk, who had managed the Yankees to three straight pennants and two World Series championships from 1961-63. The night before, New York lost to the California Angels, 7-4, tumbling into last place with a 4-16 record. The once mighty Yankees had become baseball’s laughingstock. When the Yankees won that night’s game, Cardinals announcer Harry Caray turned to his partner Jack Buck and stated: “The Yankees won today,” to which the witty Buck replied, “Break up the Yankees!”

* Ratings for the NBA and NHL playoffs are up. In some cases they are way up. Could it be the lousy weather in the northeast and midwest has kept people inside? Could it be the country’s appetite for live programming? Could it be the gambling now permitted on these sports? Who cares? The ratings are up. Period. What we can learn from this, however, is other than diehard fans, people start paying attention to sports - other than the NFL - when the playoffs start. The games are intense, there is no tanking and everything is on the line. We have become a nation where the regular season is relegated to second tier status.

* Disney, the parent company of ESPN, states it has not moved to engage the NFL in reopening negotiations for a new TV contract. Even though its current deals with the TV networks do not expire until later in the decade, the NFL believes its product has become so popular it undersold the rights to its last contract and wants to renegotiate. Disney is claiming, despite increased revenue for ESPN, its sports profits have slipped. Remember, when the NFL succeeds in getting the networks to pony up more money, and it will, those costs will be passed along to us.

* Do not look now, but in beating the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays yesterday, 3-0, the Tampa Bay Rays completed their fifth series sweep of the young season and improved to 24-12. They play the Red Sox tonight in the start of a four-game series at Fenway Park.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you so much for being a subscriber!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Saturday!

The floundering New York Mets made it be known yesterday Carlos Mendoza is their manager, like it or not. Without saying so directly, the Mets essentially admitted the problems of their sub .500 team go well beyond the manager.

When Mendoza and the Mets got on the plane to Anaheim on Thursday, following yet another series loss, this time to the Washington Nationals, it got me to thinking what happened to the manager of another New York team 60 years ago, almost to the day. In 1966, the last place New York Yankees were heading to Anaheim and like the Mets were visiting the Angels. Their manager, Johnny Keane, who two years earlier had managed the St. Louis Cardinals to a seven-game World Series win over the storied Yankees, was also sitting in the lead seat. But things changed. I detail it in the above video and audio commentary.

Here are some other Saturday thoughts:

* The Philadelphia 76ers have entered 18 previous Game Sevens, after trailing in a series 3-1, and lost all of them. Trailing the Boston Celtics, 3-1, in this year’s NBA first round playoff series, the Sixers have rallied to win the last two games, setting up today’s Game 7 in Boston. The Celtics are stellar in seventh games, although they did lose a seventh game to Miami three years ago. Boston is a 7.5 point favorite and if they make their three-point shots, they will advance to play the New York Knicks in the second round. That said, watch out for Philly’s Joel Embiid.

* Do not underestimate Amazon’s latest move, securing three Duke basketball games next season for its PRIME sports package. I guarantee you the all sports networks didn’t underestimate this latest sports move by Amazon.

* Enjoy the Kentucky Derby today. The weather looks to be perfect for the race.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber! It means so much!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Monday!

The baseball universe is still trying to process the firing of Alex Cora as Red Sox manager, along with five of his coaches. With several other big league clubs floundering, will one of them reach out to hire Cora? I explore it all in the video and audio commentary.

Here are some other thoughts on what could be a manic Monday in the baseball universe:

* If Carlos Mendoza is still the Mets manager on Tuesday, when the Mets host the Washington Nationals, I will be surprised. It may not be Mendoza’s fault, but the manager always takes the fall. Just ask Alex Cora.

* With today an off day for the Mets, expect changes. There is no way owner Steve Cohen will allow the status quo. The Mets were just embarrassed by the Rockies this weekend, swept a three-game series, including dropping a doubleheader yesterday, at a near-empty Citi Field. The boos reverberated throughout the ballpark, as the Mets managed just one run in two games. Cohen cannot permit this to continue. I would not be surprised, if David Stearns, president of the Mets baseball operations, also is put on notice by his boss. Heck, he might also get fired.

* There could be several scenarios here. Maybe Mendoza stays and Stearns is shown the door. Maybe both go. But I do not see both of them still on the job come Tuesday.

* There have been rumblings that Carlos Beltran will replace Mendoza. Perhaps. Remember, the Mets hired him as manager, only to cut him loose, when he was connected to the cheating scandal in Houston. But I do not see the Mets going to someone who has never managed before, as their next manager, even though Beltran will be inducted in the Hall of Fame this summer.

* Enter Cora. I would be surprised if Cora is named Mets manager on Tuesday. My guess is he is still trying to process Saturday’s events. If the Mets ax Mendoza, perhaps they name an interim, while Cohen works out a deal with Cora. I do not see Mendoza lasting much longer. Watching his postgame news conference, after the doubleheader sweep yesterday, was revealing. His body language spoke volumes. Expect a change.

* I get the idea, watching Juan Soto in his postgame news conference, that he wishes he was crosstown with that other baseball team. Just sayin.’

* Some other numbers on which to chew. The Mets have lost 15 of 17 games, been shutout five times, including the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader, and have scored two runs or less in 14 of their 28 games.

* As of this writing, the Mets have the second highest payroll in baseball and the Phillies the fourth highest. They have the worst records in baseball at 9-19, tied for last place in the NL Eastern Division, 10.5 games behind Atlanta. Change is coming.

* By the way, give credit to the Rockies. This club has turned it around and I am not surprised. I saw a lot of these players, when they were with the Hartford Yard Goats. That Chase Dollander had the Mets eating out of his hands yesterday is not a shock. The guy can pitch. That Zach Agnos slammed the door in the ninth is also not a surprise. He has that closer’s mentality. Colorado is an improved club.

* These Red Sox players, who are peeved that Alex Cora was fired and shocked at the timing of his dismissal? And some of them upset that ownership didn’t consult them first? Get real.

* While Citi Field was more than half empty for the Mets Sunday doubleheader, Yankee Stadium was going Bananas over a certain NFL QB:

* Yankees fans have their issues with manager Aaron Boone, but I have always found him to be a class act. Yesterday, without revealing what was talked about, Boone admitted he had a long conversation in the morning with Cora. Despite being rivals on the ball field, the two have remained close friends, dating back to when they both worked as broadcasters for ESPN.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. By the time you read this, perhaps the Mets have a new manager. Thank you for subscribing!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Saturday!

After examining the first round of the NFL draft, we are once again reminded how championships are won in the trenches. I offer a perspective in the video and audio podcast.

Here is my nickel’s worth on some other sports items:

* If the Red Sox do not turn it around this weekend in Baltimore and next week in Toronto, things are going to get awfully interesting in Beantown.

* Off the Philadelphia Eagles drafting of WR Makai Lemon in the first round, I would be surprised if A.J. Brown does not become a New England Patriot.

* If the Knicks get ousted in the first round of the NBA playoffs - and they are down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks - how many fans are going to be wondering what might have been had Tom Thibodeau remained as coach? Remember, Knicks fans were told Thibodeau was ousted in favor of Mike Brown, because Brown was the coach who would take the Knicks “to the next level.”

* 320,000 people attended the first round of the NFL draft in Pittsburgh. That was a record, once again reminding us why the NFL is the most popular sports league in the world - 320,000 people not for a game but for an event connected to the NFL. Amazing!

* I could be wrong, but if things go south for Mike Vrabel, do not be surprised if Matt Patricia is the next coach of the New England Patriots. The Pats former DC and OC, as well as the former head coach of the Detroit Lions, has undergone a revival as DC at Ohio State. Just look at the number of defensive players from Ohio State who have been drafted in the first two rounds.

* You have to love the ESPN scroll, during the draft. When it was time for the New York Giants second round pick, the scroll reminded us among the “key departures” for the Giants in 2025 was coach Brian Daboll. He “departed” all right. Daboll was fired!

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber and have a wonderful weekend!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Friday!

The experts say the field in this year’s NFL draft is not the quality that will be highlighting the 2027 draft. Whatever. In the above video and podcast commentary, I explain why this draft still has my attention.

Here’s my nickels worth on some other sports topics:

* I have refrained, other than a passing mention in the newsletter, of commenting on the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini story, but the latest developments are not a good look to say the least. The New York Post has now published photos showing Vrabel and Russini getting cozy, while enjoying drinks together at a New York bar. This was in March of 2020, when Vrabel was still coaching the Tennessee Titans. Three days later Russini had the scoop that the Titans were not interested in free agent QB Tom Brady. At the time those pictures were taken, Russini was not married and Vrabel was. That is not the point. From where I sit, what people do is their own business. But when pictures show a reporter - at the time Russini was covering the NFL for ESPN - and head coach of an NFL team, kissing and getting cozy in public, while having drinks at a bar, and a few days later said reporter has the scoop over other media outlets, it is not a good look. Period. We can talk about double standards, how male reporters are buying off certain sources to get scoops and clicks on the internet, etc. Although those are all topics worthy of discussion, the bottom line is photos of a reporter covering the NFL, seen being kissed by a head coach of an NFL team in public, six years before the same reporter was seen with the same coach, sitting in a hot tub, is tough to defend, no matter how you slice it. It is not a good look for the reporter, for journalism nor for the head coach. Russini resigned from The Athletic when the hot tub photos emerged, or she was going to face the inevitable - that her contract was not going be renewed. It is only fair to ask if Vrabel is about to lose his job too.

* If you don’t think Vrabel might be facing some heat about his job status, even though he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first year as coach, then maybe the name of former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway will ring a bell.

* WOW! Watching the start of the NFL draft from Pittsburgh last night and the thousands in attendance is really astounding. The NFL does own the sports world.

* So the Yankees go up to Boston and sweep the Red Sox a three-game series, winning by scores of 4-0, 4-1, 4-2. I do not want to take anything away from the Bronx Bombers, who took care of business. Their pitching, particularly the starting pitching, is much improved. That said, this is the weakest Red Sox lineup I can recall in a long time. Maybe the Bosox turn it around, but without a big bopper in the lineup, I do not see how. It is why I picked them not to make the playoffs this season.

* Talk all you want about the financial woes of LIV Golf, but it was the PGA Tour that announced yesterday that it was laying off 56 employees or four percent of its workforce. The Tour’s new CEO Brian Rolapp has a town hall planned next month to explain the layoffs. In the meantime, it does not take a financial wizard to reach the conclusion the PGA Tour has been hurt by the numerous big names who left for LIV Golf and how it has impacted the sport here in the U.S.

* Momentum is growing to expand the college football playoffs from 12 to 16 or even 24 teams. Count on it happening. There is too much money to be made.

That is going to do it for today newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber and have a fabulous Friday!

DAN

Good morning, all and happy Thursday!

The NFL draft launches tonight with the first round starting at 8:00 ET. ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes and the NFL Network will all carry the event. Coverage of the draft has grown from a cottage industry to must-see television, while serving as an economic boom for the host city. I break it all down in the video and audio podcast, as well as remember what the draft once was.

A couple of other draft notes:

* The second and third rounds of the draft will be held Friday, April 24, starting at 7 p.m. ET.

* Rounds 4-7 of the draft will be Saturday, April 25, starting at noon ET.

Royals announce new stadium plans

I am old enough to remember when the Kansas City Royals played at Municipal Stadium in downtown Kansas City, then opened their brand new Royals Stadium in 1973. Watching a game on TV from Kansas City always brought the “Wow” factor for me, such as: “Wow, what a sparkling new stadium,” “Wow, look how clean everything looks,” “Wow look how pristine the artificial surface is.”

Royals Stadium is now Kauffman Stadium, named after the late owner of the franchise, Ewing Kauffman. And the stadium is no longer new, although it looks pretty nice to me, whenever I watch a Royals game.

Nice no longer matters. These days, it’s how can a MLB club maximize revenue? If it means a new ballpark with more luxury boxes, then build a new ballpark. After months of stories that next door state Kansas was trying to lure the Royals with a new stadium, the way they attracted the Kansas City Chiefs, the team announced yesterday they are staying put, but building a new stadium just southeast of downtown KC.

The stadium will be designed along the lines of Dodger Stadium, according to officials, in that fans will enter the park through the upper deck, then look down on the stadium, with “striking” views of the city skyline. The location will be on the site of Hallmark Cards, which will be working with the club on the project. Coincidentally the location is also near the old Municipal Stadium site, which was home to the Kansas City Athletics, before the expansion Royals played there, while the new Royals Stadium was being constructed in the city outskirts.

Again, what is wrong with the “old” ballpark?

To repeat, it is all about maximizing revenue, which is why I wonder…

How much longer can the Red Sox call Fenway Park home?

Ownership has done a superb job of renovating MLB’s oldest ballpark, but one has to ask have the Red Sox become prisoners of their own historic venue?

At what point does reality intersect with nostalgia and the Red Sox make the inevitable decision to build a new ballpark? My guess is not in my lifetime, especially since ownership announced last season plans to build a 250,000-square-foot complex across from the Green Monster on Landsdowne St. to house team headquarters and retail. That doesn’t sound like an organization that has designs on a new ballpark in my lifetime.

But while others build new, it leaves one to wonder how much money the Red Sox are leaving on the table? I suspect, with the Royals the latest team to get new digs and the Athletics new Vegas ballpark slated to open in 2028, others will be asking the same question.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Enjoy the draft and as always, thank you for subscribing and have a terrific day!

DAN